Summary
A new bird flu has begun in China called H7N9, that has infected and killed many people and is continuing to infect daily. The first victim was a 4-year-old Beijing boy who did not show all the symptoms, which raised the question to officials that there are more unidentified carriers of the disease. In addition, the virus has been found in poultry and pigeons in numerous markets. But the virus in the birds are different from the ones in humans raising the question if people caught the virus from the birds or another animal, possibly a pig.
Relevance To Class:
H7N9 is a virus that was originally contracted from birds, meaning it is a foreign substance in our bodies. This brings the immune system into action, as we learned in class many cells come into place that help fight this virus, B-cells, T-cells, antibodies, and white blood cells. But as discussed in class, since the virus comes from a bird which is different from humans, it takes a longer period of time than normal to create a resistance to the virus,
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy affects the production of the protein dystrophin in the body. This protein helps anchor muscles in place when they contract. The lack of dystrophin causes the recipients of D.M.D. to die in the late 20s or early 30s. Every time a muscle contracts, without Dystrophin, the muscle begins to tear. This is mainly felt at the heart, the many contractions wearing down and destroying the Heart. Although there has been drugs that can help out with this disease, none prolong life as long as some would hope. However, scientists are working with Stem Cells to see the affect the cells can have on D.M.D.
While testing on rats, Scientist have successfully transported cells from blood vessels of a healthy mouse to one that has D.M.D., and the result is spectacular. From observation and research, the data has pointed out that these tests have actually decreased or prevented wearing down of the heart, which can then lead to a longer life with patients that have D.M.D. Although further investigation is going on the see why this works, It is nevertheless an unremarkable feat that can lead to future solutions for D.M.D.
Relevance:
Last section we learned about the Muscle System; How it works, its main functions and the different parts and pieces that make up the Muscle System. This disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, affects the muscle system of ones body, thus relating the not only the muscle system, but what we have been recently studying.
Summary:
Scientists believe that some of the five senses in the brain have common circuits and are related. Scientist conducted an experiment to show that subjects' hearing is affected when vibration patterns are introduced to their fingertips. Subjects had difficultly telling the different pitched sounds apart when the vibration intensity also changed. Scientists concluded that the brain combined the information that the ears and fingers sent.
Connection to class:
We recently learned about the nervous system and how parts of our body send nerve signals to the brain. We also learned about parts of our body like our ears and how they send signals to the brain.
Summary:
Your brain operates best at a specific temperature. Yawning cools down the brain, so when you're tired, you yawn in order to cool down the brain. Yawning also increases blood pressure, stretches facial muscles, and increases focus. When you stretch all your muscles and yawn, you pendiculate, making your muscles more readily available to be used in any moment. Contagious yawning is advantageous because when the first animal in a group yawns, the other animals follow along and become alert, too.
Many animals have different reasons for yawning. Some yawn to intimidate enemies, while others yawn to attract mates. Some snakes yawn to re-align their jaws and open their tracheas after a large, body-disfiguring meal.
Relevance to Class:
Yawning is an example of homeostasis that our body uses in order to cool our brain down and let it function at an optimal temperature. Our body experiences a stimulus that it is too hot or needs to cool down, and the brain functions reacts and sends signals to our body to yawn. Yawning is also linked to the social portion of the brain since we can yawn due to other people yawning.
Summary:
In recent studies, there has been some evidence towards the fact that irregular mitochondria could lead to learning disabilities. Basically, not having enough energy produced by the mitochondria leads to a lowered amount of neuron cells that have the energy to transport signals throughout the brain. The decreased signals means that there will not be the connections that are required for learning to take place. Also, the article focused on the levels of energy in the context of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's attacks the CNS and makes the person unable to do things requiring movement. Again, because the mitochondria don't produce enough energy for neurons to use, obviously there would be problems involving signals being sent throughout the brain.
Relevance to Class:
Last unit we learned about the nervous system, which is what this article is about.
Summary:
1) Our left lung is smaller then our right lung to make room for our heart
2) Everyday an adult body produces 300 billion new cells
3) In one hour, our heart works hard enough to produce the equivalent energy to raise almost 1 ton of weight 1 yard off the ground
4) Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing
5)Our bone is stronger, inch for inch, then the steel in skyscrapers
6)The acid in our stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades
7) We use 200 muscles to take one step
8) We use 43 muscles to frown
9) On average, we use 17 muscles to smile
Relevance: This video has many facts about the human body that pertain to things that we have learned in class. this quarter. For example, facts 7 and 8 refer to the muscle system. Along with fact 5 which refers to the skeletal system.
Our brain has two ways of thinking: fast thinking and slow thinking. Fast thinking is impulse-like and automatic which means it interprets things really fast but can often get tricked because it doesn't take enough time to analyze all the information. Fast thinking also tends to act based on experience and familiarity. On the other hand, slow thinking is when our brain has to deeply analyze given information and causes many different reaction within the body. For example, when doing long mental math, our pupils dilate, and our body uses much more energy. Fast thinking also leads to a process called priming in which our brain fills in information based on quick interpretation which may not always be missing link.
Relevance to Class:
Our class just finished learning about the nervous system. A crucial part of the nervous system is the brain where all of the interpretation occurs and it is basically the command center of the body. THe brain is the main part of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Without it, our body wouldn't know what to do and how to react to different situations.
