CSB #5: Micro-organs

"Organ on a chip"

Last year, Harvard University bioengineers created a apparatus that imitated a human lung, consisting of a membrane enveloped by lung tissues. The same year, scientists claimed that they had built a mini replica of the liver. Microchip technology is very close to the prospect of housing cells that can imitate the functions of organs and systems. Chips are still in elementary stages, but scientists have the ideal structure of the device in mind. The device, dubbed "organ on a chip" would consist of glass slides covered with human cells that would be able to mimic specific tissues in the human body.

The chip can leave a strong impact on our present medical society. They are meant to test various concepts from mutations to virus life cycles. Scientists could predict drug response within a particular population by testing the drug on a chip with genetically mutated cells. Other scientists have used past prototypes to observe the life cycle of the virus hepatitis C instead of keeping it in cultures. Chips can even test toxicity levels of devices used to spread drugs around the body. Overall, the chip will help pharmaceutical establishments develop drugs faster. Another advantage to the "organ on a chip" is its ability to replace animal testing. Animal testing is sometimes inaccurate, expensive, and against our morals and ethics. The chip can prevent these problems from arising.

However, these chips are not a hundred percent perfect. Using chips can lead to problems in observing the response and function to the entire human system. For example, tests on the lung will only obtain results on lung response and will lack data on the response of the arteries, heart, etc. This is one thing that animal testing allows us to do.

I believe that the organ on a chip will allow us to bring drugs into the market more efficiently and can prevent animal testing. However, these chips can be expensive to produce and may take a long time to manufacture. I believe the problem addressed in the previous paragraph can be solved by incorporating different tissues onto one slide. For example, when testing a drug on an organ, we can observe the effect on the brain by placing nerve cells and brain tissue on the slide along with the organ.

Citations:
Moyer, Melinda Wenner. "Organs-on-a-Chip for Faster Drug Development."
     Scientific American 25 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Scientific American. Web. 7
     Mar. 2011. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/
     article.cfm?id=organs-on-a-chip>.
Picture URL:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/organs-on-a-chip_1.jpg 

CSB #4: The Science behind Inception

Definitions:
Inception: The planting of an idea into someone's mind


Kick: something that triggers the beginning or end of a period of free fall


free fall: suspect to the pull of gravity without any resistance present 

Summary:

In the movie, "Inception," directed by Christopher Nolan, a group of characters are hired to insert a false idea into a target's mind to make him give up the company he inherited from his dad. This group decides to tackle this inception by "building" dreams and inserting themselves and the target into them using high-tech equipment. They build multiple layers of dreams representing a "dream inside a dream," with each layer's time moving exponentially slower than the one before, so the target will not know he is dreaming. The group selected for this job is far from normal, able to construct a dream that mimics the real world, able to realize they are inside a dream, and able to keep the dream stable through many levels. They also know to end dreams by using a kick, in which an individual enters or exits free fall. 

Discussion: 

The group selected for this inception is highly experienced with the concept of dreaming. I believe that in the real world, because an individual's dream is based on their thoughts and what is happening in their life, it is possible after sufficient training to willingly build one. The group used an advanced machine that connects a dreamer and another person to insert both people into a dream. I doubt that this is possible in the real world. To enter another's dream, a person would have to be translated into a system of thoughts. Dreams are made of thoughts, and the dream would not be able to accomodate the thoughts of the dreamer and the outsider. Additionally, a system of thoughts would not be able to act as a normal human being. The "kick" concept introduced in the movie suggests that if the body of an dreaming individual is entering or exiting free fall, the person will wake up from a dream. I believe this is possible in the real world because being exposed to resistance or large acceleration can alter a person's thoughts and in turn, a person's dream. Sometimes, when your mother jolts you awake, your mind is averted as your nervous system senses something happening in the world around you. Also, when you fall from a bed and hit the floor, you usually wake up as your nervous system senses something happening and triggers a reflex to wake up. It is the same concept in the movie. 

Questions:
Can the amount you think of a concept, idea, etc. impact the subject of your dream?
Is it possible for something going in the world around while you are dreaming able to enter your dream?


Citations: 
Inception. Dir. Christopher Jonathan Nolan. 2010. Film. 


Picture URL:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqT8ul5iLr-Zuf4l1bMhGKGRPbt-tvmlRh2tOxtIvCXqkPqK8zgBlWXlBR4YhAJjJ7HS-QPfqXtTQX3CGSSbrCAXcURIzb1NAHrkuS5ioC2SHZn18oici129Ag0HDp5eWrMi1s8yE37g/s1600/inception_wallpaper_12.jpg

CSB#3: A New look at Cholesterol

Statin tablets

Definitions:

HDL: high density lipoprotein (good cholesterol)

LDL: low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol)

Statins: Drugs that lower LDL densities

Summary:

Anacetrapib is a drug that attacks cholesterol differently than most drugs. Instead of decreasing LDL, the "bad cholesterol density" like a statin, it increases the amount of HDL, or "good cholesterol." And not only does it work differently, it is supposed to protect people from heart diseases effectively. The drug was made as an improvement from the drug torcetrapib, which relatively worked the same but actually increased the risk of death. Ancetrapib was found safe in 94 percent of the cases and ended up with much more positive results than its predecessor. The drug raised HDL levels 138 percent for patients. Contrastingly, exercising or changing your food might result only in a 10 percent gain. A combination of the HDL and stain provided these effect with an additional 40 percent lost in LNL. The negative side provided few losses with only 3.3 percent of patients experiencing heart attacks. However, one down side to taking this drug is that it increases the protein CRP, which marks blood inflammation. Fortunately, CRP levels increase very subtly. We will ascertain the effects of HDL after larger studies initiate. A 30,000 international patient trial testing for the drug will start in 2011 and results will come in 2014.

