By Richard V. Miller, Princeton University, USA
Inflammation helps us in the short term by combating infections and other stresses. But over the long term, we do not want too much inflammation. Chronic inflammation plays a role in disorders like arthritis, lupus, and even cancer.
By Freya Varden, John Innes Centre, Norwich
Whether you are a vegan or dedicated carnivore, a gourmet chef or a take-out devotee, plants are directly or indirectly the core of your diet. And in many parts of the world, we take it for granted that the supermarket will be stocked with fresh vegetables, or that the cafe round the corner will have coffee beans available for your flat white.
By Anastasia Stefanidou, Communications Officer, Biochemical Society
In the spirit of this year’s Peer Review Week (11–17 September 2017), the Editors-in-Chief of Portland Press journals, give us their thoughts on the essential role that peer review plays in maintaining scientific quality.
By Conor Sugden, University of Liverpool
Inflammatory mechanisms and processes contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of conditions – one of which is fibrosis. Inflammation and fibrosis are intrinsically linked, and much about their complex relationship is still unknown. Whereas a healthy inflammatory response is necessary for successful wound healing, a prolonged response often precedes tissue fibrosis.
By Brittany Maule, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, USA
About halfway through my graduate degree, I reached a point where I’d accomplished a few things. My new video was done on my research, I’d been selected to attend a competitive conference on science communication, and I had finished up a summer collecting data on algae in streams. Pausing, I should have hung my hat on a productive first year. But I didn’t feel this way – not at all.
By Karen Anthony, University of Northampton, UK
Brain involvement in Duchenne muscular dystrophy was described by Duchenne de Boulogne himself in 1886. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal genetic disorder that predominantly affects male children.
By Roaa Alalwany, University of Nottingham
In the new internet age of social media and open source intelligence, our world is becoming much smaller. The scientific community is no exception. In the same way that businesses have thrived with international ventures, scientific research has achieved bigger and better things with our ever-growing global connections and collaborations. Long gone is the time when you could pick out the ‘goofy geek with the glasses’ out of a high-school line up predicting they would end up in a lab coat.
