After reading this article I learned that scientists in the UK and Canada have found a link between a mutated gene in parents of children with multiple sclerosis. MS affects the central nervous system. I chose to read this article because I think it would be good if we could pin point the cause of this disease. They have found that along with genes, environmental factors also play a big role in the cause of MS. “Just one copy of the mutated CYP27B1 gene affects a key enzyme which leads people with it to have lower levels of vitamin D.” The odds that a child inherits this gene is one in 35. This is shocking to me.

What do you think the advantages are to this research on MS?

Do you think if parents knew they could possibly pass the mutated gene on to their children, that they would take the risk and still have children?

In this interesting study, researchers are developing a new gene therapy method that would treat a common form of blindness, X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. This disease is a genetic defect that is passed down from mother to son. It is caused by degeneration of light-sensitive cells in the eyes, also called photoreceptor cells. Sadly, it affects children at their early stage and they gradually lose their vision overtime.

Luckily, researchers and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania are trying to clone a working copy of the affected gene and transforming it into a virus so that it would transport to the proper section of the eye. They also cloned a genetic “switch” so that when the gene was set in place, it would start making a protein needed for the damaged eye cells to function. It’s interesting how the injected genes know where to go, only going to the spot where its intended and not to some other places in the body. This is a great discovery since it leads us one step further into developing other cures for all kinds of blindness.

Do you think there might be any downside to this?

Could this method help us find cures in other diseases?

While working in his shop one night, this article explained, a man managed to shoot a nail into his brain through his forehead without feeling it! The firing tip of the gun had grazed his forehead, leaving him with a cut, but he didn’t realize that the pressure sensor had fired a nail when it touched his head. His fiance cleaned the cut on his forehead without realizing that the cut went through his skull.

The next day, he began to feel nauseous and his fiance convinced him to go to the hospital. An X-ray revealed a 3.25 in. nail in the center of his brain. It missed the motor function area by just millimeters. After a two hour operation, doctors removed the nail and replaced the part of the skull that needed to be removed with titanium mesh.

He didn’t feel the nail because the pain sensors on his forehead recognized the cut feeling, but his brain, having no pain sensitive nerves, didn’t feel the nail get lodged in the center.

If the brain has no pain sensitive nerves, why do we get headaches? Do you think the man could have any lasting effects from contaminants from the nail? After all, it was in there for over 24 hours!

In a recent incident, two deaths in the State of Louisiana were caused by using neti pots which is a tool that you snort water through your nose to clean out the cavities. The two deaths are thought to have occurred when both victims used tap water instead of distilled water. Scientists believe that amoeba in the water got into their brains causing rapid destruction of neural tissue, otherwise known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAME). The water used in the neti pots could have been tap water or it could also have been from other pond or lake water, a further investigation is taking place.

For all municipal treated water, there is always the possibility that it contains amoeba because the chlorine used gets like 99.9 percent. This then poses the question of is my water safe? Well the article says that the amoeba in the water has to be forcefully pushed or squirted up the nose. In all, the center for disease and prevention says that the risk of dying from amoeba in tap water is very slim. So there is nothing to worry about.

How long does a person have before he or she is killed by PAME?

How many deaths out of the whole U.S. are caused by amoeba?

After pythons consume a meal, their major organs swell to almost twice in less than a day. New research has discovered how the snakes can do this without damaging the organs, which scientists think could lead to new treatments for heart disease in humans. After eating something, the blood of a python becomes saturated with triglycerides, which its heart can burn very efficiently. Large hearts with large chambers, like those of professional athletes, are healthy hearts. Scientists think that being able to encourage the heart to grow in a healthy way could be very helpful for heart disease patients.

Article

How do you think this could be directly helpful for humans? Use the research to make a medical drug?

Could the same growth trait be applied to other human organs?

In this interesting study, scientists have discovered a rare gene mutation called Imerslund- Grasbeck Syndrome (IGS) that may have occurred way back to 11,600 B.C. They say  it is the second oldest human disease mutation we have yet discovered; the oldest disease is a mutation in cystic fibrosis that appeared between 11,000 and 52,000 years ago. Investigators described the mutation in people of Jewish, Turkish, and Arabic descent.

IGS causes a rare, inherited vitamin B12 deficiency. IGS occurs in kids born with two mutated copies of amnionless or cubilin gene. When there is a genetic mistake in both copies of either one of these two genes, a person can’t absorb vitamin B12 in the small intestine, which causes the deficiency. IGS originated in a single, prehistoric individual, which was passed down to that individual’s offspring.  You would think that the carriers of this mutation would be restricted to specific ethnic groups or isolated populations. Strangely, that isn’t the case. IGS had been found throughout many diverse ethnic populations.

What are the symptoms for IGS?

Are there any known treatments?

When soldiers return from combat in war zones they sometimes get what is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This has been developed in there brains because they are used to fighting and always being on look out for something. Their body seems to have a consistent adrenaline rush causing them to be on their toes. Nerve growth factor spikes during these stressful experiences and causes new nerves to sprout. This means more nerves are there so they react much quicker to what is going on. These nerves learn to fire rapidly. When a solder gets home they still have these excess nerves and that is why they get PTSD. They seemed to always be stressed and a noise or an image can spark flashbacks to occur and stress you even more.

I read about a cure for PTSD at popsci.com. A navy doctor claims she has found one. Her idea came from a procedure used to treat women with menopause that have  hot flashes. She calls it a Stellate-ganglion block (SGB), what the SGB does is turns nerve growth factor off. The way it is given to the patients is in a shot to the neck, one shot and they are done. The Doctor did a double-blind study involving 42 sailors diagnosed with PTSD. The effects seemed to work in minutes and the study came back a success.

Do you think that there could be long term side effect to this shot?

Will the shot wear off and PTSD come back stronger?

A recent study on athletes training for high energy high endurance sports such as marathons, triathlons, and alpine cycling has shown that it is possible to do permanent danger to the heart if not allowed to rest and recover. If not allowed to recover it is actually possible to stretch the heart muscle which might cause heart problems such as arrhythmia. This study does not believe that high endurance exercise is unhealthy in any way, it only poses a risk when the body is not allowed a chance to recover. Many medical professionals agree that our bodies were designed for eleven hours of strenuous activity. This of course is with the proper levels of hydration and calories.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16048121

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2071018/Running-marathons-permanently-damage-heart.html

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/07/health/marathons-triathlons-can-damage-heart-study-finds/

Do you think the health benefits of extreme exercise outweigh the potential risks?

Should some athletes monitor their heart function more closely in order to stay in top shape?

Why not lose the weight to help your body and your teeth? It stops inflammation. Inflammation that continues to develop has many harmful effects. “Inflammation from gum disease can erode bone and cause tooth loss. It can also cause breaks in the gums where harmful oral bacteria can enter the blood stream. Such bacteria have been linked to preterm birth, fetal death, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.”
Why do you think fat cells have such a negative effect on your gums? What is a healthy BMI to have to have healthy gums?

In this article from National Geographic accidentally found, on a research about hypnosis, that even when people were not under hypnosis they could still see a color pattern on white or grey colors.  They found this while taking on MRI of a person.

This study also found that a person who was not susceptible to hypnosis were not able to hallucinate colors.

Using PET scans of a subject’s brain, they also found that the subjects activated parts of their brains associated with color perception.

This research on hallucinations, doctors say, will help with hypnosis treatment, like for example, on people who have phobias to pain.

Why is it that people are so fearful of hypnosis? and How are some people susceptible to hypnosis and some not?