Dr. Rainier Rahman's Office

15/04/2026

15/04/2026

More than 100,000 people across the U.S. live with sickle cell disease, which distorts red blood cells and makes it difficult for them to flow through the bloodstream and carry oxygen to the body.

Blood transfusions increase the number of healthy red blood cells and can reduce life-threatening complications like severe pain, tissue and organ damage, anemia, and even strokes.

15/04/2026

UPDATE: Measles cases continue to rise across the country and in Michigan.

Vaccination is safe, effective, and the best way for families to protect their own children AND children in their communities against highly contagious and serious diseases like measles.

Get the facts: IVaccinate.org

15/04/2026

New research reveals how early‑life adversity can physically rewire a key brain circuit, increasing the risk of both impulsive aggression and self‑injury. Scientists found that trauma enhances activity in a specific type of calcium channel within neurons of the thalamic nucleus reuniens, a small brain hub that connects with the hippocampus, an area involved in emotion, memory and pain processing. This makes the network much more sensitive to pain and stress signals, creating a shared neural basis for behaviours that often seem unrelated.

In experiments with mice, artificially stimulating these calcium channels caused aggression at low activation and self‑injury at higher activation, suggesting the same circuit can drive different outcomes depending on how strongly it is engaged. Mice exposed to early‑life stress showed lasting overactivity in this pathway and were more prone to both behaviours compared with unexposed mice. When researchers blocked the overactive channels or reduced their genetic expression in the nucleus reuniens, both aggression and self‑harm behaviours were reduced, pointing to these channels as a possible therapeutic target.

The work shows that trauma leaves a biological imprint on brain wiring, merging how pain, emotion and impulse are processed. By identifying a specific neural circuit and molecular mechanism, this study bridges psychological and biological perspectives on maladaptive behaviours and points toward future treatments that could normalise circuit activity without suppressing the whole nervous system.

Research Paper 📄
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady5540

15/04/2026

Building Muscle After 50 Takes More Than Strength Training Alone—Here’s the Missing Piece

15/04/2026

Let's help all children understand their right to body autonomy by teaching them about "Not OK Touches."

Use this guide to start a conversation about boundaries, safety and who they can turn to for help.

Let’s make sure every child in Trinidad and Tobago knows they have a voice and a right to be safe.

14/04/2026

Proton beam therapy continues to generate significant interest — and controversy — in prostate cancer. About 45 cancer centers in the US offer proton therapy to treat a variety of cancers, including prostate cancer.

The technology, however, faces ongoing debate about its role in prostate cancer. Despite the buzz, there is no randomized evidence demonstrating that proton therapy is superior to the current standard of care: intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The core question has become: Is proton therapy for prostate cancer worth it? https://mdsc.pe/41n5Bpi

14/04/2026

Routine screenings and lifestyle changes can reduce cancer risk. See link below ⬇️