UGAPreMed a magazine for uga pre-med students
Volume II Issue two
Can We Really Grow Neurons?
Fact vs. Fiction:
Breaking the Myth that is
pseudoscience Modern
Medical Mythbusters
Medicine Off-Screen:
What You Didn’t Know About Medical Dramas
photo seanmcgrath (foter)
What’s Inside? 23
13
06 Fact vs. Fiction
Busting Common Medical Myths
Taking the Drama Out of Medicine Science Majors
Easier Than They Seem
Modern day Mythbusting Pseudoscience
04 15 06 18 10 19 11 22 13 23 24
Microbes: Friends or Foes? Ditch What’s Miserable
Neurogenesis Top 5 Pre-Med Life Myths We’re Not All Thin Reflexology:
Nothing More Than a Money-Making Placebo
PreMed Staff
www.premedmag.com | facebook: premedmag | twitter: UGAPreMedMag
Writers Sheila Bhavsar Laurence Black Carley Borrelli Sarah Caesar Kristen Farley Mugdha Joshi Ahmed Mahmood Emily Myers Cathrina Nauth Ronke Olowojesiku Nina Paletta
Faculty Advisor Dr. Leara Rhodes Editor in Chief Shajira Mohammed Managing Editor Aashka Dave Associate Managing Editor Selin Odman Design/Photo Editor Christine Byun Associate Design Editor Tammy Luke
Photographers Janny Liu Jessica Rebaza Heather Steckenrider
Designers Lauren Foster Gloria Jen Business Editor Neha Gupta Associate Business Editor David Kupshik Associate Editor Erica Lee Promotions Editor Kathleen LaPorte
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
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Public Relations Hannah Kim Sona Sadselia Chisom Amazae
Editor’s Note Science and pseudoscience: at first glance, they appear to be antonyms. Yet, the line between the two is not clearly defined. And it is this haziness that makes pseudoscience so interesting. When our editorial board was brainstorming themes for this issue, the concept of pseudoscience captivated us all. Literally translated, pseudoscience is the science of shams – the false ideas we can all fall prey to. Pseudoscience covers a wide spectrum of claims, some dating back to ancient beliefs and practices and others that have been developed in recent years. Nina Paletta, author of this issue’s cover story, elaborates on the distinction between pseudoscience and “true” science. As we all get excited about the return of our favorite fall medical dramas, Ronke Olowejsiku explores how medical specialties have been misrepresented on television. Sheila Bhavsar demonstrates the elastic nature of science as she explores the topic of neurogenesis. While the line between science and pseudoscience may still need clarification, pseudoscience’s relevance still remains. How do people perceive the effects of pseudoscientific medial claims? Furthermore, how do people react to these claims? “The Dangers of Pseudoscience,” a recent article in the New York Times, examines a case of HIV and AIDS patients dying because they trusted “snake oil” therapies as opposed to scientifically proven medications. While many folk remedies do give rise to scientific medicine, it is worth learning to distinguish between reliable and unreliable remedies. This issue highlights the growing significance of pseudoscience in our society. Online news outlets and social media have made it easier for pseudoscientific ideas to spread rapidly and the public is almost always ready to believe them. As budding health and scientific professionals, it is not only important to recognize the inadequacies of pseudoscientific claims but also to take action and educate the public about the potential pitfalls of pseudoscience.
Shajira Mohammed Editor-in-Chief
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Fact vs. Fiction: Busting Common Medical Myths In this day and age, it seems like everything we do, eat, or drink is either a cure for cancer or it’s slowly killing us. We all have that friend or crazy colleague who tells us that the food we’re eating is bad for us or we should be drinking this new tea. Most of the time we ignore their claims, sometimes out of stubbornness but mostly because we don’t know if their sources are legitimate. The following are two common myths, followed by facts that might help dispel these medical myths: Ahmed Mahmood
Myth 1: It Takes Seven Years to Digest Gum The myth that gum will stick to your stomach and will take seven years to digest is just as ridiculous as the myth that eating seeds will lead to a tree in your stomach. The myth might come from the same source, too, i.e. your elders. To bust this myth, we must know how food passes through our body. Humans contain saliva in their mouths, and enzymes in the saliva help break food down. Next, food travels down the esophagus and eventually reaches the stomach where it is broken down viciously by hydrochloric acid produced by the organ. The remaining paste (chyme) travels down the small intestine via peristalsis, one-way intestinal muscle contractions, and absorbs any fats or fat-soluble vitamins in the chyme. Following that, the chyme travels down the large intestine which absorbs any water, electrolytes, and water-soluble vitamins. Finally, the remaining matter passes through our rectum and down the drain. So what does this have to do with gum? Gum is made of indigestible molecules almost like fiber which is present in our breads and cereals. Humans do not have the enzyme cellulase to break fiber down, so we just pass it through our digestive system like normal. In fact, fiber is good for you as it cleans out your colon and promotes efficient nutrient take up. The British Nutrition Foundation recommends 18 grams per day (“Dietary fibre,” 2012) whereas the Food and Nu-
trition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends adults who are 50 years of age and younger to take 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women (Higdon, 1998). Now nutritionists certainly advise against ingesting gum, but if you do, it will pass through with little to no problem. As for it sticking to your stomach, Dr. Nancy McGreal, gastroenterologist at Duke University, states, “In all the upper endoscopies I have done in both children and adults, I have yet to see a wad of gum lying around in the stomach,” (Greismann, 2010). The origin of this myth is unknown, but the purpose for it is clear. Parents really don’t want their children to swallow every piece of gum they chew. Myth 2: You Need to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day Drinking eight glasses of water a day is indeed one of the most repeated pieces of advice that your non-doctor friends will give you. Water is essential for our bodily functions. From generating ATP (cellular energy) to sweating, we need water to survive and we should be drinking water on a regular basis. How much do we need though? In an interview with Postmedia News, Dr. Margaret McCartney, general practitioner in Scotland, said, “People still think that we’re all going to die or our kidneys will shrivel up if we don’t drink eight cups of water a day...From what I can see, there’s never been any evidence in the
medical literature about it,” (Chan, 2011). Another physician, Dartmouth Medical School Dr. Heinz Valtin, was interviewed by the Huffington post and said that there aren’t “any scientific studies supporting the eight-glasses-a-day rule” and he hasn’t seen “any evidence that would support that recommendation,” (Chan, 2011). So should we only drink water when we are thirsty? There is no set number of glasses that we need to function. It really depends on the activity and the environment. If you are staying indoors all day playing video games, you will not lose as much water as you would if you were running a marathon. Just remember, if you are feeling thirsty or planning on intense physical activity or heat, then be sure to replenish with plenty of water and electrolytes. There are plenty of other medical myths out there like drinking diet drinks will kill you or cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis. All health advice coming from a non-health professional should be taken with a grain of salt. Always do your own research, whether it be health blogs or scientific papers, and form your own conclusions based on the information presented. After you have mastered researching, you will know all you need to know about hunting and busting medical myths.
