I had the pleasure of having a one-on-one virtual meet-up with Mabruka Alfaidi MD, PhD who won the ATVB Investigator in Training Award Competition during last year’s Vascular Discovery 2021 meeting based on her fascinating work on endothelial cells and IL-1b signaling pathway as well as her active involvement with the research community. We discussed … Read more
The match, residency, ERAS. These terms become part of our everyday vocabulary, either as MS4 or IMG applying into residency. A cumbersome, long application process in which oneself that is going through seems lost most of the time. It is no wonder that our family or friends who are not in the medical field get … Read more
Clinical practice guidelines find extensive usage worldwide amongst both researchers and clinicians. In 2021, I had the opportunity to act as one of the trainee members of two guideline groups of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) with the experience being transformative. The following will be a multi-part series on the why’s … Read more
The proatherogenic role of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is well established and reduction of LDL cholesterol is one of the central pillars of management and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The prevention of atherosclerotic events directly correlates with the reduction in LDL cholesterol and growing evidence supports the notion that the lower the LDL, the … Read more
Lately, the space race has been the talk of the town and while it might seem that we are on the verge between science-fiction and reality, there is a long way to go before humans can overcome the health hazards associated with space travel and adapt to their new environment. Humans will likely be exposed … Read more
During the AHA’s Scientific Session 2021, heart health, defined by the Life’s Simple 7 metric, was often woven into health equity conversations. Empirical evidence consistently supports AHA’s recognition of these seven risk factors that people can avoid or improve on through lifestyle changes to help achieve ideal cardiovascular health. Regardless of how challenging this goal … Read more
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are increasingly popular as an alternative to standard ‘combustion’ cigarettes. ENDS come in a large variety of forms and offer adulterant choices that enhance the user’s experience, such as flavors, humectants, and nicotine in different concentrations. There is a common perception that vaping is a safer alternative to traditional tobacco … Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to multiple layers of academia, including the biological and biomedical sciences PhD admissions process in the United States. Typically, prospective applicants are selected to interview in-person at the destination campus not only as a part of the evaluation process, but also as an opportunity for the applicants to … Read more
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, with more than 34 million Americans suffering from diabetes1. Patients with type 2 diabetes make up 90% to 95% of total diabetes cases1. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the principal cause of death and disability in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients2. American Heart Association … Read more
Lipid abnormalities can be classified into four clinical groups:1) elevated triglycerides, 2) low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C),3) elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and 4) elevated lipoprotein A. Lipoprotein A disorder has been the least lipid abnormality studied from a clinical standpoint. Although many mendelian and genome-wide association studies have shown an association between elevated lipoprotein … Read more