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Stressors are Friends not Foes

As final exams approach and deadlines are surmounting so is stress. Stress can be seen as both a good and bad thing depending on how you react to these situations that cause it. The dictionary describes stress as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. This natural response of our body can trigger other response systems such as our immune system and fight-or-flight response.

Downsides of Stress:

Stress can overwhelm you. Source: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock

For many years we have been told that too much stress is a bad thing. That chronic stress will decrease our lifespans and cause a host of other health issues including anxiety, high blood pressure, and depression. This still stands, as the more stress that you have in your body the more detrimental it is to your health as your body fills with epinephrine and cortisol. Epinephrine and cortisol effect your heart by changing the width of your arteries, contracting them so your heart has to work twice as hard to pump blood through your system.

Benefits of Stress:

However, there can be upsides to stress. But this involves a mind-shift, looking as stress as your body rising to the challenge you are presenting it with. It can help motivate you to complete your goals, accomplish tasks efficiently or even boost your memory. When you change the way that you think about stress it can be used as a benefit. Stress can also help you face fears and overcome challenges. The only downside to accessing the full benefits of stress is the major mind-shift that you would need to undergo. But if you can accomplish that then the negative effects that stress can do to your body are in fact mitigated. This major study done by Harvard University speaks to the benefits that stress can offer when you change your mindset.

In conclusion, stress can be your friend if you know how to use it.

Stress as a benefit, changing the mindset. Source: fizkes/Shutterstock

The following video presents TED talk by Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist specializing in stress management, on the findings of another study focusing on the way people think about stress:

~Christina M

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Posted on March 18, 2019 by in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science

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The True Mystery of Scientific Pig Raising: Cultivation of Medical Heroes

Posted on March 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Pigs have always been synonymous with lazy and useless. But do you know that the pig is a living science treasure? In the eyes of scientists, it is possible to dig up new scientific treasures all over a pig’s body. In the future, human beings may have to borrow human organs from them.

Scientists say they have successfully kept a baboon alive with a pig’s heart for six months. (Credit: Dusan Petkovik/Shutterstock)

Statistics About Pigs Used in Scientific Fields

In modern science, the pig is one of the most ideal and important experimental animals, playing an important role in medicine and other fields. The most recent report on pigs’ use in the U.S. from 2017 revealed that 51,020 pigs were used in research protocols that year, representing a 12% increase in use from 2014.

Reasons for Why Pigs Used in Research Fields

Scientists usually use model animals to understand particular biological phenomena. The classic model animals we often hear are rats, fruit flies, and zebrafish. However, due to their long distances from human evolution, they cannot completely mimic the occurrence of human diseases. But pigs are different. They are closer to human and have anatomical structures and physiological functions close to human. Especially in the digestive system, cardiovascular system, metabolic processes, and other aspects are very similar. Therefore, the scientific value of taking pigs as research models is very large.

Miniature pigs with an adult weight of about 30 kg were selected as experimental varieties. They are characterized by small size, genetic stability, easy feeding, and easy operation. At the same time, it also meets the experimental requirements of genetic stability and small differences in physiological indexes among individuals.

Achievements Scientists Earned So Far

Nowadays, scientists have successfully applied ingredients extracted from the pig into medicine people may take.

A research team led by Bruno Reichart at the University of Munich in Germany has developed a technique allowing 4 baboons successfully implanted in the heart of a pig. They survived more than 90 days after receiving a heart transplant. The longest of them survived for 195 days, far exceeding the record of non-human primate xenotransplantation.

Improving pig-to-primate heart transplants. (Credit to Längin, M. et al.)

The significance of Xenotransplants Hearts

Although figuring out how to safely xenotransplant hearts is still an important area of study to be extensively explored, demand for organs outpaces supply can be met in a possible way.

Imagine if your heart is exhausting and anxiously waiting for a new heart. After waiting for the right donor, the doctor called to tell you at this time that the donor is not a human but a pig. It sounds like a science fiction bridge, but it may indeed be realized in the near future.

— Jianping Gao

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Go Drink Some Coffee! It’s Good for You

Posted on March 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Coffee is the wonder drug of our generation, helping students, like me, work through the day at maximum potential. But are we signing a deal with the devil? Caffeine has long been known by science to enhance memory, keeps us alert and improve reaction times among many other things. CGP Grey’s video, seen below, on how coffee is the greatest addiction is one of my favourite videos and is a wonderful insight on how awesome caffeine is.

The group over Healthline have also put together a comprehensive list of caffeine’s effects here. Not all of them are good for us but doesn’t seem to be much that is too detrimental to our health.

That list is so comprehensive that there surely is nothing left to learn about coffee, right? Seems not, there’s always more to learn about the world. A very recent paper published in April 2019 has found how dark coffee, my favourite by the way, protects our blood cells from DNA damage. Isn’t that awesome? Well definitely for me because I just drink way too much coffee.

