Frankie Carr, Biological Sciences, Spring 2021 Figure 1: An image of the Yersinia pestis bacterium that caused the Black Plague. The image was taken using a scanning electron microscope using a sample collected from the digestive tract of an infected flea (Source: Wikimedia Commons). Some use the word “plague” to … Continue reading
Isabelle Wilson, Biological Sciences, Spring 2021 Figure 1: Diagram of the effects of bile acids on decreased food intake. Bile acids from the digestive system bind to TGR-5 receptors on the surface of hypothalamic cells to effectively increase insulin synthesis and decrease food intake (Source: Frontiers). Obesity has become a … Continue reading
Isabelle Wilson, Biological Sciences, Spring 2021 Figure 1: Diagram of KYNA-induced blockade of the NMDA receptor which is responsible for symptoms of psychosis. Decreased activation of the GRK3 gene elevates KYNA levels and may provide a pathway to manipulate for future antipsychotic treatments (Source: ResearchGate). Psychosis currently affects 2-3% of … Continue reading
Frankie Carr, Biological Sciences, Spring 2021 Figure 1: A schematic of the double helix of DNA (Source: Wikimedia Commons). DNA is made of nucleotides, which consist of a deoxyribose sugar bound to a phosphate group along with a nitrogen base, joined together with bonds between their sugars and phosphate groups. … Continue reading
Isabelle Wilson, Biological Sciences, Spring 2021 Figure: Diagram of Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) function. This proposed Alzheimer’s drug would increase the number of LAMP2A receptors to increase CMA activity and increase degradation of toxic tau aggregates (Source: Wikimedia Commons). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 5.2 … Continue reading