CSB #8 The Effects of Handwriting on Grip Strength

Authors: Leo, Steven, Matthew


Writing - it's almost obsolete since people now have the ability to type, which is much faster and much more convenient. One of the reasons that typing is more convenient is that writing causes the hand to become tired. Even so, most schools across the world still rely on the old-fashioned notation of pen and paper. Naturally, we became curious on how handwriting affected a person's ability to grip an item. We thought that, if a person were to handwrite for an certain period of time, then the grip strength would decrease.

We first measured someone's grip strength over the span of 20 seconds using Vernier's Hand Dynamometer prior to writing, transferring the data to Logger Pro. Then, he wrote the sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" repeatedly for one minute, and tested the grip strength after writing, again, over the span of 20 seconds. With the data collected in Logger Pro, we then found the integrals of the graphs. Next, we took the percent decrease in the integrals and graphed it on Microsoft Excel. To ensure accuracy in data collection, we ran this experiment on multiple people.

The graphs below represent the grip strengths for different people collected over a span of 20 seconds:

Leo's results:

Steven's results:

Matthew's results:

Jeffrey's results:

Eric's results:

Percent Decrease of Integrals:

Out of all of the results, it was clear that the grip strength trial before handwriting was much higher. As shown in all the graphs above, all test subjects' grip strengths were much weaker after writing for a minute. However, each individual test subject had a different percent decrease in grip strength. For example, Jeffrey exhibited an 18.43% decrease, whereas Leo exhibited a 47.95% decrease in strength. Even so, there was a clear trend: there was a decrease. Although the decrease in grip strength for each subject was different, it changed negatively.

This is ultimately because both gripping objects and writing require ATP. When the test subject does only gripping, more ATP is spent on gripping. However, after the test subject writes, more ATP is spent on writing, and less ATP is spent on gripping. Thus, lactic acid builds up in the muscles that control writing and gripping, making it painful to do both. In the end, our hypothesis was supported, but more importantly, this was definitely an interesting experiment to do.

CSB #7: Genetic Analysis of Mutations in Cancer

 Genetic Analysis of Mutations in Cancer

One of the main struggles in cancer therapy is the detection of cancer in a patient, so understanding the genetic differences between a cancer patient and a non-cancer patient is crucial for drug development in cancer treatment. A new technology has emerged from the Bioinformatics in Virginia Tech University where researchers there have developed a new technology to determine genetic differences between cancer and non-cancer patients. They have designed a new array that can measure two million microsatillites, which are essentially repetitive DNA sequences. These microsatellites can find differences between the two different patients, thus determining what mutations are present in cancer patients. Their technology has already been put into use as researches have developed a biomarker for breast cancer, which can determine the risk of cancer in the future for early detection. 

I chose this article because it seemed interesting to me because currently, cancer research is mainly focused on curing it while the patient is infected with the disease, but this article shows a new approach to try to detect the cancer and destroy it in its early stage. The fact that researchers have already implemented this technology amazes me as it shows a promising future in the area of biomarkers where it could eventually lead to a vaccine that can detect a mutated genome in the human body. One major question that I wondered about is how will this technology work in the human body, because it has only worked as a proof of concept basis. I think that this advancement will significantly advance cancer research and may lead to many new opportunities in the future. 

Citations:

 "New Technology Pinpoints Genetic Differences Between Cancer and
     Non-Cancer Patients." Science Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2011.
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110222122103.htm>.

Picture:Brownd, Deric. "Poetry in your Genome?" Deric Brownd's Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 

     May 2011. <http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2008/02/ 
     poetry-in-your-genome.html>.

CSB #6: Role of Naproxen in Colon Cancer Tumor Reduction

CSB #6: Role of Naproxen in Colon Cancer Tumor Reduction

Summary/Discussion:
Naproxen is a drug commonly used to reduce pain and swelling in diseases such as arthritis. Scientists have now found a new way to introduce this drug into cancer treatment. Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found that naproxen and NO-naproxen reduced tumor formation in a strain of mutant mice that spontaneously develop colon tumors. Results have shown that the naproxen was associated with a 90% decrease in tumor size in mice infected with colon cancer. In the study, the scientists created two groups: control and naproxen group where they would leave the control group alone, but treat the naproxen group with that drug to test its effects on cancer. After 45 days, the mice that were treated with naproxen had a 70.3% smaller tumor than the control group. In addition, naproxen is already issued on the FDA approved list, so this drug could be enacted quickly to combat cancer in humans. Although they have not identified the exact mechanism that causes the reduction, the data provides a huge step towards curing cancer.