Individual brain cells store specific memories. If a small cluster of these brain cells were removed, the subject would lose the memory corresponding to them. Scientists discovered this by genetically engineering the brain cells of lab mice to respond to light. By pointing a laser through the skull onto these photoreceptive cells, the mice reacted as if they were recalling the memory- if it were one of fear, then the mouse would act scared and defensive. The only way to trigger specific clumps of neurons (so far) is this method of genetic engineering. The brain cells are too small for electrodes to attach to, which was the previous method of experimenting. Using this technology, it is possible to a) completely destroy a memory, b) identify places of malfunction in the brains of people with diseases like Alzheimers, and eventually c) create false memories. As anyone can imagine, the first two would be world-changing, especially to people with PTSD, but the third could branch off into something else- creating false experiences in which literally anything can happen. The possibilities are endless, really.
Relevance
In class we learned about the nervous system. The brain, in which brain cells are located, is part of the central nervous system.
Description:
-What is blood clotting?
Blood clotting is a process when blood clot rushes to a damaged/broken blood vessel, and solidify in the damaged area, stopping additional blood from flowing out. Blood clot consists of platelets and many fibrin molecules. Thrombin is an enzyme needed for fibrin and platelet formation. Additional requirements are calcium ions and plasma proteins, which act as catalysts, speeding up the process of blood clotting.
-Starting the process:
There are 2 main processes that start the blood clotting: extrinsic pathway and intrinsic pathway. For both pathways, there is a picture below indicating several surface proteins, called tissue factors (TF). Each tissue factor is marked by a number. Damaged cells display tissue factors (TF). In the extrinsic pathway, the TF binds to Factor 7 (F7), forming TF-7. TF-7 has 2 substrates, which are F9 and F10. In the intrinsic pathway, F12 circulates in the blood and activates F11, which activates F9, which activates F10. F10 activates F5, which activates thrombin. Thrombin makes fibrin, and also activates F13. F13 forms covalent bonds between the fibrin molecules, forming 1 part of the clot. In a damaged blood vessel, collagen (component of connective tissue) and extracellular matrix (outer part of cell) are let out. The platelets rush towards the collagen through the Von Willebrand factor, which links the platelets to the collagen. This allows platelets to fill the damaged part of the blood vessel. They release ADP and thromboxane A2, which signal more platelets to rush to the damaged site. They also release tissue factor, and serotonin, which starts the clumping of the platelets, and constricts the blood vessel, thus ending the process of blood clotting.
Relevance:
In term 4, we learned about blood clotting in the circulatory system. We learned about platelets, and how they rush towards a damaged site of a blood vessel. We learned that platelets dry up, sealing the damaged site and prevent additional blood from rushing out of the damaged blood vessel.
Description:
This article talks about how a 3 year old child got an electrode implant into his brain stem to help him with his congenital disorder in his ear. Apparently, the auditory brain implants in lots of children are a new technique in the field of treatments for the hearing impaired. Unlike cochlear implants in which electrical stimulation being used to stimulate the cochlea, it is instead used to stimulate the brain stem of the recipient. Only about a thousand recipients have been implanted with an auditory brain stem implant, due to the nature of the surgery required to implant the device because it requires brain surgery to implant the device. And of course there are some downsides to this implant such as causing reduced effectiveness in hearing (this is due to the fact that most auditory brain stem implant recipients only have an awareness of sound, so most recipients won't be able to hear musical melodies, but only the beat of the melody itself).So far, this has been the youngest electrode implant operation on a child. Relevance to Class: This article is relevant to our class discussions on how the brain stem sends nerve signals throughout the body, telling it what to do and how the ear channels are connected to the possibility of hearing. The cognitive disorder in the child's ear in the article is a good example of how there are many ranges of problems in hearing that lead to people being hearing impaired.
There are 3 types of tears: basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears. Basal tears keep eyes from drying out. Reflex tears act in response to irritants. Irritants such as onions can cause a chain reaction to occur so the brain releases hormones and the tear glands release tears. Emotional tears are only exclusive to humans, and there are a few hypotheses about why humans produce emotional tears. First, emotional tears could act as a signal of distress to other people. This would be helpful from an evolutionary viewpoint, because then other people would feel sympathy for the person crying and help the person, increasing that person's rate of survival. An experiment was performed, and it was shown that people rated other people to look more sad with tears than without. Also, emotional tears contain more proteins, especially stress hormones. However, reflex tears contain more water. Therefore, one hypothesis is that the function of tears is releasing stress, but research for this hypothesis is not conclusive.
Relevance:
We have learned about the nervous system in class, and the autonomic nervous system controls crying and produces tears.
Nanostim Inc. has recently tested a new wireless artificial pacemaker. Most people have a biological pacemaker, which is a group of cells that release electric "pulses" to regulate heartbeat. Artificial pacemakers are required in case the biological one fails or behaves erratically.
Conventional, wired pacemakers have wires that send the electric pulses to the heart. However, these wires can break, cause infection, and create health problems. These newer, wireless pacemakers would get rid of these problems, and reduce scarring. However, these new pacemakers are incompatible with those lacking a working AV node, reducing the amount of patients who can benefit from these pacemakers. Still, the success of wireless pacemakers can make implanting one a much less riskier task.
