Tag Archives: health

Is e-cigarette really SAFER than traditional cigarette?

Posted on November 11, 2016 by | 3 comments
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 01: In this photo illustration a man smokes on August 1, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. In a plan announced today, the government will increase the excise on tobacco by 12.5 per cent annually over the next four years, raising over AUD$5 billion. The hike is estimated to increase the cost of cigarettes by AUD$5 by 2016, and is the first increase in the tobacco excise since 2010. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Figure 1: An image of smoking taditional cigarettes. Author: Cameron Spencer from Getty Images. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/cigarette-smoking-decline_n_6855468.html

Smoking tobacco is commonly known to pose negative health effects to both smokers, and non-smokers as non-smokers receive second-hand smoke.  Overexposure to tobacco-smoke can cause cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases (1), which increase mortality. Statistically, there is one out of five deaths in the United States caused by smoking cigarettes (1). However, manufacturers claim these statistics do not apply to electronic cigarette or also known as e-cigarette.

e-cig

Figure 2: An image of smoking e-cigarettes. Author: Kenzo Tribouillard. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/13/health-bosses-promote-e-cigarettes-harmful-tobacco-smoking-experts

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices, which heats a chemical mixture inside a  cartridge to produce tiny airborne particles called aerosol vapour (2). Users inhale the aerosol vapour for nicotine-intake, which nicotine is a highly-addictive chemical found in conventional cigarette. However, the difference between traditional cigarette and e-cigarette is the latter does not burn tobacco (3). The reason why e-cigarettes has become a popular alternative to traditional cigarette is because there are different flavors of vapours are produced, such as candy and fruit flavors, that appeal adolescences. Also, manufactures claim e-cigarettes are “safer” than traditional cigarettes because they deliver nicotine without burning tobacco (2). However, is e-cigarette truly a safer alternative? Or do e-cigarettes exposes someone to a toxic level of nicotine-intake?

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Figure 3: The statistic showing the percertage of high-school students using tobacco-containing product from 2011 to 2015. Author: T. Singh et al. Source: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/teen-vaping-soars-past-cigarette-use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tushar Singh, an officer in the department of smoking and health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, reports the use of e-cigarettes by high-school students increased from an estimated 2% in 2011 to 16% in 2015 (4). Comparing to the statistic for regular cigarette use by high school students, it has dropped from an approximate of 15% in 2011 to 10% in 2015 (4). These statistics show an increasing trend in e-cigarettes use, and a decreasing trend in traditional cigarette use. One reason why there is a rising tendency for teenagers to start smoking e-cigarettes is because they perceive vaping as a harmless behavior relative to the use of regular cigarettes. Also, they can easily purchase vaping supplies through online stores without a substantial hindrance (4). Some researchers suggest that some types of e-cigarettes contain a harmful amount of nicotine that is capable of killing an adult (4). Therefore, a prevalence of e-cigarette use in teenagers means there are more teenagers susceptible to nicotine addiction. To eradicate the e-cigarette culture among teenagers, the government should strictly regulate how e-cigarette producers are sold, and how e-cigarettes are advertised.

In my opinion, more research should be done on health effects associated with e-cigarettes. It may be true that e-cigarettes are considered a safer alternative of traditional cigarettes. However, the health risks related to long term usage of e-cigarettes are still unknown. Rules or laws should be strictly enforced to regulate the online stores from selling cigarettes to underage people.

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References:

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco-related mortality. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/dangerous-rise-electronic-cigarettes (accessed on Nov 10th, 2016).
  2. Science News for Students. Science & Society: The dangerous rise of e-cigarettes . https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/dangerous-rise-electronic-cigarettes (accessed on Nov 10th, 2016).
  3. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Facts: Electronic Cigarettes. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigarettes (accessed on Nov 10th, 2016).
  4. Science News for Students. Behaviour, Science and Society: Teen vaping soars past cigarette use. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/teen-vaping-soars-past-cigarette-use (accessed on Nov 10th, 2016).

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Daylight Saving Time and Heart Attacks!

