Cleansing Blood With Magnets ??!!

2 Days ago, I saw this on my friends blog, saying that researchers at Harvard University are working on an innovative method for treating blood infections - drawing the bacteria out of blood with magnets. They mix infected blood with tiny antibody-coated magnetic spheres only 1/8 the size of red blood cells. The antibodies on the spheres attach to bacteria in the blood, and then the spheres and the bacteria are drawn off together using a powerful magnetic field. In initial experiments the method removed up to 80% of the bacteria in small samples . Can the method be tooled up to cleanse the larger volume of blood in human patients? 2) Will reducing the bacterial or fungal load in a patient’s blood actually improve the patient’s recovery? 3) What might happen to the patient if a few magnetic beads are not removed from the blood before it is returned to the patient?

It may be several years before we know if the method can be used safely and effectively to treat blood infections in human patients

"DATEING" birth cells??!

I saw this question on my mom's magezine yesterday,'How can scientists determine the age of human cells? How frequently are human cells replaced, if at all?'In 2005 scientists hit upon an ingenious method that takes advantage of a dark period in recent world history - the above-ground testing of nuclear weapons between the mid-1950s and 1963. Nuclear weapons testing resulted in a sharp spike in carbon-14 levels worldwide. The levels peaked in 1967 and have since declined as carbon-14 diffused and equilibrated with the atmosphere, the oceans, and the biosphere. Carbon is incorporated into the chemical components of all new cells, of course, including DNA. It turns out that the carbon-14 levels in nuclear DNA correspond very closely to the atmospheric levels at the time the DNA was synthesized. So by comparing the cells’ nuclear DNA carbon-14 levels to a chart of atmospheric cabon-14 levels each year, one can determine the cells’ birth date.How does this help us determine cell turnover? Think about it: if all of the cells in a piece of tissue are the same age as the individual, then cells are not being replaced throughout life. But if the average cell age is much younger than the individual, then cell turnover must be relatively high. The scientists who developed the cell-dating technique report that neurons in the cerebral cortex (the most highly developed area of the brain) do not undergo significant replacement throughout life - you’re born with all the cortical brainpower you’re ever going to have. In contrast, cells lining the intestine are replaced frequently.

Obesity effect people around you

If your closest friend becomes obese your risk of obesity goes up dramatically, according to online sources. And it was not just a matter of the friends eating the same foods, because the relationship holds even if the friends are separated geographically. Your risk also goes up if you have a sibling or a spouse who becomes obese, though the effect is not as great as between best friends. How might social relationships affect obesity? Researchers speculate that when a person who becomes obese is already a close mutual friend, a sibling, or a spouse, one may tend to perceive obesity as more acceptable than if the person is a total stranger. Close mutual friends may also influence a person’s eating habits, even if the friends are not always together. The data also offer a clue for why many of the most successful weight-loss programs are those that offer peer support. By modifying a person’s social network to include people who are also trying to lose weight, one’s view of normal and acceptable begins to change. The bottom line is that obesity is not just a medical problem with genetic roots, but also a public health problem with social causes. Understanding obesity will require a full understanding of both.

food nutrients 4 packed foodz

Finally, someone has decided to make it easy for consumers to pick the healthiest packaged foods! A coalition of some of the biggest food companies has teamed up with scientists and the federal government to develop and promote a simple front-of-package logo called “Smart Choices” to indicate that a food meets certain nutritional standards. The standards include limited quantities of total and saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and salt, as well as minimum quantities of nutrients for good health, such as calcium, potassium, fiber, and certain vitamins. And like the “Heart Healthy” program originally developed by the American Heart Association, the new program is based on good scientific evidence. Once consumers understand what the logo means and accept its underlying health assumptions, they can simply look for the logo on the front of the package. “Pattern recognizers” such as myself (who can’t find their favorite products in the grocery store if the manufacturer changes the packaging!) will appreciate the help in picking healthful foods. The logo is a green check mark in a square along with the words, “Smart Choices Program”.

Soy Beans

Soy beans, one of the most important global sources of protein and oil, is now the first major crop lagume species with a published complete draft genome sequence. As we talked about in class last week, food companies changed the genes of soybeans to increases in the plant's oil content to promote the use of soybean oil as a biofuel, make bigger crops, improved resistance to pests an diseases that currently claim large percentages of soybean crops, even to make improvement in the digestibility of soy beans by animals and humans.Yes, it seems like is good for us in many ways, but think about it, after that many genome sequences, are we eating the real soybeans, or the industury stuff made by the food companies?

Rices' different grown condition

Rice is one of the most important crops worldwise, as it feeds over half of the world's population. There are different tpes of rice, such as domesticated rice, which is an important supply of world's rice but genetically static and not able to change its growing conditions. So people plant rices which its genes changed.But not the change by people like we talked last week, their genes changed by theirselfs naturally. In Thailand, peoole compared the genetic variation among the same variety of rice grown in different fields and villages. The genetics of the rice population fits the isolation by distance model, much like a native plant species. The further apart fiels are, the more genetically distinct they are.A number of crops grown today have been genetically optimized to consistently gice a large yield.Seeds are purchased from asupplier and the plants are all genetically similar.


Mr H. :No blogs in the past 2 weeks because of family issue.

Special blog post

Progress: We went up to the School Janitor and he revealed to us about the number of trash bags which he changes daily and the answers are truly surprising.
Each day, the trashbags are being replaced in the classrooms, teachers' offices, cafeterias, football fields, restrooms and out door campus around school.Trash cans cover a wide area at school and an estimate of 75 trash bags are changed to view every day.Yes, this sounds insant and what good actions can we implement to reduce the plastic usage which is harmful to our planet?
There are some action steps we can help save the planet. First, if each smaller size trashcan is not full by the end of day, the janitor should combine the trash with others. Secondly, students should consider to use reusable containers to store food so less disposable plates or utensils are being thrown in the trashcans.Last but not least, we only found two recycle bins in the cafeteria and to our action proposal, we must add few more on campus because we drink water in bottles or soda in cans in between calsses and we tend to fill up the trashcan space withour any considration. Because of that, more space is occupied with no rebybling action being taken.