Relevance:
In class, we have recently learned about pacemakers and AV nodes that regulate a persons heartbeat. The pacemaker uses electric pulses to contract cardiac muscles in a regulated function. We discussed in class the availability of artificial pacemakers for those who have erratic heartbeat and other heart problems.
Summary:
Researchers are using cutting-edge imaging technologies to examine the living brain. This ability to see the brain working has led not only to new knowledge about how the brain functions, but also new treatments for psychiatric disorders. Its uses so far include researching how to move past trauma, studying stress and anxiety, combining behavioral studies and imaging, studying Alzheimer's, studying prisoners, and looking for consciousness.
Relevance:
This term we have studied the nervous system of which the brain is a part. This article discusses the role of the hypothalamus, which we learned helps to regulate body temperature, blood pressure, hunger, thirst, and emotions. In addition, this article discusses "filters" in the brain. From what we learned in class, the thalamus sorts information going to and from the cerebral cortex. It exerts some control over what information goes from sensory receptors to the cerebrum by blocking some signals and enhancing others. Finally, imaging is used to trace neural connections between the posterior cingulate and the hippocampus, which we have learned about. The hippocampus is where memory resides and in Alzheimer's, where the plaque that distinguishes this disease can be the most damaging. All in all, this article's relevance to class lies in its discussion of specific parts of the brain.
Summary:
At the Smilow Cancer Hosptial at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Dr. Mortensztern and Sarah Goldberg are at the head of the investigation of a new cancer drug. This drug has been designed for people with stage four small cell lung cancer, and is hoped to increased the survival rate amongst those who suffer from it. The drug includes two standard cancer treatment drugs, as well as a third one called DM1. It is administer to patients through IV. The doctors believe it will have fewer side affects then previous treatments. This drug is still under trial and is not yet available for everyone.
Relevance:
During our last unit, we learned about the structure and function of the respiratory system. The respiratory system takes in oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the cells. Cells need oxygen for cell respiration. A major component of this system is the lungs. Lung cancer destroys your lungs, decreasing or completely eliminating the effectiveness of the lungs to do their job in the respiratory system. Also, in a previous unit, we learned about cancer cells and how they multiply due to out of control mitosis.
In the next thirty seconds, you will take 8 breaths, 36 heartbeats, produce 72 million red blood cells, etc.
Relevance
This video discusses the average functions of various body systems in thirty seconds. It puts class topics such as heart rate and blood cell production into perspective, and has a particular relevance to the current lab. Breathing rate is discussed, as well as other less common facts, such as CO2 production.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130518153257.htm
Source: Science Daily
No author
Published: May 18, 2013
Bio Media Report
Summary: This article is on the disorder called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is commonly found in war veterans, and is characterized by flashbacks, nightmares, or scary thoughts, almost always from stressful combat scenes. The main is cause is experiencing chronic trauma.
This article is the first step into the minds of these victims when they are not under the influence of external triggers. Their brains were monitored in a restful environment in an MRI scan. Results found that the areas of the brain that monitor fear, nervousness, and pain were simply more active at all times, even when not triggered by an explosion sound or enemy face. Probably even more fascinatingly, the area of the brain that separates past form present and memories from reality was actually lower in activity. This is the possible cause of the terrifying flashbacks.
Relevance to Class: This article is about a disorder in the brain. We have studied not only the brain itself, but specific diseases and disorders of the brain and the nervous system. This article went into how different regions of the brain are affected, and how they respond. We also learned about regions of the brain.
Optimized SYNERGY® Circulatory Support SystemAchieves Positive Outcomes in CE Mark Trial
The optimized SYNERGY circulatory support system, designed to reverse the symptoms of heart failure in emergency situations, such as ambulance rides. The major side effects of similar circulatory support pumps, such as bleeding, infection, and stroke trended significantly lower in the SYNERGY system. Another important advantage of the pump, is that it supplements, and helps improve heart function, rather than replace it. This means that the heart will actually be stronger upon the removal of the circulatory aid, making it a viable option for individuals with failing hearts.
Relevance to class:
In class the heart function was studied, blood flow from the right atrium and ventricle, to the pulmonary artery, to the lungs, to the left atrium, and then to the left ventricle where it is pumped to the entire body. The pump aids in the contraction of the left ventricle, allowing for improved blood flow to the entire body.
This article published on TIME Magazine (online edition) talks about a recent breakthrough in science: stem cells. Hannah Warren, a two year old at the Children's Hospital of Illinois, was born without a trachea and placed in intensive care with a tube connecting her mouth and lungs. But after almost a month with her trachea transplant, Hannah is breathing normally and responding to doctors and nurses, signs that she is doing fine. This surgery was the first trachea transplant in the US and in the youngest patient. The procedure was approved by the FDA only because Hannah's condition of being born without a trachea is 99% fatal, as is an experimental option.The trachea was made of the stem cells from Hannah's bone marrow and plastic fibers to shape it into a tube. The stem cells integrate themselves into their new environment by picking up signals from surrounding cells and tissue. In the future, Dr. Macchiarini is looking to further research regenerative medicine and increase the scope of stem cells and making the transplants safer for the patient.
Relevance to Class:
This article is relevant to our class curriculum because it directly relates to the human body systems we have been studying, specifically the respiratory system. The trachea is the organ that connects the mouth to the bronchi/lungs and brings oxygen and carbon to and from the environment. It has an extremely important function, which is why the 1 in 50,000 people born with a windpipe defect or without one have a very slim chance of survival.