This article was very interesting and useful as it shows creative ways to fight this disease. Before, naproxen was used only in medical conditions pertaining to diseases such as arthritis which is not related to cancer. However, this discovery shows how factors that have been perceived as non-related could be used to treat patients that have cancer. Other questions arise such as: If naproxen can be used as cancer therapy, then could arthritis be related to cancer? One main concern that I had is if this drug could be used to treat humans because the studies were only conducted in mice, and may be ineffective in combating cancer in a human's body. Overall, I found this article to be very interesting as it opens new doors to finding the cure to cancer.


Citations:
Science Daily. "Naproxen Reduces Tumors in a Mouse Model of Colon Cancer,
     Researchers Report." Science Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406085052.htm>.
Picture: Daily Med. "NAPROXEN SODIUM tablet, film coated ." Daily Med Current Medication 
     Information . N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2011. <http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/ 
     dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=3>.

CSB # 5 Role of Nanotechnology in Surgery Applications

Role of Nanotechnology in Surgery Applications

Summary/Discussion:
Nano particles have ignited enormous scientific and technological interest due to their ease of synthesis, chemical stability, and specific optical properties. These extremely small particles have been developed for several applications including drug delivery, computer engineering, and even in everyday products such as sunscreen. However, a new use for these nanoparticles is emerging in the surgery field. Dr. Bozhi Tian, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working on producing a unique nanoparticle that can repair tissue at a cellular level through synthesized tissues that the nanoparticles carry. This can be achieved by combining synthetic devises (nanoparticles, prosthetic tissues) to effectively recognize the damaged area and transport the tissue to the harmed area. Further advances include Dr. Daniel S. Kohane, of Children's Hospital Boston who is developing a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that is activated through the patient on demand. Dr. Kohane notes that "Surgeons are effective gatekeepers in controlling access of technology to their patients. It is therefore important for surgeons to know what nanotechnology is and is not. The ability to assess the merits of nano-based approaches is crucial for the protection of the best interests of patients and for the assessment of the cost-effectiveness of new therapies."

I chose this topic because the application of nanotechnology is extremely interesting. Nanotechnology is a relatively new advancement in technology. Fighting cancer and drug delivery are the most well-known applications of nano particles.  The fact that now nanotechnology can be implemented into surgical operations amazes me as now nanotechnology is not limited to just drug delivery but can have many applications in the surgery field.  With that, nanotechnology could be combined with stem cells to deliver synthesized organs which in the future, would be a huge accomplishment. I think that this advancement will lead to many more scientific achievements

Resources:

Article: Weldon, Christopher. "Surgeons Predict the Future of Nano medicine Practice." 
     Science Daily. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. 
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110301122051.htm>.

Image: N.d Techfaq: "Nanotechnology." 
     TopBits.com. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. 
http://www.tech-faq.com/nanotechnology.html

Stem Cells Used to Grow Organs

Stem Cells Used to Grow Organs

Definitions:
Stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the capacity to grow and mature into a wide range of specific cells.
Scaffolding is a structure inside each organ that defines its shape.

Summary:

Although seems unreal, growing organs from scratch has become reality. Twenty years ago, Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  first introduced the new idea of creating new organs using stem cells. The scientists first discovered that each organ has its own specific scaffolding that defines the shape of the organ. He further acknowledged that each organ is made up of many cells, each with its own specific function. Langer created the scaffolding by mixing biodegradable polymers and using materials that are commonly found in the human body. The only problem Langer faced was that he did not know how to create the actual cells found in the organ. A solution to this is the discovery of stem cells. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine created the first human bladder from stem cells. He did so by extracting stem cells from the patient who he was making this for and seeding a scaffolding into it. Two months later, the bladder had matured and grown and was ready to be implanted. The operation was successful and the history of science was revolutionized with this creation of an organ.

Discussion:I chose this article because it applies to my life as sometime in the future, I may need an organ to replace a failing one. Thus, instead of relying on somebody else's which is very risky, I could turn to a created organ which is more reliable than the traditional transplant methods. Although this achievement seems relatively small as the bladder is a simple organ, it leads the way for more complex creations in the future. Before reading this, I thought synthetic organs were impossible and was only found in science fiction, but these kinds of medical advancements are real and will certainly lead to much bigger achievements in the future. 

