UNDERSTANDING CHOLESTEROL: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE NECESSARY

UNDERSTANDING CHOLESTEROL: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE NECESSARY

CHOLESTEROL FROM ONE’S BODY Even though it has earned a bad reputation, cholesterol, in reality, is needed by one’s body to make hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D. Cholesterol plays a role in keeping the body healthy. However, high levels of one type (LDL or Low-Density Lipoproteins) or low levels of another (HDL or High-Density Lipoproteins) can put one at risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke (cerebrovascular accident). The liver and other cells…
Insulin vial and syringe. Source: unsplash images

HISTORY OF INSULIN: The Discovery of a Lifesaver in the History of Medicine

  Insulin is a hormone which plays a key role in the regulation of blood glucose (sugar) levels. This hormone plays other essential roles in the body’s metabolism. It regulates your body’s metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Sound important? That’s because it is. A lack of insulin, or an inability to adequately respond to insulin, can each lead to the development of the symptoms of diabetes. Administration of synthetic insulin in individuals with diabetes is essential in…
Missing Dopamine Restored in Children With Atypical Brain Disorder by Gene Therapy

Missing Dopamine Restored in Children With Atypical Brain Disorder by Gene Therapy

A girl who has lived 8 years of her life with a very uncommon genetic brain disease that made her unable to talk or walk, got enrolled in a clinical trial whose results suggests the course of such inherited disorders can be altered by gene therapy, even after many years. The patient had AADC deficiency, a disorder that prevents the brain from making dopamine and serotonin, which are important molecules that enable brain cells to…