Posted on November 7, 2016 by | 2 comments

Monday, November 7, 2016. The standard time has returned and we gained an hour of our time back. It is nice to sleep in and have one more hour of sleep, but have you wondered why we do this?  George Hudson first proposed Daylight Saving Time (DST) a century ago and countries adapted this system to save energy (1). Now you must be wondering: how does changing the time on a clock save energy?

for-blog

Figure 1: The clock is moved forward an hour (left) in March.  It is called the Daylight Saving Time (DST).  When the time is moved back an hour (right) in November, it is called the Standard Time.  Photos and edits by Daniel FR, Plenz (Original by Daniel FR, SVG by Plenz) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Let’s say the sun is shining from 8 AM to 6 PM.  By moving the clock forward, now the the sunlight hours become 9 AM to 7 PM.  Now sunlight lasts until 7 PM (which is later than 6 PM), creating an illusion of longer sunlight hours even though the total hours of sunlight have not changed.  Countries adapted DST thinking if it was bright outside until late night, it would encourage people to go outside and enjoy the sun instead of using electricity in their homes.  Also, if the sun was up until late night, people wouldn’t bother turning on the lights because it was already bright, further reducing the energy consumption.  However, does DST really save energy?

 

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It turns out that this question is very hard to answer.  Many scientists disagree with each other: some say it does and some say it does not.  However, the consensus is that the effects of DST on electricity usage is minimal (0.5-2%) (2).  Scientists also concluded that DST also does not encourage physical activities (3) in any way.  Clearly, DST is not serving its purpose; however, there is something that scientists suspect that DST may be responsible for.

According to a study conducted in 2014, the day following the DST in the spring (the clock is moved forward and we lose an hour of our time), the number of heart attacks increased by 24% (4).  Vice versa, when the clock was moved backward and we gained an hour of our time, the number of heart attacks decreased by 21% (4).  The hours of sleep and sleep quality are deeply correlated with heart attacks (5) and scientists suspect suddenly losing an hour of our sleep in the spring caused this increase.  On the other hand, gaining an hour of sleep is thought to be decrease the number of heart attacks after DST in fall.  Many other studies came to the same conclusion (6, 7) that DST may be influencing the number of heart attacks.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) seems like another ridiculous tradition that just does not work any more for our modern society.  Its ability to decrease energy consumption is questionable and it may put people at higher risks of heart attacks.  Plus, no one needs more confusion calculating the time difference between time zones.  Although I love gaining one hour of sleep in the fall, it’s clear it is time to ditch DST.

-Jay Park

REFERENCE

1. CGP Grey,. Daylight Saving Time Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84aWtseb2-4&t=191s (accessed Nov 7, 2016).

2. Aries, M.Newsham, G. Effect of daylight saving time on lighting energy use: A literature review http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507002273 (accessed Nov 7, 2016).

3. Zick, C. Does Daylight Savings Time Encourage Physical Activity?: Journal of Physical Activity and Health: Vol 11, No 5 http://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/jpah.2012-0300 (accessed Nov 7, 2016).

4. Sandhu, A.; Seth, M.; Gurm, H. Daylight savings time and myocardial infarction (accessed Nov 7, 2016).

5. Andrechuk, C. Ceolim, M. Sleep quality and adverse outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction J Clin Nurs 2015, 25, 223-230.

6. Kirchberger, I.; Wolf, K.; Heier, M.; Kuch, B.; von Scheidt, W.; Peters, A.; Meisinger, C. BMC Public Health 2015, 15.

(7) Toro, W.; Tigre, R.; Sampaio, B. Daylight Saving Time and incidence of myocardial infarction: Evidence from a regression discontinuity design. Economics Letters 2015, 136, 1-4.

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Alzheimer’s disease: An Irreversible Brain Degeneration

Posted on November 6, 2016 by | 3 comments

Alzheimer’s disease was first discovered back in 1906 by Dr. Alois Alzheimer. It is a degenerative brain disease which is predicted to effect up to 5 million people in the US alone. This disease effect an individual’s cognitive ability, emotion, behavior, physical abilities, and could ultimately lead to death. The following video provides a summary of the Alzheimer’s disease:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wv9jrk-gXc

Even though this disease was discovered for over a century ago, scientists around the world are still unable to fully understand or discover any cure for the disease. However, they found traces of two forms of proteins known as ‘Plaques’ and ‘Tau’ protein which is believed to be associated with Alzheimer disease.