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Taking the
Drama
By Ronke Olowojesiku
out of Medicine
While taking a break from studying for that big test, we choose to unwind by watching some of our favorite TV shows. Today, many of these shows portray professionals in the medical field, often in largely dramatized and idealized roles. Depicted here are four characters from popular TV series, along with some questions they raise.
Dr. Gregory House - Former Head of Diagnostic Medicine, House, M.D. Is diagnostic medicine an actual speciality? His prickly persona, questionable and at times unethical methods, and callous bedside manner place Dr. House miles away from the ideal image of a healthcare provider. Moreover, his title as head diagnostician at the fictitious Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital is actually not an approved certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The act of diagnosing a patient plays an integral part in all fields of medicine. In the event that a difficult case does present itself, such as in each episode of House, the attending doctor can call in his peers from different specialties as consults;
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however, departments of diagnostic medicine do not exist. The show itself alludes to the uniqueness of House’s department during an episode in which hospital administrator Dr. Lisa Cuddy says that the department was invented to appeal to House’s “Rubik’s complex” or his need to solve a puzzle.
However, Dr. House is certified in the ABMS subspecialties of nephrology and infectious disease. Both subspecialties require three years of residency in either internal medicine or pediatric medicine followed by fellowships in the respective fields. Infectious disease physicians work to prevent and treat communicable disease and nephrologists diagnose and treat diseases involving the kidneys. Median expected salary for both specialties is around $200,000.
A look into the
misconceptions
of medical professions in some of TV’s biggest shows
Carla Espinosa - Former Nurse, Scrubs Do nurses report to physicians? Unlike some other portrayals of nurses on television, Scrubs depicts Espinosa as a smart and hardworking individual who can hold her own and be an effective leader. At certain points in the show, Espinosa is even seen teaching junior physicians at Sacred Heart Hospital. Espinosa is a main character in Scrubs,appearing in all but three episodes of the series’ first eight seasons, and is married to Dr. Christopher Turk, the hospital’s Chief of Surgery.
Scrubs has been praised for addressing certain issues and concerns within the nursing profession, such as the pursuit of advanced nursing degrees
and men in nursing. However, some criticize the show for its representation of the relationship between nurses and doctors. During the show, physicians at Sacred Heart often perform tasks that nurses typically perform and these same nurses are seen reporting to the doctors. In truth, nursing is an autonomous profession in which nurses and doctors collaborate to provide effective care. However, as Scrubs, like many of the other shows explored here, is a physician-centered show, this incomplete picture of the nursing profession is perhaps unavoidable.
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Dr. Woodrow “Woody” Strode Coroner, Psych A coroner and a medical examiner are essentially the same, right? Woody is the eccentric coroner working for the Santa Barbara Police Department who shares many traits with the show’s protagonist, “psychic” consultant Shawn Spencer. In the show, Woody is often performs autopsies to ascertain the cause of deaths of victims involved in the SBPD’s cases. The role of a coroner is essential in most criminal and police dramas, spanning from CSI, to Rizzoli and Isles, to Bones. However, confusion comes in with the fact that while the titles of the characters portrayed in these shows differ, they all execute the same task: directly discovering the cause of death. In some shows, this character is known as a coroner, such as Woody in Psych. In others, the individual is known as a medical examiner. The interchangeability of the two terms can leave viewers perplexed.
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In general, a medical examiner is a physician often specializing in forensic pathology who is appointed to their position. A coroner is an elected official who does not necessarily have to be a physician ;the only requirement in most counties is that the individual seeking election must be of legal age with no felony convictions. A coroner, or medical examiner for that matter, does not necessarily have to perform an autopsy on an individual and can, instead, request a physician to perform the procedure. Salaries for coroners and medical examiners differ greatly, with coroners earning on average $41,000 and medical examiners earning $75,000-$150,000, up to $200,000 in the private sector. The coroner system exists exclusively in 11 states and alongside medical examiner systems in 17 other states. Currently, 16 states have exclusively centralized medical examiner systems and 6 have exclusively medical examiner systems by county. With such a patchwork of different systems, no wonder confusion exists regarding the titles and tasks of post-mortem investigators.
