Category Archives: Biological Sciences

Global Warming: Good News or Bad for Allergy Patients?

Posted on March 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Photo by David Sky

Spring is the season symbolizing life and rebirth. This is a time when the flowers bloom, the birds start to sing, and when we can finally save some money by turning off the furnace. However, for many people, this is also the time of year when their troubles begin.

Photo by aspidoscelis

Springtime is when the majority of allergy patients experience symptoms such as coughing, itchy-eyes, runny-noses, and more. These symptoms are a response to our immune system fighting off allergens. Our immune system recognizes foreign objects, called antigens, in the body and react to them by producing specific antibodies, or immunoglobulin. These antibodies will attach to antigens to help destroy them. However, sometimes we develop antibodies that attach to harmless antigens, such as cat dander or pollen, and we become sensitized to these allergens and develop allergic reactions.

According to the Environment Canada weather data, the temperature in British Columbia has been on the rise. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change reported that the temperature has increased by more than 0.13 degrees Celsius per decade, from 1956 to 2005. With an increase in temperature, this means that winter ends sooner, while spring starts earlier. The earlier spring allows plants to pollinate earlier than usual. Furthermore, the hotter temperatures will cause plants to release more pollen in a shorter period of time, creating an intense season where the air is saturated with pollen.

On the other hand, the pollen is released in a shorter period of time, which means a shorter time of suffering for allergy patients. Also, some allergy patients may be affected less in the warmer weather. A warmer winter means less mold in the spring, and this would be better for patients with affected by mold allergens.

Overall, I believe that it is better to have less intense allergic reactions over a longer period of time, than having severe reactions over a shorter season. To all the allergy patients out there, which would you prefer? Maybe you will make your decision while you enjoy The Allergy Song, from TheWigglesPtyLtd:

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References:

Wikipedia

Warm Winter Could Create Allergy Woes

Warmer Weather in B.C. Threatens Waterfront, Forests

What Causes Allergies

 

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A Radical Change in Perspective

Posted on March 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

I apologize in advance for the pun but I feel that this accurately describes the situation (at least for me). As always, this news comes from our good friends at MIT. Dr. JoAnne Stubbe, professor of chemistry and biology wish to remove the “bad rep” associated with free radicals. Before getting into her explanation, free radicals are molecules or atoms that are unstable due to an unpaired electron or unfilled valence shell (the outermost electron shell of an atom). These factors give free radicals the property of being unstable and are able to react readily with several molecules with little predictability. This reactivity means that radicals can cause unwanted reactions such as with DNA and have been suspected by scientists to be a factor in aging for humans and other living beings.

Dr. JoAnne Stubbe presents the 40th Annual James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award Lecture. Photo: Dominick Reuter

With this bad publicity on free radicals in the human body, many companies and scientists have promoted in the consumption of antioxidants to react with the free radicals instead of important molecules such as DNA. In our SCIE300 blog, there are also several posts regarding the consumption of a lot of free radicals to improve health.

However, Dr. Stubbe suggests that free radicals are a misunderstood bunch in the eyes of society. She gives the analogy of free radicals to protestors against the Vietnam War. According to her, the protesters to society, the “radicals,” are “highly reactive […] and wreaked havoc on everything they interacted with.” But to her, the “radicals” were merely acting in reaction to their hostile environment, like the riot police with “guns raised, masks on.” To her, the free radicals react with DNA because DNA happen to be in their way and not letting them contribute to good pathways present in many enzymes.

“This is textbook material” – Mary Fuller, Associate Chair, MIT

There is a good reason for this view: Dr. Stubbe’s research on the enzyme Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). RNR is an enzyme that converts nucleotides into deoxynucleotides which are incorporated into DNA which means the RNR is essential to all living beings. But what does RNR has to do with free radicals? It turns out that according to Dr. Stubbe, the RNR’s require free radicals for the conversion of nucleotides to work with “exquisite specificity.” The reactivity of radicals is used to form chain reactions into an enzymatic mechanism that ultimately form the deoxynucleotides. With this new information, several possibilities are opened up such as cancer treatment since we can possibly stop RNR to stop uncontrolled DNA and cell replication.

With this new information on free radicals, let’s hope to see more articles on radicals that shine them on a more positive light since according to Dr. Stubbe, “Your life is in their hands.”

Source:
–Freeing radicals from their negative connotations.

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Berries vs. the Brain

Posted on March 13, 2012 by | 3 comments

Why do many of us wait for the summer desperately?

Strawberries slow down the progression of age-related diseases! Photo by: Bahman Farzad

There might be different reasons as to why people look forward to summer such as: taking a stroll in park, going to the beach, and enjoying the sun. Although, it’s a long wait for summer here in Canada, we would all agree that the biggest payoff for the long haul is the fresh berries that we devour during the summer.

