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QuitPuff: A Simple Method Using Saliva to Assess the Risk of Oral Pre-Cancerous Lesions and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Chronic Smokers

Shamsher et al. | Mar 27, 2019

QuitPuff: A Simple Method Using Saliva to Assess the Risk of Oral Pre-Cancerous Lesions and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Chronic Smokers

Smoking generates free radicals and reactive oxygen species which induce cell damage and lipid peroxidation. This is linked to the development of oral cancer in chronic smokers. The authors of this study developed Quitpuff, simple colorimetric test to measure the extent of lipid peroxidation in saliva samples. This test detected salivary lipid peroxidation with 96% accuracy in test subjects and could serve as an inexpensive, non-invasive test for smokers to measure degree of salivary lipid peroxidation and potential risk of oral cancer.

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The correlation between bacteria and colorectal cancer

Zhang et al. | Oct 21, 2024

The correlation between bacteria and colorectal cancer

The authors looked at abundance of bacteria in stool samples from patients with colorectal cancer compared to controls. They found different bacteria that was more prevalent in patients with colorectal cancer as well as bacteria in control patients that may indicate a beneficial gut microbiome.

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Impact of gadodiamide (Omniscan) on a beef liver catalase ex vivo model

Hirsch et al. | Mar 10, 2023

Impact of gadodiamide (Omniscan) on a beef liver catalase <em>ex vivo</em> model
Image credit: Marcelo Leal

Here, seeking to better understand the effects of gadolinium-based contrast agents, dyes typically used for MRI scans, the authors evaluated the activity of catalase found in beef liver both with and without gadodiamide when exposed to hydrogen peroxide. They found that gadioamide did not significantly inhibit catalase's activity, attributing this lack of effects to the chelating agent found in gadodiamide.

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Analysis of ultraviolet light as a bactericide of gram-negative bacteria in Cladophora macroalgae extracts

Newell et al. | Nov 07, 2022

Analysis of ultraviolet light as a bactericide of gram-negative bacteria in <em>Cladophora</em> macroalgae extracts

Here, the authors sought to use Cladophora macroalgae as a possible antibiotic to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. However, when they observed algae extracts to be greatly contaminated with gram-negative bacteria, they adapted to explore the ability to use ultraviolet light as a bactericide. They found that treatment with ultraviolet light had a significant effect.

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The effects of Helianthus Annuus on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using Drosophila Melanogaster

Srinivasan et al. | Oct 13, 2022

The effects of <em>Helianthus Annuus</em> on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using <em>Drosophila Melanogaster</em>

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects nearly 200,000 people worldwide and there is currently no cure. The purpose of the study was to determine if Helianthus annuus seeds helped reduce nerve degeneration and increase locomotion using Drosophila melanogaster as the model organism. Through this experiment, we found a general trend suggesting that H. annuus helped increase the mobility of the D. melanogaster suggesting it could be a viable supplement for patients with ALS.

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