Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Who you truly are...
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
Zika Virus
After being bitten by an infected mosquito, people do not get sick enough to go to the hospital and rarely die. The virus usually remains in the blood for about a week but it can be found in infected individuals where the virus lasting longer than one week. Once infected, the individual is protected from future infections. (A)
An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people.(B) Currently there is no vaccine to prevent the Zika Virus so people are advised to avoid mosquito bites at all times. The mosquitoes that spread the virus also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. When you are traveling to a different country where there is a chance of mosquitoes that spreads viruses make sure you are protected. It is important that you wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Cover crib, stroller, and baby carrier with mosquito netting. Do not apply insect repellent onto a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, and cut or irritated skin. During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people. To help prevent others from getting sick, avoid mosquito bites during the first week of illness. Zika virus can be spread by a man to his sex partners.
With the recent outbreaks, the number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States will likely increase. 80% of cases will not be diagnosed.These imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in some areas of the United States. A mother already infected with Zika virus near the time of delivery can pass on the virus to her newborn around the time of birth.
To date, there are no reports of infants getting Zika virus through breastfeeding.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Curing Blindness in Children with Cataracs
The first infant treated using the method underwent surgery two years ago and still has good vision, says Zhang. He says that the regenerated lens should grow as the child grows, which could reduce later complications.(B) Within four weeks time the incisions were completely healed. In three months the children had regrown fully operational naturally grown lenses. By the eight month these children's sight was completely restored as their new lenses fully grew back to the size of their originally cloudy ones. (A)
Compared to conventional cataract surgery the dozen children had clearer lenses, noticeably less inflammation, and an incredibly shorter healing period. The reason as to why this surgery was specifically aimed at children is because their LECs are much more youthful and more likely to successfully regenerate a new lens than an adult with LECs. Because of the results from these experiments, new approaches are now far more possible than ever before as we can now turn our own dormant stem cells. powerful this could be if we can do it for heart attacks, or turn on neuronal stem cells in the brain. (A)
Nishida's
team noticed that the cells grew in distinct regions. Because of this,
it made it easier for the researchers to extract and purify specific
types of cells including those found in the cornea, retina, and lens.
They were able to remove cells from one region of the disc to grow
sheets of corneal epithelium. Then they were able to successfully
transplant into the defective corneas of rabbits. (B)
Although
there have been many studies where retina or cornea tissues were
produced using iPS cells, none have produced different types of eye
cells. Cells made from recipients own cells using the disc method could
one day supply tissue repair to damaged eyes without the threat of
rejection by the immune system. (B)
By contrast, the
cataract paper could have an almost immediate impact on treatment, says
James Funderburgh, a cell biologist at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine in Pennsylvania. The technique described does not
involve culturing cells outside the body or transplanting material that
would require regulatory approval. The research was inspired by a
typical side effect of implanting artificial lenses to treat cataracts:
the new lenses often become cloudy as the recipient’s own cells grow
over them. A team led by ophthalmologists Khang Zhang of the University
of California, San Diego, and Yizhi Liu of Sun Yat-sen University in
Guangzhou, China, decided to find out whether this regrowth signalled
that the body is capable of regenerating an entire lens.(B)
Still, Funderburgh is enthusiastic about the technique. “Even if it’s only for kids, it’s fantastic,” he says.(B)
LINKS:
(A) http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/revolutionary-stem-cell-surgery-restores-sight-children-cataracts
(B)http://www.nature.com/news/sci-fi-eye-experiments-improve-vision-in-children-and-rabbits-1.19535
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
French Kiss (1995): Latest in Heart Disease Treatments
Links:
(A)http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/19/artery-cell-discovery-paves-way-for-new-heart-disease-treatment
(B) http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/19/new-test-detects-genes-for-every-known-inherited-heart-condition
(C)https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/07/heart-muscle-cells-regrown-in-medical-research-breakthrough
Please note! These images are not mine~ they were found on various tumblr websites! If any are yours please let me know so that I can give you credit! Thanks so much & enjoy!