Normal brain and a brain with Alzheimer's disease

Healthy brain Vs. Brain with Alzheimer’s disease – Plaque and Tangle proteins. <http://neurowiki2012.wikispaces.com/Down+Syndrome>. Photo credit: Jefferson Hospital.

Plaque protein are created from smaller proteins that sticks together and form a clump shape, this protein may block the connection between nervous cells and interfere with the communication network in our brain. In some cases, our body detects that the cell cannot function normally and hence our body started to destroy our own cells. Another protein associated with Alzheimer disease are called ‘tau’ protein, a protein that involved in the process of transporting nutrients to nervous cells. In Alzheimer patients these proteins collapse and form another form of non-functioning protein known as ‘Tangles’ protein. This results in the lack of nutrients being transported to the cell leading to cell death. Both of these abnormal form of proteins interferes with the nervous system in the brain and causes several of symptoms associated to Alzheimer.

“You lose your memory. Step by step, you turn into a person you don’t know anymore. And the one you knew disappears.”- Richard Taylor, Former psychology professor, Alzheimer patient.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. <http://www.doc-advice.com/alzheimers-disease/>.

Due to the facts that this disease targets the nervous system especially in the brain the symptoms may involve the loss of memories, abnormal behavior and changes in personality. The disease will slowly move from one region of the brain to another, along the way it kills nerve cells and started to alter the brain function. It can be seen that as the disease migrate throughout the brain, different symptoms will start to emerge, from unable to form normal speech to emotional control, hallucination, memories lost, the inability to perform everyday tasks and ultimately destroying the regulatory region of the brain leading to death.

“Most people are aware of the problem— I hope — but I don’t think people get just how serious Alzheimer’s is until it happens to somebody they love, and that’s happening more and more.” – Dr. Christopher Ochner, Ph.D. clinical psychology, Columbia University.

Personally, I think Alzheimer’s disease is extremely dangerous and a worldwide threat. It’s a disease that does not only affect one individual but the whole family. More scientific funding is required for research in this field. To prevent the death toll from rising due to Alzheimer, it is crucial for the cause and a cure for this disease to be found.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Instant Noodles

Posted on October 24, 2016 by | 2 comments

Nowadays, the working pressure of many people has been increased sharply in modern times. In order to save time, it has been a common habit to eat instant noodles in our daily life. Therefore, instant noodles are a kind of essential food. However, instant noodles have always been regarded as junk food without any nutrition. In fact, many people are not sure at all about whether instant noodles have nutrition or not.
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The content of oil contained in instant noodles takes up about 16% to 20% with less than 10% of protein, but the rest is starch. All the content of vitamin B and minerals comes from flour. However, the content of vitamin B and minerals contained in processed instant noodles is less than that contained in flour. That is to say that the nutrients contained in instant noodles are much less than those contained in ordinary cooked wheaten foods like steamed bread or baked pancakes. However, the content of oil in instant noodles is much higher.(1)
Last year, The Washington Post had reported of a South Korean study conducted on the effects of instant noodles on human health. According the study, “Although instant noodles is a convenient and delicious food, there could be an increased risk for metabolic syndrome given [the food’s] high sodium, unhealthy saturated fat and glycemic loads,” said Hyun Shin, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health and a co-author of the study. “Women who ate instant noodles twice a week or more had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome than those who ate less, or not at all, regardless of whether their diet style fell into the traditional or fast-food category, ” as published in The Washington Post.
The study concluded that excessive instant noodle consumption can not only trigger obesity but also metabolic ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, heart problems and so on.
In the other hand, the instant noodles are convenient enough to save more time, and it is easy to bring outside especially when you are travelling or camping. It is the best choice to fill your energy since it Is easy to cook.
In conclusion, if you have enough time, cooking the original food is the best; otherwise, you can choose the instant noodles even it is much better than the junk food with the high energy.

Reference:
1. Marlene Leung, Ramen risks: Why instant noodles are bad for your health, http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/ramen-risks-why-instant-noodles-are-bad-for-your-health-1.1965970. Published Tuesday, August 19, 2014 10:40AM EDT

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The Anti-microbial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles on Titanium Implants

Posted on October 17, 2016 by | 1 comment

Titanium is commonly used to make implants (3). However, the implant’s surface poses as a health issue when bacteria can adhere and prevent the skin tissues from healing properly with the implant following surgery (3).

