LAST BLOG:

Finally, I made it to the last blog. I never though I'd see the day! In all honesty though, I don't think I will ever miss them and don't plan on writing another blog any time soon.  Although I didn't mind doing them, they were always there. I hate assignments that you can't do in one evening. I always seemed to be behind on the blogs.  I was always having to spend weekends getting caught up on them, sometimes I had to catch up on as many as nine. Obviously, they're not hard but there was so much other work to do throughout the semester that the blogs got put on the "back-burner." Other than never being done, blogs weren't so bad and I did learn a lot about the medical field, mostly.

RESEARCHERS ISOLATE CHEMICAL SIGNAL THAT CAUSES STEM CELLS TO REPAIR SKIN:

Bone marrow has long been thought to have a role in repairing damaged skin, and now UK and Japanese researchers think they’ve found the key to summoning stem cells from bone marrow to the site of damaged skin: a signal known as HMGB1. By tapping this signaling mechanism, researchers could develop new treatments for skin injuries like severe burns. HMGB1 sends out a distress call when stem cells are needed. However, it is only sent out when it is initiated by certain conditions.  "Researchers injected some trackable fluorescing bone marrow cells into mice so they could track their movement. They then looked at the way the stem cells reacted to certain stimuli. In mice with mere flesh wounds, few marrow stem cells flocked to the injury site. In mice given skin grafts, many stem cells made their ways to the wound to help repair the damaged skin."  Skin grafts have no blood vessels or oxygen in them, and for whatever reason this environment leads to the release of HMGB1, which appears to be the direct signal that the stem cells respond to.

IMPLANTED ELECTRODES AND VIDEO CAMERA ALLOW BLIND MAN TO SPOT SOME OBJECTS:

Elias Konstantopoulos first noticed his eye-sight was worsening at age 43.  He eventually learned that he had an incurable hereditary condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. The disease eats away at the retina’s rods and cones, which help people see light and identify color and detail.  Now, he is 72 and has completely lost his vision.  In 2009, he agreed to join a trial.  An electrode array was surgically implanted in his eye, and he was given a pair of glasses equipped with a tiny video camera. The camera captures images and converts them into signals that are fed into the implanted array. The signals are sent to the optic nerve and then to the brain.  Konstantopolous says he can distinguish light-colored objects against dark backgrounds, perceive an automobile passing and orient himself in a room where there is a window or door letting sunlight in from outside. 

THE WEEK BEFORE FINALS:

It's odd really, just how much work I still have to do before finals.  It was never like this in high school and it seems to be a lot harder to deal with than I thought.  Currently, I still have to finish week 15 homework, math homework, the reflection, as well as study for finals; all within a week!  I know there are only two weeks left but this semester has gone by so much faster than expected.  Finals have crept up on me once again.  It just seems unreal that my very first semester of college is two weeks from being over.  I am concerned about my GPA but it feels nice to be finished.  I think it's funny too though that after graduation, I was so excited to start college. Now, I want nothing more to be done with these basic classes and already in my first year of medical school.  I imagine, these next three years will fly by just as fast as the first.

RISK: TELEVISION TIME AND CHILDRENS' EYES:

Children who spend more time in front of television and computer screens and less in outdoor physical activity have narrower blood vessels in their eyes, a new study has found.  In adults, constricted blood flow to the eyes have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  Scientists in Australia studied 1942 six year-olds and questioned their parents about the amount of television exposure.  After adjusting for a variety of health factors, they found that blood vessels in the eyes of children who watched the most TV were slightly smaller in diameter than those in children who watched the least amount.  However, to really understand the effects in children, the children must be monitered for future narrowing.

WITH 'COOLEST JOB EVER' ENDING, ASTRONAUTS SEEK NEXT FRONTIER:

Under President Obama, NASA’s human spaceflight program has been curtailed. The Ares I and Constellation programs, which were meant to succeed the space shuttles and take astronauts to the moon, were canceled, and NASA is instead hiring outside companies to devise alternatives.  The current situation may not dampen the career aspirations of the elementary school set, but last year alone, 20 astronauts left NASA’s active-duty roster; today, 61 remain, down from a peak of about 150 in 2000. Back then, NASA was gearing up to staff the International Space Station and the shuttles that supplied it.  I have been so out of the political loop, that I didn't even know that the space program was cancelled.  I still don't know why but it seems odd that one of the major programs in the U.S would be cancelled.   

