Critically Speaking

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Kisiel discuss early cancer detection using liquid biopsies. Dr. Kisiel explains that liquid biopsies detect cancer signals in blood and urine, including tumor cells, fragments, proteins, and DNA. He highlights the FDA's approval of a blood test for colon cancer and the development of multi-cancer early detection tests. Dr. Kisiel notes that false positive and false negative rates vary by test. He emphasizes the potential of liquid biopsies to complement, not replace, standard screening methods and the need for further validation and clinical trials.

Key Takeaways:
Liquid biopsies have been used in the oncology community to test if cancer is still present, may need additional or more aggressive treatment, or if the cancer has come back.

Each test will have its own false positive and false negative rate, partially based on where manufacturers set the thresholds for that positive/negative result.

Peripheral blood-based tests for colon cancer do not detect polyps, and it's the finding and removing of polyps that actually offers the greatest preventive benefit, so that somebody never gets cancer in the first place. 

 
"Another word of cautious optimism, I think that I, personally, and many other people active in the space really view these as an addition to standard of care cancer screening and not a replacement." —  Dr. John Kisiel
 
Connect with Dr. John Kisiel:
Professional Bio: https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/kisiel-john-b-m-d/bio-00092659 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Some people live more than a hundred years with no health problems and very little cognitive decline.  How come?  While healthy lifestyles certainly play a part in healthy aging, these "centenarians" share a number of special biological attributes.  Furthermore, these attributes, along with attaining an age of 100 or greater, show a strong genetic component.  Dr. Stacy Andersen of the Boston University School of Medicine has been studying these centenarians and the factors that are associated with not only their attaining an advanced age, but also doing so with no history of major physical or mental health problems.  In her interview, Dr. Andersen discusses what she and her colleagues have discovered about this unusual group of older people.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Centenarians are people who have reached 100 years of age, while "supercentenarians" are 110 and older.

Recent studies of these groups of adults reveal that during their lives, they have "escaped" diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular problems, dementia, and diabetes that cause earlier mortality among adults born at the same time.

Dr. Andersen discusses her work on the genetic bases for being an "escaper", as well as the lifestyle and personality characteristics they have in common.

 
"The older you get, the healthier you've been." —  Dr. Stacy Andersen
 
Connect with Dr. Stacy Andersen:
BUMC Bio: profiles.bu.edu/Stacy.Andersen  
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Kari Nadeau discuss the presence and health effects of microplastics in our bodies. Microplastics can enter our bodies through various environmental routes, including food, water, and air. They are in everyone's bodies to some degree.  Microplastics have been linked to health issues like stroke, cancer, and heart attacks. Simple actions like avoiding single-use plastics and processed foods can reduce microplastic levels in the blood by up to 80% in three months. Dr. Nadeau emphasizes the need for further research and consumer awareness to mitigate plastic pollution.
 
Key Takeaways:
A microplastic, scientifically, is anything between 1 micron (the size of a red blood cell or an immune cell) to 5 millimeters (the size of a sesame seed). Anything smaller than that is a nanoplastic.

Plastics are chemicals. Plastics, as we know them, did not exist before the 1940s. Now we see them in so many places, from healthcare to food to our clothing. 

In the US, we are getting about a credit card's worth of plastic per week in what we eat. In Indonesia, it is more like a credit card amount per day. The amount varies around the world. 

 
"We really need to think about air and water and soil as ways that these plastics can get into our bodies." —  Dr. Kari Nadeau
 
Episode References: 
Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/ 

Jung YS, et al. Characterization and regulation of microplastic pollution for protecting planetary and human health. Environ Pollut. 2022 Dec 15;315:120442. 

Ward CP, Reddy CM. We need better data about the environmental persistence of plastic goods, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 (26) 14618-14621. 

Ziani K, Ioniță-Mîndrican CB, Mititelu M, Neacșu SM, Negrei C, Moroșan E, Drăgănescu D, Preda OT. Microplastics: A Real Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 25;15(3):617. 

Leslie, H. A. et al. (2022). Plastic particles in cosmetics and personal care products: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 822, 153406. 

https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-foods  

 
Connect with Dr. Kari Nadeau:
Professional Bio & Studies: https://hsph.harvard.edu/profile/kari-c-nadeau/ 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Lise Eliot discuss neurosexism and brain differences between males and females. Dr. Eliot explains that historical brain comparisons often aimed to prove women's inferiority, citing examples like weighing cadaver brains. Modern MRI studies show minor structural differences, but still present significant methodological challenges. She highlights that brain plasticity and social experiences shape gender differences, noting that women tend to have more active default mode networks, linked to anxiety and rumination. She emphasizes that gender is a psychological phenomenon, not strictly binary, and that early life experiences significantly influence brain development.
 
 Key Takeaways:
Sex is a biological phenomenon determined by physical characteristics and some secondary characteristics. Gender is a psychological phenomenon and is not binary - there are multiple dimensions of gender. 

Without brain plasticity, you would be unable to learn anything. While the brain has more plasticity when you're young, the brain can continue to learn and form new pathways even in adulthood. 

Gender is a uniquely human attribute - other animals do not have gender. This is something that humans have invented and reinvented in every culture to adapt our different physical bodies and reproductive roles to a social environment.

 
"I'm really starting to think about gender learning as almost like learning a language. You learn the language, you learn the rules and the symbols of being a boy or being a girl until it's finally internalized, and you reach this moment of gender identity thanks to endless clues in your environment, and this strong drive to find your place and find your identity and social community." —  Dr. Lise Eliot
 
Connect with Dr. Lise Eliot:
Professional Bio: https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/lise-eliot/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lise-eliot-b0018713 
Books:
Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps and What We Can Do About It

What's Going On in There?: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life

 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
   
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow, Dr. Catherine Lebel, and Dr. Sam Nivins discuss the impact of prenatal factors on fetal brain development. Catherine explains how MRI can detect subtle brain changes due to prenatal alcohol exposure, even at low levels, and emphasizes the importance of avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Sam discusses the effects of maternal obesity before pregnancy on brain development, noting sex-specific differences and the importance of early intervention. Both also touch on the impact of stressors, such as natural disasters, and the need for early identification and support for children with potential reading difficulties. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
Even exposing a fetus to one alcoholic drink per week during pregnancy shows a detectable difference in brain structure compared to kids who had no alcohol exposure at all. 

The same is true of prenatal maternal obesity, even if the obesity is preconceptional.

Reading is a skill that must be taught to children. Prereading skills lay the foundation for later reading. And prereading skills can be visualized with brain imaging. When you know what part of the brain is affected, you can better tailor interventions to target those particular consequences.

 
"People who have good support from a partner or other folks in their lives, not only do they tend to do better, but their kids tend to do better too." —  Dr. Catherine Lebel
 
Connect with Dr. Lebel and Dr. Nivins 
Dr. Lebel's Professional Bio & Publications: https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/catherine-lebel 
Dr. Nivins' Professional Bio & Publications: https://ki.se/en/people/samson-nivins 
Website: https://www.developmentalneuroimaginglab.ca/ 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: [email protected]
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.