Drafts

According to the review article, fish that have a DIO3 gene(a gene that binds to T4 and prevent it from affecting certain cells)knocked out have a higher neural crest cell proliferation migration and activation as well as apoptosis. In adult mice, hypothyroidism decreases mitotic neuroblast but not proliferation progenitosin SGZ, decreased number of committed neural progenitors and mature neuroblast and have reduced level of immature hippocampus neurons. Other studies have shown that OPC derived from SVZ-NCS requires a TH free environment, and a decrease in TH leads to a decrease in neurogenesis but not in oligodendrogenesis. The figure in the review article indicates that an increase in TH would cause the NSC commitment, and the lack of TH would cause determination in glial cells.  In studies that were conducted with TTR null mice, which have a lower thyroid hormone level, had reduced the apoptosis of progenitors in SGZ in adults. Other studies using TRa1 and DIO3 also confirm that in general, an increase in thyroid hormone leads to an increase in neurogenesis and neuron cell differentiation. A decreaseinf thyroid hormone generally indicates that there is a higher amount of oligodendrogenesis, as well as better remyelination of neurons. However, all of these studies are done in adult rodent brains and not developing zebrafish brains.

According to the review paper, the timing of thyroid development is happening during 2nd day, and thyroid hormone production starts after the third day. This means that the experiment is done after the fish has been producing a normal amount of thyroid for about two days.  

Neurogenesis: neurogenesis seems to occur from day 1 to day 3 after fertilization. The experiment is done after neurogenesis has been happening for a few days. In zebrafish, it is also notable that adult zebrafish have more active neurogenesis compared to mammalian species.

Oligodendrogenesis: oligodendrogenesis seems to occur from day 2 to day 7 after fertilization, meaning that the Thyroid hormone is added while it was occurring. 

There is a non-profit organization in Western Mass that few know muc about called Tapestry Health run out of Holyoke Massachusetts. They provide services from sexual health to family nutrition to community educations and trainings. One of their most controversial services provided is the "Needle Exchange". This involves an open drop-box for used needles and a free and public source for sterile ones. These needles are most often used for the administration of drugs, and not for medical purposes. Western Massachusetts has a drug epademic, and the use of and addiction to opioids has become a much more common disease. Many people find the idea of a needle exchange to be more hurtful than helpful to the community. It is thought that it supports drug abuse and rewards drug users. This opinion is very short sighted and a privilaged way of looking at those with addictions. What a needle exchange trul achieves is a safe, free, public way to reduce contamination and infection of bloodborne diseases in a population. Without options to anonymously opbtain free clean needles, drug users will not think twice about sharing or borrowing which opens up the door for dozens of deadly diseases to populate more people. The idea that providing needles somehow rewards drug addiction behaviors is also a very limited view. Without the option of clean needles, those with an addiction will not stop using, they will simply continue to use with extremely less safe methods and practices. The people addicted to drugs are in no way at fault for their battle with the disease and are due no consequences for what major medical corperations and pharmacies are doing to them. This is not about people wanting to do something, it is a beyond-biological need created by the dependence of their body systems. Needle exchanges are one of the most valuable provided cares that addicts have before they get serious help. Without them and without the ability for it to be free, people would be at great risks of deadly infections. 

Chickens cluck and squawk at various times throughout the day. The technical term for this clucking and squawking is chicken vocalization. Those who work with chickens, live with chickens, or keep them as pets swear that you can tell when they are happy and content just by listening to them. This concept is being investigated by some researchers from the University of Georgia. To do this they are conducting experiments where they use small flocks and record the vocal reactions to stressful situations. Realizing what sounds indicate unhappy chickens can create markers for identifying farms that need improvement. The overall health and happiness of a chicken matters when it comes to growth since unhappy or stressed chickens can have stunted growth. Stunted growth means loss of production for farmers since they profit by each pound of chicken they sell. Farms also use expensive detection equipment such as ammonia detectors to detect unsanitary conditions for the birds. Researchers are hoping the study of chicken vocalizations and creation of algorithms to detect unhappy noises might save money for chicken famers. A few microphones and the use of these algorithms would be cheaper than the ammonia detectors. Overall, the study of chicken vocalizations may be useful to farmers, but may also prove helpful for people who keep chickens as pets that just want to keep their chickens happy

Dickson argues that Woollley’s interpretation of the tomb and its contents being a ‘snapshot’ of the way of life in UR is wrong. He says we must not look at these tombs as a sample of life in UR, rather a ‘public transcript/record’ of how political elites wanted UR to be seen. Dickson says the burials don’t show the “tensions, ambiguities and social conflicts that must surely have existed in the city” and therefore we cannot trust that this was their way of life. Dickson adds, ‘just how dominant and durable a ruling order can be depends on how far it convinces others — and itself — of its right to rule and its ability to rule’ (Colley 1992, 193) implying that these tombs may have actually been ritual to impose the government's power, specifically through divinity. The kinds of artifacts found in the tomb and the fashion in which the people were displayed may indicate that the event was part of a numinous ceremony. Therefore a show of the governments divinity and ultimately their strength as a way to keep people in line.