FINALS ARE ONLY A WEEK AWAY:

With finals only a week away, I have begun to go insane with worry.  My GPA is not what I want it to be and haven't really studied very hard for my finals.  I've studied some but not enough.  I'm just concerned because I have so much other work to finish before I can even consider studying for finals.  Luckily, the week after, I can relax in Alabama.  However, my major concern now is GPA.  It would've been great if not for Biology.  I've studied so hard for all the exams in bio and have nothing to show for it.  I'm extremely worried about getting accepted into medical school.  I really hope these past two semester don't destroy my chances of medical school.  The part that bugs me is that nobody else really seems to be worried.  I've talked to a lot of people who have the "I'm-just-gonna-wing-it" attitude.  If I hear another person say that, I will go absolutely INSANE! It seems that I have to study so hard just to barely get by.

IT'S LOVE AT FIRST KILL:

Technology provides more than just games, iPhones, or even online dating websites.  For one particular couple, it provides a few hours of fun and a life-long relationship.  John Bentley and Tamara Langman met online playing World Of Warcraft.  The purpose of the game is to destroy monsters, but when players aren't battling monsters, their avatars are able to explore the lush jungles, snowy forests, and misty beaches.  Both John and Tamara found a place for their avatars to relax and they talked about everything from family to their futures.  Eventually, the two decided to meet in Santa Barbara.  It was meant to be a two week visit, but two weeks became two years and the couple remains together.  As you can see, there is more to technology than science, it also is a way of meeting the person you may spend the rest of your life with.

TEXT CLOUD:

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3479899/Reflection"
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          alt="Wordle: Reflection"
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This was my text cloud from one of our weekly folders. I thought this assignment was really cool. I didn't even know you could do this.  It turned out way better than I thought it would.  I don't know why I was so fascinated with this particular assignment because I've seen these clouds before. I guess I just never thought about how they were actually made.  I thought it was kind of cool how the main topic and purpose of my reflection were the words that were the biggest.  I mean it makes sense since I used those words the most but while I was writing, I didn't even notice how often I used these terms.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE:

Move out day is only 19 days away! I am so excited for this summer; it's already packed. First of all, my last exam is on Wednesday and classes will officially be over!! The day after move out day, my mom, sister, and I are driving to Alabama with my Aunt and some friends of hers. On the way, we are going to stop and see my twin brother, who I haven't seen in a few months. We will pick up my Aunt in Nashville, Tennessee and from there, we will drive to Alabama. The whole point of this trip is to have a girls week. We're staying at a condo on Orange Beach which is right on the ocean! I am so excited; the seventh cannot come fast enough. After we get back, if I enroll on time, my summer class will start on Monday, which I'm somewhat anxious for. Plus, I get to start working again! I have two jobs. One going from 9 am to 5:30 pm at the Great Wolf Lodge. The other going from 6 pm to anytime near 11 pm. I'm so excited to finally start having a regular pay check. The only thing I'm concerned about is being able to work on homework for my summer class and finding time to actually study for the exams. Another problem is that since I will be so busy, summer will go by so fast.

HELPING DRUNKEN DRIVERS AVOID TICKETS, BUT NOT WRECKS:

"Last month, Senators Harry Reid, Charles E. Schumer, Frank R. Lautenberg and Tom Udall asked Apple, Google and Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerrys, to remove apps from their online stores that help drunken drivers evade sobriety checkpoints."  Black berry was the only group to pull the apps.  However, Google and Apple refused and stated that the app does not violate the company's content policy. In supplying the precise locations of sobriety checkpoints, these apps do nothing illegal. They do not supply sexually explicit material, nor do they bully anyone, nor do they embody hate speech. Those are three of the nine categories that Google forbids for Android apps.  "SOBRIETY checkpoints are the rare case in which the public interest would best be served with information that is less precise than technology is capable of providing. General alerts are good: they help spread the word and deter drunken driving. But they should blanket the town rather than show up as pushpins on a smartphone’s street map."  This is yet again another example of how technology can be a problem.  I think these kinds of apps should be illegal and those who create them should be punished.

