August 16, 2007

You know, those red blood cells that carry oxygen to the bodies cells, the white ones that fight infection and the ones that heal battle damage (platelets)… well, they produce their own waves to get to their required destinations.

Where do cells get their power?

Cells are so beyond our modern technology it’s absolutely mind blowing. Each cell within our bodies is powered by the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, the mitochondria but instead of producing radioactive waste, it simply produces carbon dioxide (along with a few benign chemicals) and is powered by sugar! Now that we have the power plant out of the way, now it’s time to explain the drive system that has only recently been discovered using very high power microscopes.

How are these waves produced?

To greatly simplify the process, think of a shotgun being fired. You have a bullet (Hem-1 protein) in the chamber, the trigger is pulled by the cell leading to a controlled explosion. Right before the bullet leaves the chamber, another one is put into it’s place (right hand side of cell) while the spent cartridge is then discarded but enough of the cartridge is left for regenerating a brand new bullet (recruitment of Hem-1 protein on left hand side). What you end up with is a system of propulsion system that never needs refueling due to being self-generating and works almost anywhere in the body where these proteins are present.

Ramifications

Once you discover how cells within our body propel themselves and more importantly, their driving force, you can develop therapies that either enhance or impede these movements based on the chemical nature of a specific cell type. For instance, a drug could be developed to prevent all cancerous cells within the human body from being able to move or gene therapies that would give helper cells a locomotive boost if, say, somebody was infected with a potent Virus. Although far into the future, once you understand the control mechanisms behind cell movement, radio controlled device could be created to focus cells onto a particular activity such as clearing out blocked arteries or repairing a heart muscles after a heart attack.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is like a river, winding and ever changing yet always expanding.

Buzzvia
http://www.interndaily.com/reports/Bursts_Of_Waves_Drive_Immune_System_Soldiers_Toward_Invaders_999.html

View the video
http://cvri.ucsf.edu/~weiner

Having used electric, fire and gas in the past to cook a tasty meal… gas is by far the most efficient and cheapest cooking method but Thermador is offering what seems to be a good, though pricey alternative.

Stove tops pluses and negatives

You rarely see a good cook in a kitchen use fire (except for pizza) or electric to prepare a meal, they are simply to slow and not very good at really getting things hot. Maintenance is also an issue, there is nothing simpler then a gas stove top, pipe goes in, distributes the gas and ignite. No moving parts, nothing to break and incredibly flexible. Fire on the other hand is tough to beat when out in the woods but not very practical in modern kitchens, the smoke produced adds flavor but it takes forever to get something going and not being able to control the intensity nor location of the heat source makes cooking anything beyond hot dogs on a stick a very tricky experience. In the middle you have electric, electricity prices are going up (as always) and these traditionally took forever to get to a good temperature and as the flame doesn’t envelope the pans like gas, heat distribution on anything but a flat surface is much to be desired.

The Thermador Experience

Without sounding too much like a commercial, induction heating means the counter top stays relatively cool as only the pan itself gets warm, greatly increasing safety, especially during spills (they happen) and kids running around. As the elements are flat with the surface, cleaning is a breeze and instant temperature changes are possible due to the induction technology. Additionally, these Thermador counter top elements heat-up 50% faster then gas and as the heat is within the pan itself, a far higher efficiency in heat distribution is achieved verses traditional electric or gas.

The Bottom Line

Induction really seems cool but the two thousand dollar price tag is rather steep.

Buzzvia
http://www.thermador.com/product743.html

People suffering from mental health issues use to be housed in psychiatric institutions but now, in the United States, they are increasingly being held in jail. If fact, one out of every 10 patients are now housed behind bars with the general inmate population, which now represents over half a million of those held in detention facilities around the country.

Summary

I urge you to view the video yourself but if you don’t have time, here is a summary:

• prisons have become the new state mental health facilities as they where systematically shutdown due to budget cuts and policy changes
• 50 000 mentally ill stay in state hospitals but 500 000 stay in prison
• 16% of prison inmates in Ohio are mentally ill requiring special services (medication, follow-up… ) that most facilities aren’t built to provide
• 30% of those 16% mentally ill will always require hospitalization and professional services to keep their condition manageable
• patients requiring acute care or constant watch are sent into the prison infirmary
• patients become suicidal, depressed and delusional due to being housed in a prison facility
• prisons are built to provide safety and security for the local population, not mental health services
• most mental health patients are in prison due to minor offenses and not following orders by lower level detention facilities
• Ohio prison system tries to triage those who are mentally ill verses criminal intent regarding disciplinary action
• mentally ill patients require more force then the general prison population because they quickly become out of control
• mentally ill inmates are often cycled between maximum security prison to mental health facilities for stabilization then back again into prison
• once mentally ill inmates return to prison, their conditions quickly degrade
• prison mental health services are often better then those in community based settings as close monitoring and force can be applied
• some inmates believe prison makes their condition better while others say it makes it worse
• isolation makes those who are already mentally ill worse and they fall apart due to lack of intellectual stimulation
• parole is a difficult goal to achieve due to their mental illness which often leads to an extensive rap sheet being produced in addition to their own bias towards wanting to guarantee mental health services in prison for the inmates own good
• some mentally ill inmates fear leaving prison because they fear the complexity of everyday life, they believe they are better off in the confines of a controlled environment
• mentally ill inmates have a high rate of return after parole as they often stop taking their medication, believing they don’t need it anymore and are cured
• two million people are behind bars in the United States, of which 25% have mental problems

The Bottom Line

Mental illness requires close attention by medically educated professionals, not people involved with law enforcement.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/