Strict blood sugar control in some diabetics does not lower heart attack or stroke risk

According to a recent UC Irvine Health Policy Research Institute study strictly controlling blood glucose levels as a type 2 diabetic will not lower the chance of heart attack or stroke, but keeping hemoglobin levels (low glucose levels) under 7 percent may reduce these issues for diabetics with less serious heart and health problems.

Earlier studies infact found that lowering blood sugar too quickly can seriously harm or kill a diabetic. Study co-leader Dr. Sheldon Greenfield, Donald Bren Professor of Medicine at UCI and co-executive director of the Health Policy Research Institute believes that doctors trying to treat diabetics should try and keep a moderate blood sugar level, while keeping their other conditions under control.

The test was done with 2,613 subjects moderated by 205 doctors in Italy. They monitored histories of heart disease, lung disease, heart failure, urinary tract disease, arthritis, foot issues and digestive conditions.

In less severe conditions some symtoms of high blood suger are showed in the picture at the top. The other picture above shows at what levels of blood sugar does one need to take action.

Acknowledgments-
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214173523.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+(ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News)&utm_content=Netvibes

Pictures:
http://www.mountnittany.org/assets/images/krames/111278.jpg
http://www.med.umich.edu/intmed/endocrinology/images/t2_1_12.gif

Venice Gordon

Phthalate Exposure- Less Masculine Play in Boys

Study Relates Phthalate Exposure to Less-Masculine Play in Boys

The young sons of women who had high concentrations of two common phthalates when pregnant, don’t show the kind of play behavior we normally associate with boys.

A University of Rochester Medical Center study of 145 preschool children shows that where pregnant women have high concentrations of two common phthalates in their urine their young sons play in a less traditionally male way. Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastics and are commonly found in the environment. People may be exposed to them in foods, soaps and lotions. Scientists believe that exposure to phthalates lowers testosterone levels. Testosterone is a male hormone and is very important for male brain development. Scientists already know that low testosterone levels affect male genital development and that exposure to phthalates may cause this. They are worried that prenatal exposure to phthalates, will also affect male brain development. They are concerned that this will result in changed male behavior.

In the Rochester study, Dr. Shana Swan, an expert in reproductive health and phthalates, made this hypothesis: If pregnant women have high phthalate levels when their fetus’s male genitals start functioning, their sons’ brain development will be altered and this will affect their play.

From 2000 to 2003 urine samples were taken from women at week 28 of their pregnancies. The samples were tested for two phthalates DEHP and DBP. When the children of these women were between 3 and 6 years old the women answered a questionnaire called the Preschool Activities Inventory. The questionnaire asked about what toys and activities the sons enjoyed. For example, trucks and play fighting rather than dolls and gentler activities. The scientists also asked the parents whether they would encourage or discourage the more feminine play.

The study found that there was a direct relationship between elevated phthalate levels and less “traditional” male play in their young sons. (There was no relationship between phthalate levels in the pregnant women and their daughters’ play behavior).

Questions to Consider:

-What are your reactions to this text?

-Do you think it is true that Phthalate exposure can lead to less-masculine play by boys?

-If so, would you try to prevent pregnant mothers and boys from being exposed to Phthalate?

-What would you do if you had a boy who preferred toys that girls usually play with (e.g. dolls),
or a girl who preferred toys that boys usually play with (e.g. trucks)? (encourage or discourage)

--Does the text agree or disagree with this statement: “phthalate exposure can lead to later sexual development in male organisms.”
---What information would you need to find out, or what experiments would you perform?


Acknowledgments:

Articles on this topic:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085040.htm

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=2689

Information on Phthalates:

http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/480

Picture:
http://www.clker.com/clipart-9370.html

Arianne and Lily- Section 2



Phthalate Exposure- Less Masculine Play in Boys

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Delinquent Boys at Increased Risk of Premature Death and Disability by Middle Age

Men, who have a history of delinquency in childhood, are more likely to die or become disabled by the time they are 48.

The research found that boys who engaged at age 10 in asocial behavior such as skipping school often or being rated troublesome or corrupt by teachers and parents, and then went on to be convicted of a crime by the age of 18, 16.3% (1 in 6) died or become disabled by the age of 48. That equaled to 2.6% (1 in 40) of the boys from the same lower socioeconomic South London neighborhood who were not lawbreaking or fugitives- an almost 7 times difference.