Summary:
On most animals, the digestive tract is the very first thing that forms. Digestion in a human, the main key is maximizing surface area. The first part of making surface area is chewing. That breaks apart the food to allow enzymes and acids to get at them. Digesting starts in the mouth with salivary amylase that breaks down starch into glucose. Then the food goes down past the pharynx and into the esophagus then into the stomach with peristalsis. The stomach then churns the food into chyme with its gastric juices and it is very acidic. The stomach also has pepsin which breaks apart proteins. Then the small intestine has villi to have more surface area surrounded by capillaries to absorb nutrients and the small intestine has a texture like velvet. Bile is also in the small intestine and it is an emulsifier. Then the Large intestine absorbs water and salts from the chyme so you dont have constant diarrhea, and finally you poop.
Relevance to Class: In class, we have learned about the digestive system and specifically villi, and the idea of increasing surface area in the digestive tract. This video is a crash course explaining the general idea of of how food passes through your body. In class we learned it in much further detail, but this video does a good job covering a general overview. Source: Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06XzaKqELk Creator: crashcourse Uploaded: Aug 6, 2012
By looking at activity in just one part of the brain, researchers can now predict roughly how much volunteers like a new song. When people hear music they like, a clump of neurons deep within their brains bursts into excited activity. The small cluster of cells, called the nucleus accumbens, helps make predictions and sits in the “reward center” of the brain. The small bit acts with three other regions in the brain to judge new songs, MRI scans showed. One region looks for patterns, another compares new songs to sounds heard before, and the third checks for emotional ties. As ears pick up the first notes of a new song, the brain tries to make sense of the music and figure out what’s coming next. Then when the brain’s predictions are right, people get a little jolt of pleasure. In this study, the researchers examined the brain activity of 19 people as they listened to short clips of new music in an MRI machine. At the end of each clip, volunteers could choose to buy songs they liked, using their own money. The researchers asked them how much they would be willing to pay, $0.99, $1.29 or $2, in a system similar to iTunes. If volunteers did not like a song, they could choose not to buy it. Then researchers compared brain scans of participants who bid different amounts on songs. The nucleus accumbens switched on when people heard songs they wanted to purchase. The more money people chose to spend, the more their nucleus accumbens was working while listening. This work could help scientists better understand how humans decipher other complex sounds, such as speech.
Relevance
In class we learned about the brain and how it controls the body, including feelings. We also discussed the connections between neurons in the brain.
This article explains how human tissue cloning could treat heart disease and/or Parkinson's Disease. Scientists have been having trouble cloning human cells due to many difficulties until a few scientists added caffeine to cell cultures. This allowed them to do such things as producing one stem cell from only two eggs cells. Stem cells are cells that are not yet specialized, and scientists can specialize them into different cells such as nerve cells (or neurons) or even cardiac muscle cells. People with heart disease, Parkinson's Disease, diabetes, or other diseases could benefit from tissue transplants of these cloned cells. This would reduce the rate of deaths around the world. This article also discusses the effects of human cloning. There are many dangers of human cloning, but also many benefits such as cloning one of the parents in a couple who both have a recessive allele of a certain disease. This would ensure that the child does not have this disease.
Relevance to Class
In class, we learned about the different body systems, like the circulatory system and the nervous system. This article explains about the possible treatment of certain diseases, such as heart attacks and Parkinson's Disease. As we learned in class, there are many different heart diseases, some resulting in a heart attack. With this new technology, heart diseases can be treated more efficiently. Again, we learned from the presentations in class that Parkinson's Disease is a disease of the nervous system. Parkinson's Disease has no cure, but with human tissue cloning, it can be treated (but not cured).
Article Name: "Peppers are a new “hot” topic in the prevention of Parkinson’s disease"
Author: Jane Sadler
Date: May 14 2013
Summary:
This article is about Parkinson's disease and how eating foods like Peppers could lower the risks. Peppers compared to other vegetables has lots of nicotine. It is a common fact that smoking can surprisingly lower the risks of getting Parkinson's. "One pepper a day can keep Parkinson's away! Compared to other vegetable's like tomatoes, pepper's have a high amount of nicotine in them and eating peppers is a better alternative to smoking. Pepper are from the Solanaceae plant family which contains a lot of nicotine.
Relevance:
This article is related to the nervous system which we had just recently studies. Since Parkinson's disease affects the nervous system which is part of the body it disrupts homeostasis of the human body which we also studied about.
I tried to upload the video itself but I couldn't find it when I tried.
Summary:
This video is a quick overview of the Integumentary system. The integumentary system is made of skin, fingernails, and hair. This video focuses on the skin. The skin helps excrete water, salts, and urea, helps regulate temperature, produces Vitamin D (which is important in calcium absorption, which is in turn important in nerve and muscle function), and is an important sensory organ. Skin is made up of epithelial, nerve, muscle, and connective tissue. It can be broken down into several layers. The epidermis is the thin, outer layer of mostly dead cells. It contains keratin, which helps waterproof the skin and protect the cells underneath. The epidermis also produces a pigment called melanin, which protects the cells beneath it from the sun's ultraviolet rays. The dermis is the thick middle layer. It contains sweat glands, hair follicles, nerves, and blood vessels. The innermost layer of the skin is the hypodermis, which is also called the subcutaneous layer. The hypodermis consists of connective tissue that stores fat and insulates the body from the cold.
