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Vaccine for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a widespread complaint. It is usually a malady of the elderly, but the young can succumb to it too. About the only treatment available is replacement of joints with artificial ones and analgesics.

A team at the University of Queensland has taken a new approach. They have developed a vaccine. Many diseases are caused by the body attacking its own tissue. Arthritis is one of these. If the immune response is suppressed, inflammation decreases. This is how the new vaccine works.

All Westerners have high inflammation levels. This may be a good thing to fight injuries. However, continued long term inflammation does damage to the body. Once switched on and the immediate danger solved it needs to be turned off.

The new method involves taking a sample of the patient's immune cells which are then modified in the lab. This is injected back into the patient. The immune system no longer sees the modified peptide as foreign.

Other problematic diseases due to a lingering immune response would seem to be future candidates for similar vaccines.

✴ Health by Ty Buchanan ✴

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DNA Readies You for the Winter

It is commonly believed that DNA does its job and is just "there", non-functioning. However, new research shows DNA to be pro-active. It reads our senses and reacts accordingly. DNA detects the seasons and changes ones' body chemistry accordingly.

As many as a fifth of all blood cells genes change with the season. Gene switches are turned on or off to achieve this. In winter immune responders are at a high level. The blood gets thinner in summer knowing that you will be more active. Body-building, fat-burning and water retention is the objective in hotter months.

It is possible that living in air conditioned buildings could leave you body at risk of disease because the preparatory changes are not complete. Even the length of day is now distorted by artificial light. While having ant-inflammatory chemicals ready and operational in winter is rationally useful, inflammation in itself damages the body, particularly when there is no attack on the body.

It seems DNA knows what it is doing. This is not proven though. Body reactions have been developed by evolution. Remember, there have been dead ends where species have disappeared when the environment changed. Whether, white bread is safe to eat is still not known. Only 10,000 years of human consumption of this unnatural substance proves nothing.

✴ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Saccharin to Treat Cancer

Are you sweet enough? Maybe you are if you use saccharin. But wait! Are there other uses that this comforter can be used for? Scientists believe that it could treat cancer. The saccharin molecule deactivates carbonic anhydrase IX, a protein in aggressive cancers.

Sweet saccharin to treat aggressive cancers

Carbonic anydrase IX regulates PH so that cancer can more easily spread through the body. It is hoped that saccharin can change the PH level. If it is not at an optimum level the cancer can be successfully treated with radiation and chemo therapy.

Healthy tissues, except for the gastrointestinal tract, have no carbonydrase anydrose IX. Other carbonic anydrase proteins are there though. Molecules tested before blocked similar carbonic anydrase proteins which are present to make the body work. By tweaking the saccharin molecule it was discovered that it does not affect helpful anhydrase proteins.

Tests have begun on liver and breast cancer. These are currently on animals. If the research is successful work on humans will open a new road to treating aggressive cancers.

✴ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Sick Dog

"I'm sick; I tell you!"
"No you're not."

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✴ Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Hope for Ebola Vaccine

Ebola is still a world crisis. Though the overall rate of infected people has slowed, some pockets in Africa have increased infections. It could still spread to Europe, Asia and the US. If it does spread this wide, control will be virtually impossible.

Some form of effective treatment has to be found - fast. The blood of survivors has been seen has the most probable source of a vaccine. However, any form of treatment should be examined for its usefulness.

In Australia a vaccine tested on monkeys holds out great hope. The Kunjin treatment has been created from engineering the Ebola virus protein. Monkeys were given the vaccine and they showed significant protection from the disease. Seventy five per cent of the monkeys kept their resistance.

Much research was based on tests on rodents. Success on them did not mean that vaccines would work on humans, so tests on primates is beginning. Scientists must get a move on to create a successful vaccine. Ninety per cent of infected people die.

✴ Health by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Ultrasound to Treat Alzheimer's Disease

A great deal of research is going on into solving the problem of Alzheimer's disease. It is a major issue with the number of elderly people increasing in most countries. Though young people can suffer from the illness it is perceived as a disease of the aged.

While most work has been done on the chemical and molecular structure of the brain, it seems that a simple treatment has been there all along. The University of Queensland has stumbled onto ultrasound as an effective treatment. First successful on mice, it is now being rolled out for humans.

Waves of ultrasound break up neurotoxic amyloid plaque. The cause of the illness is still there, but the damage done is reversed. Some old memories could still be lost. However, new ones will be kept. This will reduce the need for resources in caring for the elderly who will able to function on their own.