However, most of us might not be aware of the new research which shows that eating berries can be beneficial to the brain. It can slow or prevent the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Scientists in a new article in the, ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, report that eating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other types of berries has many beneficial effects on the brain and it may help prevent the on-set of age-related diseases. To further analyze the effect of berries on the brain Dr. Shukitt-Hale and Marshall G. looked at cellular animal and human studies. First of all, this review explained that berries benefit people because they produce high levels of antioxidants, which are compounds that help the cell fight off free radicals that cause damage to the cell. Second of all, berry fruits cause a change in the communication between neurons. Furthermore, these communication changes halt the inflammation of the brain which prevents neuronal damage and prevention of neuronal damage improves motor control and cognition.

Although, mechanisms which explain the behavioural deficits during aging are not known, it is understood that oxidative stress and inflammation are seen as the contributing factors of neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases because the brain is vulnerable to the deleterious effects of free radicals, so antioxidants need to be taken to reduce the effects of oxidative stress on the brain.

“The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenolics found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that may protect against age-associated decline,” said Poulose, who is with the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston.

Recent research shows that rats that were fed a two percent diet high in strawberries and blueberry for two months showed less age-related deficits in the nerve function, learning and remembering.

Raspberries! Photo by: Alex

Moreover, Poulose determined that nerve function reduces with age because of microglia, cells that remove and recycle any biochemical debris that would interfere with the brain’s function. During aging microglia do not do their job properly leading to the build up of debris. Poulose explains that berries contain polyphenolics which restore the normal housekeeping function of microglia which slows down or prevents the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

After knowing the benefits of berries we can all look forward to summer for the same reason!!

(Video created by: chappellwellness)

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Decisons Under Stress: Reward or Risk?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by | 4 comments

Cracking under pressure by topgold

Facing the many crossroads life presents to us, we are often forced to make decisions with limited time. While having prolonged experience with the word stress, many of us are not aware of the outcomes of making a decision under stress–this is called cracking under pressure. (Lame joke, did you laugh?)

A recent review article reports that under acute stress, our brain outweighs the positive over the negative–due to stress-induced changes in dopamine levels in the reward-processing brain regions–ignoring the consequences of an impulsive decision. This means that given limited time, we tend to go for decisions that result in immediate pleasure, rather than stopping and considering the possible downsides of that decision. While both males and females focus on the reward and less on the negative outcomes, it has also been found that males tend to take more risks than females under stress.

Researchers studied the response of individuals playing a computer game where they had to inflate balloons on screen. Although bigger balloons earned more points, each additional pump of air also meant an increase in the risk of popping the balloon. The males who have been previously stressed by putting their hands in an ice bath, tend to go for the extra pump in this game. The women previously stressed in the same way, however, responded in an opposite manner and went the safer route.

Dr. Mather, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California and the lead author of this review, says,

“What we found is that under stress, males are more likely to make risky choices and their decision strategies change so that they make their choices faster…whereas females under stress become more conservative and actually make their choices slower in this risky decision-making context.”

Decision under time constraint by Jeffrey Coolidge from Getty Images

So apparently, men tend to do better under stressful situations where you risk a lot but earn a lot, while women tend to do better when caution is warranted. This is again demonstrated through the financial market where several studies found that women investors actually outperform men. Aligning with this notion is also why we see less women prone to addiction than men–women tend to slow down and avoid the jeopardy that will lead to addiction.

Do you think this study was accurate? Personally, I tend to make more impulsive decisions under time constraint, such as buying something on sale and regretting it afterwards.

As students, I think it’s safe to say that we’re constantly under some degree of stress. So for all of you stressed-out souls, here is something funny I found while doing research for this topic. Want stress relief that will work 24/7? Now you can be permanently stress-free with Panic Away! (I hope you realize I’m kidding.)

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Read the full article from Time Healthland, here.
Read the review article by Dr. Mather as tagged above in PDF, here.
Read the article comparing women and men investors, here.

 

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Ocean acidification and its consequences

Posted on March 11, 2012 by | 2 comments

Will our grandchildren be able to see these corals? Picture by Sam and Ian on Flickr

Many of us know that carbon dioxide, CO2, is a greenhouse gas. As a greenhouse gas, it acts like a blanket over the Earth and prevents some of the heat from leaving our planet out into space. Thankfully, we have big oceans on Earth which serve as a sink of carbon dioxide. However, the amount of carbon dioxide we have been adding into the atmosphere via burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution is too much for the oceans to handle. The result is acidification: a decrease in the pH of the oceans.