"We were surprised to see such a strong link between these early influences and premature death and this indicates that things that happen in families at age 8-10 are part of a progression towards dying prematurely," said the study's leader, Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Director of the Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales. "It was also surprising that the increase was not limited to substance abuse or other mental health problems known to be linked with an antisocial lifestyle, but included premature death and disability from a wide variety of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer."

"At this point, we don't know exactly why delinquency increases the risk of premature death and disability in middle age, but it seems that impulsivity - or lack of self-control - in childhood and adolescence was a common underlying theme. It may be that the stresses and strains of an antisocial lifestyle and having to deal with all the crises that could have been avoided with more self-control takes their toll. It fits with the biological evidence of the effects of chronic stress on illness." Professor Shepherd said.

The test began in 1961 and after the studies were done at ages 16-18, 27-32 and 43-48. By the occasion of the latest results, 389 of the men were still in the course.

17 men died by the age of 48 and 17 of the lasting 365 men watched became disabled. Of 21 probable serious impacts, six were remarkably connected with untimely death and disability.

Rebellious actions at 10 years of age was looped to a three times a chance of dying or getting disabled by 48 (odds ratio: 3.5), premature death or disability was at least three times more likely in boys convicted of a crime between 10-18 years of age (odds ratio 3.0), in the boys convicted between the age of 10 and 40 (odds ratio: 3.5) and in boys at the age of 10 that had a who at age 10 had a parent guilty of a crime, were detached from a parent or had bad parental supervision (odds ratio: 3.2). A lack of self-control at 18 years of age was joined with double the risk of death and disability by age 48 (odds ratio: 2.1). At age 32, self-reported criminal activity not picked up by the police, such as burglary, shoplifting, car theft, violence or vandalism, more than 4x the risk of death and disability by age 48 (odds ratio: 4.3).

"These findings indicate that by intervening in the development of delinquency we may be able to achieve more than a reduction in the likelihood of later offending, which is currently the goal of such interventions," Professor Shepherd said. "We should focus on improving parenting and tackling impulsivity in the early years, which may well improve long-term health, reduce costs to the health service and save lives."

By Abby Johnson, Angel Vaughn, and Daniele Marcato

Delinquent Boys At Increased Risk Of Premature

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The Big Bang Simulation

The Big Bang Simulation

By Scott Kaufman, Georgina Johnson, and Benjamin Irving

Scientists are currently working on a machine named the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that will give new understandings to physicists and those who study the Big Bang. The project is happening underneath homes in Switzerland. The machine is in a tunnel that is 17 miles long in circumference and was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

More than 10,000 scientists from over 100 countries have been working on and funding this project. By accelerating particles and observing the collision, scientists are trying to simulate what occurred when the universe was created. One of the things they are trying to find is the God Particle, or Higgs boson, which is a tiny particle that can show us why certain things exist, such as mass. Right now, we do not even know if there is really such a thing as a god particle. We might just be able to find it by break the atoms into smaller and smaller pieces in search of this God Particle.

Another thing they are trying to do is to make mini black holes to prove that we do not live in just a three-dimensional world but a 9 or 10 dimensional one. These black holes might explain concepts like super-symmetry and dark matter. While all of these things are just theories based on math, if this machine is finished, there will be physical proof that these theories are true. The first proton beam was sent around the LHC on September 10, 2008. This was a break through because they had been working for so long. Despite all of the interesting findings that this experiment conceives, the machine is an expensive investment that will cost over 7billion dollars and creates many potential problems.

Once the public found out about this experiment, people were scared. They discovered that black holes were being generated through this experiment on the earth, which would make anyone worried. Black holes are dense areas of concentrated mass. Black holes are dangerous because intense gravitational pull will swallow anything in the surrounding area. Black holes are formed when a red super giant star collapses. The red super giant collapses towards the end of its life when its pressure becomes unbalanced. The star implodes in on itself which creates the black hole. The area surrounding the black hole in which the gravitational pull is too large to escape is called the event horizon. Black holes suck in every including light. There is no escaping the gravitational pull in the event horizon. Black holes can be very dangerous and that is why some people believe that a tiny black created by the LHC can swallow the whole earth.

