Proteins are a crucial, key component in almost every biological process in the body. Our genes serve as an instruction manual that guides the generation of proteins. But you might not know much about amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Units of amino acids called polypeptides allow your body to make the different proteins … Continue reading Spotlight On: Amino Acids
Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic, progressive condition that leads to issues with the digestive system, specifically the intestines. This makes it difficult for these organs to absorb nutrients and fluids from your diet so your body can meet its needs. It is not entirely known what causes inflammatory bowel disease, but factors include diet … Continue reading Spotlight On: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
When you play sports outside, you may accidently fall and scratch your knee or elbow, shedding a few drops of blood. Usually this is not a reason to be concerned. You wash your cut with some water, apply an anesthetic spray or ointment and stick on a bandage. The reason most of us don’t need … Continue reading Spotlight On: Blood Clotting and Hemophilia
SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, emerged into the human population late in 2019. COVID-19 is an airway infection much like the common cold. One in six colds are caused by coronaviruses, although these are other types of coronaviruses. Why, then, did COVID-19 become such a devastating pandemic that has led to the deaths of … Continue reading Spotlight On: SARS-CoV-2
This month, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Physiological Society journal Physiological Reviews, we are highlighting recent research published in the journal. Interested in reading more in celebration of Physiological Reviews’ birthday? Read about bariatric surgery’s effect on hunger, targeting the immune system to treat cancer and new thoughts on why you … Continue reading Spotlight On: Migraine
Our bodies undergo millions of chemical reactions throughout the day: building, breaking down and transporting molecules in an attempt to maintain balance, or homeostasis. Many of these reactions require energy. Most of that energy comes from our cells’ energy centers, called the mitochondria. The total of all of these chemical reactions and the energy requirement … Continue reading Spotlight On: Metabolism
Menopause is a stage in a person’s life when their menstrual cycle stops. The average age in the U.S. is 52. During this time, the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone—hormones that regulate the reproductive cycle and support pregnancy—marking the end of reproductive function. After going without a period for 12 consecutive months, a person … Continue reading Spotlight On: Menopause
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition that leads to decreased heart pumping capacity. This makes it difficult for the heart to pump enough blood to the body to meet its needs. Conditions that cause heart failure include heart disease (no, they are not the same), diabetes and high blood pressure. Those at higher risk … Continue reading Spotlight On: Heart Failure
If you’re reading this article, you can thank the crafty and tireless work of evolution. While we may take vision for granted as a simple and straightforward process, how we see is not so simple at all. How we see While the evolution of sight—from a primitive eyespot that could only discriminate between light and … Continue reading Spotlight On: Vision
Over the past decade, studies around how bacteria influence our health have gained attention. The human microbiome is a community of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other multicellular microorganisms. These little “bugs” exist in our gut, on our skin, on our computers and desks, and even on the foods we eat. The elements of our microbiome … Continue reading Spotlight On: Microbiome