Relevance to Class:
In class, we talked about the structure and function of the integumentary system. We learned about the different parts of the system, and mainly focused on the skin. We learned the functions of the skin, the different tissues, and the different layers. Altogether, everything we learned in class was talked about in this video.
This video by the British Heart Foundation interviews a woman who is living with type 2 diabetes. She describes how insulin is often prescribed for diabetics. Although she does not mention it, insulin injections are often needed because a diabetic’s body is unable to make or use its insulin properly. Lyn (the woman being interviewed) mainly talks about what causes the disease and how it can be prevented or treated. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with being obese and having a sedentary lifestyle. The higher your BMI (body mass index), the higher your risk of getting the disease. Also, certain nationalities and genetic risk factors can effect the likelihood of someone getting this disease. A way to prevent it though, is simply to exercise. By doing aerobic exercise (ex. walking, jogging etc.), the excess fat on your body is being used as "fuel" and this can help lower your BMI. If the person does not exercise and is obese, they are more likely to get the disease. Unfortunately, diabetes is a chronic pathology: once you have it, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it. Luckily, as Lyn talks about, by exercising and losing the extra weight, she has been able to reduce her medications/symptoms. Overall, Type 2 Diabetes is a very serious disease, luckily it is mostly preventable with a healthy lifestyle.
Relevance to Bio class:
Recently, we have been studying human body systems including the: Respiratory, Circulatory and Digestive systems. When one of these systems are affected by a disease, the entire body is thrown off balance. Diabetes unfortunately effects a lot of different systems. It effects the digestive system because with diabetes your body cannot process sugar properly, it also effects the circulatory system because too much sugar in the blood can damage blood vessels and impede circulation (most commonly to the feet). Circulatory problems can also lead to kidney failure. In conclusion, diabetes is a serious problem that effects the human body systems that we have been discussing this term.
Summary:
In the video, it states, by taking the dietary supplement, Creatine, people will become stronger and gain a lot of lean muscle. It sounds too good to be true but it is backed up with scientific proof. First off, Creatine is produced naturally by the body, specifically in the liver. However, not enough is produced so that there are noticeable affects. Affects become more noticeable when taking supplemental Creatine because more of it is present in your body. Creatine works by increasing the rate at which ADP and Phosphates combine to form ATP. With this efficient way of energy production, people are able to go longer and harder in their workouts due to the increased energy input. While lifting heavy weights, the muscles in the body contract. We learned that muscle fibers are comprised of sarcomeres, and each sarcomere contains contractile proteins called Actin and Myosin. Once the nervous system sends an impulse for the muscle fiber to contract, ATP releases a phosphate which creates energy, that energy is then used by the muscle fibers to contract. Once ATP releases a phosphate, it turns into ADP. Supplemental Creatine contains lots of phosphates and can quickly attach to ADP and replenish ATP. For example, if I were to bench press very heavy weights without supplemental Creatine, my muscles would exhaust all the available ATP in a few repetitions and I would not be able to do anymore. However, if I were taking supplemental Creatine, my body would have a reserve of phosphates which would then be used to convert the ADP into more ATP. Therefore, it would give me an increase in short term energy and allow me to lift the weight more times than I could before. Because I am able to do more repetitions, I am building more muscle.
Relevance to Class:
Last month, we learned all about the muscular and nervous system and how they contribute to the movement of our bodies appendages. We learned that the contractions by the Myosin and Actin pull the sarcomeres in the muscle fibers closer together. And with each contraction, the muscles need to break apart a phosphate from an ATP molecule to get energy. By lifting weights, the quick and powerful movements cause the muscles to use up a lot of the ATP and once there is none left, the muscles give out because there is no more energy to cause the Actin and Myosin to contract and you're unable to continue lifting without a little break. I learned that the supplemental Creatine carries a lot of phosphates which gives your body an additional energy source that the muscles can extract from.
Summary:
Black Cumin seed oil is also known as Nigella sativa, black seeds and kalonji. It successfully helps increase immune system effectiveness, helps in healing cancer tumors, treats HIV, and helps with heart disease. Its potent functions have been known for thousands of years, but only in the past forty years has it been used to its full potential, helping heal serious modern-day diseases. Black Cumin helps with more than just auto-immune diseases - it helps with cancer, baldness, diabetes, asthma, migraines, and even menstrual blood flow. As seen in studies by Dr. Hwyda Arafat at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, 80% of pancreatic cancer cells died after Black Cumin treatment. To improve one's immune system, taking one teaspoon one hour before breakfast daily, mixed with raw honey or juice. To aid in cancer treatment, taking three teaspoons daily in divided doses, along with normal cancer dietary and exercise regimens can help. In both situations, one is treated with the addition of fresh garlic. As a precautionary measure, taking Black Cumin daily can help with all diseases.
As we read and talked about, this help in the immune system can affect a whole range of factors in our health, just as a common cold can interfere with other systems, especially the respiratory system.
