Skip to main content

Wave Goodbye

Can't believe that this is it. Nine months have flown by, and now I hold a masters degree. It was truly a pleasure getting to know each of my classmates and the pharmacology faculty. The last month was filled with presentations and studying for Cell Control exams. I had the pleasure of presenting how both long term- and short term stress can have an impact on memory. In short, acute stressors help enhance memory by mechanisms that are still not quite understood. Conversely, long term stress will have the opposite effect. This is seen in patients with Cushing's disease who often complain of frequent forgetfulness or a lack of memory retention. 
In neuropharmacology, I discussed ketamine’s role in treating PTSD. Ketamine is a drug we encountered several time through out the year. Its main therapeutic action is to act as a sedative for anesthesia. However, subtherapeutic doses have been shown to enhance memory by increasing BDNF leaves which can be reduced from cortisol release. At the  optimal subtherapeutic dose of 15 mg/kg, we see an enhanced reversal of PTSD-like symptoms. Exceeding this dose, on a molecular level there is also a change in gene expression but we begin to see slight sedative effects which suggested that ketamine must be delivered at a specific dose for PTSD treatment.
Lastly, my presentation for environmental signaling, I discussed how decomposition of the postmortem body which has been preserved with formaldehyde causes pollution to the soil and water we consume. The amount of energy spent and the chemicals used for the burial and embalming process alone causes an environmental hazard, and we as a people should find alternative route for burial. More “green” options include shrouded the body with biodegradable materials and opting out of the embalming process to reduce chemicals in the soil or to consider alkaline hydrolysis (a green cremation). 
Although my efforts have come to an end with the pharmacology program, I am definitely not done as I embark on the road less traveled now that MCAT studies will begin to take off. Once again, it has truly been a pleasure and I am grateful to have been afforded this opportunity.

 April hours: 0

 Semester hours: 27

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

September Nights: Jump in with Jade

My transition into the great city of New Orleans has been a tasteful one. Each visit prior to moving here, I always looked forward to the food. Now that I have easy access to it, I have been taste-testing a variety of the Cajun and sea food options NOLA has to offer. Uber eats has become a savior for me now that I have been consumed with my studies. Crawfish is one tap away, and I have become very grateful for it. On the other hand, the “happy weight” I intended to gain will be obsolete because of the absurd amount of walking this city requires. Having a car here is useless and expensive. On a more serious note, I wanted to assess the ins and outs of The Big Easy before diving into charity work. The next several months will be dedicated to meaningful volunteering which I look forward to doing for the post-Katrina New Orleans.
Post a Comment
Read more

The KIPP Experience

I signed up to be apart of KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program which is a public school system that serves New Orleans (along with other states). One of the main goals for KIPP New Orleans is setting their students up for success by exposing the students early on to college-prep which is why they target college students to set the bar for such an expectation. I favored this idea because I personally understand the impact a school and a strong support system can have on a child’s perspective toward education. Over the last month, my classmates and I helped to make the school more efficient by redoing bulletin boards and making them more presentable after damage during hallway commotion. We helped stock supplies and reorganize utility storages. Lastly, and my most favorite part was the interaction with the children. I was able to participate with them during recess and get to know them better. I personally feel like this is fulfilling of the schools mission. Octob...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Bama to NOLA

  During the Christmas break, I had the pleasure to help with my home church's 8th annual Give Back mission. Each year members of the kitchen committee get together over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to help serve the homeless communities. Hours were spent grocery shopping, prepping and preparing the food for it to be set up and served early Christmas morning. Not only was I overwhelmed with joy to be back home in Alabama, but I was also thrilled to be amongst my family members participating in a selfless act. Seeing the smiles and hearing the many “Thank you” and “God bless you” coming from the population we were serving made me see that every little effort is meaningful to someone. This made me grateful for the little things in life such as laughter with important people in my life and being able to fellowship with them. December hours: 7   After making my way back to New Orleans, I had a wonderful opportunity to assist Second Harvest Food...
Post a Comment
Read more