KEEP YOUR THUMBS STILL WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU:

This article was posted in the New York times and it discusses how people are always on their blackberries or smartphones.  It also talks about how it has become the social norm to constantly be on the phone whether it's checking the internet or texting.  It has become a major distraction to people.  I, for one, hate it when I'm trying to have a conversation with someone while they're on the phone.  It's extremely annoying to have a one-way conversation with somebody else standing right in front of you.  Since people who are always on their phones and can't seem to do two things at once, this has become the norm.  It has become somewhat ridiculous that we can't stay away from technology long enough to have a simple conversation with an actual person in your actual presence.  So, in ways, technology can be a problem.

SURGICAL ROBOTS:

The topic for my research paper is surgical robotics.  At first, I really wasn't really interested in this topic.  I wanted to research chemotherapy.  I wanted to learn all aspects of chemotherapy because I'm going to specialize it in, hopefully.  But, the more research I did on surgical robots, the more interested I became.  The first documented use of a robot-assisted surgical procedure was in 1985, when the PUMA 650 robotic surgical arm was used to take a neurosurgical biopsy.  Robots are good for surgery because they can filter the surgeon's hand tremor and scale the movements of the instruments.  This allows unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally invasive procedures and microsurgery.  The biggest problem with robotic surgery is patient safety in an event of robotic malfunction.  The operating room staff must be able to detach and remove robotic arms in case of an emergency.  However, robotic surgery is driven by patient demand.  Well-informed patients research available treatments for their condition and seek the latest medical technology which can potentially provide them with the surgical outcome and clinical benefits.

COMPETING FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIPS, USING A TWITTER CONTEST:

Given that it has it's certain problems, technology has provided a faster and more "green" way to contact potential employers or potential internship program leaders.  On twitter, applicants were asked to use to make their cases of why they wanted one of the six paid internships in four areas: account management, creative, media and technology.  In honor of the favorite number of a Campbell Mithun founder, Ray Mithun, the competition is known as the Lucky 13.  To reflect that, the applicants were asked to submit 13 comments on Twitter in 13 days.  Cambell Mithun employees sorted through three hundred applications and found thirty-two finalists.  These finalists were interviewed either in person or through skype.  Six people were chosen from the thirty-two finalists.

BOSTON HOSPITAL TEAM PERFORMS FIRST FULL FACE TRANSPLANT IN U.S:

Technology has proven to be quite amazing.  It allows us to do what would have never been possible many years ago.  Technology has allowed us to advance in all aspects of life, including Math, Science, Communication, Transportation, and Medicine.  Doctors at a Boston hospital last week performed the first full face transplant in the United States, attaching a donor face to a 25-year-old Fort Worth man whose face was severely burned when his head touched a high-voltage line three years ago.  The U.S Department of Defense funded this operation as part of military's efforts to expand research in innovative medical procedures.  A team of more than 30 surgeons, nurses, anesthesi­olo­gists and residents worked for about 15 hours to transplant the forehead, nose, lips, facial skin, and underlying muscles.  The lead plastic surgeon, said the team was not able to restore Wiens’s vision. But Wiens, who has a young daughter, should be able regain up to 90 percent of normal sensation on the right side of his forehead, right cheek, most of his upper lip and his entire lower lip.  Doctors say the goal of the operation was to improve Wiens’s ability to breathe, eat and talk and restore his face’s social expression.

SATURDAY:

With a research paper due and two exams this week, I couldn't decide whether I should go home or not.  If I didn't go home, then I would have to wait until the 8th of April, four weeks from the last time I was home.  I decided to go with my better judgement and stayed on campus until the 8th.  However, my mom came to visit today, something she likes to do and wishes she can do more often.  My sister goes to MSU as well and we spent all of today going to lunch and shopping.  Now, I hate shopping but it was nice to see my mom and got three pairs of shoes out of the deal. :)  I'm really glad I decided to stay because my paper is one resource away from being finished.  I have all night to finish it and all of tomorrow to study for this week's exam.  I am so excited for the first weekend in April because 1) I get to go home and 2) I will be finished with exams until finals!

