I don’t know it from Adam.

Mike, Douglas, and I were having a discussion about Adam’s apples.  How did that come up?  I can recall where it came up (Cafe Luxembourg) but not exactly how.

If you search for ”Adam’s apple” in Google Images, a lot of pictures of Ann Coulter come up.

The Adam’s apple is medically called the “laryngeal prominence.”  It develops at puberty and is basically a lump of cartilage covering the larynx/voice box.  Guys have these apples, and some girls do and some don’t.  Male cartilage meets at a 90 degree angle which is why it sticks out so much.  Female cartilage meets are more of a 120 degree angle, causing less protrusion.

What does it do?  Nothing.  How useless!

I like the name, a biblical reference.  And apparently the apple bobs around when some guys are nervous.  Iiiiinteresting.

References

•  http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/adams_apple.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngeal_prominence
• http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/061102_adams_apple.html
• http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1715.html

She’s gone dental.

My pal The Redhead told me glumly that she had several cavities and had to have them taken care of. Not fun.

Whenever I think of the dental arts, I think of Steve Martin’s sadistic dentist from Little Shop of Horrors. They might be onto something there. Dentistry isn’t exactly a cuddly profession. What strikes fear in the hearts of many? Drills, shots in your gums, headgear, braces, root canals. Yes siree bob.

But The Redhead is rather diligent with teeth care and flosses and brushes regularly and adheres to a health diet. What gives? That got me thinking, is being susceptible to cavities genetic? I have been extremely lucky to not have cavities, but I know I’ll have some mouth torture down the line.

A brush up (har) on cavities is as follows. Your teeth have a coating of plaque on ‘em, plaque basically being a layer of bacteria. Eating carbs not only feeds you but feed the bacteria, and they in turn churn out acids which rot your pearly white chompers, diggin’ holes in them eventually. Curse you, Streptococcus mutans.

The ADA also says that adults also may be prone to cavities because of recessive gums that occur with aging. And being cavity susceptible could possibly be blamed on genetics (not so much data on this?) and tooth morphology. With the latter, if you tend to have deeper grooves in your teeth, you have a harder time keeping those grooves clean, and thus the bacteria have happy parties and make cavities. Some sites suggest chewing sugarfree gum to keep the saliva swirling and bacteria low. Hmm.

For smile health, keep on doing those things you were told to do.

• Brush twice a day
• Floss
• Eat smart
• Visit your friendly local dental professional

References

• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-some-people-get-mo
• http://www.ada.org/public/topics/decay_faq.asp
• http://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/article/530
• http://www.colgateprofessional.com/patienteducation/All-About-Cavities/article

Beta banded memories from the corner of my mind

An article titled “Rooted Sorrow” published in the April 27, 2009 issue of Newsweek captured my attention.  Ironically, a piece about memory is being lodged in my memory.  As Kylie Minogue would say, I just can’t get [it] out of my head, so I figured, I will write about that.

The original findings around which the article orbits is from a researcher named Karim Nader, presently at McGill.  His conclusion, presented at the Society for Neuroscience in 2001 I’m guessing, was that long term memories, when retrieved, can be altered before they return to storage, aka reconsolidation. 

This theory suggests that memories are like bedsheets.  You know, when you can’t get them back into the packaging exactly like how they were before they were opened?  I’m trying to come up with a better analogy, but that will do for the time being.

The tragic issue is that Newsweek completely failed to mention Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of the best movies ever.  All right, it’s mentioned in the online photo gallery, but that doesn’t really count because I was reading the paper edition, and it’s still not mentioned in the story.  Shame on Newsweek.  Here’s an article from Forbes on Nader which came out in 2007 and brings up the movie.  Props to Forbes.

Nader’s recent research is focusing on the use of propranolol to treat individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  When I read about his rat experiments, I was picturing him having a tiny microphone and interviewing the rats on how they felt after trauma.  “So Mr. Sprague, do you feel less upset about recalling me shocking you?  Ms. Dawley, do these memories still bother you?”

As someone with a particularly vivid memory and as someone who has taken a class on memory and as someone who had popped a propranolol or two, I feel as though I am a semi-qualified expert on this matter (or not).

Propranolol, a beta blocker, was developed to help those with high blood pressure.  It works by blocking the beta subtype of adrenergic receptors, thus negating the effects of the hormone epinephrine/adrenaline.  Net results include a slower heartbeat and lowered blood pressure.  Apparently epinephrine works to strengthen emotional memories?  Interesting.  That is why beta blockers are being explored as a viable option, along with painkillers, nausea drugs, and RU-486. 