A team of biomedical engineers from the United Kingdoms have developed a machine, the OrganOx metra, that preserves livers once outside of the body. This machine effectively keeps the liver working as if it were still inside a human body and preserves the liver much more efficiently than the time honored method of throwing it into a pile of ice. Using ice is much more inefficient and the United States and Europe throw away 2,000 freeze-burned livers a year, which is a real shame to the 1,500 Americans that die while waiting for a liver transplant. The OrganOx metra keeps tabs on and records real-time information on pressures, flows, temperature, blood gases, pH levels and bile production. Surgeons no longer have to rush to find a suitable match and instead can take more time to find the best match making time less important.
Relevance:
In class we had a lab and lab practical where we dissected a rat and observed its digestive system which included the liver as its main fat breaking organ. We discussed how the liver produced bile in class and how the bile in turn broke down the fats. The textbook had some pages that we took outlines on about the liver and how its bile was stored in the gall bladder and then secreted into the duodenum to break down fats.
In this video, Louis J Ignore, a scientist that has gotten a noble prize for discovering the effects of Nitric Oxide. In the first half of the video, there is an interview with the scientist about the Nobel prize ceremony and his place in the ceremony. Several interesting facts are discussed, such as how he got the prize and gave his lecture to how he signed his name in a book full of people who got the Nobel prize like he did and signed that book.
In the second part of the video, the scientist explains the role that Nitric Oxide has in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as hypertension and high cholesterol. He explains the role of L-Arginine and L-Cetruline, two amino acids in the body and how it aids the process of making the Nitric Acid that lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease.
He first goes into the coronary artery and how it works. He explains that the coronary artery brings blood and nutrients to the heart and gradually over time, plaque starts to accumulate in the artery. This plaque grows to the point that it obstructs blood flow to the heart and that part of the heart, malnourished and oxygen deprived, dies. When the heart is needed to pump blood around the body, it doesn't work and just sends pain signals to the brain. This is where Nitric Acid comes into play. Nitric Acid is a hormone that functions as the body's defense against cardiovascular disease. It lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow throughout the body by relaxing arteries in the body. This is the body's natural way to battle heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases caused by plaque buildup.
Cardiovascular Disease is the number one cause of death in the USA and many other nations, and according to the doctor in the video, when nitric acid is lacking, the heart starts to die due to lack of blood flow. Argenine is an amino acid that assists in the production of nitric oxide. If we increase the consumption of this amino acid, our body can battle cardiovascular disease better. Mr. Ignarro believes that if humans consume more Nitric Acid, then we can start to prevent cardiovascular disease in the US.
Relevance
In class we learned about cardiovascular disease and how it affects homeostasis in the body by cutting off blood flow to the heart and essentially killing the heart. We learnt about how arteriosclerosis in the body is caused by plaque buildups and block blood flow. All of the items mentioned above have been learned in biology class.
You had angioplasty (ballooning) of a peripheral artery, a blood vessel that supplies blood to your legs or arms. You may have also had a stent placed. These procedures were done to open a narrowed or blocked peripheral artery.
Your surgeon inserted a catheter (flexible tube) into your blocked artery through a tiny hole in your groin. Your surgeon used x-rays to guide the catheter up to the area of the blockage. Then your surgeon passed a guide wire through the catheter to the blockage. A balloon catheter was pushed over the guide wire and into the blockage. The balloon on the end was blown up. This opened the blocked vessel and restored proper blood flow to your heart. A stent is usually placed to prevent the vessel from collapsing again.
Relevance This video discusses many topics that we have learned recently in class. This includes the discussion about blood vessels, the heart, blood, arteries, and veins. More specifically, the article talks about peripheral and coronary arteries and how blood clots can form within them. Also, the femoral artery plays a key role when putting a stent into a human's artery. The arterial system, blockage, and aorta are terms mentioned in this video as well. All of these terms I have mentioned have been learned about in the last few weeks or so in biology class. Information URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7nghr9TpSU Date Published: April 1, 2013 Posted by: nucleusanimation
URL:http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/02/did-plants-freeze-the-planet.html
Article: Did Plants Freeze the Planet?
Author: Sid Perkins
Date: 1 February 2012
Summary:
Scientists have concluded that the introduction of plants, such as moss, are cause of the ice age. At that period of time, the CO2 concentration in the air was 14-22 times the current level. The presence of moss increased the amount of chemical weathering of silicate rocks. These rocks then reacted with oxygen and acid rain, slowly pulling CO2 from the atmosphere to form carbonate minerals that would temporarily lock away the CO2. By slowly taking away the CO2 the atmosphere temperature dropped, forcing the planet into an ice age.
Relativity:
In class we are learning about non vascular plants like moss.
Summary:
This video begins with a introduction about alternation of generations. The sporophyte (diploid) generation of plants produces spores, which germinate and grow into the gametophyte (haploid) generation, which produces male and female gametes, which combine into a zygote, which grows into a sporophyte. Vascular plants provide us with food, oxygen, and some trivial stuff. Nonvascular plant reproduction is briefly explained (a different episode). Nonvascular plants are gametophyte dominant, so the sporophyte stage grows in or on the gametophyte. Vascular plants are the opposite, and the gametophyte grows on or in the sporophyte.
Pteridophyte (includes ferns) reproduction is explained. Ferns reproduce a lot like bryophytes (nonvascular plants). The fern is the sporophyte stage and the gametophyte is tiny and has both male and female parts. Some ferns probably evolved to have seeds and then became extinct or evolved into gymnosperms.