Dr. Christina Yang - Surgical intern, later Cardiothoracic surgical fellow, Grey’s Anatomy So, is this what residency like? It is no secret that Grey’s is an over-dramatized representation of physicians in a hospital setting. The show, which takes its name from the popular anatomy textbook, features the storylines of various surgical interns and their attending physicians and focuses on their interactions with each other and in turn, the effects of these interactions on their patients. Dr. Yang begins the show as the fellow surgical intern to the series’ protagonist, Meredith Grey. Soon afterward, she develops a sexual relationship with one of the attending physicians at Seattle Grace Hospital, Dr. Preston Burke. Portrayed as a driven, ambitious individual, Yang often struggles to express her emotions, misleading others to perceive her as cold and detached.
The physicians in Grey’s at times go to extreme lengths in their practice, and flirt with certain ethical lines. In an episode from the first season, Yang and Dr. Izzie Stevens perform an autopsy on a patient against the wishes of his family and the instructions of their attending. The illegal autopsy leads to the discovery of genetic disorder that caused the death of the patient, and the pair does not face any repercussions for their actions. However, in reality, Yang and Stevens could have been charged for their actions, effectively placing their medical futures in jeopardy. An article from the Washington Post details the reactions of interns and residents at Howard University Hospital to an episode of the famed drama. From the abrupt manner in which the interns address the attendings, to improper relationships between attendings and interns, to exaggerated scenes of daily resident experiences, the doctors at Howard sum up the show in a manner that can be applied to all of the series’ presented here: it is more about entertainment than necessarily medicine. premed magazine at uga | October 2013
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photo by Janny Liu
Science Majors: Easier Than They Seem Yes, science classes are hard; yes, the classes are time consuming, but how is that different from any other major offered here at UGA?
by Lawrence Black
Whenever I tell people that I am a Microbiology major with pre-medical intent, they reply with a troubled look and an apology for my perceived lack of a life. Over the past three years, I have not been able to figure out why others think declaring a science major is equivalent to committing social suicide. Yes, science classes are hard; yes, the classes are time consuming, but how is that different from any other major offered here at UGA? No one likes to study or to be constantly plagued by schoolwork, but this is a sacrifice every student has to make in order to be successful. As science majors, we must find time in the week to be involved in organizations, shadowing and volunteer opportunities, while keeping a solid GPA in order to be competitive applicants for pre-professional schools. Perhaps this is why non-science students think we are all antisocial hermits— we are all highly involved on campus and in our community. Even with all of these activities going on, there is surprisingly still time to breathe. Whether that “extra time�
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is used for studying, sleeping or hanging out with friends is ultimately left up to each individual student. Pre-professional students tend to possess extraordinary time-management skills. We are constantly developing those skills and others that will assist us for the rest of our lives. By sacrificing time throughout the day for studying, reviewing and homework, students can make time in the day for nonacademic activities. After all, this time is required to remain sane. Next time you are confronted with overwhelming pity from other students because of your major, walk away with a smile. After all, you are practically superhuman, capable of managing stress, applications, extracurricular activities and friends flawlessly day after day.
Modern Day Myth busting by Emily Myers
Almost everyone knows somebody who has had a relative affected by some brain disease or injury. Thanksgiving Day of 2012, my otherwise healthy grandmother collapsed unexpectedly. We called an ambulance, thinking that she might be having a heart attack. Most of my family drove over to the hospital in Greenville, South Carolina and anxiously sat in a waiting room while my grandmother was transported from the ambulance into the hospital so that the doctors could discover what was wrong with her. After a matter of minutes, a doctor came into the room wearing a grave expression. He squatted down on the floor in the middle of my family, and told us he was sorry to be delivering this news on Thanksgiving Day, but that my grandmother was suffering a massive brain bleed deep in the ventricles of her brain, and that a neurosurgeon was going to give her a shunt that would hopefully remove the blood and relieve the pressure from her brain. Because of the location of the bleed, the doctors were unable to surgically stop the bleeding. All we could do was hope that the bleeding would end on its own.
My grandmother was in a coma for two more days, and during both of those days, we were told that she still had brain activity and that there was a chance, even if only a slim one, that she might awake from her coma. Her brain was damaged from the bleeding. We could not possibly know how severe the damage was until after she woke up- which could take weeks. However, she stopped responding to external stimuli on the third day. Her brain activity decreased dramatically and she relied entirely on life support. The doctors told us my grandmother would have little hope of reawakening. After deciding to remove her from life support, she passed away later that day. If we knew more about the brain, the necessary surgical procedures that could have saved my grandmother’s life may have existed.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist and science communicator, said of the human brain, “Everything we do, every thought we’ve ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.” Our brains are such a large component of our everyday lives. The complexity of the connections and inner workings of our minds provide us with something uniquely human, something we have a greater degree of than any other animal -- consciousness. However, many mysteries concerning the brain still remain unsolved. In April 2013, President Barack Obama unveiled a new research project to map the brain, dubbed the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (or BRAIN) Initiative, which hopes to solve some of the myths and mysteries of the brain. President Obama devoted $100 million to this project so that scientists from multiple organizations could come together and accomplish the goals of the Initiative. Key players in researching for the BRAIN Initiative include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). These groups will come together to do such things as understand the dynamic functions of the brain, develop new tools to study the brain and to do research in the physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences. Additionally, some private partners (namely, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Kavli Foundation and the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences) were allocated money to do further research in areas such as perception, decision making, action, new imaging techniques, the storage of information in neural networks, provide knowledge about diseases and conditions of the brain and study the genes and neuronal circuits of the brain.