Some may argue that acidification of the oceans is natural, and that the Earth has already seen many cases of ocean acidification in the past. This, in fact, is true. The problem is, however, the relatively unusual rate of acidification that is occuring today. According to a new research review by paleooceanographers at University of Columbia, the rate of ocean acidification today may be faster than any time in the past 300 million years.

For those that may be wondering, ocean acidification works like a chain of reactions that starts with the increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. These carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere are dissolved into the surface oceans where they eventually mixe with deep ocean waters. The carbon molecules that are dissolved into the oceans form carbonic acid which lower the pH of the oceans.

So, what are the consequences of ocean acidification? The increased acidity of oceans not only kills coral reefs, but also affects the calcium or magnesium carbonate shells of microorganisms. Since microorganisms are at the base of the food chain in marine ecosystems, the loss of microorganisms may lead to the extinction of numerous marine species.

The future of marine life depends on us. Picture by jeffk42 on Flickr

This new review compared ocean acidification today with what happened during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum which occurred 55 million years ago. Back then, an input of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from an unknown source over thousands of years resulted in some extinctions of marine life and produced great changes to the environment. What is interesting is that the extinctions of organisms and the change of environment allowed the proliferation of new species on land, including our very own ancestors, primates. However, we need to note the difference between this event and what is occurring now: ocean acidification 55 million years ago occurred at a rate approximately ten times slower than the rate today.

It is very likely that ocean acidification rates today is much greater than anything we have seen in the past 300 million years. Since we are aware of the consequences of ocean acidification, it may be of our interest, as the species responsible for this unnatural event, to reduce our CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

The following video briefly explains ocean acidification and its consequences.

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News

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Two New Blood Types Found?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | 2 comments
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Blood bath salts in Japan. Photograph: kenleewrites

Humans have various blood types, which have various classes. There are 30 known major blood group systems which help classify a person’s blood type, and each one is defined by the presence or absence of a certain glycoprotein, glycolipid, protein, carbohydrate, or other such molecules in the blood.  All around the world, two of the most common blood group systems are ABO and Rhesus systems.

However, in February 2012, Ballif and his colleagues identified two more proteins on the red blood cells which are responsible for two more blood types.  Although their existence was known many years ago, the genetic basis hadn’t been known until now.  An international effort between Vermont, Paris and Hokkaido resulted in the identification of the two proteins: the protein ABCB6, which corresponds with the blood type Langereis, and the protein ABCG2, which corresponds with the blood type Junior.

Ballif says, “it’s pretty remarkable to have two [blood types] identified this year,” as the last one was discovered almost a decade ago.

Blood on finger. Photograph: Ollie Crafoord (flickr.com)

Very few people know if they are Langereis or Junior positive or negative, and even when it is known, obtaining blood of the same type is extremely difficult as there was a lack of reliable reagents to screen the blood.  With this discovery, there would be lesser complications and rejections in blood and organ transfusions, as it would be easier to identify which specific blood type a person needs and respond accordingly.  It has also been found that these proteins may be connected to treatment with anticancer drugs, which will help create more efficient treatments for certain types of cancer.

References:
1. Forbes
2. Nature Genetics – ABCB6
3. Nature Genetics – ABCG2
4. Science Daily
5. Wikipedia

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Who Needs Grit?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | 2 comments

A bag of grit (photo by Des Colhoun)

Many people take nutritional supplements every morning to support their health. So what about giving dietary supplements to our pets? Should we add joint supplements in the dog’s chow, vitamins to the cat’s water, or a dish of grit in the bird’s cage?

There are over 10 000 species of birds in the world. With so many different species, it is not surprising that there is a wide variation in diet. Their diet ranges from insects, seeds, fruits, nectar, and even to other birds.Birds in the wild eat a significant amount of food to fuel their caloric needs. Some of these diets are harder to digest than others, so you can imagine that these birds would need some mechanism to help grind up their food for faster digestion and absorption.

Green parrot (photo by Yihzy)

Some birds have strong beaks to crack the hard shells of insects, others use their sharp talons tear apart flesh. However, some species of birds ingest ground up minerals and sand to aid digestion. Birds in the wild consume items that are hard to digest, like seeds with hard shells. Birds grind up the seeds in their gizzards, which is a specialized organ built to grind up food. The ingested minerals and sand will help remove husks and shells from the seeds and make digestion easier.

Bird in cage (photo by Planet V)

However, should we give grit to our pet birds? Birds in captivity do not have a choice of what they eat because the owners control the diet of the pet birds. Most commercial bird foods are made for birds to easily digest and absorb, with all the essential nutrition that the bird needs. Furthermore, pet birds often do not have the freedom to fly and expend energy. They do not need grit to help speed up the absorption of nutrients. Another issue is too much grit will cause obstruction of the digestive tract. It is also important to know the content of the grit. Some grit contains charcoal, which will inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients. Below is a video of a breeder mixing his own grit for his birds.

