(August 2004) On 27th December, 2002, Dr. Brigitte Boissilier, scientific director of Clonaid, claimed the birth of the first cloned human. The announcement was greeted with revulsion from the general public and skepticism among the scientific community. Although the world still awaits scientific verification of this procedure, the claim intensified the ongoing public debate regarding this technology and its potential uses. Cloning has been hypothesized to have the potential to revolutionize at least two aspects of human life. Therapeutic cloning aims to produce embryonic stem cells which, because of their multipotentiality, have been proposed as a source of cells for…

(August 2004) Approximately 23% of Canadians [1] and 200 million [2] people worldwide are considered obese, an increase from 10 years ago. Obesity is usually associated with but not limited to developed nations. In addition to social stigmas, there are significant health risks that come with being overweight. Studies have shown that having excess weight increases susceptibility to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke, as well as certain forms of cancer. What causes obesity? The traditional view is that overeating and lack of exercise are responsible for weight gain. Thus, a greater input than output of energy will…

(August 2004) In the last century, nothing has made a bigger impact on human health than antimicrobial chemotherapy [1]. After 20 years of clinical use, antibiotics have increased the average human life expectancy by ten years while in comparison, curing cancer would only only extend life expectancy by two years [1]. From 1900 to 1990, the average life expectancy of citizens of the U.S. increased a staggering 29 years. In fact, in most of developed countries, mortality due to infectious disease has largely been replaced with mortality due to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and strokes. Although the…

(August 2004) Introduction to Prostate Cancer The prostate is a small gland about the size and shape of a walnut situated just below the bladder and surrounding the urethra (the vessel that carries urine)(See Fig. 1). The prostate produces the seminal fluid in which sperm is transported. Figure 1. The Prostate Gland A cancer arises when cells stop growing in an organized and controlled manner. Without proper control cells grow rapidly, eventually forming a tumour. This is a common occurrence in the prostates of older men. Prostate cancer usually begins as a small focus, or several foci, of cancerous cells…

(August 2005) These days, no idea or innovation can get off the ground without money, and scientific research is no exception. But unlike many commercial pursuits, research often does not produce lucrative rewards in the short term. Many research projects do not make marketable discoveries for years, sometimes even decades. And to make things even more financially difficult, many research projects require substantial investment prior to the actual research process in order to obtain proper resources and equipment. Because of this, the issue of funding becomes tricky business for many researchers. And it can become especially difficult to attract investors…

In the past 50 years, antibiotics have been critical in the fight against many diseases and infections. Their discovery was one of the leading causes for the dramatic rise of average life expectancy in the 20th century and their significance to public health would be impossible to overstate. Antibiotics are defined as any compound which either kills or severely impedes the growth of bacteria. Upon the introduction of penicillin into general clinical practice in 1944, formerly deadly illnesses such as Strep throat and tuberculosis became instantly curable. Today, our dependence on antibiotics is absolute. In 1998, in the United States,…

(August 2004) The discovery of penicillin in 1929 by Alexander Fleming was a milestone in modern medicine [1]. In 1943, the industrial-scale production of penicillin enabled its widespread use and ushered in the beginning of the “antibiotic era.” The availability of antibiotics has had profound effects on human health and has contributed to an eight-year increase in the average human lifespan [2]. The availability of antibiotics has allowed for the successful treatment of many bacterial infections as well as the ability to perform invasive medical procedures including surgery and chemotherapy [3]. Throughout the years, however, many bacterial strains have evolved…

(August 2005) Wound repair is a critical part of the maintenance of skin and mucosa. It involves a complex series of interactions and cooperation between the superficial skin cells (epidermal cells), cells from the lower layer of skin (dermal cells), and cells of our body’s defense system (immune cells) [1]. After the skin has been injured, the wound must be covered as rapidly as possible in order to prevent any infection. The first event upon wounding is bleeding, which shortly turns into clot. The process of wound coverage is called re-epithelialization, in which epidermal cells from the sides of the…

(August 2005) Have you ever wondered what life would be like with no skeleton? Or how your body goes about maintaining such a complex structure? Without it you would be no more than a mound of wobbly flesh and skin, and yet you have likely never given it a moment’s thought. However, the science of skeletal physiology has led to one of the major advances in medical treatment in the past decade. This article will show you how your body maintains a living, breathing [1] skeleton, how things can go wrong with it and how new medications work to treat…