Archive for September 2023
September 20th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
In humans, female cells possess two X chromosomes, one inactive. The inactive chromosome looks different, and it’s called the Barr body. Male cells possess one active X chromosome and one active Y chromosome. Autoimmune conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s cells are four times more common in females. For the past 40 or 50 years, researchers have searched for the trigger behind sex-biased autoimmunity. New research suggests that the silent X chromosomes could hold the answer. How is the extra X chromosome silenced? A piece of noncoding RNA, a complex made of the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), in conjunction with about 80 proteins bound to it,…
September 17th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Chronic fatigue is a debilitating symptom that affects many individuals, but what is the mechanism? A new study shows that a stress–induced protein called WASF3 localizes to mitochondria where it disrupts the assembly of the respiratory supercomplex, leading to decreased oxygen consumption and low exercise endurance. Alleviating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress decreases WASF3 and restores mitochondrial function, indicating that WASF3 can impair skeletal muscle bioenergetics. The good news? This protein is now the target for treating fatigue symptoms. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) afflicts more than 2 million people in the USA. People with ME/CFS live with debilitating symptoms, including exhaustion, exercise intolerance, cognitive problems, and worsening symptoms after even…
September 16th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The “how” in this post means: is there a biochemical mechanism known to support using X or Y on your skin? I am not against using an ingredient shown to be useful just because we don’t know how it works. But removing the “magic” and replacing it with understanding is so much nicer. So here we go for some of the mechanisms of action in your favorite ingredients. Don’t be discouraged by the complexity; nobody will test you! Alpha lipoic acid is a naturally occurring dithiol complex, is the prosthetic (i.e. non-proteic) group of several enzymes, including the transacetylase part of the enzyme complex that catalyzes the decarboxylation of pyruvate…
September 16th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Just in case you haven’t heard about it, a new kind of weight-loss/diabetes medication has revolutionized how we see obesity. And that is a great thing. Obesity is a health problem because it causes a lot more than “just” mental distress for people who are obese. I could list the health problems that follow long-term obesity, but they are familiar to many and are also easily found online. If obesity was ever a sign of wealth, this association has long been gone from first-world societies. Nowadays, it’s a sign of “low class,” lack of willpower, or whatever. Obese girls are not cool. You don’t have to agree with these opinions…
September 10th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Algunos recursos en línea presentan a los conservantes como “malos ingredientes” en los productos para el cuidado de la piel. Esto es una completa mentira. El deber de los fabricantes de productos para el cuidado de la piel es vender sólo productos seguros; los conservantes son esenciales si queremos cumplir con nuestro deber. Los conservantes son ingredientes que pueden matar y/o detener el crecimiento de bacterias y moho presentes en la fórmula o introducidos durante el uso (por ejemplo, por los dedos sucios de quien los utiliza). Los conservantes suelen ser una mezcla de sustancias químicas porque el objetivo es detener distintos tipos de metabolismos, y las bacterias y el…
September 9th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Some online resources present preservatives as “bad actors” in skin care products. This is a complete lie. It’s the duty of manufacturers of skin care products to sell only safe products; preservatives are essential if we are to do our duty. Preservatives are ingredients that can kill and/or stop the growth of bacteria and mold present in the formulation or introduced during use (like by the user’s dirty fingers). Preservatives are usually a mix of chemicals because what is needed is to stop different types of metabolisms, and bacteria and mold have very different metabolisms. Preservatives extend the shelf life of the skin care product. Without preservatives, you would have…
September 8th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Es posible que conozcas algo acerca del radical superóxido; tu cuerpo lo conoce sin lugar a dudas. Y puede que también sepas qué son los antioxidantes y la contaminación. Los radicales superóxido forman parte de la vida, y así ha sido desde que el oxígeno apareció en la atmósfera gracias a la fotosíntesis.Nosotros, los humanos, y la mayoría de los organismos vivos de la Tierra dependemos del oxígeno para vivir. Utilizamos el oxígeno para oxidar los alimentos, extrayendo de ellos la energía que necesitamos para seguir adelante, pensar y escribir. Este trabajo fundamental de extraer energía de los alimentos oxidándolos y convertirlos en dióxido de carbono y agua lo realizan…
September 2nd, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You may be familiar with the superoxide radical; your body certainly is. And you may also know about antioxidants and pollution. Superoxide radicals are part of life, and it has been this way since oxygen appeared in the atmosphere thanks to photosynthesis. We, humans, and most living organisms on Earth, depend on oxygen to live. We use oxygen to oxidize food, extracting the energy we need to keep us going and thinking and writing from that food. This fundamental job of extracting energy from food by oxidizing it to carbon dioxide and water is done in good part by our mitochondria. Why do we need SODs? Why does life need…