As well as health benefits, it’s still difficult to pin point any increased risk in diseases by consuming caffeine. Another paper that was published within this year has found that there was no link between the risk of prostate cancer to with coffee or tea consumption. Awesome, now I can drink as much tea and coffee as I like.

These papers are just some of the work that scientists all over the world are conducting to understand the true nature of this substance that helps people all over the world. Of course, it’s all not good news as these papers are conducted on healthy individuals drinking moderate amounts. Another paper recent paper found that heavy consumption, meaning more that 6 cups of coffee a day, slightly increases the risk heart attacks, stroke, heart failure and similar diseases.

All in all, caffeine, and by extension coffee, is just the best thing ever but do be careful how you consume it. There’s still more to learn as well, with research still constantly happening as seen by these paper within the last year, so get out there, have your coffee and drink it too. Personally, I have about 2-3 cups of coffee a day and that gets me by plenty, but even that is a bit high in my opinion. Drink in moderation, stay healthy and keep active and I think caffeine will take care of you and keep you healthy as well.

– Fareez Sanif

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Microwave Mystery – Why Can’t I Stand Right Next to It?

Posted on March 11, 2019 by | 1 comment

 

Credit: Leif Parsons

How often have you been told by your parents to stand “at least one meter” away from the microwave? These fast and convenient mini-ovens took the world by storm – or rather, by electromagnetic radiation, in the late 1980s. Now, you can barely find a home that doesn’t have one. However, even though they’ve become an essential part of the kitchen, many myths and questions about its safety still exist. Will you get radiation poisoning from standing too close when it’s on? Will it destroy every nutrient in your left-over dinner from the night before? Will it melt the plastic container and poison your food? Let us find out if your parents are just misinformed, or if they have legitimate concerns.

How do microwave ovens work?

First, here’s an overview of how a microwave oven works. As the name implies, the oven uses microwave radiation to heat up your food. Microwave radiation is electromagnetic radiation: a group of radiation that includes visible light, radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, and many more.

Video by: Bozeman Science

Microwaves are very selective. It mostly affects water by causing it to vibrate. The result of the vibrating water is a heat build-up, thus heating your food.

How does this affect us?

Now let’s bust some myths. The concern many have with standing too close to an operating microwave oven is that they’ll be exposed to the radiation, and potentially get radiation poisoning. However, every microwave oven ever produced must pass the regulation test of the Food and Drug Regulations of Canada (FDA in the U.S.) of releasing a maximum of five milliwatts of radiation per square centimeter in its lifetime, which is well under the safety limit. To put in context, a cellphone leaks 1.6 watts over its lifetime, over 300 per cent! Yet we have no problems putting those 2 inches from our faces.

So, we’re safe after all?

Metal mesh on the inside of the microwave door

Yes, microwave ovens protect your meaty flesh from heating up like the snacks we put into them. Primarily, a metal mesh lining prevents any microwaves from escaping the oven.

Furthermore, all the opening mechanisms of every microwave oven is designed to stop the flow of the microwave radiation every time we open those doors. So, for all of you that are worried you’ll grow a third arm from using the microwave so much, there’s no need to fear! This isn’t to say that you should start pressing your face against the microwave doors (because frankly, that’s a little strange), but there wouldn’t be any harm from doing it.

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The Real Cause Behind Canker Sores

Posted on March 11, 2019 by | 3 comments

An image showing the various causes for mouth pain, including mouth sores (center). Source: Authority Dental

Have you ever experienced a painful sore inside your mouth — the kind of sore that appears on the linings of one’s cheeks, lips, tongue or gums and can last for days without end? There are a variety of mouth sores that can cause pain, but the one in particular that I have in mind are canker sores.

A canker sore on a person’s lower lip. Source: Wikimedia Commons

What are canker sores?

Canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, are small, round ulcers on the inside of the mouth that can appear red, white, or yellow in color. About 1 in 5 people get them, making them the most common type of mouth sore. These sores can occur in healthy people, recurring about two to six times in the average individual within a year.

Having known people that get canker sores on a monthly basis, I take pride in the fact that I get them about only once or twice every other year. It had been a while since I had my last sore and for the longest time, I couldn’t remember what it was like to even have one… until last week. This time around, the pain and discomfort felt unfamiliar to me, and after judging that enough days had passed and it still hadn’t gone away, I decided to take matters into my own hands. In my search for possible treatment methods, I came across the following video explaining the true cause behind canker sores.


Credit: Joe Scott, Source: Youtube

So, what is the real cause?

In the video, self-proclaimed canker sore expert Joe Scott sheds light on the fact that while there are many suggested treatments for the sores, few people know about why it occurs. He explains that when we get minor cuts, our immune systems release a special protein, TNF-a, whose job is to wipe out any damaged near the site of the cut. According to Scott, canker sores indicate that the body produces too much of this protein, wiping out these damaged cells and then some, which creates “a huge crater of exposed nerves made all the more sensitive by inflammation.” Basing his knowledge off of a 2003 study published by the American Dental Association, Scott claims to have found a cure that regulates the protein, which many others have attested to on his website.