A recent publication in Nature’s Scientific Reports by Wang and colleagues showed supportive evidence that titanium surface combined with silver (Ag) nanoparticles and silver ions (Ag+) release are able to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which is a spherical non-motile type of bacteria that is commonly found in skin and mucous membranes (2), and other strains of Staphylococcus, such as S. epidermis, that are motile (3).  

1 pixel = 0.038 uM 100X objective 15X eyepiece Numbered tick = 11 uM Field of view is 85.12 uM in diameter

Figure 1. Staphylococcus Under Magnification (Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Common; Author: Bob Blaylock; Source: Picture Uploaded by Original Photographer)

 Wang and colleagues varied the amount of Ag nanoparticles (Ag-0, Ag-0.01, Ag-0.1) on titanium plates and exposed bacteria to the surfaces (3). In doing so, they found that higher amounts of Ag nanoparticles had higher antimicrobial properties for motile and non-motile bacteria compared to lower amounts of Ag nanoparticles or titanium plates alone (3).  Moreover, Wang and researchers analyzed how Ag nanoparticles affected the biofilms of non-motile bacteria. By definition, biofilms are a bacterial population that is held together by extracellular matrix, which are molecules secreted by individual bacteria cells (1).

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Figure 2. Scanning electromicrograph of Staphylococcus aureus. (Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Common; Author: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Source: Picture Uploaded on Flickr)

Wang and colleagues observed that bacterial populations grew under Ag-0 and titanium plate alone. While, there was a significantly smaller bacterial population under Ag-0.01 and no biofilm was formed under Ag-0.1. Wang and colleagues also applied both bacterial and mammalian cells to a titanium plate with varying concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (3). They observed that over time, Ag-0.01 had developed a comparatively large population of mammalian cells attached to the plate.  While Ag-0.1 had little growth of mammalian cell population, and both Ag-0 and titanium plate alone showed no living mammalian cells (3).

Biofilms of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, are one of the main reasons why people have infections following an implant. Due to supportive evidence of antimicrobial properties and mammalian cell growth in Ag nanoparticles, further studies should be conducted on the appropriate concentrations of Ag nanoparticles to be integrated into the surface of titanium implants in hopes that future patients will have successful implants.

–Gloria Kwong

References:

  1. López, D.; Vlamakis, H.; Kolter, R. Biofilms. Cold Spring Perspectives in Biology 2010, 2 (7). http://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a000398 (Accessed October 17th, 2016).
  2. Martin, E. Staphylococcus; 2015. http://www.oxfordreference.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780199687817.001.0001/acref-9780199687817-e-9542 (Accessed October 17th, 2016).
  3. Wang, J.; Li, J.; Guo, G.; Wang, Q.; Tang, J.; Zhao, Y.; Qin, H.; Wahafu, T.; Shen, H.; Liu, X.; Zhang, X. Silver-nanoparticles-modified biomaterial surface resistant to staphylococcus: new insight into the antimicrobial action of silver. 2016, 6, 32699.

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Video

Primates help advance HIV treatment

Rhesus macaque on which treatment testing was performed. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161013141053.htm

Rhesus macaque on which treatment testing was performed.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161013141053.htm

An international research team based out of the German Primate Center has developed an effective treatment regime against the HIV-like Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) in rhesus macaques.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)  affects more than 36 million people worldwide, it is a sexually transmitted disease which infects vital immune response cells, called helper T cells. By invading these cells, the virus forces the body to kill the helper T cells, thus weakening the host immune system. This environment is ideal for life-threatening infections and cancers to thrive in. Once the number of helper T cells in the blood is below a certain threshold, the patient is diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. At this point the body is no longer able to sustain immunity and the patient succumbs to his infections or cancer. The most common cause of death among patients with AIDS is tuberculosis.

T helper cell count as compared to HIV and AIDS progression. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

T helper cell count as compared to HIV and AIDS progression.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

 

There is not yet a cure for HIV and AIDS, but a combination of medications are used to fight the HIV infection. Patients are prescribed a regime of six drug classes which prevents the virus from multiplying in the patient’s body, allowing the immune system to recover and protect the patient from infections and cancers. This antiretroviral therapy (ART) controls the virus so that patients can live longer and healthier lives and reduces the risk of transmitting HIV to others.