The BRAIN Initiative has many goals that range from creating a “real-time” map of the brain to increasing our understanding of the many diseases and conditions of the brain. One of those goals is to better understand Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy and other brain diseases through further study of the mechanisms that underlie them in hopes of finding ways to cure, treat and even prevent these conditions. Reducing language barriers by studying ways in which a computer can connect with our brains is another goal of the BRAIN Initiative. Through understanding the anatomy and physiology of the various structures of the brain, researchers hope to be able treat, and perhaps reverse, the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other traumatic brain injuries in veterans. The researchers also hope that this project will allow us to view the activity of many neurons at one time instead of only viewing the activity of one or
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two. The BRAIN Initiative not only aims to map the brain, but also to provide the tools necessary for the creation of an overarching theory on brain function.
Such a project could prove to be an amazing advance towards understanding the brain. However, the BRAIN Initiative faces many challenges. Firstly, the brain is composed of about 100 billion neurons, which makes mapping all of them simultaneously virtually impossible. Furthermore, the connections in the brain change over time as we experience new things. As such, no two brains are the same and no one person’s brain is the same at two different points in time. Another complication is that the different structures in the brain do not function independently from each other. Since the brain is such a dynamic entity, scientists have yet to create a single theory that explains memories and thoughts emerge from the activity of the brain.
Overcoming these obstacles and achieving the goals set by the White House and by the research organizations involved in the project could be prove to be one of the greatest advancements in human history. In the words of John Wingfield, NSF’s assistant director for the Biological Sciences Directorate, “When scientists do ultimately figure out how the brain works—however long it takes, this accomplishment will probably be considered the greatest scientific achievement in all of human history.”
“
President Obama devoted $100 million to this project so that scientists from multiple organizations could come together and accomplish the goals of the Initiative.
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Imagine a world in which there is no Alzheimer’s or autism or Parkinson’s. Imagine being able to view a “real-time” map of the connections in your brain. Man has long been driven by the desire to learn and understand and bust the myths of the world surrounding us and by the desire to answer the question behind one of the greatest myths of all, “Who are we?”. Furthermore, such a project will bring us closer to helping patients who suffer brain diseases and injuries so that they and their families will not have to endure the hardships associated with enduring such a trial. premed magazine at uga | October 2013
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Fact vs. Fiction: Breaking the Myth that is
pseudoscience By Nina Paletta
Have you heard of those new diet pills that are “doctor approved?” All of the commercials show testimonies of people who have lost inches upon inches of body fat, so it must be legitimate. And if a doctor somewhere approved it, it has to work, right? What about alternative medicine? Everyone has heard of the transformative and restorative effects of acupuncture and homeopathy. So many people believe in these cures and treatments because of their widespread “acceptance” in the medical community. Grandma’s home remedies are law in some households. Better to have a naturopathic remedy than difficult medical treatment, right?
Pseudoscience, more explicitly known as false science, has plagued the scientific and medical worlds since people were able to theorize for themselves. From speculations from ancient times up to modern day, people have used pseudoscientific “evidence” to explain everything from the presence of the paranormal to the efficacy of new diet plans to the development of new medical practices. Pseudoscience is a tricky beast to tame – although sometimes blatantly obvious, many times pseudoscientific reports can be just as convincing as a scientific article if you do not know how to spot the myths. As science students, we crave fact, concrete data and sound support. We base our knowledge on experiments that tangibly distinguish fact from fiction, reality from myth. Science is the ultimate mythbuster. But how can you discern between hard science and pseudoscience when the line can be so thin? That, my fellow premeds, is where you have to know science like the back of your hand.
Webster defines pseudoscience as “a system of theories, assumptions and methods erroneously regarded as scientific.” Oftentimes, people will assume that pseudoscientific data is the product of the scientific method if presented well enough. The scientific method has been drilled into our brains since about the first grade: Ask a question; Do background research; Formulate a hypothesis; Test your hypothesis with an experiment; Analyze the data; Communicate your results. This is the backbone of every form of science – the six commandments of science, if you will. Although
Hahnemann. Hahnemann lived in a time where there was no scientific evidence supporting any kinds of medicine and practices such as blood letting were the norm. He devised a new branch of medicine, now known as homeopathy, that was based on two premises: that “like cures like” and that the smaller the dose, the greater the effectiveness. Hahnemann believed that any substance that caused the disease-like symptoms in a healthy individual would cure a sick individual, also known as the Law of Similars. In addition, he also based his practice on the Law of Infinitesimals, the idea that the more times a remedy was diluted with water, the more effective it would be for a patient. Each remTake, for example, homeopath- edy was tailored to the individual ic medicine. Homeopathy was patient, so there was no consiscreated in the late 1700s by a tency in practice. Most cures were scientist by the name of Samuel plant or mineral based, and pawe all know these six steps to science success, we often put them on a backburner in our minds when we research different scientific claims. For example, we may overlook the fact that there is no scientific article that supports the claims that a “doctor” at a “major university” makes to support a new drug. We may glance over the data of a seemingly legitimate experiment and accept a myth based off of a conclusion that may be drawn from compromised data. By using the scientific method and strictly examining any “scientific” claim, you can spot the difference between a true scientific experiment and a pseudoscientific myth.
