S&S: Health & Disease
- 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
- Flu seasonAn interview with Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Chief of the Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
An interview with Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Chief of the Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Holger Breithaupt (breithau{at}embl-heidelberg.de) 1
An interview with Jeffery Taubenberger from NIAID about how understanding the evolution of influenza could inform vaccine development and public health measures to deal with flu pandemics.
- © 2014 The Author
- Tackling resistence: bacteria, humans, animals and the environmentAn Interview with Stuart Levy, Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and President of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
An Interview with Stuart Levy, Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and President of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
- Holger Breithaupt (breithau{at}embl-heidelberg.de)
An interview with Stuart Levy from Tufts University about the causes and problems of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria and what needs to be done to address this rapidly worsening threat to public health.
- © 2014 The Author
- Internet addiction disorder and youthThere are growing concerns about compulsive online activity and that this could impede students' performance and social lives
There are growing concerns about compulsive online activity and that this could impede students' performance and social lives
- Patricia Wallace, Senior Director and the head (pwallace{at}jhu.edu) 1
Although not officially recognized as a disorder, obsessive use of the Internet is a very real problem that can negatively impact health, well being, social life and academic performance. But what is it and how should we treat it?
- © 2014 The Author
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