CSB #8 ~ Our Experiment

Authors: Angeline Pan and Madhu Nori

While exercising, the heart needs to pump blood faster and in larger amounts to all of your body because you are using up your oxygenated blood quickly. After exercising, have you ever felt a fast throbbing sensation throughout your body and a higher pulse? This is because your heart has been doing its job. However, when sleeping or resting, your body does not have to work as hard to get blood to the rest of your body.

In this experiment, Madhu and Angeline tested what would happen to our blood pressure and pulse if our physical position/state was altered. We tried 3 different positions and one state of exercise: lying down, sitting on a chair, standing, and after doing 40 jumping jacks.We wanted to see how blood pressure changes with each position/state and determine why this happens. We hypothesized that if a person were to lie down, sit, stand, and do 40 jumping jacks, then the blood pressure would be lowest while lying down and gradually increase to the highest blood pressure after exercising.

During this experiment, we used the logger pro application on our laptop to connect the blood pressure sensor to collect the data. First, the test subject, Angeline, lay down for five minutes and while Madhu wrapped the blood pressure sensor around her arm and recorded the blood pressure and pulse. We then proceeded to repeat this process three more times, but for sitting down, standing, and right after exercising.

Awkwardly lying down on the ground

Sitting

Standing up!

Working hard, AKA doing jumping jacks ;D

We found that our hypothesis was correct: run 1 (lying down) resulted in 109/63 & a pulse of 67, run 2 (sitting) resulted in 112/71 & a pulse of 70, run 3 (standing) resulted in 109/63 & a pulse of 83, and lastly, run 4 (after 40 jumping jacks) resulted in 136/85 & a pulse of 108. There is not that large of a difference in the blood pressure, however there is a slightly larger difference between the pulse rates.

Overall, our experimental hypothesis was supported by our data. We think this ordering is correct because lying down requires the least energy, sitting requires a little more, standing requires even more, and doing jumping jacks is the most tiring. Because the muscles of the body must function more as the body requires more energy, blood must flow faster. Thus, due to the lack of adequate amount of blood, the heart is signaled to pump more and support the muscles. Furthermore, as the heart pulse rate increased, pressure would increase likewise because more liquid is forced through the vessels at a higher speed.

CSB #7 ~ NOTCH

According to researchers, when one is deprived of sleep, it is harder for them to learn.
Paul Shaw had discovered that "sleep deprivation in flies caused increased activity in a gene that suppresses NOTCH. They found a similar increase in humans following sleep loss. They went on to show that when that suppressor is genetically disabled, allowing increased NOTCH activity, flies continue to learn even when sleep-deprived." Additionally, they have found that NOTCH is also located in the human brain. After research, they have discovered that NOTCH is made in glia. Glia are brain cells that control the mental process of the brain.

Now, Shaw is working on how to control NOTCH in humans. "We may want to target glia to reduce or slow the cognitive deficits associated with increased wakefulness, allowing people such as emergency personnel and air traffic controllers to stay awake and functional for extended periods of time," Shaw says. "If modifying glia can slow negative outcomes associated with prolonged wakefulness, that may provide us with a more natural way of helping people stay awake than directly targeting neurons." Using NOTCH is better than a process that targets neurons. Hopefully, they will be successful and help sleep deprived people in the future. Those people will be able to work efficiently and stay awake.

I think that this topic is extremely interesting for I had always thought being sleepy was not controlled by NOTCH. This article really opened up my mind about how there are more discoveries to come.

MLA Citation: "Protein Keeps Sleep-Deprived Flies Ready to Learn" Science Daily 5 May 2011: n. pag. ScienceDaily. Web 8 Mar. 2011

Link to article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505123952.htm

Link to picture: http://gabby22197.glogster.com/what-is-sleep-deprivation/

CSB #6 ~ Baby Mice Healing Hearts Themselves?

Photo By Getty Images

A cardiologist, Hesham Sadek, had a theory that when mammals are developing, there could be a phase where the heart can not be mended anymore. During this experiment, researchers had found that baby mice can repair their own hearts.