Discussion:
It is intriguing how a drug raises good cholesterol rather than decreasing bad cholesterol. Additionally, this drug is very safe as only a handful of results exist where the drug wasn't successful. If this drug's effectiveness is proved after the upcoming trial, it will impact a tremendous amount of lives and will be able to increase the life expectancy of a human being in areas around the world. One point to adress is that the article states that the drug is much more effective than exercise. This can create a negative impact as people take this drug to avoid exercise and become lazy, avoiding walks or visits to the gym. This drug is so influential that as well as affecting the health of human beings, it can affect daily routine and lifestyle. Arrival of Ancetrapib leaves the future positive for people with heart problems and problems such as affecting the routine are minor and underwhelming in its shadow.

Questions:
For the people that Ancetrapib didn't work for, did the drug worsen their condition or not change it at all?
What condition do people have to be in to take Ancetrapib?

Citations
Katsnelson, Alla. "Good news for 'good' cholesterol." Scientific American 17
     Nov. 2010: n. pag. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/
     article.cfm?id=good-news-for-good-cholesterol>.


Picture URL
http://topnews.ae/images/Statins-tablet.jpg

CSB#2: Irregularities in Data lead to different theories on sources of stellar cosmic rays

Definitions:

Cosmic Rays: A series of stellar high velocity protons that have an immense amount of energy that occur rarely

Correlation of Active nuclei: A process in which scientists are able to trace cosmic rays to their sources by looking at components and direction in which they reached the atmosphere

GRB (Gamma Ray Bursts): stellar explosions that spew high energy nuclei

Summary:

        Stellar Cosmic rays that hit the earth's atmosphere supposedly contain ten million times as much energy as any artificial particle collider on this planet. The Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory South, a large cosmic ray detector, analyzes most of these rays and correlates them to active nuclei. Variants in the data of this detector fired a discrepancy between two theories that determined the sources of these rays. The 1st theory was that the cosmic rays came from close bodies inside the Milky Way Galaxy. However, once the Pierre Auger detector found a pattern of a greater amount of nuclei existing in a greater amount of energy, there came the possibility that the rays were composed not of protons, but of nuclei. 

        The 2nd theory suggested that these nuclei were created by a principal process called Gamma Ray Burst. GBRs are found much further away in the universe and leave correlations that are potentially, untraceable. Theorists are waiting for the next time a multitude of cosmic rays hit earth and by looking more deeply into the composition and repeating the correlation, one can find the theory whose claims are more likely. 

Discussion:

I choose this article because it possesses specific information and shows science in action by delivering two opposing point of views. However, I believe that we shouldn't rely on just this detector for the collection of data. If we have a multitude of these detectors, we can take an accurate average and then subsequently analyze the data. Another problem that may arise in the data is that when objects in space change, so does their composition and radiation. This change can affect our data significantly over time and we will rarely be receiving stable numbers. However, an advantage to this is that if we center on to one galaxy, we can see as time elapses, how radiation changes.

Questions:

Do magnetic fields and the gravity of other bodies in space affect the energy levels of these cosmic rays?

Does the presence of heavy particles in the rays mean that they come from galaxies close by?


Citations:
Article: 
Matson, John. "Which Ray?: Conflicting Data on High-Energy Cosmic Rays Leave
     Their Source--or Sources--Unresolved." Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web.
     15 Oct. 2010. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/
     article.cfm?id=cosmic-ray-uhecr>.
Picture:
http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/cosmicrays/images/image5.gif

CSB #1:Eruption of Iceland volcano fires study on volcanoes effect on global warming

Eyjafjallajokull

Definitions:
PETM: Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maxium - a period of time 55 million years ago when temperatures were unusually warm 
plume: debris spouted from a volcano during explosion


Summary:
On April 14, 2010, the supposedly dormant volcano in Iceland, Eyjafjallajokull, spouted debris miles into the sky. By examining the lava, the Icelandic Meteorological Office discerned that this volcano erupted intensely, with a burst of lava and a cloud of plume. The colossal clouds produced fired questions of the effect of volcanoes on global warming. 
     To explore the effect of volcanoes on the environment, scientists went back to the PETM when dinosaurs went extinct. They examined zircon crystals in cores samples and dated them to the period when the PETM began. Scientists concluded that these crystals were formed by underwater volcano eruptions; these eruptions could react with carbon rich sedimentary and produce methane, a greenhouse gas. Following eruptions around the world will be inevitable, and if they truly contribute to global warming, another period with the conditions of the PETM can commence. 


Discussion: 
This topic stood out to me because it is amazing how a simple topic like volcanoes can effect global warming. This is unique from other causes to global warming because volcanoes are completely natural with no artificial elements or influences. It is inevitable that volcanoes around the world are going to explode and if we want to reduce their impact on the government, we have to find innovative methods around it. One challenge in coping with a volcano is the plume and other particles that it produces. This can malfunction equipment such as probes and prevent planes or other machines from coming near. 


Questions: 
How do ash particles obstruct systems of transportation such as planes?
Do the molecule structures of debris from the volcano resemble in anyway the molecules of greenhouse gases?


Resources:
Article:
"Iceland's Eruption." Science Online. Facts on File, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2010.
     <http://www.fofweb.com/Science/default.asp>

Picture

http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/galleries/images/55841/500x400/icelands-eyjafjallajokull-volcano-lava-fired.jpg