/oss/taxonomy/term/5135/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-contributors-did-you-know/story-sushi <p>What is more romantic than an evening of sushi for two? Although this traditional Japanese dish has only become popular in the West relatively recently, the history of this culinary art with its unique zests and colourful presentation dates back to around 700 AD. It all started with a way to preserve fish! Raw, cleaned and salted fish was placed on a layer of hand-pressed rice that was allowed to ferment, meaning that naturally occurring microbes in the rice proceeded to convert some of the carbohydrates in the rice into lactic acid, an effective preservative.</p> Fri, 06 Dec 2024 05:51:01 +0000 Melody Ko MD 10190 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition-contributors/fecal-matter-deserves-better <p>It may be an indelicate subject to bring up at the dinner table, but colon cancer screening based on fecal matter merits discussion. The first-generation kit ColoGuard rolled out in August 2014, and now an advanced version, ColoGuard Plus, received FDA approval in October 2024. What’s new? </p> Mon, 18 Nov 2024 21:13:11 +0000 Nancy Liu-Sullivan, PhD 10167 at /oss /oss/article/contributors/cram-or-sleep-are-students-focusing-wrong-sleep-habits <p>I was no stranger to late nights and early awakenings during my early undergraduate years. I stretched myself thin on sleep but told myself that all would be well if I got a good night’s sleep the night before an important exam. Little did I know that one night of good sleep after a semester of sleepless nights was like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole.</p> Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:21:46 +0000 Daniela Padres 9995 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-general-science/why-scary-lab-accidents-happen <p>If a chemist has never been in a lab accident, he has been lucky. Of course, luck is more likely to come to those whose mentors have learned from bad experiences and to those who have taken preventive measures seriously, despite their anal nature. Chemical reactions create products with behaviors that differ from those of the ingredients. That’s what makes them intriguing, and it’s also what makes them potentially dangerous. No matter how simple and controllable a reaction seems on paper, when it’s carried out in real life, the exact conditions determine its rate.</p> Fri, 21 Jun 2024 20:57:40 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9986 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-history-general-science/chemistry-inks-old-and-new <p>When we write the old-fashioned way, with ink on paper, we rarely think of the pen’s ingredients. For hundreds of years <i>gall ink</i> was used to produce documents such as Shakespeare’s will and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The drafts of the latter were written on hemp paper, whereas, luckily, parchment made from sheepskin was used for the final copy. Why did it matter?</p> Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9973 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-contributors/pass-salt-should-we-ask-potassium-chloride-dinner-table-instead <p>The simple combination of sodium and chloride (NaCl) gives rise to a mineral, salt, with endless uses, particularly within the culinary world. Salt is known to enhance our taste perception — there’s a reason every good chef always has some on hand. For centuries, humans have been using salt to preserve and season food, however, the use of salt has skyrocketed in the modern world.</p> Tue, 07 May 2024 13:58:01 +0000 Daniela Padres 9939 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/hey-doc-im-hard-freeze <p>Let’s face it, dentistry is not an easy job. Besides the clinical knowledge and expertise required, managing patients' fear is an essential part of being a good dentist. Anticipation of pain during dental procedures, whether based on past experience or related stories is perhaps the most common fear for patients. And while one can appreciate this prior to the introduction of local anesthetics (LA), today the vast majority of treatments should be painless.</p> Fri, 03 May 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 9936 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/we-know-about-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes-what-type-3-diabetes <p>The incidence of diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic levels in recent years, affecting one in every 10 adults globally in 2021. Ninety percent of these individuals have Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) which is characterized by two defects, namely resistance to the metabolic actions of insulin in combination with an inability of the pancreatic islet beta-cells to secrete enough insulin to overcome this resistance. T2D is also often associated with overweight or obesity, which plays a role in the development of the insulin resistance.</p> Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:25:03 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9907 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/leptin-hormone-regulate-appetite <p>The implementation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based drugs for the treatment of obesity has been an incredible advance in the field, enabling up to 25% decreases in body weight in many patients. However, GLP-1 is only one of many factors in the body that regulate appetite. So why are some of these other hormones not also being used to treat overweight and obesity? The answers are sometimes surprising, as exemplified by the focus today on leptin.</p> Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:11:35 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9859 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/dr-ralph-steinman-nobel-prize-winning-scientist-who-became-own-patient <p>For over 100 years the Nobel foundation has recognized outstanding individuals for contributions to their respective fields; however, the rules stipulate that prizes cannot be awarded posthumously. But in October 2011 an exception was made for an exceptional individual: Dr. Ralph Steinman was awarded the joint Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine three days after he died of pancreatic cancer. At the time of the announcement, the news of his death had not yet reached the Nobel committee. So they decided that his wife and children would be able to accept his prize on his behalf.</p> Fri, 09 Feb 2024 20:14:10 +0000 Cassandra Lee, OSS Contributor 9829 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-history/going-bananas <hr /> <p>Once upon a time, there was a banana plant.</p> <p style="text-align:center"><img height="243" width="160" class="media-element file-default no-float" src="/oss/files/oss/styles/wysiwyg_medium/public/image_1_0.jpg?itok=wwD7keoU" alt="" /></p> <p>This banana plant lived in an English estate in the 1830s, and was named “the Cavendish”, after the Cavendish Family who lived on this estate.</p> Fri, 08 Dec 2023 20:10:04 +0000 Viola Ruzzier, B.Sc. 9756 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-technology-environment/dry-water-lets-whet-your-appetite-some-science <p>The poem, “My country”, by Dorothea MacKellar, is recited by every preschooler in Australia. One line is of particular relevance: </p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>“A land of droughts and flooding rains”. </em></p> Fri, 01 Dec 2023 19:00:10 +0000 Ben Selinger FRACI, CChem 9747 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-general-science/call-teach-chemistry <p>Is there something in your past to put you on a path to become an educator? When I was a teenager I did one of those guidance counsellor tests which suggested I should become one. I laughed. But a couple of years later, when I helped a girl with her chemistry homework at the college library, she said I had the makings of a good teacher. My favorite chemistry professor in university reminded me of the Gilligan’s Island professor. Professor McElcheron was a tinkerer in his own lab, and instead of being shipwrecked like the TV character, he lived by choice on his own island.</p> Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:38:51 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9719 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/blood-thinners-and-dentistry <p>Here’s a tip. If you don’t like blood, don’t go into dentistry. Dentists see a lot of blood, and often get their (gloved) hands full of it. Bleeding is common and of little concern during many dental procedures as is the occasional bit during routine brushing and flossing. While rare, uncontrolled bleeding, during or following dental treatment, is one of the most distressing situations for both dentists and their patients.</p> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 9553 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-general-science/going-date <p>In 1960 Willard Frank Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize for his method of using carbon-14 to find the age of objects ranging from ancient bows and arrows to trees buried in glacial ice. Since then, the technique of radiocarbon dating has been improved so that it can be used with much smaller samples---fractions of milligrams instead of the original 8 grams. This has made it less intrusive when dealing with precious art and in trying to figure out the authenticity of artefacts like the Shroud of Turin.</p> Fri, 07 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9465 at /oss