"So, he and his team surgically removed about 15% of muscle tissue in the walls of the left ventricle of 1-day-old mice. One week later, they found molecular evidence for cardiomyocyte proliferation throughout the heart. The animals fully recovered muscle tissue within three weeks of the operation, and their left ventricle pumped blood normally within two months. The same procedure performed on 7-day-old mice did not lead to cardiomyocyte proliferation or regeneration."

Cardiomyocyte proliferation only takes place within the first week of a newborn's life. After that, the cells can not be regenerated. Additionally, this type of technology can somewhat replace stem cell research when needing to repair lost cells.

Not only do baby mice have the ability to regenerate their heart, but zebrafish do too. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) can recover lost cardiac tissue throughout their life, even after a 20% amputation of the ventricle, in large part because of the proliferation of remaining heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes. Similarly, mouse embryos with a genetic defect that harms the heart can restore cardiac cells through proliferation and regain normal function. Although adult mammals can replace some damaged cardiomyocytes, the turnover rate in humans is estimated to be lower than 1% a year -- not enough to revitalize the organ after a heart attack or other major injury that causes scar formation."

I think that this topic is extremely interesting for I had never thought that animals could repair their own hearts. It leaves me thinking whether or not this type of experimentation can be applied to other cells. Also, I wonder what makes the cardiomyocyte proliferation stop after a certain period of time. Overall, I think it is fascinating that a newborn creature can somewhat regenerate their hearts if needed.

MLA Citation: Weaver, Janelle. "Young Mammal Hearts Heal Themselves." Scientific American. nature, n.d. Web 6 Apr. 2011.
Link to article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=young-mammal-hearts-heal-thems
Link to picture: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/science/01obmice.html

CSB #5 ~ Making Nanoparticles With Cinnamon

Photo By MIT

When producing nanoparticles, many toxic chemicals are used to form them. There has always been a worry that those chemicals can hurt the human body, resulting in the cause of cancer or any other disease. Kattesh Katti and the University of Missouri research team believe they have found the solution: Cinnamon.

"The team mixed gold salts in water with cinnamon and discovered that they remarkably formed nanoparticles. Typically such particles form only when exposed to an electric field or when toxic chemicals are added to the mix." Herbs and spices, like cinnamon, have the ability to use the phytochemicals and convert metal into nanoparticles. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds usually found naturally in plants. "More serendipitous yet, the cinammon nanoparticles were found to release phytochemicals found in cinnamon debris. These phytochemicals have been shown to kill or reduce the growth of certain types of cancer cells. So not only are these particles non-toxic, but they also fight cancer."

I think that this is extremely interesting considering that in addition to the fact that these nanoparticles are not harmful, but they also help battle against cancer. Before reading this article, I had always thought that cinnamon was just a spice. I never thought that cinnamon could turn into a wonder like this. I hope that this inspires and leads to other new discoveries like this. If a simple herb like cinnamon can produce such a great scientific development, imagine what other creations can be developed.

MLA citation: Mick, Jason. "Researchers Ditch Toxic Nanoparticle Chemicals for Delicious Cinnamon." DailyTech. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2011.

Link to article: http://www.dailytech.com/Researchers+Ditch+Toxic+Nanoparticle+Chemicals+for+Delicious+Cinnamon/article20276.htm
Link to image: http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/17652_large_Gold_Nanoparticles.jpg

CSB #4 ~ What Happened To The Methane Of The BP Oil Spill?

Definitions
methane: an odorless and colorless hydrocarbon that can be used as a fuel.
hydrocarbon: a compound composed of only hydrogen and carbon.

Summary
Ever since the BP oil spill, many have wondered where all the methane went. This hydrocarbon is about twenty times more effective than carbon dioxide when needed to trap heat in the atmosphere. On January 6th, the answer finally came out: All the bacteria in the ocean had consumed the methane. Since the bacteria had eaten the methane, it prevented the hydrocarbon to rise into the air. Also, because the bacteria was on an "all-methane diet," it multiplied quickly and prevented the methane to ascend into the atmosphere.

Discussion
I think that we were very lucky that the bacteria had eaten all the methane because if it didn't, it would result in disastrous results. If 200,000 tons of methane were released into the atmosphere, our environment would be majorly impacted. Because the bacteria had multiplied at a fast rate, it had helped prevent deep changes in our surroundings. The reason why I chose this article was because I was curious after hearing so much about the oil spill. I learned that if the bacteria had not consumed the methane, the oil spill would have even more severe after-effects.