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(Although in the video the person adds charcoal, other articles say to avoid charcoal )

So is it necessary to spend the extra money to buy grit for pet birds? An alternative to buying grit would be to add crushed egg or oyster shells to the bird feed. Not only do the shells help with digestion, they also provide extra calcium to the bird’s diet.

References

Wikipedia

Do Pet Birds Need Grit in Their Diets?

Grit – What Is It and Who Needs It?

Bird Diet Types

A Bit About Grit

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How The Zebra Got it’s Stripes

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | 6 comments

 

Zebra (Photo by Andy Lederer )

Zebras, who are well known for their black and white stripes, are native to Africa and live in various habitats, such as grassland areas and woodlands. They graze together and travel in herds to protect themselves from predators.

Ever wonder how the zebra got its distinct black and white stripes? Until now it has been a mystery, but zoologists have finally figured it out. Adam Egri from Eötvös University in Budapest, Hungary, believes that zebras evolved stripes to protect themselves from blood-sucking horseflies known as tabinids that carry dangerous germs. He found that horseflies attract less to black and white stripes than all-white or all-black skin. The findings were reported in the journal of experimental biology.

A tabanus also known as a horsefly (Photo by Dennis Ray)

How does this work? According to Egri, horseflies are attracted to polarized light to find water where they can find a mate and lay eggs. Horse models painted with black and white stripes of varying widths and angles revealed that narrower stripes attract the fewest horseflies. When comparing all-white, all-black, and black and white striped horse models, striped horses attracted the least amount of horseflies. The zebra stripes disrupt the polarized light, making them unattractive to the horseflies. Also, the attractiveness to horseflies decreased as the stripe width decreased.

Prior to this study, there have been several hypotheses on why the zebra has black and white stripes. It is thought the stripes help the zebra camouflage within herds making it difficult for predators to distinguish a single zebra but there is no evidence supporting this. The lion, zebra’s main predator, is colour-blind which could be difficult for the lion to distinguish black and white stripes among a herd. Also, each zebra has its distinct black and white stripes that could provide visual cues for other zebra to recognize each other.

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I wonder if this study could be applied to other animals with stripes such as tiger with black and orange stripes. One question that remains to be answered is whether a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

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In the future, medicine will be administered wirelessly

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | 3 comments

When the term “microchip” is mentioned, many things come into mind such as science fiction stories describing super-small computers or advanced tracking devices. It is probable that “administering medicine” is one of the last things you would think about when you hear “microchip.” But what if this is actually a reality with probable wide usage?

Professors Robert Langer (right) and Michael Cima (left) at the Koch Institute. Photo by: M. Scott Brauer

Professors Robert Langer and Michael Cima of MIT have been conceptualized this idea 15 years ago. The microchips would be implanted into a patient needing a regular dose of a drug and then the programming of the microchip would release consistent doses appropriate for the treatment. After much research with the scientists of MicroCHIPS Inc. the first reports of successful human trials have been released early this month.

“You could literally have a pharmacy on a chip.” – Professor Robert Lange, MIT.

So how does this microchip work? The microchip stores a certain amount of doses of a certain drug that the patient needs (clinical trials on osteoporosis patients included 20 doses in the chip). The chip would then be programmed to release a certain dosage daily into the patients. This programming can be altered or monitored wirelessly from a doctor’s computer. After programming, the chip would be surgically implanted into the patient’s body.

 

This would mean many things for the patient requiring daily doses of essential medicine. First of all, patients will not have to worry about taking their medicine at an allotted time – the chip will do that for them. This is very significant considering living with a drug regimen of daily self-injections can be strenuous for the patient. Second, the correct dosages will be administered by the microchip at the correct times. The doctor can have the chip programmed differently depending on the dosage and dose times depending on the ailment. An example of this is osteoporosis patients receiving teriparatide daily from the chip.

 

But are there any problems with this chip? This method of drug delivery system has shown to be just as good if not better than normal daily injections the patients have to give themselves. In addition to this, the programming of the chip can be altered to release the drugs as a certain dose per day, or a “pulse” or even a consistent release – all customized for the patient’s needs. The researchers at MicroCHIPS Inc. have also refined the chips to store the drugs in an airtight seal inside the chip and the chip itself to be made of materials that do not interfere with the host’s immune system. In the future, Professors Lange and Cima hope to add sensors to the chips so concentrations of chemicals in the patient (such as glucose) and have the chip adapt to the changing background.

 

Sources

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