Category: Health

Lipid metabolism and its role in obesity and health

September 28, 2017

Obese but healthy, thin but suffering from a multitude of disorders including metabolic syndrome. For years, this clinical observation, also known as metabolic healthy obese, has befuddled doctors and medical researchers, and motivated significant amount of research aimed at understanding the aetiology of obesity and its implications in health and disease.   Why would obesity … More Lipid metabolism and its role in obesity and health

What is a lead service line in water distribution, and what is its effect on health?

June 20, 2017

Lead service line constitutes part of the drinking water distribution network in some parts of the world, and its use comes from the antiquated concept of providing disinfection to the drinking water distributed in a typical city’s vast distribution network. Specifically, water that leaves the drinking water treatment plant would need to pass through a … More What is a lead service line in water distribution, and what is its effect on health?

The arduous process of drug discovery and development

May 22, 2017

Drug development is a continuous process. Specifically, there will always be drugs in preclinical development and more advanced ones in clinical trials. These medicines are typically exorbitant in cost due to a variety of reasons, the most important of which is their small production volume coupled with the need to recoup the hefty investment needed … More The arduous process of drug discovery and development

Post antibiotic treatment expansion of pathogenic gut microbes induced by availability of oxidised sugars

December 18, 2016

Antibiotic resistance is frequently publicized in the popular media such as television advertisement and newspapers and has helped inform the general public about the perils of not completing a course of antibiotic treatment. Briefly, antibiotic resistance arises when a subpopulation of microorganisms developed resistance to antibiotic treatment either through reducing their metabolic rate (e.g., persistence … More Post antibiotic treatment expansion of pathogenic gut microbes induced by availability of oxidised sugars

Ability of healthcare systems to finance last resort treatments

October 23, 2016

I mentioned cancer immunotherapy as an alternative to chemotherapy earlier. However, the approach is more commonly used as both a frontline and last resort treatment for cancers recalcitrant to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. As a new approach to treating cancers and many of the drugs protected by patents, cancer immunotherapy is very expensive and … More Ability of healthcare systems to finance last resort treatments

Immunotherapy: a new approach to treating cancer

October 12, 2016

I will start off this blog with a brief note on a new direction for cancer treatment: cancer immunotherapy. Briefly, common treatments for cancer use a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy to remove or shrink a tumor. But, a key problem for cancer treatment is the recurrence of tumor formation months or years … More Immunotherapy: a new approach to treating cancer