Why does all of this matter?

Despite the discovery (and strong evidence) of a working solution, it is surprising that the widespread knowledge states that the cause behind canker sores is still unknown to this day, which is echoed on sites such as KidsHealth, HealthLinkBC, Colgate and even WebMD. Although this may affect a minority of the population, this discovery could mean the world for someone who faces the pain of constantly recurring canker sores (RAS). Focusing on the bigger picture, this demonstrates that science communication still has a long way to go.

— Breyanne Bautista

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So, What’s the Deal with Vitamin D?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | 10 comments

With spring approaching, I’m sure we’re all excited about getting a little more sunshine. As most of us know, the sun provides us with vitamin D, but have you ever wondered how it works exactly?

Let’s first start by explaining what vitamin D is. Vitamin D is a vitamin that is present in foods such as salmon, canned tuna, beef liver, egg yolks, and fortified dairy products. However, you would need to be eating them almost every day in order to get a sufficient amount of vitamin D. So instead, most of us get the rest of our vitamin D through the sun. When the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays make contact with your skin, the rays provide enough energy for the cholesterol in your skin cells to undergo vitamin D synthesis.

An image of a woman outside enjoying the sun. Photo by Morgan Sessions on Unsplash

This sunshine vitamin has many benefits and is essential for maintaining optimal health. Its most important role is to promote the body’s absorption of calcium and phosphorus, two minerals that are key for maintaining strong healthy bones, especially in children and the elderly. In addition to bone health, vitamin D is also crucial for keeping your immune system healthy so it can fight against bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Studies have also linked healthy levels of vitamin D to slowing down or decreasing the chances of getting colon cancer and prostate cancer.

A black and white image of a man looking upset. Photo by Brut Carniollus on Unsplash

On the other hand, vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children, a painful condition due to misshapen bones. In elderly individuals, it can cause osteomalacia, a condition where the bones soften, leading to bone pain and muscle weakness. New research has also shown that not getting enough vitamin D can even lead to cognitive disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.

Does learning all this make you want to run into the sunshine yet? The optimal amount of midday sunlight exposure you should aim for for healthy vitamin D levels is 10-30 minutes several times a week, but a bit longer if you have darker skin. Also, just as an FYI, most glass windows end up blocking the UVB wavelength, so on your next study break, maybe opt for a quick walk outside to ensure you reap the vitamin D health benefits.

– Kristy Ip

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Exercise and Mental Health

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | 2 comments

An Overview

Physical activity may play an important function in the control of mild-to-moderate mental health illnesses, specially depression and anxiety. Despite the fact that human with depression tend to be less physically active than non- depressed individuals, improved cardio exercise or strength training has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms significantly. However, habitual physical activity has not been shown to prevent the onset of depression.

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Effects of Exercise on Anxiety

Anxiety signs and panic disorder also improve with everyday exercise, and beneficial outcomes appear to equal meditation or relaxation. In general, acute anxiety responds better to exercise than chronic anxiety. Research on older adults and adolescents with depression or anxiety have been restricted; however, physical activity appears beneficial to those populations as well. Immoderate physical activity may lead to overtraining and generate psychological signs that mimic depression.

The following video demonstrates the brain-changing benefits of exercise.

Video taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHY0FxzoKZE

Improvement of Mental Health

Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise relieves stress, helps you sleep better, improves memory, and boosts your overall mood. Research indicates the advantages of exercise on mental health. You can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better in any age or fitness level.

Physical exercise is increasingly being encouraged as a method to keep and enhance excellent intellectual health. In general, findings from studies suggest that exercise is related to improvements in mental health which include mood state and self-esteem, although a causal link has not been established. Studies on acute exercise shows that 20 to 40 minutes of cardio activity outcomes in improvement of mood that persist for several hours. These transitory adjustments in mood occur in each people with ordinary or multiplied ranges of anxiety; however, appear to be restricted to aerobic exercise.

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Exercising may also result in adverse modifications in mental health. Some individuals can grow to be overly depending on physical activity and exercising to an immoderate degree. This abuse of exercise can result in disturbances in mood and worsened physical health. In the case of athletes the acute training, or overtraining, vital for endurance sports activities continually effects in increased mood disturbance. Severe cases of overtraining may result in the staleness syndrome; a circumstance associated with deteriorating overall performance and behavioral disturbances including clinical depression.

Effects of Exercise on Children’s Mental Health

Physical activity can increase self-esteem and decrease depression and anxiety in children. We also know that physical activity performed in an outside area can improve cognitive performance, self-esteem and decrease anxiety and symptoms associated with interest deficit disorder. Organizations that promote physical activity in children with mental health issues have to have targeted safeguarding staff and referral pathways to greater professional services. This consists of the control of acute mental health conditions.

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– Setareh Moazen

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