In tests, mice were capable of solving problems that had beaten them before. Decision making is the most important function of the human brain apart from those keeping a person alive. Long term memories are not so critical: though ideally, one would not want to loose these.

It is debated whether the use of ultrasound would improve executive functions of healthy brains. Other diseases also damage the brain and detection of them is difficult. In the future we could all be getting regular ultrasound.

✴ /Health by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Solution to Bee Die-Off?

It is not widely known just how important bees are to maintain our food output, let alone to increase it as demand strengthens. There are so many mysteries to why bees are dying off across the world. Many theories are put forward. Unfortunately, there are few answers to the problem.

We need to look after the human friendly insect. It could eventually be found that bees are being killed off by chemicals. However, like other animals bees need chemicals to treat illnesses. When they become infected they change their foraging habits seeking pollen from plants that store certain chemicals. The solution to bee die-off could lie in studying this phenomenon.

Plants synthesize chemicals that attract select species of pollinators. Other substance also deter potential attackers. Herbivores have been real pests to plants for millions of years. Eating the leaves can kill plants. Insects have evolved to go where plant toxins drive herbivores away.

All nectar is not the same. If toxins can drive away herbivores, beneficial elements could attract bees as and when the insects needs it. A study infected bees with a gut parasite. One group was fed on sucrose while another group was given secondary compounds from plant nectar. The amount of parasite infestation was greatly reduced in the group which consumed secondary compounds.

✴ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Complacency and Support for Drug Taking is Dangerous

We are far too complacent about drug taking, assuming that we can just stop at any time. With alcohol use it is clear that this is not the case. Road breath tests frequently find no alcohol in a driver's system, but a drug test shows up positive. It seem that drugs can be substituted for alcohol. So it is wise not to take any drugs even as an experiment.

Drug addiction is not rare for the number of drug takers out there. Many think they can stop. They cannot. Even taking drugs regularly in the short term means withdrawal with occur. Furthermore, there is no know real cure apart from complete abstinence.

Not much is written about the health risks from drug taking. Many believe that smoking cannabis is completely safe. However, all the problems of smoking tobacco are possible. All illicit drugs destroy the body. Drugs are poison, just like alcohol. Take them at your peril.

Another real issue is permanent damage in brain functioning that can affect national economies. Forgetfulness and lack of emotional control do not make for success in the workforce. Someone has to pay for supporting those who cannot function "correctly" in society.

Drug taking is destroying societies. Take an illegal drug once and you are hooked. You will come back to it when times get tough. People who take drugs are looking for a crutch. The truth is drug takers soon fall out of the workforce and can no longer contribute.

✴ Science by Ty Buchanan ✴

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The Environment Affects Us and Our Health

The type of environment affects the mood of people. This is not surprising when one considers that Man a creature of his habitat. What the senses perceive shapes the human animal. As humans responds to what is "Out there", so evolution ensues.

A "noisy" environment, bright colors and loud sounds, stimulates us. Furthermore, it puts us on edge. The body is prepared to take action of some kind. Communication of three bodily systems (nervous, immune and endocrine) work against our wishes to bring this about.

If we want to get away from high stimulation we need to move ourselves to a soothing environment. People know this full well. A quiet snooze in front of the TV after dinner at home is always relaxing. Adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol levels drop.

In an emergency stress gives us two option: flight or fight. If we cannot move away from hostile surroundings, we must put on a brave face and tough it out. Bluff is also part of flight. However, remaining in an uncomfortable situation for long periods has its costs.

Today employment is structured and we cannot leave to silence out bodies. Stressful chemicals continue to pump through us causing long term damage. This is due to normal repair functions of the body being turned off. Inflammatory immune response is raised which is good only for the short time. It must be noted that 90 per cent of all human disease is related to stress.

Health by Ty Buchanan

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Man Pregnant in Australia

A man got pregnant in Australia - laugh, laugh, laugh! But you may be surprised to know that it actually happened, many times. Fifty four men have fallen for a baby since 2013 to be precise. It is perfectly legal here.

Now, in Australia one can choose which gender can be used on public records. This has been the cause of records showing male births. Patients are people who are born female and continue to keep their reproductive organs while living as a man.

All of the 54 people who have had babies in Australia are transgender, originally being born as a women. One of these was actually 64 years old. The births were covered by medicare. A few did choose to have abortions. Of course some groups have slammed the whole concept as being against nature.

Health by Ty Buchanan