Antibiotics have fundamentally changed medicine for the better. The onset of penicillin and other antibiotics seemed to spell the end for many bacteria-related illnesses. What medical professionals did not realize was that they were putting these bacteria under extreme artificial selection. This selection chose for antibiotic resistance, which has now surged into a public health epidemic. Due to this, researchers are actively seeking alternatives to these drugs. Bacteriophages-viruses that attack bacteria-are one such contender. Their specificity for bacterial cells and their ability to evolve alongside evolving bacterial defenses are ideal in a treatment that will stand the test of time. Another possibility are bacteriocins. These toxins are released by competing bacteria to inhibit growth. Research is pending on both these solutions in human treatment, but the future for fighting bacterial infections seems bright.

Cell expansion and growth occurs very differently in plants than it does animals. Animals tend to produce unique organs with specific cells for each organ, whereas plant growth is iterative and will generate many of the same organs. Stem cell tissue in plants is known as meristem and contains undifferentiated cells. There is a shoot apical meristem and root apical meristem both of which are responsible for primary growth, such as new leaves, flowers, and roots. The other kind of meristem found in the cambium is responsible for the growth of bark, xylem, and phloem. The basic structure of the apical meristems is a stacked one. The first level is at the apex of the meristem and consists of the newly dividing cells; the second level just below is where cell elongation takes place; underneath it, the third level is where cell differentiation occurs; and the last level below that is where mature cells are located. The cell division layer leads to the creation of new cells with primary cell walls that will generate leaves and flowers. The second level during which cell elongation occurs is a dynamic layer. Plant cells have the capacity to increase their solute potential by generating an electrostatic gradient that powers active transport channels that move metabolites and ions in the cell. Water can then enter the plant cells via osmosis or aquaporins. This raises the internal pressure of the plant cell - known as turgor pressure - which pushes against the primary cell wall causing it to expand. Some parts of the primary wall are less rigid than others, causing directional expansion, usually lengthwise. Eventually the pressure exerted on the primary cell wall equalizes with the pressure the wall exerts on the cell’s plasma membrane and expansion comes to a halt. At this point, the cells will begin to differentiate by synthesizing a variety of secondary cell walls that will determine their purpose. Once this process is done, the cells have fully differentiated and can now form the new organs of the plant.

I pulled a strange leaf out of my salad today. The leaf has lost its stiff, crunchy texture became soft, wilted. This altered appearance makes the leaf hard to identify. In this brand of salad, iceberg lettuce is traditionally used. Iceberg lettuce has the appearance of an even light green color with some mild discoloration around the edges of the leaf. The stem of an iceberg lettuce leaf is also quite large and stiff. The leaf specimen I extracted from the salad has a thin, light green stem. The whole leaf is also discolored so that it is a mixture of dark purple and green. The dressing seems to be obstructing important characteristics about the leaf that could have led to an easier identification. From the stem to the opposite end of leaf it appears to be approximately 3 inches long. Again this seems like a strange length for a piece of iceberg lettuce. Perhaps this leaf was trimmed or it has no relation to iceberg lettuce and is instead a smaller leaf.

Stem cells are incredibly fascinating to look at. They possess the ability to turn into absolutely any cell in the body, performing any function. In a recent study done in Kyoto Univeristy, they were able to obtain a ball of pluripotent stem cells and place in a petri dish with liquid that was similar to the environment that a brain cells can grow in. They were able to grow the cerebral part of the brain and use it to assess the brain structures and measure activity in the neurons that were present. However, Yi Zhou from Florida State University said that the research had a long way to go since it only represented a part of the brain and not the whole organoid, and you could only measure the activity in certain neurons indirectly with calcium ion activity. 

I am extremely against unnecessary screening for illness and disease in medicine. In OBGYN offices, it is common practice to begin screening for cervical cancer at the age of 21 once every three years. That means that if a woman reaches the average age of death in America, 81, that is 20 pap smears. Twenty internal investigations into her body and twenty horribly awkward experiences. I recently dived into research regarding the new debate that is arguing pap tests are over performed for their aid in medical treatment. It was found that although in general cervical cancer deaths dropped when pap smears became regularly checked, when case studies of pap smear discovered cervical cancer was looked into, their benefits seemed much less evident. One case in particular involved a woman being diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer after every previous pap result had been cleared negative and she died shortly later. When the family investigated the fault of her death, it was shown that the two or three pap tests prior to the first diagnosis of cancer were both identified as positive for cervical cancer. It wasn't that the results were not properly reported to the patient, it was that the analyst had cleared the images with little attention or care. If this cancer is so dangerous and probable in occurring that it is screened for your whole life after the age of 20, why were the outcomes not treated with that same importance and weight? The answer is allusive, but the problem remains that these tests are rendered useless when the results are quantified appropriately, and it begs the question if the invasiveness is worth the time. A similar yet different argument exists for me and x-rays. I understand that x-rays are extremely usefull in identifying issues in bone structure and teeth that can help solve and treat unknown problems for many patients. I however found myself in the dentist chair and the assistant requested x-rays with the reasoning for performing the x-ray being "Your insurance allows us to every year". I made clear I had no pain in my jaw and did not experience any discomfort that might lead to the suggestion of a cavity, and yet it was requested to be done. Here. the basis of treatment relied on what the insurance was willing to pay for, and the dentist wanted to reach the maximum amount of profit from my dental plan. This was completely besides that fact that x-rays can cause DNA damage and radiation leading to cancer and death. I might sound dramatic for saying a dentist looking at my molars could kill me, but the possibility exists. And yet the safety and wishes of the patient were thrown out the window for profit. I of course refused and the assistant handed me a brochure about x-rays to "help educate" me. No, you are not getting my money to spam the oral cavity next to my brain with DNA damaging rays.