Pollen contains the male gametophyte in gymnosperms. Ovules are the female gametophytes and are fertilized by the pollen. The zygote becomes a seed, ripens, and grows into a sporophyte. The sporophytes produce pollen and ovules. Water isn't needed for gymnosperms to reproduce. Gymnosperms include conifers, ginkgoes, and cycads. Gymnosperms have cones for reproductive structures. The ovules are exposed on the cone scale surface. Female cones are large and spiky, but male cones are small and spongy and produce pollen. Pollen is spread by the wind. Seeds contain zygotes and food. Seeds have a tough casing to protect the zygote. Mature seeds fall from the cone. Some gymnosperms require certain conditions before seeds mature. The Lodgepole Pine seeds have to endure a forest fire before germinating. That way, they have no competition while growing.
Angiosperms are flowering plants. Animals are used to pollinate flowers, and the pollinators and angiosperms probably co-evolved. The flowers provide nectar to the insects and the insects fertilize the flowers. It's a mutualistic relationship. The angiosperm's sporophyte is the plant, and the gametophyte is the pollen and ovum. Some flowers are both male and female, sometimes there are male and female flowers on one plant, and sometimes there are male and female plants. Flowers with both male and female parts are called perfect flowers. Sepals are green leaves that protected developing buds. Petals are colorful leaves that attract pollinators. The male organs, the stamens, consist of an anther which produces pollen and is at the end of a long filament. The female organs, the carpels, consist of an ovary which contains ovules, a neck called a style, and an opening at the top of the neck called a stigma. Pollination is the process of pollen landing on the stigma of a flower and fertilizing the egg. Insects, birds, and some bats are pollinators. The fertilized ovule becomes a seed, and the surrounding ovary becomes a fruit. Biologically, a fruit is anything that develops from an ovary. Many things that you didn't think are fruits actually are. Some fruits are spread by wind and others are eaten and pooped out somewhere far away. The end.
Relevance:
In class, we have been learning about all different kinds of plants, and mostly vascular plants. We have learned about their reproductive cycles. We learned about alternation of generations and how it is used by pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. We learned about pollen, seeds, flowers, and fruits, and the anatomy of each. We also learned about the differences between these different kinds of plants. We learned about how plants spread their spores, pollen and seeds, and how pollinators are important to angiosperms.
Summary: This is an article about a tree that was found in Thailand that oozes red sap, or "dragon's blood". The species was named Dracaena jayniana, or the Red Dragon Tree. Supposedly, the tree has medical properties. This may be true, because it is closely related to other plants with medicinal properties, however it is not confirmed. The sap, as of so far, looks mainly like a simple pick-me-up tonic. The exact location of this rare tree has not been disclosed because of the fear that people may come and collect clippings to sell. In addition to the tree, one species of snowdrop was discovered, fifteen new palm trees, and eleven new species of indigofera, a plant used to make indigo dye.
Relevance: This article relates to our study of plants and our previous study of classification. The article tells of a tree with red sap. In class, we learned that a tree is composed of layers, one of them is the xylem. The xylem is the area of the tree in which the sap is produced.
The descendants of the first plants are still among us today, and they are the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. The main thing about nonvascular plants is that they dont have specialized conductive tissue. They also have limited growth potential they don't have the wood to keep up the mass or the tissue to be big.
They need water for reproduction.
Plants evolved a reproduction cycle where they take on 2 different forms of their lives called alternation of generations evolved first in algae.
In land plants, one generation called the gametophyte produces sexually by producing gametes and eggs and sperm (haploid). When sperm and egg fuse, rise of second generation called sporophyte generation which is asexual(diploid). The sporangium capsule produces haploid reproduction cells called spores. Reproduction cycle needs water for sperm to move.
If spores lands on moist ground, it germinates and produces protonema that gives rise to buds which will grow to patch of moss which is a colony of haploid gametophytes which will mate and the generation alternations will continue.
Relevance to Class:
In class, our current unit is about the plants and we specifically learned about alternation of generations and vascular plants. This video is a crash course explaining the basic idea of vascular plants for further understanding. It mentions key vocab words like sporophyte, gametophyte...etc. that we need to learn.
Summary:
One method of pollination is where insects bring pollen from one plant to another. While trying to get food, the pollen attaches to them, later pollinating the other plant. The size and shape of the flower suits the bee that is obtaining food from it. Wind is another method of pollination. The pollen grains in this case are smaller and lighter, and made in large amounts. Pollination is important because it ensures fertilization will take place and that there will be a new generation of plants. Some plants, such as Dandelions, self-pollinate if needed. Self-pollination is sometimes unavoidable, but self-pollination doesn't always mean self-fertilization.
Connection:
The connection that this video has with what we learned in class is it talks about pollination of flowers and brushes upon fertilization. In the notes, we learned about more ways of pollination but the bee spreading the pollen was the main way. We also learned that inorder to fertilize, plants need pollen.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221194239.htm (Link is somehow not working so just copy and paste it in a browser to have the article come up)
Summary:
It has been proven, through testing by University of Alberta, Edmonton, that sourdough can resist mold, as opposed to ordinary baked bread and ordinary dough. During the production of the "sourdough," bacteria convert the linoleic acid found in any ordinary bread dough, and converts it into a compound that acts as a "Powerful Anti-fungal Activity" in sourdough bread. This means not only is it easily stored for longer without refrigeration, but many people enjoy the taste, saying it is more natural and unique. This is definitely true, as no pesticides have to be added to insure the quality of the bread. Thus, Sourdough bread is all around better in health, nutrients and taste! Part of the reason why the resistance might work with the linoleic acid, is sourdough also has an extra fermentation step, were the lactic acid bacteria is present.
