Waited Time or A New Solution?
They call it a skin cell gun. Which was developed by Professor Joerg C. Gerlach and colleagues of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburg’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. It was first introduced in 2008. It’s basically like a “spray paint gun” only it sprays cultured skin cells. This process helps cut down a process that would normally take 2 weeks to a matter of a couple of days.
This process usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. It’s a biopsy that takes all of the patients undamaged skin and healthy stem cells are isolated from this biopsy. The wound is then sprayed, and covered with new dressing, with tubes that consist of an artery, while the second tube is there to function as a vein. “The tubes are connected to an “artificial vascular system” and provide electrolytes, antibiotics, amino acids and glucose to the wound.” Fact from the article. They also use the dressing that they put over the skin to clean and make sure that the wound continues to be sterilized. It also provides nutrition to keep the new skin stem cells regenerating.
This way would be completely more effective figuring using a skin graph would take about a week. Which includes more time for the damaged skin to create all types of infections or blisters, and the death rate would surely probably go back up if this new-found technology wasn’t created. Or if it wasn’t continued to be enhanced.
Check it out, there’s a video with the article!
New Development For Skin Cells
Spread of H1N1
What is the H1N1 virus? The H1N1 virus is the most common cause of human influenza. Some of these viruses are very serious and deadly while others are easy to rid of. Swine influenza is in some pigs and when eaten could spread. The Swine Flu outbreak scared and shocked people. Thousands of citizens were hospitalized and this worried scientists.
In our past history we have come across the H1N1 virus very frequently. The first outbreak was in 1917, and was targeted at elderly people. A year later there was another outbreak killing 50 million people who was the percent of the world’s population. The most recent outbreak was in 2009, and about 17,000 people caught it in the first week. H1N1 is a global disaster and has stirred up problems in other continents. An example of this was in India and people who spit in public somehow contracted the disease. But scientists ar5e researching how H1N1 is able to spread so fast and may help other viruses to become more deadly. AS time goes on researchers now that these viruses and flu’s will advance as times goes on.
Overall, this virus is very serious and precautions should be taken. I think the virus is sort of helping us in some way. These viruses show us to take care of our bodies and become more hygienic. First of you should wash your hands with water and anti bacterial soap before you eat and after going to the bathroom. Another tip is to avoid touching your mouth or eyes because this is a very easy entrance for a virus. Also getting vaccines for the virus improved to be helpful. In the 1917 they didn’t have advanced inventions or very helpful vaccines but now they’re available. So I suggest getting the vaccines.
Resource;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110309162119.htm
The Liver Cancer Treatment Using RNA
Dr. Harrison Endowed and Denvanand Sarkar describe how RNA inducing silencing complex(RISC) contribute to the development of liver cancer. RISC is a complex multi-protein by RNA, and its an important factor in the transcription part of genes and translation. Transcription and Translation are processes that regulates functions such as cellular growth, division and death. “RISC works by degrading mRNA, which transmit genetic information in a cell that prevents the formation of tumors. This allows other cancer-causing factors to go unchecked and aid tumor growth,” says Sarkar. A protein that Dr. Sarkar had been experimenting on known as SND-1, and it’s a protein created by the gene SND1, and is supposed to decrease the cancer progression by killing off healthy cancer cells. However this experiment is needed to be tested more on cells and cannot be used for cancer treatment yet.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110322172241.htm
Malaria Parasite Caught Red-Handed Invading Blood Cells
The main premise of the article I chose to do for my current event talks about how a malaria parasite or organism that harms a host cell is caught in the act of invading human blood cells. A team of Australian scientists came upon this important discovery using a mix of election (negatively charged particles), light, and super resolution microscopy’s or technology that basically enlarges the harmful organism so that it can be seen with greater detail. The scientists found that the parasite or organism that harms the host cell penetrates through the wall of the red blood cell and this has transformed the way the invasion of cells has been looked at for several years. The technology has provided scientists with a better outlook on how a harmful organism like a parasite operates during its invasion process. Scientists also claim that using the super resolution microscopy or a process that enlarges microscopic organisms can lead to the creation of new medicines which can treat malaria or even extend scientists’ understanding or microscopic or very tiny microbes. The harmful protozoan or one celled organism injects the red human blood cell with a window which it then opens and it gains access to the cell. Using this information, scientists can figure out possible vaccines that can rid of this disease.
