Writing Assignment #1

I want to be a surgeon, more specifically a pediatric surgeon. When I tell people my career goals, they always say something along the lines of “you’ll probably change your mind.” While there’s a chance I might change my mind, it feels extremely discouraging when the people I consider closest to me say this. The reason I want to choose pediatrics is that I’ve always loved kids and I’ve wanted to be a surgeon since I was young, so I figured peds would be perfect for me. Another reason is that I found out that there are very few black female pediatric surgeons in America. The first was Dr. Andrea Hayes in 2002, and after twenty years there have been less than twenty black women that have followed after her. I hope that the number rises significantly in the next two decades. Being one of the few black female students in my advanced and dual credit classes makes me want to pave the way for more black girls in the future to know that they can be great.
I’ve always desired to be in the medical field since I was young. Growing up around my mom, who’s a registered nurse, and hearing her stories of her patients inspired me to want to help people. It seems most black girls around me want to be nurses and while there’s nothing wrong with that as we need more nurses, I feel that they think that’s the highest level they can reach. I want to take it a step further and become a surgeon. Not only to prove the people who have attempted to discourage me wrong, but also to hopefully one day show little black girls that they can be more and follow their dreams, no matter how big.
I find that most of my peers do not have a set idea of what or who they want to be in the future. Which is fine because they have time to decide, but I’m not one that blindly starts something with no plan. I’m usually a very indecisive person, but this has been one of the easiest decisions of my life. I have already started working towards my goal as I have completed a certified nursing aide course at my high school and I have started working as a full-time CNA. This job will help me by allowing me to get experience in the medical field. I know that my dreams are big and I plan to achieve them no matter how long it takes.

Writing Assignment #2

A primary article usually says “original article” at the top, introduces new information, and is published before the review articles. A review article uses some of the information from a primary article, cites a primary article, and is published after a primary article. 

The peer review process is as follows: An article describing the results of a study that a group of scientists conducted is written. They offer it for publication to a journal. The paper is distributed by the journal’s editors to numerous additional experts in the same field. These reviewers offer comments on the piece and inform the editor as to whether they believe the study is of a caliber that justifies publication. The writers can then make changes to their article and submit it again for review. Only articles that adhere to sound scientific standards are published.
Permanent Inactivation of Huntington disease mutation by personalized allele-specific CRISPR:Cas9-1.pdf is the primary article. I chose one because it says “original article” on the top and was published in 2016. Huntington’s Disease- Mechanisms of Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategies.pdf is the review article because it was published in 2017.

Writing Assignment #3

Ordovas, J. M. et al. Gender, a significant factor in the cross talk between genes, environment, and health. Gender Medicine; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550857907800520?via%3Dihub. (2007)

Writing Assignment #4

This article examines the interplay between genes, gender, and disease susceptibility, taking into account environmental factors such as dietary habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption. It was found that these factors influence the risk of nearly all common diseases that affect both men and women, including atherosclerosis and diabetes. Additionally, evidence from lipid metabolism (APOE) and obesity (perilipin [PLIN]) indicates that they modulate disease susceptibility. Gender-dependent polymorphisms at the PLIN locus and obesity risk have been replicated in several populations around the world, suggesting that gender-specific differences in morbidity and mortality may be mediated by genetic factors and their differential response to the environment. The new knowledge generated by a more careful and complete elucidation of these complex interactions will result in an increased ability to provide successful personalized behavioral recommendations to prevent chronic disorders.

Ordovas, J. M. et al. Gender, a significant factor in the cross talk between genes, environment, and health. Gender Medicine; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550857907800520?via%3Dihub. (2007)

Writing Assignment #5

The latest data from China has added a small but potentially significant data point to the ongoing debate over the origin of the Covid pandemic. A sample taken in a Wuhan market in early 2020 showed genetic traces of both the coronavirus and a raccoon dog, according to scientists who have analyzed newly obtained data. The new data, first reported by the Atlantic, falls short of proving how, where and when people first became infected with the virus, but boosts the theory that the pandemic started through natural spillover from animals rather than emerging from a laboratory. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, renewed his call for China to share scientific data on the originoflammaros, calling on China to be transparent in sharing data and conducting further investigations. Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah, said that the data is highly suggestive of the presence of infected raccoon dogs who were the first source of the virus going into humans.

The scientists involved in the new analysis plan to post their work online within the next couple of days. The new data from the CDC and other government agencies suggests that the virus origin debate has become heavily politicized, with some scientists favoring a natural origin of the pandemic. This is unlikely to shift the views of those who favor the lab leak theory, as there is not any smoking gun. The new evidence is one of the clearest sets of evidence for how a pandemic emerged and is likely to help scientists prepare for any future coronavirus outbreak. The Energy Department’s decision to shift from a neutral stance to a conclusion that a lab origin was most likely to be the cause of the virus.

This decision was not accompanied by new data or an explanation for why researchers had begun to favor the lab leak theory. Chinese scientists and lab leak proponents have suggested that the clustering of cases at Huanan could be explained as a superspreader event caused by an infected person shopping in the crowded market. Last summer, two papers published by the same scientists contended there were at least two separate spillovers from animals at the Wuhan market, but the authors of the papers acknowledged that their report did not resolve many of the questions about the spillover. Neuman believes that the evidence isn’t likely to get stronger as time passes, so short of a time machine, this may be the closest we ever get to the origin.

Achenbach, J. & Johnson, M. Genetic data links Raccoon Dogs to Covid origin; who seeks China cooperation. The Washington Post (2023). Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/03/17/covid-origins-raccoon-dog/. (Accessed: 24th April 2023)