HIV was originally transmitted as SIV when humans made contact with the blood of chimpanzees while hunting for bushmeat in Africa. In their natural hosts, chimpanzees, SIV is harmless even at high circulating levels, but if a rhesus macaque becomes infected, it will develop SIV, which has nearly identical characteristics as HIV.

In their study, the research team treated SIV-infected rhesus macaques with an antiretroviral drug regime similar to one a human patient would be prescribed if diagnosed with HIV. The macaques were also injected with Vedolizumab, a therapeutic drug used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases in humans such as Crohn’s disease, where the T helper cells also play a vital role.

After finishing the therapy, the macaques had almost no SI virus in their blood and near normal T helper cell levels. Scientists worldwide are testing to see whether a combination of antiretroviral therapy with Vedolizumab would have the same effect in humans infected with HIV.

By pushing the boundaries of effective HIV treatments, some of the adverse effects accompanied by administering continuous antiretroviral drugs such as chronic inflammation and accelerated aging can be reduced or eliminated.

Scarlett Liaifer

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Posted on October 16, 2016 by in chemistry in the news, frontiers of chemistry

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Mad Cow Disease: An Inevitable Death

Posted on October 15, 2016 by | 2 comments

A disease that has no cure and leads to an inevitable death. ‘Mad Cow Disease’ was first discovered in United Kingdom back in 1986, and for nearly 15 years the outbreak has infected up to 180,000 cattle and damaged many farm communities in the area.

Mad Cow Disease is also known as ‘Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)’, which the name itself suggests a spongy form of the cow’s brain. BSE is a slow progressing disease which targets the central nervous system of the cow causing it to act abnormally and eventually lead to its death. For unknown reasons a protein, known as ‘prion’, located in the brain of a cow, starts to change its conformation. This creates a signal which changes the conformation of other prions like a chain reaction and leads to the slow degradation of the brain. The following video provides a summary of the mad cow disease:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP-ShyyHiIc
“Mad Cow Disease is an infectious disease of cattle transmitted but by virus or bacteria, but by an abnormal form of type of protein called a prion”- Dr. Linda L. Walsh, Dept. of Psychology, University of Iowa

Transmission of this disease to human will lead to certain death, although the time length for each cases can vary from about 6 months to many years. The form of mad cow disease infected in human is known as ‘variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease’ or vCJD.

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Structure of normal and abnormal prion protein, and its effect on human brain. http://www.viviennebalonwu.com/2015/07/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease-cjd.html.

This disease causes a slow degradation of the brain, creating small holes, and destroying the nervous system. As such, the symptom of this disease may consist of memory lost, lack of coordination, personality change, psychiatric issues, movements, speak and death. The transmission of this disease occurs from the direct consumption of meat infected with the abnormal prions, and possibly from blood transfusion.

“Another risk is the spread of vCJD through blood transfusions – and it is still not known exactly how many people are carriers of the disease.”  – Professor Graham Medley, University of Warwick

Although, many countries started to separate the brain, and other parts of nervous system, from the main food supply after the outbreak in the late 1990. It is possible that there are infected people who are unaware of it. Thus it increases the risk of transmitting this disease to others via blood transfusion.

“We are pretty sure that there are people out there who are infected but don’t have the disease”– Professor Graham Medley, University of Warwick

Personally, I feel that there is a higher demand for research regarding prions and a cure for mad cow disease. The cause for this disease is still unknown and because of this, it is extremely difficult to prevent an outbreak from happening or to protect people against it.

