Current estimates suggest that there are nearly 38 million people in the US who smoke cigarettes and an estimated 10.8 million people use e-cigarettes with this number rising every year. Nicotine is an addictive drug found in both conventional cigarettes as well as e-cigarettes, cigars, and hookah. Many of the harmful effects of smoking in…
Cells in the human body have a limited capacity to divide and grow; once this capacity is used up, the cells retire and become senescent. Senescent cells no longer grow or divide and instead begin to release proteins that are associated with inflammation and numerous chronic diseases. Senescent cells have been associated with chronic diseases…
Dementia affects nearly 47 million people worldwide and it is likely that this number will rise to 150 million people worldwide by 2050. In order to prevent a future epidemic, we need to understand the risk factors associated with the disease and come up with new interventions that can treat existing dementia and help prevent…
Dementia is a worldwide problem with more than 50 million people affected and 10 million more new cases every year. It causes significant impairments in memory, thinking, behaviour, and the ability to perform daily activities. In the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, genetic factors only account for between 1-5% of the cases with…
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting 39 million people worldwide. It is estimated that 1% of the population will be affected by the age of 20 and 3% by the age of 75. The random nature of seizures in people with epilepsy can make planning for daily life difficult. Although short…
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major cause of dementia in old age, accounting for 60-70% of the cases. AD is a neurodegenerative disease that starts slow and gets worse over time resulting in memory loss, problems with language, and disorientation. While the exact cause of AD is unknown, a popular theory suggests there is a…
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects people who suffer repeated head injuries. It most commonly is associated with former football players but has been detected in post-mortem brains of former players from hockey, rugby, and boxing. One study identified CTE in 99% of former NFL player brains that had been donated…
Much is known about the negative health consequences of first-hand (direct) and second-hand smoking. This includes an increased risk for cancer, heart disease, lung diseases (asthma and COPD), and an increased risk for lung infections. In infants, second hand smoke is also associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A new…
Concussions in football have been a problem for as long as the sport has existed but data on the number of concussions has only existed since 1995. In 12 years from 1996 to 2007 there were on average 0.4 concussions per game in the NFL or around 102 concussions per season. The concussion problem exists…
Numerous studies have tried to understand the genetic component of autism in an effort to understand the origins of the disorder. A few key genes have come up as important including a gene known as CHD8 or Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 8. This gene has been shown to be mutated in some individuals with autism and be…
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