In these highlighted studies, subjects with PTSD were instructed to write down their trauma in extensive detail, and then for six weeks, these people would pop propranolol before reading the account, with the idea that your body would act calm even though you were reliving a horrible experience.  The results were promising.  I guess it’s hard to really control for these sorts of studies though.  I wonder about using propranolol for years, long term use.  Do these folks have fewer upsetting emotional memories?  Flatter memories?

But hey, anything which can lessen the bad stuff deserves praise.  Though it would be much simpler if lab techs snuck in while you were sleeping and wiped the slate clean.  My brilliant idea is to someday develop a way to excise the unpleasantness, live life, and when ready, have the memory plopped back in if you’d like.  Just like cells frozen in storage.  They’re there if you want ‘em, but they can chill out if you don’t.

References

• http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2009/02/propranolol_adrenalin_armor.php
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/beta-blockers/HI00059

Minty fresh bladder. Or, they weren’t kidding with the thin mints name.

I drink herbal mint tea here and there, but it takes a backseat to my passionate love affair with black tea.

But then I was presented with mint black tea. Of course I had to taste and assess.

I’ve noticed this for a long time, casually, always sort of in the back on my mind, though I never thought to look it up until now: after consuming mint in tea form, I’ve found myself wanting, rather needing, to use the restroom soon after. What the heck was going on?

Fears confirmed: mint is a diuretic.  But–mint doesn’t only increase the urge.

Mint members belong to the genus Mentha and include such gum flavors as peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha apicata). Other non-gum varieties include curly mint, pennyroyal, water/bog mint, apple mint, and pineapple mint (the last two, paging Orbit?). These herbs actually grow like babies and weeds: very quickly. I can attest to that because back when I actually liked gardening (aka childhood), my mint plant commanded the garden and was out of control. Naughty square-stemmed flora.

According to Roman mythology, underworld ruler Pluto became smitten with a hottie nymph called Minthe. Pluto’s wife Proserpine was understandably not keen on this development and turned Minthe into an unassuming plant. Pluto couldn’t reverse the spell, but he at least made Minthe smell nice when people crushed her with their feet.  Minthe=Mentha.

Wow, mint is so handy. It helps your stomach when you’re sick and helps digestion in general. We use it to enhance foods and drinks. It scents things. Soothes insect bites. And hey, it smells delightful.

If you have a rodent issue, toss mint at them!

Mint is also the herb of hospitality. Note to self: next housewarming party, serve mint juleps and Thin Mints.

References

• http://urbanext.illinois.edu/herbs/mint.html
• http://www.botany.com/mentha.html
• http://www.herbsociety-stu.org/Mint.htm

Beethoven’s Fifth Disease

Shout out to Laura, the impetus for the post.

When Laura queried me about Fifth disease, and if I had ever heard of it, I was baffled. Fifth disease? Is there a First, Second, Third, Fourth illness too?

Bad joke aside, Laura told me what she knew about the disease; it make children flush persistently, like they had been slapped. Basically, it sounded unappealing, but what sickness is?

Fifth disease is the only human parvovirus, Parvovirus B19. If you put “parvovirus” into Google, you get a lot of dog-related pages. But you can’t catch Fifth disease from your dog or cat or other animal pal. Parvoviruses are some of the teeniest viruses out there, topping out the yardstick at a whopping 20 to 25 nanometers. For my biomedical pals, they’re single stranded in the DNA department and fond of making hairpins.

The disease primarily affects children, and children are the most contagious even before they exhibit the trademark scarlet face. It sounds much like a cold; it’s spread in the same way, and other symptoms in kids can include fever and tiredness, along with a sometimes itchy rash on the body. Adults have it rough though because they will get joint pain. Usually the illness goes away on its own, lasting from about four to fourteen days. During this time, affected individuals should stay away from pregnant ladies due to possible anemia in the offspring and possible miscarriage. Some lucky people are immune or show no symptoms. Nice.

But what I really really want to know about fifth, AKA erythema infectiosum, is why is it called that?

Answer: in ye olden days, wee ones were plagued by five different skin rashes.

1. Rubeola (measles)
2. Varicella (chicken pox)
3. Rubella (German measles)
4. Roseola (controversy! also called sixth disease?)
5. Parvovirus B19

Fun lab fact: the parvovirus is named B19 because of how the lab researcher labeled plates!

References

• http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fifth_disease/article_em.htm
• http://www.fifthdisease.org/
• http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/parvo/2000/parvovirus.html
• http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/parvo_b19.htm
• http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/B19&preg.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvovirus_B19

“It’s not hip-hop, it’s electro.”

Thanks to Wayne for suggesting this post.

The non-alcoholic beverage world seems to be buzzing with the word “electrolytes” again.  Do I know what they are?  Not really.  Wayne rattled off a list of them on a bottle of water of brand water, and I heard the word “chloride” tacked on to some elements, so I deduced that they were salts.  Yeah, that’s basically all I remember from chemistry.  Chemistry is not exactly my friend.