The article is very interesting because malaria is still incurable and a breakthrough in investigating the harmful parasite can kill the harmful parasite and ultimately saves millions of lives worldwide. The new discovery can lead to the creation of medicines which in turn can help people provide immunity from the disease. It also broadens one’s understanding of viruses and other tiny organisms in the human body. I find it interesting that when the parasite or host enters the blood cell, it can make a window within the cell and gain access and do what it needs to do. Future research could be furthered in developing new effective medicines that can treat the common people. By reading this article, I have learned that advanced technology plays a vital role in understanding more about tiny little organisms and other fields of science. The technology can help to identify the structure and function of the invading parasite and look at in more detail.
One quote that is important in this article is when Dr. Baum says, “Super resolution microscopy has opened up a new realm of understanding into how malaria parasites actually invade the human red blood cell. Whilst we have observed this miniature parasite drive its way into the cell before, the beauty of the new imaging technology is that it provides a quantum leap in the amount of detail we can see, revealing key molecular and cellular events required for each stage of the invasion process.” The main idea of this entire article revolves around this one quotation. It says that because of the resolution microscopy, scientists have just broke new grounds and that it lets them see how cellular or cell events occur. It can also help them see bacteria and other harmful microbes in proper sequence. A second quote that is important in this article is when Dr. Baum also says, “Historically it has been very difficult to both isolate live and viable parasites for infection of red blood cells and to employ imaging technologies sensitive enough to capture snapshots of the invasion process with these parasites, which are only one micron (one millionth of a meter) in diameter.” This quote shows that it is now possible for scientists to further their studies.
Bibliography:
1) Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (2011, January 19). Malaria parasite caught red-handed invading blood cells. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119125308.htm
Couch Potatoes Beware: Too Much Time Spent Watching TV Is Harmful to Heart Health
This article is about how we as individuals have become lazier. We now tend to devote most of our time to things that are just plain harmful to our bodies. For example, watching TV all day, or spending hours on a computer actually increases the possiblities of heart disease. In this article, these scietists compared people who spent less time watching TV or on the computer, to people who spend more time watching TV or on the computer. The results were surprising. I didn’t think that watching too much TV or spending so much time looking at a computer screen, could cause cardiovascular problems. This article shows that we need to use our time wisely and keep our bodies active to stay healthy.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110164736.htm
Cold May Spare Your Hair from Chemo – Who knew?
- Article: Cold May Spare Your Hair from Chemo – Who knew? (Time News)
- Breast cancer patient uses super-chilled headgear to try to retain her hair (Washington Post)
By: Maia Szalavitz (Time News)
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006036.html?sid=ST2011011702804 (Washington Post article)
- http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/11/cold-may-spare-your-hair-from-chemo-who-knew/ (Time News article)
An article from Washington Post, forwarded by Time News talked about a phenomenal topic that was recently discovered. Scientists have come up with a way for a cancer patient to keep their hair during chemotherapy. However, the real question here would be; is it really worth it?
The alternative for hair loss during chemo is to wear an ice cap which can go as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit. In the article they describe this temperature as “skull-chilling”. This ice cap would also cost over a thousand dollars!
This article also talks about a first-hand experience with this new alternative. Katherine Klein, who is a management professor and a mother of two, needed chemotherapy to treat breast cancer and soon following a mastectomy. When she was first diagnosed she saw Dr. Smith from Sibley Memorial Hospital. Katherine started complaining about the effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss and becoming bald for eight to nine months. As Katherine remembers it, Dr. Smith rolled his eyes and told her that she could try cold caps. Even though it cost about a thousand dollars, she took the chance and tried it.
These cold caps aren’t guaranteed but they do seem to work well in most cases.
“A 2005 review of 53 studies, which included data collected through 2003, found a 73% success rate for cold caps in preventing the need for a wig; even newer studies show 80-90% success rates, depending on the chemo regimen involved.”
Vaccine blocks cocaine high
In the article”Vaccine blocks cocaine high” scientists believe they found a cure to drug addictions including cocaine and heroin. In the study the scientist give lab mice cocaine in large doses each day. The mice eventually become addicted to the drug, then when the mice are addicted they are give a vaccine.
The vaccine works by using a common cold virus taking the parts that make you sick out and keeping the parts that trigger immune system in. Then cocaine is added to the virus so that the immune system sees the cocaine as a threat to the body. After this is done the next time the mice are given cocaine they dong get high off of it and it because the body destroys it before it gets to the brain. This is good because if the cocaine is destroyed than the mice can break their addiction.
“The human immune system doesn’t naturally tag cocaine as something to be destroyed — just like all small-molecule drugs are not eliminated by antibodies,” he says. “We have engineered this response so that it is against the cocaine mimic.”