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photo by Heather Steckenrider
tients seemed to fare better with homeopathic medicine than the mainstream medicine of the time. Because of its widespread acceptance at the end of the 18th century, homeopathic medicine endured through the ages and is still in practice today. However, there is no scientific evidence that supports homeopathic remedies as purely scientific. In all actuality, homeopathy is more of a placebo effect than anything else – it is not scientifically reasonable to say that a remedy containing such little active ingredient would have a curative effect for a disease. In addition, several clinical trials -performed for ailments such as dementia, asthma, ADD and fibromyalgia -- have proven that homeopathic intervention showed no more curative effects than a placebo treatment would have in comparison to current medical treatment. Hard scientific study has debunked the pseudoscientific myth that is homeopathy. In order to avoid the pseudoscience trap, keep a few things in mind. First, make sure the source
you are citing is from a legitimate institution, done by a legitimate researcher or scientist and published in a legitimate scientific journal. In other words, ensure that your source is a credible, scientifically peer-reviewed one. Check to see whether or not the researcher is a true expert in the subject matter at hand. Just because someone is regarded as a doctor or PhD does not mean that they are practicing in their area of expertise. Ensure that the scientific method was completely adhered to while conducting the experiment. Check for control groups, variables – both confounding and otherwise – and testing methodology. Many times, pseudoscientific experiments will only test factors that will sway the outcome in their favor or contain so many confounding variables that the data can be regarded as nothing but null and void. Avoid articles that use persuasive language or testimonial “evidence.” Pseudoscientists hide the fact that they have no concrete evidence through the use of emotionally charged, flowery language and
punctuation that will persuade the reader into belief. Testimonials bear the same effect and are suffused with false facts. Pseudoscientists believe that a testimonial from a seemingly authoritative figure will nullify any doubt the public has about a study’s credibility.
As premedical students, we value scientific theory and find joy in debunking life’s myths through methodical testing and data collection. Beware, however, of the confounding shroud of pseudoscience. Refine your habits of scientific inquiry now in order to train yourself to spot the wolf in sheep’s clothing. If you can condition yourself to think scientifically early on, you will be able to spot pseudoscience from a mile away. By always remembering to check the credibility of the source, the emotional pull of the hypothesis and the methodologies and conclusions of the experiment, you will be able to bust any pseudoscientific myth with the power of true science.
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Microbes:
Friends or Foes? by Kristen Farley
Viruses, bacteria and fungi-oh my!
It is a shame that in this day and age microbes are consistently given such a bad rap. Most people are aware only of pathogenic microbes, ones that cause illness and disease, rather than the plethora of microorganisms that actually benefit humans. Many microbes, especially bacteria, have been extremely useful in the understanding of a number of complex biological processes such as transcription, translation and various metabolic pathways. Bacteria have also proven to be ideal organisms for genetic recombination experiments and the production of proteins needed by other organisms.
Bacteria are inexpensive, easily cultivated organisms with small genomes (compared to Eukarya). As mentioned earlier, recombinant DNA technology has been used successfully over and over again in bacteria, creating strains capable of producing human proteins, as well as the proteins of other eukaryl organisms on a large scale. However, there is one group of bacteria which we may be forever indebted to: the cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria which are believed to be responsible for Earth’s oxygen-rich atmosphere. These photoautotrophs opened the niche for aerobic organisms (that includes us humans) and without them, we may not exist. Another interesting benefit of bacteria is our symbiotic relationship with them. Numerous bacteria inhabit our skin and intestines. The bacteria in our guts help us more than we realize, from providing us with vitamins that we cannot synthesize on our own to simply aiding in the digestion of food that we normally may not be able to digest.
Still puzzled as to how viruses could possibly benefit humans? Bacteriophage, a type of virus that attacks only bacterial cells, seem to be the most beneficial viruses for humans. Certain bacteriophage have the ability to take up and incorporate DNA into the bacterial genome. This ability has made it possible for certain genes to be moved around from bacteria to bacteria, using bacteriophage as the vehicle for DNA transfer between the cells. This technique often comes in handy when studying how changes in the DNA sequence or the addition of genes into the bacterial genome affects the bacteria. Bacteriophage often lyse, or break open, bacterial cells shortly after attacking, a feature National Geographic claims could lead to new remedies against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
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Image by Marcin Zemla and Manfred Auer, JBEI
Fungi possess a multitude of human benefits as well. Like bacteria, genetic recombination has been used to incorporate the genes for human insulin into fungal cells. The insulin produced by these fungi has been marketed for human use. Also, the active ingredient of the famous antibiotic penicillin is harvested from bread mold. Other fungi, such as yeast, are used in the making of bread and other products. With so many wonderful benefits, it should be easy to understand that a world with bacteria, viruses and fungi trumps a world without them. These microbes have been imperative in our understanding of many complex biological processes. They are capable of producing compounds essential. Our ability to manipulate them has made them great biological study tools. After learning some of the benefits of these microbes, hopefully you will start seeing microbes in a positive light and appreciate them in a whole new way.
h c t i D
What’s Miserable by Mugdha Joshi
Being the high achievers and go-do-ers that most pre-med students are, many start their undergraduate experience with a checklist of what MUST be accomplished before their medical school application day. For most pre-meds, undergraduate research is a term that has come to top that list. In the past when grades and MCAT scores were the predominant determining factors for medical school admissions, undergraduate research really set people apart. Fast forwarding to our era, with the abundance of opportunities on campuses even in the summer to conduct research, it has started to feel like a requirement. It feels like every successful applicant has committed at least a few semesters of their lives to bench research of some sort. All this hype from pipetting to publications has created a sense that you cannot get into medical school without working in a lab. This, however is simply not true.
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Medical school admissions officers have repeatedly said that they look for genuine interest in activities that students are involved with. Inevitably, in our climate where doing research in a lab feels like a requirement, there are many a pre-meds slogging away in labs across the county hating every second of what they are doing, justifying their misery with their aspirations for medical school. The fact of the matter is that the accomplishments that set successful pre-meds apart are difficult to come by if students despise what they are doing. Lab research is most rewarding to those that find their work exciting and look forward to the time they spend in lab.