An alternative name for electrolytes is serum chemistries.  Hmm, just doesn’t have that zing that electrolytes has.  These electrolytes hang out in your blood and other bodily liquids, and as their name would suggest, are charged. 

Macrominerals–crazy important for your body to have, and these players include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium.  You also need heaps more minerals but not so much of them (microminerals?).  Oh okay, they’re dubbed “trace minerals.”  Macrominerals keeps the brain, muscles, heart, and bones all content and working properly.

Electrolytes consist of some macrominerals and these fellows are necessary for muscle and nerve functioning.  They also make things fair and balanced in the fluid world because it’s not desireable to have too much fluids going on or too little in regards to within cells, around cells, and in the blood.

The kidneys are the managers here.  An apt analogy might be one of a nightclub bouncer.  If the club’s lifeless (not enough fluids), the kidney bouncers let in some electrolytes.  If the dance floor is wall-to-wall (bloated), the kidney bouncers keep the charged substances out.  If there are some troublemakers, they get tossed out with the garbage (in the urine).  Okay, I think you get the idea.

Hey kids, don’t get dehydrated. 

AmyL: name the movie the post title is from!

References

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002350.htm
• http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch155/ch155a.html

Ocean breathes salty

It has taken me roughly twenty-five years to come to terms with the fact that I suffer from sinus infections, which usually popped up as a treats after a wicked cold. Oh, I denied it. I scoffed when my mother told me the truth; it was something older people had. But I can’t deny them any longer.

This past week, I have been struggling with what I have self-diagnosed as the flu. What a cruel winter. Plagued by persistent colds to the point of friends wondering why I’m such a sickling. I’m not that immune-compromised, am I?

Sinusitis symptoms from the AAAAI:

Congestion

Green or gray nasal discharge

Postnasal drip

Facial pressure

Headache

Fever

Persistent cough

Another flashback, I was engrossed in Netflixing Six Feet Under a couple of years ago. There was a scene in the show in which George gives Ruth a neti pot, and it fascinated me. Do you just pour water down your nose? Too bad Ruth nor George never demonstrated.

The procedure of nasal irrigation via the neti pot (jala neti) dates back, way back. It is a common practice among yogis and yoginis and is even said to promote clarity and clairvoyance. The whole shebang goes by several different names: nasal irrigation, nasal lavage, flushing your sinuses, sinus rinse, and so forth. It’s even promoted by medical professionals, at the University of Wisconsin and elsewhere.

I wanted a more scientific/medical explanation for nasal lavage, like what sinus does it clear? I guess the ethmoidal sinuses? Maybe maxillary sinuses? I need some ENT pals. Regardless, the flush whooshes out contaminants and excess mucus which can build up during a cold. Flushing when you’re healthy can also keep everything in good working order.

I would write more, but me and my grumpy sinuses need a break now.

References

• http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1991/cmay91/neti.shtml
• http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/research/past-projects/nasal-irrigation
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7108546
• http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/03/aaaachoooo_anatomy_of_a_sinus.php
• http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/sinusitis/cause.htm
• http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/cold-flu/686.html

The ocean breathes salty, won’t you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul
The more we move ahead the more we’re stuck in rewind
Well I don’t mind. I don’t mind. How the hell could I mind?

Well that is that and this is this
You tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what you get
You get away from me. You get away from me.

–”Ocean Breathes Salty,” Modest Mouse

When doves cry, when onions cry

Last night I was slicing and dicing my friend the white onion when I started welling up and through the saline, decided that writing about onions was an appropriate blog post. [OMG! Five seconds after I typed "welling up," someone nearby said that exact phrase!]

Why do I cry? Why? Onions, I love you so, but you make me leak from the eyes. I love the smell of raw onions; it’s marvelous. I’ll suffer through the pain for the reward.

In October 2002, Imai et al. published a brief communication in Nature which identified the enzyme (lachrymatory-factor synthase) responsible for the synthesis of syn-propanethial-S-oxide. The latter is the beast which causes the waterworks to start a flowin’ by irritating the lacrimal glands of the eyes, located on the tops of your eyes, away from your nose. Basically what happens is that after slicing the onion, lachrymatory-factor synthase is released into the air, and it begins to convert sulfoxides into sulfenic acid. This unstable substance rapidly becomes syn-ropanethial-S-oxide. And there you go.

Or at least, that’s the organic chemistry (ugh) part of it. Moving on, syn-ropanethial-S-oxide contacts the cornea which is the protective covering of the eye. Corneal nerves are stimulated in the presences of syn-ropanethial-S-oxide and then these guys trigger the ciliary nerve (part of the trigeminal nerve) which alerts the CNS of the situation, and the CNS then calls the lacrimal glands to start the crying.

