Reduce Pain By Looking Away
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When you are getting an injection, do you look at the needle or look away? Research suggests that looking away when receiving an injection reduces the strength of the expected pain. In the study, it was discovered that when participants viewed a video of a needle pricking a hand, they experienced a pain that was more intense than viewing a hand only or a hand that was being touched by a Q-tip. The intense pain sensation was also accompanied by increased activity of the participants' autonomic nervous system.
According to the lead author of the study, Marion Höfle, "Throughout our lives, we repeatedly experience that needles cause pain when pricking our skin, but situational expectations, like information given by the clinician prior to an injection, may also influence how viewing needle pricks affects pain." The study indicates that expectations about receiving an injection influence the intensity of the pain. The pain may be reduced if the clinician provides information that lessens the expectation of pain and recommends that the patient not look at the needle when receiving an injection.
Learn more about this study, see:
- To Avoid Pain During an Injection, Look Away (Science Daily)
Watch When You Eat
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Be careful when you eat. A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism indicates that eating at random times throughout the day can lead to weight gain. The researchers believe this to be so because our organs, including those of the digestive system, have times when they work most efficiently and times when they rest. Our metabolic cycles are set to "turn on" when we eat and slow down when we are not eating. Eating at various times of the day can upset these metabolic cycles.
According to lead author of the study, Satchidananda Panda, "When we eat randomly, those genes aren't on completely or off completely." As a result, we gain weight due to inefficient breakdown of food for energy. The study suggests that restricting meal times may help to prevent weight gain. The researchers believe that when studying obesity, just as much attention should be given to when a person eats as it is to what a person eats.
Learn more about this study, see:
- When You Eat Matters, Not Just What You Eat (Science Daily)
Difficult Path to Fertilization
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Photo Credit: Renjith Krishnan FreeDigitalPhotos.net | |
In sexual reproduction, male sperm must navigate the female reproductive tract in order to fertilize the egg cell (ovum). Researchers have discovered how sperm make their way to the egg. Contrary to popular notion, they don't swim in the center of the reproductive tract. Instead, they travel along the walls of the reproductive tract, maneuvering complex channels, often colliding into walls. Of the millions of sperm that are released into the reproductive tract, only about ten reach the egg cell.
In the study, the researchers examined sperm behavior by injecting sperm into extremely small micro-channels. Researcher Dr. Kirkman-Brown states, "Through research like this we are learning how the good sperm navigate by sending them through mini-mazes. Previous research from the group indicates that the shape of the sperm head can subtly affect how the sperm swim." Learning about how sperm make their way to an egg may help to develop methods for identifying qualities in sperm that make them more capable of reaching and fertilizing an egg. Studies such as this one may provide insight into the development of new methods of treating infertility.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Sperm Crawl and Collide On Way to Egg, Say Scientists (Science Daily)
Faster Mammals Have Larger Eyes
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University of Texas at Austin researchers have determined that body mass and maximum running speed are the two most important factors that determine eye size in mammals. The researchers believe that fast mammals such as cheetahs and horses have larger eyes for better vision when moving at a high rate of speed. This helps them to avoid collisions.
According to researcher Chris Kirk, "There is going to be the effect of body mass, but when you look at maximum running speed in isolation or when you hold body mass constant, it's still significantly related to eye size. And when you combine maximum running speed and body mass as your two variables influencing how big an eye is, they can explain almost all of the differences observed between species." This discovery challenges the previous thought that the main factor influencing mammalian eye size is the time of day when the animal is active. That is, whether an animal is nocturnal or diurnal.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Eye Size Determined by Maximum Running Speed in Mammals (Science Daily)
Combating Antibiotic Resistance
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Image: Keith Ireton / University of Central Florida | |
Manchester University researchers are attempting to combat antibiotic resistance by developing a way to prevent bacteria from infecting cells of the body. While studying a group of bacteria called Listeria, the researchers discovered that they spread infection through a cell protein called calpain. Learning about how bacteria spread infection could lead to the development of new anti-infective drugs that could be an alternative to antibiotics.
According to lead researcher Dr. David Brough, "We have investigated the growth of Listeria, a pathogenic bacterium that grows inside cells. An essential step for its growth, and thus the infection, is the bacteria's ability to move from within one compartment in a cell to another. We discovered that in order for this particular type of bacteria to move and to grow some of the host cells biology is exploited, a protein called calpain. Without calpain the bacteria cannot move within the cell and so do not grow." The researchers contend that drugs could potentially be developed against the protein to inhibit infection. This would reduce the necessity for antibiotic use.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Bacteria Discovery Could Lead to Antibiotics Alternatives (Science Daily)
How To Make a Lung Model
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Constructing a lung model is an excellent way to learn about the respiratory system and lung function. The lungs provide a place for gas exchange between air from the outside environment and gases in the blood. The respiratory and cardiovascular systems work together to obtain and circulate gases throughout the body. The heart pumps de-oxygenated blood to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries. Oxygen is picked up in the lungs and the newly oxygenated blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins.
