1 in 6 children and 1 in 3 adults in the United States are obese. Estimated costs in 2010 relating to obesity exceed $300 billion. Although the etiology of obesity may be well characterized, the advent of the epigenome has increased the complexity of pinpointing causes of obesity.

Gaucher’s disease is a pathology associated with intracellular accumulation of glucosylceramide due to glucocerebrosidase dysfuntion. Gaucher’s disease, type I in particular,  does not usually present with neurologic components; however, researchers and physicians have recently noted an increased incidence of Parkinsonism in patients with type I Gaucher’s. This review aims to highlight the previously unknown mechanism of Gaucher-linked Parkinsonism and to shed light on the future direction of linking and treating similar pathologies

The optical properties of metal nanoparticles have garnered researchers’ interests, since 1800s, owing to their strong extinction efficiency in the visible spectrum. With increasing interest in basic and applied nanosciences, the use of metal nanoparticles spans various fields like data storage, therapeutic purposes, biological sensors etc. This article describes a study, using numerical simulation, of the optical properties of nanoparticles as a function of their shape and size.