It is true that lab research can be very fulfilling and exciting, bringing you to the forefront of scientific discovery. However, undergraduate research has a glorified image of students working with state of the art equipment, stumbling upon something groundbreaking, and being able to publish and present their discoveries. In reality, lab research can be very mundane. Students have to do the same techniques repeatedly. Often times experiments don’t work or results don’t come through. Victories are usually small, and rarely groundbreaking. For some, the problem solving aspect and the fascination with the amazing science that goes on behind research is more than enough to make up for the mundaneness. However, lab research isn’t for everyone because some students have difficulty seeing past the pitfalls and lack of victories in the lab work they are doing.
My message to these students is this: give lab research a whirl, but if it isn’t for you, do not despair! There are other things you can do that you may find a thousand times more fulfilling that will by no means remove you from the race to medical school. The reason that lab research is looked upon so fondly by admissions councils is not merely to separate the published from the unpublished or the adept at pipetting from the unskilled. Lab research “looks good” because of the intangible skills that it demonstrates. Students engaged in lab research must demonstrate creative thinking ability, problem solving skills, intellectual curiosity and a drive for learning along with a strong work ethic and high levels of analytical ability and intelligence. It is no surprise that these students jump out in a pile of applications. However, just because a student finds lab research unfulfilling does not mean that they do not demonstrate these revered qualities. If you like being creative, solving problems and pushing the limits of what you know, but the thought of working in a lab fills you with dread, you are not alone. Many successful pre-meds have walked through the Arch on graduation day with acceptances to medical school without committing to lab research. They have, however done some other pretty incredible things that demonstrate that they are the intelligent, innovative pioneering leaders that the future of medicine needs.
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One opportunity UGA students have available to them is involvement in the Roosevelt Institute, a student-run think tank that identifies problems plaguing our society and develops policy solutions to combat them. Anyone reading the news in our generation knows when it comes to health, there are a plethora of systemic issues keeping our healthcare system from being everything that it can be. These issues are every bit as important to resolve as the search for the cure for cancer. Roosevelt students learn about these issues from the inside and out, find creative solutions and are given a platform through which they can present
these ideas to people who will listen. Policy solutions created by UGA students have gone on to be considered by local governments for implementation. Students looking to devise tangible solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems may find fulfillment in policy research. The research is interesting in a very different way while still developing some very impressing core qualities. A lot of times students don’t realize that any independent and creative endeavor requires a similar set of skills as research. One successful pre-med student devised a full travel writing course through the help of a professor and spent her summer traversing the Mediterranean while reading books relevant to the region and writing about her experiences. Her project allowed her to build a relationship with a professor, another key component of undergraduate research, and it allowed her to pursue her own interests in a creative and exciting way. A lot of times, anxious pre-med students forget that independent projects that cater to their interests are just as meaningful to pursue as laboratory research. Whether that project is publishing a book, starting an organization from ground up or planning an international escapade, if it allows you to develop vital skills and is meaningful to you, it will propel you towards success. It is easy to forget in a place where opportunities for lab research are so abundant and often times mandatory for coursework, that other kinds of research do exist. Eyes start to cross reading papers about genetics? Approach an economics professor about the questions they are pursuing. Find cultural diversity more interesting than taxonomic diversity? Read about the work going on in the anthropology department. There are literally thousands of amazing opportunities waiting to be taken advantage of across all departments at this school. Many of the questions being asked are extremely fascinating and still very relevant to be working on. There are even more options out there to explore for people that are not interested in lab research. You just have to take it upon yourself to find that thing that makes you come alive. If
“anxious premed students forget that independent projects that cater to their interests are just as meaningful to pursue as laboratory research.” the lab research you are doing is not interesting to you, it isn’t worth it. Branch out. Try new things. Don’t settle. When you find that pursuit that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and stay up late at night, it will all be worth premed magazine at uga | October 2013
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The Truth about
Neurogenesis by Sheila Bhavsar
Exactly how the brain works is still a mystery and there is much to discover. Fortunately, a large amount has been learned about the brain in the past few decades. It was once commonly believed that we are born with a finite number of brain cells. Therefore, if brain cells are destroyed, the cells can never be replaced. This scientific myth was taught and believed by the science community, which caused the myth to spread. However, disputing of the myth regarding neurogenesis began in the 1960’s. Joseph Altman presented the first evidence favoring neurogenesis. He produced lesions in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus in 10 rats. Altman also injected radioactive thymidine, a specific precursor of chromosomal DNA, into the damaged area, which served as a marker for active cell division. Altman then took coronal sections of the LGN in increments of one day, one week, two weeks, one month, and two months after damaging the LGN. Numerous glial cells, which are cells in the nervous system that support neurons, showed uptake of the radioactive starting at the one-week time point. The radioactive material was localized to nucleus of the glial cells, and the majority of the glial cells that showed uptake of radioactive thymidine were found in areas of the lesions.