Breathing is controlled by a region of the brain called the medulla oblongata. The brain sends signals to muscles in the diaphragm causing them to contract. This contraction causes inhalation and creates low pressure in the chest cavity. As the diaphragm relaxes, pressure within the chest cavity increases resulting in exhalation. In this lung model demonstration, structures of the respiratory system will be represented as follows:
- plastic bottle = chest cavity
- plastic tubing = trachea
- Y-shaped connector = bronchi
- balloons inside bottle = lungs
- balloon covering bottom of bottle = diaphragm
For additional information about biology models and experiments see: DNA Models, How To Make a DNA Model Using Candy and How To Extract DNA From a Banana.
Lung Cancer Gene Identified
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| Image Credit: Louisa Howard | |
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified the gene responsible for the development and spread of non-small cell lung cancer. According to researchers, this type of cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The lung cancer gene, matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10), is used by cancer stem-like cells to produce cancer cells that are insusceptible to current treatments. Enzymes produced by this gene work to degrade cells and tissues that surround tumors, resulting in cancer metastasis.
According to senior investigator Alan Fields, "Our data provides evidence that MMP-10 plays a dual role in cancer. It stimulates the growth of cancer stem cells and stimulates their metastatic potential. MMP-10 acts to keep these cancer stem cells healthy and self renewing, which also helps explain why these cells escape conventional chemotherapy that might destroy the rest of the tumor." The researchers also suspect that MMP-10 may be the reason for the survival of other human cancer stem cells including those associated with colorectal, melanoma, breast, renal, and prostate cancers.
Learn more about this study, see:
Blood Flow and Heart Disease
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| Credit: N. Sniadecki, UW | |
Researchers from the University of Washington have uncovered more clues as to how heart arteries may become blocked over time. By studying blood vessel walls, it was discovered that cells move closer together when they are in areas where blood flow is swift. This clinging together of cells reduces the loss of fluid from the blood vessels. The researchers noted that in areas where blood flow is slow, there tends to be more leakage from arteries. This leads to artery blocking cholesterol buildup in those areas.
According to lead author Nathan Sniadecki, "Our results indicate that these cells can sense the kind of flow that they're in, and structurally change how they hold themselves together. This highlights the role that cellular forces play in the progression of cardiovascular disease." The researchers believe that the speed of blood flow sparks biochemical changes that allow cell membrane proteins to stick closer together. Gaining a better understanding of how artery cells respond to blood flow could potentially lead to the development of new drug treatments for cardiovascular disease.
Learn more about this study, see:
Cell Membrane
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Credit: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal | |
The cell membrane is a thin semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm of a cell, enclosing its contents. Its function is to protect the integrity of the interior of the cell by allowing certain substances into the cell, while keeping other substances out. It also serves as a base of attachment for the cytoskeleton in some organisms and the cell wall in others. Thus the cell membrane also helps to support the cell and maintain its shape.
The cell membrane is primarily composed of a mix of proteins and lipids. Depending on the membrane's location and role in the body, lipids can make up anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of the membrane, with the remainder being proteins. While lipids help to give membranes their flexibility, proteins monitor and maintain the cell's chemical climate and assist in the transfer of molecules across the membrane.
Phospholipids are a major component of cell membranes. They form a lipid bilayer in which their hydrophilic (attracted to water) head areas spontaneously arrange to face the aqueous cytosol and the extracellular fluid, while their hydrophobic (repelled by water) tail areas face away from the cytosol and extracellular fluid. The lipid bilayer is semi-permeable, allowing only certain molecules to diffuse across the membrane.
Learn more about the cell, see:
Bioengineered Hair Regeneration
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| Credit : © Tokyo University of Science | |
Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science have successfully genetically engineered stem cells from dermal and epithelial cells that develop into fully functioning hair follicles. The bioengineered hair follicle stem cells were transplanted directly under the top layer of skin in mice models. The stem cells were able to produce hair follicles that made correct connections with tissues necessary for hair growth such as muscle fibers, nerve fibers, and the outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis. The hair follicles were also capable of regeneration via repetition of the hair cycle.
According to the researchers, their study is a huge development in the quest for the creation of organ replacement regenerative therapies. They contend that this discovery substantially contributes to the development of bioengineering technologies that will one day make hair regeneration therapy possible for hair loss caused by injury or disease.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Hair Regeneration from Adult Stem Cells (Science Daily)