In our opinion, there should have been a warning for this experiment and possibly a vote among people. When the government approved this project, there should have been more information given to the common people. However, we think that the experiment should continue because we do not think that anything bad is going to happen and the information can explain the fundamental questions of physics, which is great. These scientists are smart people, and to fund and build such a machine for this long shows that they do not only have faith that new information with be found but that it also won't destroy the Earth.

The Big Bang Simulation

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Acknowledgements:

http://flyawaysimulation.com/article3039.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider#Safety_of_particle_collisions

http://delamagente.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/big-bang.jpg

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2008-09/large-hadron-collider.jpg

http://www.cosmographica.com/gallery/portfolio2007/content/bin/images/large/131_BlackHole.jpg

http://www.gwu.edu/~sps/Society%20of%20Physics%20Students%20(SPS)/Events/A136FC42-F9B5-46A5-A0CB-F0007B262E14_files/Black-hole.jpg

http://www.cosmographica.com/gallery/portfolio2007/content/bin/images/large/169_BlackHole2.jpg

http://poietes.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/m51-spiral-purple-dots-are-black-holes1.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/blue%20black%20hole/Shadow_Senshi/BGs%20and%20Wallpapers/black-hole-wallpaper-thumb.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole
http://www.space.com/blackholes/

http://tinarathore.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/cosmos.jpg

A new molecule is causing breakthroughs in chemotherapy treatment for colon cancer.

At the University of Florida, scientists have discovered that by adding a small molecule to the chemotherapy drug, they prevent the cancer cells from repairing enzymes that were damaged by Temozolomide, which is a chemotherapy drug that is usually used against brain cancers. The tiny molecule that the people at the University of Florida discovered prevents the caner cell’s ability to recognize and repair the damage that is caused by Temozolomide. This allows the chemotherapy to work much more effectively because the tumor cells cannot repair themselves.










The discovery of this molecule has also allowed researches to use a drastically lower amount of Temozolomide. They were able to cure mice with human colon cancer tumors with about one-tenth of the drug that is needed to kill cancer cells. This means that the use of the drug with this molecule will be able to lower the harm of adverse side effects caused by chemotherapy. Researchers are currently working on being able to put Temozolomide and the molecule into a small pill or a capsule for patients to be able to take.

This is an important breakthrough because normally colon cancer is very hard to treat because the tumor cells are highly resistant to treatments and chemotherapy. Previously, the only way to treat colon cancer was with aggressive surgery with possible chemotherapy. However, the recurrence rate for colon cancer is about 30-50%, so even if it is treated it usually comes back. This combination treatment has the possibility to reduce tumors drastically and to extend the lifespan of patients with colon cancer.

A colon with cancer:





Image via Top News

Angelique & Emma

Colon Cancer Treatment

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Acknowledgements:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208153144.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+(ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News)&utm_content=Netvibes
www.healingdaily.com
www.topnews.in
www.wikipedia.com
http://www.chemagis.com/files/Products/temozolomide_plain.gif

Implanting Bioengineered Vaccines and Magnetic Nanodiscs Show Promise

A team of immunologists and bioengineers at Harvard University may have found the key to curing certain types of cancer with an implant-based approach of polymer disks saturated with denritic cells and antigens that are specialized to attack tumor cells.

These techniques show the advances of biomedical engineering implemented into lab work and helping cure cancer.

These disks work like a vaccine. They entice the immune system in the body to attack invading cells. Once the 8.5-millimeter biodegradable disks are injected into the skin they activate an immune response to destroy tumor cells. In a study where these disks were implanted in mice with melanoma, the treatment “led to remission and longer lives in ‘a substantial portion of the population’” of mice with melanoma (Scientific American)


Other technology included in the article has to do with other discs, called “nano-scale magnets.” When induced into a magnetic field, the discs inside an organism oscillate and damage cancer cell membranes, causing those cancer cells to die.
Hopefully, the research that these Harvard University employees are working on will be an advancement to the cloudy world of curing cancer, which is still one of the leading causes of death in the United States (behind heart disease).

Konstantine and Nate

Disease Powerpoint

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Work Cited:
Harmon, Katherine. "Conquering cancer with implants? Bioengineered vaccines and magnetic nanodiscs show promise". Scientific American. 11/29/09 .
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/melanoma.html
http://www.harvard.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendritic_cell
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Coronary+heart+disease




Konstantine