Questions
1. How badly would the environment be affected if the bacteria didn't consume the methane?
2. When did the bacteria finish consuming all of the methane?

Sources Zabarenko, Deborah. "Bacteria Gobbled Methane from BP Spill: Scientists." Scientific American. Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2011. Wed. 9 Jan. 2011.

CSB #3 ~ Mother's Drug Usage Can Affect Baby

Definitions
morphine: a narcotic drug that is made from opium
dopamine: molecules that act as a neurotransmitter
nucleus accumbens: a region in the brain that plays a role of motivation and drug addiction

Summary
Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine did a study on rats, testing if mothers who quit drugs before pregnancy can still affect their baby. Female rats were given morphine for ten days and mated a few weeks later. They had discovered that the offspring, including the grandchildren, were less sensitive to dopamine, which is located in the nucleus accumbens. Tests have shown that changes in the dopamine system can cause a higher likeliness for vulnerability to drug addiction.

Discussion I think that this is an interesting article because we had just started a gene pool project and "made a baby." I had learned that physical characteristics were passed down genetically, while behaviors weren't. This article shows that drug addictions can be hereditary and it may be likely that the children will also have to deal with drug usages. Many drugs have labels that explain taking it might cause problems when pregnant. Based on this article, even if the mother stops using it before becoming pregnant, there is still a chance that the baby will be affected.

Questions
- In the experiment, the rats were not exposed to drugs for three weeks. If they changed the period to a few months, would the results still be the same?
- Does this mean that all female drug users' children are prone to having a genetic connection and likeliness of drug addiction?

Citations
Siegfried, Tom. "Mom's past drug abuse may alter brain chemistry of offspring ."ScienceNews 14 Nov. 2010: n. pag. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.topmedicalbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/drugs-in-pregnancy-and-lactation-.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.booksvariety.com/drug-calculations-process-and-problems-for-clinical-practice&usg=__4Jpwyc_YxYwC2f6ahZ6Xot0bgMo=&h=500&w=340&sz=72&hl=en&start=0&sig2=1Vmy_eTME4ZcC4iJDaN-nw&zoom=1&tbnid=m077lpc0c0qFpM:&tbnh=171&tbnw=111&ei=TTXmTIbEDZOqsAPd7uSwCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpregnancy%2Bdrugs%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS281%26biw%3D1241%26bih%3D579%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C248&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=547&vpy=86&dur=135&hovh=272&hovw=185&tx=103&ty=192&oei=TTXmTIbEDZOqsAPd7uSwCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&biw=1241&bih=579

CSB #2 ~ No More Chocolate?

Definitions
genome: a set of hereditary information in the form of DNA or RNA
bioterrorism: terrorism that releases toxins and bacteria to worsen health conditions

Summary
If there is no genome, the virus will spread and endanger the cacao crops. Cacao trees were first cultivated by the Mayans about 1,500 years ago. The diseases like witch's broom and frosty pod drove the bean out of its natural habitat. 70% of cacao trees are located in West Africa, so if the diseases spread there, the beloved cacao bean will be in danger. According to scientists, about one third of the population of cacao will be lost, even if only a few cacao pods are infected. They are trying to breed plants to increase resistance and identify the DNA. Randy C. Ploetz of the University of Florida states that having the genetic sequence will speed up the work. At the end of the year, scientists are expected to have a draft of the genome. But, it will take a few more years to actually figure out everything.

Discussion
I think that its interesting that most of the cacao trees are made in West Africa. If anything happened to those countries, a lot of our cacao products would be short in supply. I chose this article because I love chocolate. If we really lose most of the cacao crops, many of the cacao products will be limited. Before reading this article, I never would have thought that the world could lose cacao. I take chocolate for granted and now I know that I need to appreciate little things, like cacao.

Questions
- How come scientists have to spend so much time trying to get the genome of the cacao tree?
- Is there a more effective way of trying to find cacao's genome?
- If the disease does spread, is there any way to save our cacao trees?

Resources
Moyer, Michael. "Death and Chocolate: Disease Threatens to Devastate Global Cocoa Supply. "Scientific American Magazine 24 Sept. 2010: n. pag. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.