NYU – BioQuakes

Whenever a person consumes healthier meals and therefore less calories, according to a new study on mice at the NYU Langone Medical Center, they could be lengthening their lives.

Using female mice, scientists fed one group of mice a diet of pellets containing a high amount of calories, while feeding another group of mice a diet of pellets containing 30% less calories. The hippocampus and the region surrounding it in the brains of the mice were then examined for expression of aging-genes throughout various stages of maturity. The results of the study, while not entirely applicable to humans, has shown that the mice that ate the lower calorie diets had less expression of aging genes and had less risk of chronic illnesses such as hypertension and stroke.

“The study does not mean calorie restriction is the ‘fountain of youth,’ but that it does add evidence for the role of diet in delaying the effects of aging and age-related disease.” Stated Stephen D. Ginsberg, a researcher involved with the study. The study examined more than 10,000 genes related to aging, which is a much larger amount than that previously studied by researchers. While the study was performed on mice, the results could be similar in humans, and the researched performed by Dr. Ginsberg and others should serve as a warning for our ever-indulgent world of fast food and high caloric intake.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141117110650.htm

Photo Credit- Tulane Public Relations

Welcome to the future fellow blog readers! If you are an aspiring medical doctor, listen up. If you go to the New York University School of Medicine, you may be asked to examine a virtual cadaver.

An article explains why students were asked to dissect a virtual cadaver, instead of an actual dead body. Actual cadaver’s, although they have been used for centuries to help teach aspiring doctors, are imperfect because of death and other factors. A cadaver must meet many qualifications to be used for research and teaching. The entire medical history must be known, and all vital organs and veins must be present for teaching purposes. But now, with this new technology from Nvidia, medical students can examine a virtual cadaver that is projected on to a screen.

With this new technology, the body can be dissected just as a real cadaver might, but with certain added bonuses. One student, Chana Rich, says that the new technology is particularly useful because she can continually replace organs and veins and it looks as though they had never been removed. Also, the interactive screen allows more students to examine the body and more easily. However, some people disagree. The general consensus among students and professors alike mirror that of a first year medical student Susanna Jeurling. “I don’t think this will ever replace cadavers. There’s something about being able to hold it and turn it in your hand.”

Despite the possible disadvantages, virtual cadavers are a valuable resource to be used in addition to the examination of actual cadavers. Professors at the NYU Medical School, and developers of the virtual body technology have great dreams for their invention. Expansion of the technology into everyday lives is in the plan for the new program, to be used as a useful tool for students in all types of education.

Do you feel that a virtual body can replace an actual cadaver? What are other possible advantages or disadvantages that you have thought of that aren’t outlined in this post?

BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: NYU

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Grab your 3D glasses, it’s dissecting time!

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