ON THE LEFT HAND, THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS:

"Humans are asymmetric animals. Early in our embryonic development, the heart turns to the left. The liver develops on the right. The left and right lungs have distinct structure.  There are certain rare syndromes in which the usual asymmetry of organs is reversed."  Hand dominence is related to brain asymmetry.  For right-handed people, language activity is predominantly on the left side. Many left-handers also have left-side language dominance, but a significant number have language either more evenly distributed in both hemispheres or else predominantly on the right side of the brain.  In general,  left-handers have less asymmetric brains, with more even distribution over the two hemispheres.  Since left-handedness has been the key to the complex anatomy of the brain, they continue to look for links to many other conditions. 

IT'S TRACKING YOUR EVERY MOVE AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW:

"Cellphone companies do not typically divulge how much information they collect, so Mr. Spitz went to court to find out exactly what his cellphone company, Deutsche Telekom, knew about his whereabouts."  In a six-month period,  Deutsche Telekom had recorded and saved his longitude and latitude coordinates more than 35,000 times.  "At any given instant, a cell company has to know where you are; it is constantly registering with the tower with the strongest signal," said Matthew Blaze.  In the United States, cell phone companies don't have to report exactly what information they collect.  This just shows that technology, though good, has certain downsides.  This is not information that should be recorded and I think the U.S should pass some sort of law against this.

APPROVAL FOR DRUG THAT TREATS MELANOMA:

On Friday, the Food And Drug Administration approved of a new drup that has shown to prolong the lives of patients with skin cancer melanoma.  It is a novel type of cancer drug that works by unleashing the body's own immune system to fight tumors.  In that randomized clinical trial, patients with metastatic melanoma treated with Yervoy lived a median of about 10 months, compared with 6.4 months for patients in a control group.  It has been said that the entire course of treatment costs $120,000, which consists of four infusions given over a three month period.  As a future pediatric oncologist specialist, hopefully, it makes me hopeful to see that people are still finding treatments for cancer.  Hopefully, one day, I can be part of finding the cure for cancer.

WOMEN SEEKING ABORTIONS IN SOUTH DAKOTA TO GET ANTI-ABORTION ADVICE:

A new law was passed that women who are seeking abortions, must attend a consultation at a pregnancy help centers.  The goal of a pregnancy help center is to encourage women to carry their babies to full term.  These help centers advertise free pregnancy tests, information about abortion, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.  This law requires women to attend these consultations but also set a waiting period.  Women must wait three days after the consultation before they can have the procedure.  It makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.  The goal of this law is to reduce the number of abortions by providing other alternatives.  However, women at these shelters often provide misinformation and quote scripture to persuade these womens' decisions.  These shelter employees are not licensed or accredited, and coerce these decisions.

PAIN, PERSISTENCE, FAMILY: SICKLE CELL DISEASE:

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease that causes red blood cells to have a sickle shape.  These cells can't properly carry oxygen throughout the body and tend to clump together, blocking blood flow.  This blockage of blood flow damages organs and causes severe pain.  Three people talk about living with sickle cell anemia.  One man talks about how professionals in the medical field don't take this disease seriously.  They believe he's a drug seeker, when his pain gets so bad that he has to go to the emergency room.  An eight year-old talks about how she treats the pain with a heating pad but hates missing so much school.  The last woman talks about how both her and her husband both have the trait for sickle cell disease.  Two of her children have inherited the disease and every time they have another, there is a one-in-four chance of that child getting sickle cell disease.  Hopefully, one day, we can find a cure or a better treatment for this disease.

RESEARCH PROJECT:

So I'm a little bit nervous about this research project.  I have a topic but I want it to be broad.  I wanted to right about chemotherapy.  How it works, the side effects, basically what it is all about.  I saw a movie about a man who had cancer and hired a woman to take care of him during his treatment.  They only showed a little bit so I wanted to do more research about it.  However, we were told to answer a specific question.  Now, I'm out of ideas.  I've moved on to a new topic though.  Surgical Robots, but I'm not sure if this will work either.  I found all my sources and would hate to have to redo the whole paper I've done so far but now the goal of my paper is to persuade the reader that surgical robots could be a good thing.  I plan to do this by explaining the different types of robots as well as the pros and cons of surgical robots.  So I'm hopeful that this will be enough and will work out.

