Biología

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"A liver of steel"

Some will feel the like their chest is going to pop out because someone has told them that they have a “liver of steel” during their career as professional drinkers. What you haven’t been told is that the origin of this saying is because the liver hardens and loses its function for those who abuse alcohol.  Because we only have one liver, once you damage it, there’s no plan B, YOU lost the game. It’s not like the kidneys which if you remove one, there’s still another one and you can receive dialysis to ameliorate the symptoms.  But many people take the comment a joke. Now I’ll explain what happens to your liver every time you go drinking and abuse alcohol.  

One more beer and then we go...

Today, April 7th, is Alcohol Screening Day. "Ugh!  Don’t sign me up for that one!  Alcoholism. What an ugly word!"  Yes, it is.  But the reality of life as an alcoholic or having a friend or family member suffering from this health condition is even uglier.  

Why does alcohol cause so much trouble and why is taboo to talk about alcoholism? After all, alcohol is a legal product and in Puerto Rico consumption often is glorified.

Alzheimer's disease: We can reduce the risk

Recently, Dr. Irving Vega, Associate Professor at Michigan State University, presented his talk "Research on Alzheimer's disease: from bench to society". On the occasion of the "Brain Awareness Week" celebration, we share the video of his talk and an article written by Dr. Vega.  This is the first of multiple posts that we will be sharing with you this week exploring different conditions related to the health of our brain.

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ZIka vaccines might arrive too late

CienciaPR Contribution: 
No
By: 
Agencia EFE

Ginebra - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today that the vaccine against Zika virus might arrive to late to have a real impact on the current epidemic going on in Latin America.

For the full article, please refer to the spanish version of this site.

 

Promoting early detection of Colorectal Cancer

For many people, reaching the age of 50 marks the beginning of an important stage in their lives. Many take the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, achievements, and wishes to fulfill. But we should also recognize that no matter how young and full of energy we feel, it is natural that with age certain changes occur that affect the normal functioning of our body. This is why, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), every person should have a screening test for colorectal cancer starting at the age of 50.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. In Puerto Rico, it is the second most common type of cancer. It is also recognized as the second leading cause of cancer death for women, as well as the third cause for men.

Colder temperatures lower the risk of chikungunya infection

CienciaPR Contribution: 
No
The mosquito that propagates the dengue and chikungunya virus is unable to complete its life cycle at temperatures lower than 77 grades Fahrenheit.
 
For the full article, please refer to the spanish version of this site. 

Learn about the influenza virus

In 2009 we saw the global hysteria that can take hold after an uncontrolled influenza outbreak.  The disease caused by the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, infected hundreds of millions of people around the world.  In the United States, recent estimates show that the virus may have infected up to 90 million people and claimed around 12,500 lives.

Use of technology to teach students with Autism

CienciaPR Contribution: 
No
By: 
Pedro A. Menéndez Sanabria

Teacher Bryan Rivera developed the project Sense around Bakery Club for Autism Learners for students ages 11 and 13 with support form the Department of Education.

To read the full article, visit the Spanish version of this site.

The origin of a dengue epidemic

CienciaPR Contribution: 
The Professional is a member of CienciaPR

This article describes the recent article about dengue genetics published in Science by Dr. Mariano García Blanco and his colleagues at Duke University.

 

To read the full article, visit the Spanish version of this site.

 

The Science article could be found at: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/07/01/science.aab3369.abstract

 

 

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