 

Poramat Sucharit

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The Truth Behind Silver and Titanium Oxide Nanoparticles

Posted on September 26, 2016 by | 1 comment

Commercial products, such as cosmetics and paints (4), contain titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles; antimicrobial agents, fabrics, and food preservatives (5) contain silver (Ag) nanoparticles.  Nanoparticles, synthetically made molecules that range in size from 1 nm to 100 nm (5), are found in every day household items.

clustered_titanium_oxide_nanoparticles_on_stainless_steel_-_3

Titanium Oxide Nanoparticle on Stainless Steel (Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Common; Author: Iuliia Karlagina; Source: Picture Uploaded by Original Photographer)

A recent publication in the Journal of Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology by researchers at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan revealed the potential risks that nanoparticles of TiO2 and Ag as well as Ag+ ions pose to the blood-brain barrier of animal cells (2). Chen and fellow colleagues (2) simulated the conditions of the blood-brain barrier in vitro. As illustrated in the figure below, the blood brain barrier is a highly selective membrane that only allows specific molecules, such as glucose and insulin, and ions to pass between the blood and the brain (1).

blood-brain-barrier

Blood-Brain Barrier (Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Authors: Helen Stolp, Shane Liddelow, Ines Sa-Pereira, Katarzyna Dziegielewska, Norman Saunders; Source: Journal Article)

The study (2) concluded that silver nanoparticles not only affect the selectivity of the blood-brain barrier, but it can lead to a higher likelihood of genetic mutations and even cell death. Due to the small size of silver nanoparticles (8.4 nm) and TiO2 nanoparticles (6 nm) (2), they were able to bypass the selective membrane and enter into the central nervous system.  Furthermore, the silver ions and titanium oxide nanoparticles can alter the permeability of the blood-brain barrier by cell-to-cell interactions, known as cytokine secretions (2). This effect is further intensified in the presence of lipopolysaccharide, which is a type of molecular marker found on the surface of gram-negative bacteria (6). Their findings suggest that when we are pre-exposed to TiO2 and/or Ag nanoparticles while fighting a bacterial infection, our bodies will elicit an immune response that can be detrimental to our brain-blood barrier (2).

This study provides a stepping stone for future studies to be performed in determining the potential health risks associated with other types of inorganic or synthetic nanoparticles, commonly found in commercial products. Personally, for the safety and well-being of people, re-establishment of national and global guidelines on the commercial use of nanoparticles is necessary.

–Gloria Kwong

References

  1. Abbott, N. J., Patabendige, A. A. K., Dolman, D. E. M., Yusof, S. R., & Begley, D. J. (2010). Structure and function of the blood–brain barrier. Neurobiology of Disease, 37(1), 13-25.
  2. Chen, I.-C.; Hsiao, I.-L.; Lin, H.-C.; Wu, C.-H.; Chuang, C.-Y.; Huang, Y.-J. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 2016, 47, 108–118.
  3. Clett Erridge, Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, Ian R. Poxton, Structure and function of lipopolysaccharides, Microbes and Infection, Volume 4, Issue 8, July 2002, Pages 837-851, ISSN 1286-4579.
  4. Gupta, S.; Tripathi, M. Open Chemistry 2012, 10 (2).
  5. Rai, M.; Yadav, A.; Gade, A. Biotechnology Advances 2009, 27 (1), 76–83.
  6. Stow, J. L.; Low, P. C.; Offenhäuser, C.; Sangermani, D. Immunobiology 2009, 214 (7), 601–612.

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Bacteriophages: A Possible Alternative to Antibiotics?

Posted on September 26, 2016 by | Leave a comment

What would happen if we ran out of antibiotics to use against bacteria? Antibiotic resistance is known to be one of the major concerns among doctors and scientists around the world since, it’s our primary defense against bacterial infections. Without these antibiotics, it’d be virtually impossible to treat many types of diseases or even perform surgeries.

The quality of healthcare has significantly improved over the centuries as more people have access to treatment, medicine, and antibiotics. However, it has also increased the risk of wrong applications of drugs, allowing the bacteria to develop defense mechanisms to different types of antibiotics. In fact, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of scientific reports about different drugs resistance cases.

Antibiotic resistance occurs through process known as ‘Natural Selection’, where the bacteria has evolved and is no longer affected by the antibiotics. A stand-out candidate as an alternative for antibiotics is known as bacteriophages.

‘Alternative treatments are urgently required and we are investigating one such treatment – the use of bacteriophage.’

  • Robert Atterbury, Phage Biotechnology, University of Nottingham.                             
Resistance bacteria survived the treatment of antibiotics, thus able to reproduce and increase in numbers.