This shows that the vaccine can be used to trigger antibodies against the drug and stop it before it reaches the brain.
“Our very dramatic data shows that we can protect mice against the effects of cocaine, and we think this approach could be very promising in fighting addiction in humans,” says the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, chairman and professor of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.”
This shows that eventually this same testing will be done on humans to see if the vaccine works to stop addition to drugs. In my opinion this is very interesting because the FDA has not approved any vaccine for drug addiction and this may be the first one that is safe to use. Also it is important because it can get people off of cocaine and other harmful street drugs.
Government recommends lowering fluoride levels in U.S. drinking water
My article today is about fluoride levels in drinking water and whether or not these levels should be reduced. The government is concerned with the amount of fluoride present in drinking water. They feel it should be reduced to prevent a condition called fluorosis. Fluorosis causes yellow staining on children teeth. Fluoride is made from the element Fluorine and has been known to prevent cavities. “Fluorine is a pale yellow, diatomic, highly corrosive, flammable gas, with a pungent odor. It is the lightest halogen. It reacts violently with water to produce oxygen and the extremely corrosive hydrofluoric acid”. According to the article, the current levels of fluoride in drinking water range from .7 to 1.2. The government is proposing to reduce these levels to 0.7. The American Dental Association also agrees that lower levels of fluorine will continue to reduce tooth decay and the condition of fluorosis.
I think reducing the levels of fluoride in drinking water is safe. There are other sources that can be used such as toothpaste, supplements, and mouthwash which contain fluoride. If the level of fluoride in drinking water is reduced, parents should use these other sources.
Although, fluoride is added to water to help prevent tooth decay, studies have shown that excessive amounts actual backfire and damage teeth. Some organizations believe the intake of excessive amounts of fluoride pose more serious dangers such as hormone disruption, cancer, and neurotoxicity. In the video called, “Fluoride’s Deadly Secret”, Russell-Blaylock discusses these potential concerns in detail.
Article link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/07/fluoride.recommendations/index.html?npt=NP1
Video link: Russell-Blaylock: Fluoride’s Deadly Secret Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkaRkKwmPRw
References: http://www.chemicool.com/elements/fluorine.html
Writing about anxiety may boost test scores
In the article, “Writing about anxiety may boost test scores“, it’s basically saying that if you write down what you’re worried about the day before a test, it could help your grade. Students spend a lot of time worrying and thinking they won’t do good, and that’s the only thing stuck in their head rather than the actual information needed for a test.
There were two studies taken to prove this theory correct. College students and 9th grade students were being watched to see if the kids who wrote down stuff before the test helped their grade or not. The result was a 12% decrease for those who didn’t write their stress down. There was a 5% increase to the students who did write their stress down.
Sian Beilock, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago said, “It’s as if your brain is a computer running too many programs at once.” What she’s saying is exactly true. As a student, I know I can say that there is a lot going on in my brain. Too many programs at once can be relatable to all students because we have so many classes. There’s more than 4 different subjects going into our brains and sometimes we’re just too stressed to focus on one thing during a test.
Beilock also said “And it has all sorts of applications outside the classroom – preparing for job interviews, speeches and big sports games, to name a few.” This shows that not only before a test, pretty much writing down what you’re stressed about can help. It’s kind of like a diary, if you think about it. When you let out what you’re feeling, it’s better.
Further tests going on with this theory are going to be trying it out on younger students, and seeing exactly how writing can affect the brain.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/13/writing-about-anxiety-may-boost-test-scores/
Double Doses
Chicken pox is one of the most contagious diseases around the world. Even though we have a vaccine for this disease it can still spread very easily. But in 2006 the CDC changed the doses from one dose to two doses because the odds of developing chicken pox were 95% lower in children that received two doses of the vaccination rather than one. The effectiveness of two doses is 98.3%. Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Yale and his colleagues found that the two doses of Varicella vaccine are more effective to prevent Varicella then one. Other countries may begin to distribute two doses rather than one. “Other countries that are routinely immunizing children with varicella vaccine may consider changing to a two-dose regimen.” If other countries start using that idea then this will prevent more outbreaks of chicken pox. “We weren’t surprised to find that two doses of varicella vaccine are highly effective and are more likely to prevent varicella than a single dose,” said Shapiro. He had a brilliant idea on doubling the doses because it is more effective then only taking one. I believe that this is a great idea and will help children to be less affected by this disease. If it helps in the children’s and adults have a less risk at getting chicken pox I’m all for it. This article was very interesting because it’s good to know that vaccines are developing and making it better for the people around world.
Beyond the Walls in Biology 