Questions:
If creating a bladder is possible, could creating a synthetic brain be possible?

How do you coax stem cells to differentiate to specific cell lines?

Citations:
Komaroff, Anthony M. "The Race to Grow New Organs." Marylin's Transplant News.
    , 7 Dec. 2010. Web. 9 Jan. 2011. <http://marylinstransplantpage.com/
     race-grow10.htm>.

CSB #3 Potent Anti-Tumor Gene Tested in Mice Produces Remission

Potent Anti-Tumor Gene Tested in Mice Produces Remission

Definitions:

Hematopoietic stem cells- The bone marrow cells that produce all blood and immune system cells.

melanoma- An oftentimes deadly type of skin cancer characterized by a black or dark brown-pigmented tumor.

Summary:

In the year of 2010 alone, more than 68,000 patients have been diagnosed with melanoma while 9000 deaths were affiliated with it. Current treatments for metastatic melanoma are toxic and unsuccessful as many of the patients die withing 6-12 months of diagnose.  

The Indiana School of Medicine tested a new T cell receptor gene into the hematopoietic stem cells of mice. What this specific gene does is that it detects a certain protein that is affiliated and found on the surface of melanoma. It is then cloned and sent back into the hosts. The results show that the transplantations of the genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells resulted in an immune system towards melanoma and eradicated all of the mice subject's tumors. This new gene may be a new approach towards this kind of skin cancer. 

Discussion:

I chose this article because cancer is one of the most devastating disease and that it is the cause of many deaths around the world. I also found it interesting as this new gene may be a novel method to treat melanoma. Ive always thought of cancer as a complex and unbeatable disease that will never be cured. However, with the discovering and testing of the new T receptor gene, it not only paves the way for new trials in usage of humans, but also gives hope that this new discovery may be a cure for cancer. 

Questions:

If this gene eradicated all of the mice's tumor cells, how can it be incorporated into destroying human tumor cells?

Will this gene cause any unwanted side effects when clinically tried in humans?

Citations:

Article and Picture: Ha, Sung P. "Gene therapy for metastic melanoma in mice produces complete 

     remission." Science Daily. Science News, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. 
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101118124206.htm>.

CSB #2: First self- repairing photovoltaic cell created

First Self-repairing Photovoltaic Cell Created

Definitions:

photovoltaic cell- A solar cell that converts sunlight directly into electricity.

nanotube- A cabon molecule that forms a tube-like structure, which when combined in layers, creates an immensly strong material.



Summary:

For many years, scientists have been trying to mimic plant's qualities of converting sunlight into energy using synthetic materials. However, the sun's rays destroy many of these photovoltaic cells over time. Scientists at the Massachusis Institute of Technology has suceeded in creating a self-renewing complexes that can convert light into electricity. The infastructure was made up of light harvesting proteins: walled nanotubes and disk shaped lipids. As the cell is exposed to solar radiation, the sunlight it converted into electrons. These nanotubes channel the electrons, creating a current. What makes this invention so unique is that scientists added a soap molecule that breaks down and reassembles the cell, making it self-repairing. This technology increases the efficientcy of alternate energy sources by 300% compared to a non-regenrable photovoltaic cell.

Discussion:

This article inspires me becauses it could potentially revolutionize alternative energy technology. This new technology could replace modern harmful energy sources such as oil. Personally, I think this is a great advancement towards alternative energy sources because it has low maintence due to the cells being sel-repairing and does not harm the environment. If we resort to these kinds of energy sources, although the short term effects may be unfavorable due to the expense of solar cells, the long term effects could benefit us greatly as it will sustain low evergy costs and provide a clean way to create energy. My only concern is wether or not people will turn to this energy source in the future. Many people may overlook the long term effects and focus soley on the short term consequences which would discourage them from using photovoltaic energy cells.

Questions:

How does the surfactant (a solution of soap molecules) make the photovoltaic cell result in renewing itself and making it self-repairing?

Is there a way to make the photovoltaic cell more efficient and convert more energy than the standard one?

Citations:

Article: Dume, Belle. "Self-Reparing Photovoltaic Cell not damaged by the Sun."
     Environmental Research Web. N.p., 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
     http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/news/43700. 

Picture:

Web link

"40% Usage in Solar Cells." A Discovery Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.      <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/stateoftheart_m.php>.