In addition, regions known to have a connection with lateral geniculate bodies showed uptake of radioactive material, such as the lower layers of the visual cortex and the optic tract. Labeled neuroblasts and neurons were also found in coronal sections of the thalamus, which is where the LGN is located. Altman concluded that his evidence strongly indicates that new brain cells may develop, especially when the brain is injured. However, his results
“There are many other researches that conducted the studies supporting the theory that neurons can regenerate” were widely ignored because it conflicted with the popular belief that neurogenesis only occurs during prenatal development. In 1998 Fred H. Gage published results that further disputed the myth that neurons cannot be replaced in the adult brain. Gage examined human brain tissue from the hippocampus. He specifically examined the subgranular zone, the hillus and the granular cell layer of the hippocampus. The tissue was obtained from cancer patients who had been treated with the thymidine
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analog, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), which labels DNA during DNA replication. Using immunofluorescent labeling for BrdU and labeling for other neuronal markers, such as calbindin, Gage found that BrdU labeled cells co-expressed neuronal markers. Gage then used unbiased counting techniques to quantify cells that co-expressed both neuronal markers and BrdU. Gage found that approximately 22 percent of granule cell layer co-expressed a neuronal marker and BrdU. Therefore, Gage concluded that new neurons are generated from dividing progenitor cells in the hippocampus. There are many other researchers that conducted studies supporting the theory that neurons can regenerate. For example, Elizabeth Gould’s studies at Princeton supported neurogenesis in regions of the adult primate brain, which occurred shortly after Gage’s experiments. Innovative research specifically conducted by Altman and Gage helped solve one of the many mysteries of the brain, and they changed the way many other scientists think. Because of these scientists, the myth regarding neurogenesis has officially been busted.
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Top
Pre-Med Life
Myths
by Sarah Caesar
Before I came to college, portrayals of doctors on television and stories from friends and family were the main factors that shaped my assumptions about the lifestyles of pre-med students. When I arrived at University of Georgia, I saw how misplaced my assumptions were and realized that pre-med life is much different from what’s being portrayed in the media. In this article, I hope to debunk some of the common misconceptions or myths about pre-med life and share some of my experiences as a pre-med student.
Myth #1: I want to major in pre-med. A common misconception is that pre-med is a major. However, it is not. It is merely the course of study prior to entering medical school. During this period, pre-med students take the prerequisite courses necessary to apply to medical schools in the United States. Although some classes are suggested to meet these medical school requirements, there is no specific path every pre-med student takes.
Myth #2: I have to be a science major in order to go to medical school. Another misconception I had about pre-med students was that they were all science majors. I mean, obviously, they have to be, right? However, this is not the case. Since the start of college, I have met many pre-med students at UGA who are majoring in journalism, music and something as far from science as finance. As a matter of fact, medical school admission data provided by University of Maryland shows that individuals who majored in math, statistics and other humanities have slightly higher acceptance rates than those who majored in biological sciences. So if you’re interested in majoring in a non-science field but still want to go to medical school, go for it! Just make sure you complete all the science courses required to apply to medical school.
Myth #3: My daily routine as a pre-med student will consist of just sleeping, eating and studying. Even though the coursework is challenging, most students find the time for extracurricular activities, community service and spending time with friends and family. In fact, most medical schools look for well-rounded students who are capable of balancing both academics and extracurricular activities. Therefore, make sure you have fun and make the most of all the opportunities available in college.
Myth #4: I will have no social life as a pre-med student. Since pre-med students are often thought of as extremely bookish, many people assume that they can’t have fun. This, though, is far from reality. Most pre-med students are very involved on campus and enjoy partaking in social events. In addition to joining clubs and sports, many pre-med students shadow or volunteer at community hospitals. This is a great way to gain insight into the hospital environment and learn how to communicate with people more effectively . In reality, most pre-med students spend considerable amount of time interacting with peers and working in groups, both of which are good qualities that help build c¬¬onfidence and improve one’s social skills.
Myth #5: Medical schools only care about my GPA and MCAT scores.
These two factors are extremely crucial when medical schools consider an applicant. However, they are not the only aspects that medical schools consider. Medical schools look favorably upon students who have shown a keen interest in the medical field through community service, shadowing, extra-curricular activities and scientific research. Furthermore, make sure you keep your science GPA up because medical schools pay close attention to this when assessing your application.
premed magazine at uga | October 2013
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We’re not all thin by Carley Borrelli
Individuals with eating disorders are often stereotyped as extremely skinny and underweight. While many individuals do exhibit this appearance, individuals can still be a normal weight and be diagnosed with an eating disorder. Below are some myths similar to the one above commonly used to discuss eating disorders and their diagnosis.
Myth:
ders.
Only females have eating disor-
While females are much more likely to have eating disorders, people often forget that they occur in men as well. According to The Eating Disorder Foundation, eating disorders are about ten times more prevalent in females than in males.
Myth: disorder.
Binge eating is not a real eating
In the most recent edition of the DSM, The Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disoders, binge eating disorder was recognized as an eating disorder. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amount of food in specific period of time. The binge eating episodes must have occurred once a week for the past three months and not have concurrently occurred with vomiting or excessive exercise. The individual also must show marked distress regarding binge eating, according to the DSM.
Myth: Anorexia nervosa is the most highly diagnosed eating disorder.
The majority of individuals with an eating disorder are diagnosed as EDNOS, or eating disorder not otherwise specified. Roughly 50% of all eating disorder cases fall under EDNOS. If an individual does not meet the exact criteria for an eating disorder, they are put into this category. Individuals with EDNOS could also have a combination of eating disorder symptoms that don’t fully agree with the criteria. This can be difficult for individuals to understand and for health professionals to decide on a treatment plan.
Myth:
People with eating disorders are not at a high risk for death.
Out of all psychiatric disorders in the DSM, anorexia nervosa has the highest rate of mortality, even though it only occurs in 5% of the population. 20% of people suffering from anorexia nervosa will die from complications related to anorexia nervosa such as malnutrition or suicide. A high number of individuals with anorexia nervosa often have comorbid depression, which can lead to suicide.
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Myth:
If you make yourself vomit, you have bulimia nervosa.
Individuals with bulimia nervosa often exhibit self-induced vomiting, but there are many possible compensatory behaviors. Other compensatory behaviors for bulimia nervosa include: fasting, excessive exercise and use of laxatives to prevent weight gain. You must also have recurrent episodes of binge eating where you consume a large amount of food during a two-hour period, use the compensatory behavior to offset the eating, and feel a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode. The use of compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain following binges distinguishes bulimia nervosa from binge eating disorder.
