S&S: Health & Disease
- A chasm of misunderstandingThe widening gap between public perception and scientific consensus
The widening gap between public perception and scientific consensus
- Philip Hunter1
The gulf between public perception and scientific consensus seems to be widening, with significant consequences for policy, funding and research. The science of climate change has featured prominently in this context, but profound gaps are also evident in other areas of the life sciences.
- © 2014 The Author
- Antibiotic resistance and the environment—there and back againScience & Society series on Science and Drugs
Science & Society series on Science and Drugs
Antibiotics and their metabolized products in human and animal waste are the major cause of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Understanding what happens to drugs after their use could improve methods to remove antibiotics from rivers and soils and reduce the prevalence of resistance in bacterial populations in the environment.
- © 2014 The Authors
- Genes, the environment and personalized medicineWe need to harness both environmental and genetic data to maximize personal and population health
We need to harness both environmental and genetic data to maximize personal and population health
- Chris Carlsten (carlsten{at}mail.ubc.ca) 1,
- Michael Brauer2,
- Fiona Brinkman3,
- Jeffrey Brook4,
- Denise Daley1,
- Kelly McNagny5,
- Mandy Pui1,
- Diana Royce6,
- Tim Takaro7 and
- Judah Denburg8
- 1Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 2School of Population and Public Health University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 3Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- 4Environment Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- 5Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 6AllerGen NCE: the Allergy, Genes, and Environment Network, a Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- 7Department of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- 8Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
In their enthusiasm to implement genomics‐based personalized medicine, researchers, clinicians and policymakers have missed two crucial considerations: environmental factors and epigenetics. Both of these must be crucial components of future research into tailored health solutions for individuals.
- © 2014 The Authors
- A little hard to swallow?The use of nanotechnology in the food industry might be both boon and bane to human health
The use of nanotechnology in the food industry might be both boon and bane to human health
- Melissa Suran (mnsuran{at}u.northwestern.edu) 1
The food industry is exploring the use of nanotechnology to extend product freshness, detect bacterial spoilage and deliver additives. Yet critics and experts worry that there is a lack of knowledge about the potential risks to human health.
- © 2014 The Author
- Vaccines against cancerDespite setbacks, attempts to harness the patient's immune system to fight tumor cells show promise in clinical trials
Despite setbacks, attempts to harness the patient's immune system to fight tumor cells show promise in clinical trials
- Philip Hunter, Freelance Journalist1
New knowledge and new technologies could bring a much‐needed breakthrough for the development of therapeutic vaccines to fight cancer.
- © 2014 The Author
- Key challenges for next‐generation pharmacogenomicsScience & Society series on Science and Drugs
Science & Society series on Science and Drugs
- Kostas Kampourakis1,†,
- Effy Vayena2,†,
- Christina Mitropoulou3,
- Ron H van Schaik3,
- David N Cooper4,
- Joseph Borg (joseph.borg{at}biotech.um.edu.mt) 5 and
- George P Patrinos (gpatrinos{at}upatras.gr) 6
- 1University Teacher Training Institute and Section of Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2Institute of Biomedical Ethics University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 4Institute of Medical Genetics School of Medicine Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- 5Department of Applied Biomedical Science, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- 6Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences University of Patras, Patras, Greece
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↵† These authors contributed equally.
Recent advances in genomics and sequencing technology herald the advent of pharmacogenomics in routine clinical practice. Yet, while science and technology have progressed rapidly, legal, social and ethical challenges remain to be resolved.
- © 2014 The Authors
- Tropical diseases and the poorNeglected tropical diseases are a public health problem for developing and developed countries alike
Neglected tropical diseases are a public health problem for developing and developed countries alike
- Philip Hunter, Freelance Journalist (ph{at}philiphunter.com) 1
Neglected tropical diseases are not confined to developing countries; they also hit the poor and disenfranchised in developed nations.
- © 2014 The Author
- Drugs and placebos: what's the difference?Understanding the molecular basis of the placebo effect could help clinicians to better use it in clinical practice
Understanding the molecular basis of the placebo effect could help clinicians to better use it in clinical practice
- Fabrizio Benedetti (fabrizio.benedetti{at}unito.it) 1
The placebo effect is well known from clinical trials but often misunderstood. Neuroscientists are picking apart the neurological pathways involved in the hopes of using placebos to enhance clinical practice.
- © 2014 The Author
- Exposure, effects, and public health challengesAn interview with Linda Birnbaum, Director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Services
An interview with Linda Birnbaum, Director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Services
An interview with Linda S. Birnbaum, Director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), about the evolution of toxicology to address new health issues.
- © 2014 The Author
- Health research 2.0The use in research of personal fitness or health data shared on social network raises both scientific and ethical concerns
The use in research of personal fitness or health data shared on social network raises both scientific and ethical concerns
- Katrin Weigmann, Freelance journalist1
Social networking on the Internet empowers patients to discuss their illnesses and access a bonanza of health information. However, research using the personal data shared on these networks raises important ethical and statistical questions.
- © 2014 The Author
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