How To Write An Article: Guide

Hello Team!

Thank you so much for choosing to write articles for HealthBridge Magazine! I hope you find this process easy, enriching and inspiring. My name is Apurva and I am the News Editor for this club. So anything you write will go through me and I will try my best to give you guidance along the way to make sure that you improve with each article you publish. Here is a rough How-To Guide On Writing your Article For November!

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The Guide:

300-600 Words

Reliable Sources With Referencing

1. Use a journal study or credible article to base your article around - you can use other websites/sources to support this and help you to write your article.

2. Examples of sources may include: WebMD, Mayoclinic, Emedicine, NHS Choices, Newspapers, Reports etc

3. NOTE: Try not to use blogs, forums, Reddit, question and answer links as your main source.

Linking

1. Try and aim to include links to other pages to your references by hyperlinking a word or phrase to another website where you got the information, so that the reader knows where to find more information if interested.

2. You should be aiming for greater than 5 links if possible

Images

1. Don’t put complicated images or diagrams but something simple or cool. Source it.

2. Sources: Flickr, creative commons.

(Figure 1: Wix Picture )

Audience

1. General public- anyone from above the age of 14.

2. Don’t use complicated words.

3. If you use a medical term, no matter how simple, explain it.

4. Write in short and clear sentences. Don’t aim for complex sentences/ clauses to prove your writing prowess.

5. Use analogies to everyday life, metaphors etc.

6. Don’t beat around the bush.

7. Know what is important. People do not need to know about the biochemistry of small cell lung carcinomas if you are just writing about the ill effects of smoking.

8. Make it fun to read. This goes back to the idea of using analogies, puns, some insights, maybe a joke or two, but still keep it professional.

9. You are allowed to give your opinion on a topic. However understand your limits and don’t hand out medical advice. Feel free to add a personal touch to your writing.

Sub headings

1. Aim to have 3 to split your topic so it is easier to follow

2. Example:

3. What is the problem with fertility?

4. How does it affect women mentally?

5. What are doctors trying to do to improve women’s health?

What topics can you cover?

1. Purely medical advancements, research, techniques- can be clinical trials or something that is well established that you want the general public to know about.

2. Public health, advising the public to take certain actions

3. Ethics of certain medical scenarios

4. Personal experience with medicine, personal opinions on some medical problem or crisis

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Happy writing! If you have any problems, please feel free to message me at AXA1166@student.bham.ac.uk or message our HealthBridge Facebook group.

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Example:

3D printed ovaries could cure infertility and female hormonal imbalances, giving women battling PCOD or ovarian cancer a fighting chance. Here’s how.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Every [pregnancy] test that came back negative made me feel like less of a person. As much as I wanted to share my feelings or stories, I kept a lot under my hat.” – Melissa Rocha on infertility in the Huffington Post.

Infertility affects as many as 1 in 6 women between the ages of 15 and 44. Not only can it break up marriages and make the woman or man feel inadequate, but it is also a taboo in many cultures. What do you do when the essential machinery- the ovaries- become faulty? You could oil it up and conduct frequent and expensive tests to see if it works. Or, you could completely replace it. Researchers did just that by printing 3D ovaries for mice, which has the potential to benefit millions of couples around the world.

When the machinery is out of order

Women with normal anatomy are born with 2 ovaries, each containing 500,000 eggs. The ovaries, pituitary gland and a part of the brain (the hypothalamus) secrete hormones to produce one egg per menstrual cycle (usually once per month). The egg then travels through one of the Fallopian tubes towards the uterus. If a sperm cell enters the egg during this time (fertilisation), the egg usually implants in the uterus and a baby will develop. If it isn’t fertilised, the egg is passed with the uterus lining during your period. Progesterone and estrogen are 2 hormones that form the control panels of the factory.

Sometimes, there can be kinks in the ‘hardware’. For example, diseases such as fibroids,polycystic ovary disease, hypothyroidism and (less commonly) ovarian and uterine cancer may prevent the ovary from releasing the egg. The cervix or fallopian tubes may also be blocked due to malformations or infection. Also, lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking and obesity reduce the quality of the eggs, lowering the chance of achieving pregnancy.

The ‘big shot’ mechanic

Researchers at Northwestern University have successfully engineered ovaries made of gelatin. This allows them to be strong enough to hold the eggs but also release them into the Fallopian tubes. The gelatin is made of water and collagen, a biological fibre in our body. 3D printing, which works like building lego, uses the collagen fibres to create geometrical structures.

In the research, these prosthetic ovaries then replaced the natural ovaries of a mouse. They held the egg cells of the mice and produced the appropriate hormones to control the pregnancy cycle. The mouse not only ovulated regularly, but it also produced pups.

The future of this technology

The aim of these ovaries is to control or regulate the menstrual cycle, from puberty through to menopause. This technology could help young girls who don’t produce enough sex hormones to enter puberty, as well as women who have damaged ovaries due to other diseases. Although this research is yet to be tested on humans, these prosthetic organs could reboot millions of women’s systems and keep the baby-making factory alive.