Myth: Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa have been around for a few hundred years.
While there have been reports of self-starvation from the 11th and 12th century of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa has only occurred in the 20th century and has been categorized as a culture-bound disorder. This means that bulimia nervosa came about due to characteristics of the Western culture. With access to unlimited amounts of food and indoor plumbing to hide binges, individuals have been able to hide their behaviors in the midst of the developed Western culture. Also, high pressures have been imposed on women in Western culture due to the standards of female beauty in our society which has led to higher rates of bulimia nervosa. These facts highlight the grave importance of eating disorders and seriousness in early diagnosis and treatment. It is crucial to pay attention to friends and family in your life and help them seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist if needed.
photo by Heather Steckenrider premed magazine at uga | September 2013
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Reflexology: Nothing More than a Money-Making Placebo By Cathrina Nauth
roid glands, kidney stones, hemorrhoids, heart disease, intestinal paralysis and many more. Some reflexology clinics argue that their practices may even be beneficial as cancer treatments! Interestingly enough, this entire idea of reflexology is based solely on one diagram of the foot mapped with pressure points, which reflexologists believe have some connection with the parasympathetic nervous system, capable of healing body parts. However, there is minimal scientific evidence behind this claim. photo by Heather Steckenrider
P
ull up a chair, sit back, relax and enjoy a therapeutic foot massage. And while you’re at it, don’t worry about those health problems your doctor told you about, because it will all be taken care of after the session. Every sickness, gone. Any pain, no longer present. Life, perfect. Could it really be that easy? Could a simple hand to foot relationship spark a sudden perfection of the human body and its functions? Reflexology claims that it can, while others argue that it is simply a money-making placebo.
Reflexology is a timeless practice, dating as far back as the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. However, in the midst of modern medicine and science, some of the practices involved with reflexology prompt the question; Is this practice legitimate? This practice involves the vigilant manipulation of pressure points in the foot in order to have therapeutic effects on certain organs in the body. The process itself claims to be able to alleviate the symptoms associated with conditions such as anemia, bronchitis, overactive thy-
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Reflexologists strive to defend their practices by allowing their patients to see these mapped foot charts, however reflexologists know that the average person is not going to understand a bunch of scientific and anatomical jargon, so they bombard patients with these words to trick them. Also, this “foot map” that reflexologists base their practices on usually varies from reflexologist to reflexologist around the world, making it clear that that there cannot be one single pressure point corresponding to one specific organ throughout the human anatomy. Aside from the obvious determi-
nants of the falsity lying within the claims of reflexology, such as the inconsistency in the reflexology foot maps, there are also other ways to disprove the theory that this practice really works. For one, professionals should be able to explain their practice without the improper usage of scientifically strung words. If it really worked, and they knew exactly how it worked, they would be able to explain it in relatively simple terms. Following that, there should be an abundant amount of quantifiable evidence that it does work, yet the evidence is very scarce. For example, a recent study on reflexology conducted by East Carolina University’s School of Nursing, concluded that patients with lung and breast cancer reported less anxiety after the foot reflexology process was completed. However, after further analyzing the experiment, simple analysis elucidates the fact that there was no control in the experiment, so this could have easily been translated into a psychological experiment, rather than an actual test on the claims of reflexology. Therefore, an experiment conducted later by Indiana University’s School of Nursing set up an experiment to test this, and found that controlled studies of reflexology failed to demonstrate any increased benefit over the placebo. Also, there is no scientific evidence proving that the nerves in the foot can actually regulate cycles in the upper body. In order to prove it, some aspect of this entire practice needs to be measurable in some form, whether it is a blood test, an x-ray, a CAT scan, or anything along these lines. However, reflex-
ologists are not able to do this, because there are no quantifiable results supporting their claims. The one thing that reflexology may be able to do is serve as a placebo, in an attempt to relieve basic conditions such as tension and anxiety, as in East Carolina University’s studies, proved. If people truly believe, and have been convinced that the pressure on the soles of their foot is supposed to help create positive no-
“Aside from the obvious determinants of the falsity lying within the claims of reflexology...there are also other ways to disprove the theory that this practice really works.”
tising the false benefits associated with it, some may be inclined to believe that it really is an alternative treatment to their illnesses and problems. When people invest their limited time and money in something that will not cure them, they lose their opportunity to seek immediate help from doctors or hospitals, potentially worsening their conditions overtime. Furthermore, the idea of having a simple “cure” to certain diseases, such as curing cardiovascular disease through a foot massage, will seem like the easy way out to some people. This could cause them to avoid exercising daily, eating healthily or taking other precautions to improve their health. Since reflexology cannot really cure the illness, it is harming more than helping— the opposite of a patient’s desires.
Looking at the process of reflexology as a whole, it is clear that it is merely a money-making strategy. Yes, a foot massage from time to time may not be such a bad idea after a long and stressful week, however relying on this practice to cure ailments can not only tions in their body and relieve their lead to more medical problems, tensions, they may begin to feel less but burn a hole in your pocket as tension and anxiety. This has been well. Taking all of this into considproven through various studies. eration, it is important to think This can only work for very basic twice before you get tricked by the conditions with minimal side effects sneaky market of pseudoscience. or damage to the internal body. However, unlike many other placebos corresponding with simpler practices, reflexology can be dangerous, and may even be life-threatening to an extent. With all of the claims this practice makes, and the ways they go about adverpremed magazine at uga | October 2013
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