Connection:
This connects to our current term because we not only studied mold, but we studied different bacteria and the antibiotics that can inhibit those bacteria. We even did a complex lab to see what remedies (such as cinnamon and turmeric) can be a natural resistant/antibiotic to bacteria. This sourdough example is really cool, because it is a natural resistance that many people can relate to, because it is about BREAD!
Summary:
Recently, scientists from the University of California, Santa Cruz, have managed to identify a mutualistic bond between nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and single-celled algae in marine environments. It appears these two species play a key role in providing their ecosystem with usable nitrogen. The algae plays host to the bacteria as the two cooperate to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into a useful form. Interestingly, the cyanobacteria has no photosynthetic capabilities, which scientists hypothesize is a result from having such a close connection with the algae, which can photosynthesize. In other words, the cyanobacterium, whose ancestors evolved into chloroplasts, no longer needs to photosynthesize. The algae provides it with carbon, and it provides the algae with nitrogen.
Although the cyanobacteria found in the green algae are probably completely dependent on the green algae for survival, it is not yet considered an organelle. Perhaps the most interesting part of the discovery of these species' unique symbiosis is that the cyanobacteria may be evolving to become an organelle, just like the mitochondria and chloroplasts did so long ago. It would be completely unique from these two, as it does not process or create food, it fixes nitrogen.
Connection:
In class, we are currently learning about the evolution of plants, among other things. Plants evolved from green algae, which we recently learned as part of plants' evolution. The green algae and cyanobacterium involved in the mutualistic relationship are evolving to completely rely on each other for survival, as did early cells and chloroplasts that eventually became plants as we know them today.
Citation:
University of California - Santa Cruz. "Unusual symbiosis in marine microorganisms fertilizes ocean bu fixing nitrogen." ScienceDaily, 20 Sep. 2012. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.
Article: Key Developmental Mechanism in Plants Explained for First Time Source: Science Daily News. Connection By: Carl Lang Summary: A team of researchers for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have uncovered the operation of a mechanism in plants called Homeobox genes. the genes need to be active in order for stem cells to maintain their non specialized status. When the stem cells are needed to develop into special structures such as stem or leaf cells, the Homeobox genes are switched off, and specialization can begin. without these genes plants would just be a varying sized blob of non specific cells. Connection: This connects to our current unit on the life cycle of plants. While this article seems to go a little more in depth in terms of the growth and development of plants, the principle of sporophyte an gametophyte life cycles still apply.
Gymnosperm means literally "naked seed". Angi means vessel or ovary, while sperm means seed. Gymnosperms originated around 360 million years ago. Gymnosperm species are divided into cycadophyta (cycads), ginkgophyta (ginkgos), gnetophyta (gnetophytes), and coniferophyta (conifers). Gymnosperms rely on the wind to pass on their seeds. The gametophytes are contained in cones. Angiosperms are flowering plants. They originated around 200 million years ago. They cover 90% of the Earth's vegetative surface. Flowers aid in pollination; they use sweet scents, bright colors, and nectar to attract pollinators. Flowers cannot be wind-pollinated. Insects, bats, and birds pollinate flowers. Angiosperms go through a double fertilization, which results in a zygote and an endosperm. The zygote develops into an embryo. The fruit around it is the ripened ovary. When an animal eats a fruit, it is inadvertently helping to disperse the seed; the seed is pooped out a distance away from the parent plant. Angiosperms can be divided into monocots (lilies, grasses, orchids, palms, etc) or dicots (roses, buttercups, maples, oaks, sunflowers, etc), or neither (water lilies, Amborella).
Relevance to Class:
We have learned about gymnosperms and angiosperms and their differences in class. We have also learned about the life cycles of both gymnosperms and angiosperms, especially angiosperms. In the notes, there was a chart showing the diversity of plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, bryophytes, and pteridophytes).
This video really explaisn why vascular plants have come to dominate the planet. It all has to do with the fact that vascular plants can move materials from one part of the plant to another, allowing them to grow bigger and spread farther. The video first specifies the three types of tissue, vascular tissue, ground tissue, and dermal tissue and explains what they do. It also talks about primary growth and secondary growth. Secondary growth is when the plant gets wider, not just taller, while in primary growth the plants just gets taller. It talks about how plants have three main organs, the roots, stem and leaves and explains each organ's function. All three organs have all three tissues that deal with water. Next, the video talks about how the plant deals with water, starting of with how water gets into the plants, through the epidermis. Plants get their water from root hairs in the roots. Then the water goes to the vascular tissue xylem. It talks about the different types of cells and their functions in plants. Now, water goes through the plant through the xylem and enters the leaf, specifically the mesophyll. Then the water goes into the ground tissue. Photosynthesis happens, the sugar made is transported to other parts of the plant through the second type of vascular tissue, the phloem. It concludes with talking about how AWESOME plants are!
Relevance
This video is relevant to what we are studying because we are specificaly studying about the different types of tissue like the dermal, vascualar and ground tissue. We are also learning about how water is moved around in the plant, through transpiration and capillary action and such.