Resistance bacteria survived the treatment of antibiotics, thus able to reproduce and increase in numbers. <http://www.reactgroup.org/toolbox/mutation-and-selection/>. Photo credit: Uppsala University

‘Bacteriophage, or phage is a virus that infects bacteria, so these don’t infect human cells- they are specialised and only infect bacteria’

  • Brent Gilpin, Science Leader, Environmental Science Group, New Zealand.
Bacteriophage attached itself to the bacteria before releasing its DNA inside.

Bacteriophage attached itself to the bacteria before releasing its DNA inside. <http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151202/Bacteriophage-therapy-an-alternative-to-antibiotics-An-interview-Professor-Clokie.aspx>. Photo credit: News-Medical.net team

Bacteriophage or phage infects the bacterial cell by first recognizing the bacteria and then attaching itself to the bacteria’s surface (cell wall). After the phage has penetrated the cell wall, entering the bacteria, and it releases its DNA inside. This DNA merges itself with the bacterial DNA causing the bacteria to produce proteins for the phage. Other chain reactions occur which causes the bacteria cell to produce more phages and eventually bust out, causing the bacteria to die. – This process is shown in the following video:

‘Bacteriophage Life Cycle’

This method is currently being adopted by many industries including food protection against food-borne disease, and medical treatment for both animal and humans. Furthermore, there are many advantages in using phage therapy; for example the phages are target specific, thus only attacking bacteria with a certain structure. With the right phage, it’s harmless to humans and since, phage is found naturally throughout the environment, there are several types of phages that can be studied and used. In addition to this, phage can be genetically modified to reduce their side effects, harmful abilities, or any unnecessary features. With this, it’s possible that phages can be used as an efficient and effective treatment against bacteria.

I strongly believe that bacteriophage is a potential alternative for antibiotics due to its ability to target specific bacteria, its harmless nature to humans, and its ability to be genetically engineered. Moreover, it can also be used in many industries as a safety precaution, in medical treatments, or even scientific research.

 

Poramat Sucharit

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Techniques Preventing Cancer Metastasis in Development

Posted on September 25, 2016 by | Leave a comment

When I was 8 years old, my friend’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Several years later her aunt was also diagnosed with breast cancer. For my friend, developing cancer is not imminent, however the thought of developing cancer is a terrifying idea for her. There is no doubt that almost everyone knows someone in their life who has been diagnosed by cancer, whether it be a family member, a friend, or an acquaintance. In my opinion, to fight against cancer the only way is to entrust the development of cures to the scientific community.

Cancer is menacing disease caused via changes to genes that control the way cells function. In the 21st century cancer has been the most renowned disease. The mortality rate of this disease is no laughing matter as an estimated 1,685,210 patients will be diagnosed with cancer and of those, 595,690 will die during 2016 in the United States alone. While many researchers are feverishly looking for cancer cures that kills cancer, others have been investigating methods to halt cancer from spreading throughout a patient’s body. MIT’s Natalie Artzi, a research scientist at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), and Tel-Aviv University’s Noam Shomrom have developed a new technique that may help prevent cancer metastasis.

Cancer Metastasis

Cancer Metastasis, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Metastasis is the spread of malignant cells from one organ or part of the body to another. Artzi and Shomrom’s new gene therapy technique involves applying microRNAs to cancer tumours. MicroRNAs are cellular RNA fragments that prevents the production of a particular protein. In their research Artzi and Shomrom identified that the protein Palladin plays a key role in the metastasis of breast cancer cells. Their experiments led to the discovery that miR-96 and miR-182, types of microRNAs, decreased the expression of Palladin, thus hampering the cancer cells capabilities to spread.

microRNA

microRNA, courtesy of Andres Zapata https://vimeo.com/52646065

 

With this new gene therapy technique in development, many types of cancers can be halted so long as the correct microRNAs are applied to the cancer sites. I  feel that this research is an immense step towards defeating cancer. Artzi and Shomon’s technique coupled with already known cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy,  can effectively halt the metastasis of early-stage cancer tumours. Thus, potentially saving thousands of patients in the United states, and millions around the world. Nonetheless, cancer would likely never be extinct until a definitive cure is found. However as members of the scientific community, we must do our best in following Artzi and Shomon’s footsetps by developing new techniques and treatments in hopes of saving the lives of people we know.

– Nelson Yu

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