For the Martha Stewart side of things, the National Onion Association recommends rubbing your hands with lemon juice or salt to remove the onion odor. I’ve had that issue with garlic, not so much onions. And you can sob less if you toss the onion in the fridge for 30 minutes before it hits the chopping block, leaving the root uncut because that’s where all the teary chemicals are concentrated. You can also try using a super sharp knife in order to minimize onion damage, resulting in less syn-propanethial-S-oxide release.

References

• http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/onion.html
• http://www.onions-usa.org/about/faq.php
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/07/ST2008100701969.html
• http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-chemical-proc
• http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v419/n6908/full/419685a.html–Imai S, Tsuge N, Tomotake M, Nagatome Y, Sawada H, Nagata T, Kumagai H. 2002. Plant biochemistry: an onion enzyme that makes the eyes water. Nature. 419:685.

in vino veritas, in aqua sanitas

I like wine but an not a wine snob or wine enthusiast even. I love visiting wineries though, such fun! Drinkable fun!

So we all know basics about wine (meaning it comes from grapes, blah blah), but since Wayne asked more about chemicals and additives tossed into the elixir, I thought it might make for an informative and drinkable blog post.

Basically you have grapes, you ferment them, you have wine. Yeast is actually present in grapes, but a lot of winemakers add their own yeast for greater control of the process.

Sulfite is right: you may have noticed your bottle of vino bearing the words “contains sulfites.” Each bottle in the US cannot contain more than 350 miligrams/liter of sulfites which should be safe for those with sulfite allergies. Sulfites means that sulfur dioxide has been added during the winemaking process. SO2 is an anti-oxidant and preservative, zapping bad yeast and unwanted bacteria.

You’re so sweet: I thought dessert wines just had sugar added to them, but boy was I off-base. There are a couple different ways to produce sweet wines.

1. A fungus called Botrytis cinerea whisks away the wetness from the grapes, leaving them much more sugary.
2. If you leave grapes on the vine for a long while, they become sweetness-filled.
3. Raisins can be used as source material.
4. Another method is to add unfermented grape juice to the fermented liquid.
5. Or you can stop the fermenting process early on so that all the sugars haven’t yet been gobbled up by the yeasties.

Cheers!

References

• http://waterhouse.ucdavis.edu/winecomp/so2.htm
• http://www.winepros.org/wine101/enology.htm
• http://www.calwineries.com/learn/wine-production

See, you really can see. Even if you can’t see.

Greg showed me this video way back when, also known as December of 2008 but only now have I gotten myself in gear to actually write about it. He had first found it on The New York Times, an article called “Blind, Yet Seeing: The Brain’s Subconscious Visual Sense.”

The video mentioned can be seen at these places:

• http://beatricedegelder.com/documents/Filmato.wmv
• http://download.cell.com/current-biology/mmcs/journals/0960-9822/PIIS0960982208014334.mmc2.avi

The NYT article is a made-of-the-masses summary of this scientific journal article:

de Gelder B, Tamietto M, van Boxtel G, Roebel R, Sahraie A, van den Stock J, Stienen BMC, Weiskrantz L, Pegna A. 2008. Intact navigation skills after bilateral loss of striate cortex. Current Biology 18:R1128-R1129.

A physician originally from Africa experienced two strokes which damaged his visual cortices (located at the back of the head). Interestingly enough, the NYT mentions that this subject, TN, is a doctor, while the original article does not. TN’s eyes and circuits are fine though. Oh wait, the NYT stated that the visual cortices were completely damaged and in de Gelder et al., “[b]ecause it was impossible to control his fixation, one could not be certain that absolutely all visual cortex had been destroyed or inactivated. Nevertheless, it is a highly reasonable surmise that this was so….” Lesson learned, go to the source!

Amazingly, TN could navigate the obstacle course without bumping into boxes and furniture. TN was as gobsmacked as the experimenter who was along for the ride since he assumed he’d be stubbing his toes and tripping all over the place.

Echolocation was basically ruled out as a compensatory mechanism. A reference was made to a similar case, though in a monkey named Helen, and her brain lesions were not as widespread as TN’s. So this is a jumping-off point for more studies in this area. The researchers are concluding that there are other mechanisms which rise to the surface when the visual system is damaged. That’s nifty, sort of like a backup system.

I don’t know about you, but this is just hard to fathom. Not that I don’t believe the study, I do, but it’s difficult for those of us with a healthy visual system (more or less) to think about putting on a blindfold and walking down the sidewalk without smashing into poles, people, mailboxes, and so forth. Wow, crazy. Super senses.