CHERNOBYL STUDY SAYS HEALTH RISKS LINGER:

25 years after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, children and teenagers who drank contaminated milk or ate affected cheese in the days and weeks after the explosion still suffer from an increased risk of thyroid cancer.  Thyroid cancer of this nature is caused by the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland.  These risks show no sign of declining.  "Studies done in Japan after World War II suggested that the increased risks of thyroid cancer began to decline 30 years after the atomic explosions but remained above normal even 40 years later."  However, thyroid cancer is mostly a nonlethal cancer and if caught early, chance of good prognosis increases greatly. 

THE WRISTWATCH IS REIMAGINED. WILL YOUNG SHOPPERS CARE?:

HP has developed a new version of their first 1977 watch, called the HP-01.  However, this watch has bluetooth.  The hope is that they can develop a watch that will be an internet-ready device right on your wrist.  One developer said that the screen is too small and would be nearly useless.  Another developer replied, "it would be enough for alerts, able to notify the wearer, for example, when you’ve got 4 more e-mails, 3 Facebook updates and 10 Tweets."  Honestly, I think this idea is not so good.  I believe that no matter how necessary it is, society is too addicted to the internet.  It's okay to use it for social reasons, but the way we rely on Facebook, Twitter, and even E-mail has gotten slightly ridiculous.  I'm guilty as well and it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how busy we are, we always have time to check or update or facebooks or twitters.  Most of the things posted on these websites are completely useless bits of information anyways.  For example, "went to lunch today and sat outside."  Posts such as these irritate me.  Honestly, it's good you had a nice day, but nobody really cares!  We have become way to dependant on social sites, which is the major downside of such new developments in technology.  However, I do admit, it is a good way to keep in touch with family and friends, you leave behind when you go to college.

THE 5 SECOND RULE:

Dr. Roy M. Gulick, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College declares that the 5 second rule should become the zero second rule.  Eating food dropped on the floor increases exposure to risk for ingestion of bacteria and subsequent gastrointestinal disease.  There are bacteria on the floor and will immediately cling to the food once contact is made.  In a study, salmonella on flooring was tested, by dropping bologna on the floor for 60 seconds.  More than 99% of bacteria was transferred immediately.  As few as 10 salmonella bacteria can cause gastroenteritis. GROSS!!!

WORKSHOP:

Last Wednesday, we had to attend a workshop for class.  Although it was somewhat boring, I learned quite a bit.  A lot, though, was stuff I had learned in high school but the research topic was very insightful.  I'm glad they showed us the library E-Resources website because I had no idea it was even there.  I always assumed there was one but never know how to find those types of things.  The E-Resources has already proven quite useful for my research topic.  Plus, since they showed us how to use it, there was no trouble in finding appropriate articles for my topic.

GO EASY ON YOURSELF, A NEW WAVE OF RESEARCH URGES:

Research shows that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step to better health.  "People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight."  The biggest reason people are not more self-compassionate is because they're afraid they will become self-indulgent.  This happens because society has taught us that being hard on yourself is the way to be.  "Other exercises include meditation and “compassion breaks."  Honestly, I think compassion breaks are a little corny but if it works and can improve your mood overall, then why not?  

APARTMENTS:

Holy Crap!! I am so excited to not live in the dorms again. Yesterday, I got a call from my Aunt Sharon who has a niece looking for a roommate for an apartment near campus.  The dorms weren't bad at the beginning of the semester but now, they are so not great.  I live on the sixth floor of Hubbard right next to the spot where dump trucks and delivery trucks pickup and drop off their loads.  It may not seem so, but it is extremely load and quite annoying.  It makes it hard to concentrate a lot of the time.  My hopes are that when I move into an apartment, it will be peaceful and quiet.  Another problem is the bathroom in the suite style dorms.  I spent an hour and a half cleaning the bathroom shower and didn't even get a simple thank you.  Not only that, but I paid $35 on cleaning supplies and still had to clean it myself.  In an apartment, I will have to do this, but at least it will get done regularly and it will be my own bathroom and bedroom.  It sounds quite nice I think because this whole sharing the space but not the work is somewhat bothersome.

NEWBORN MICE'S HEARTS CAN HEAL THEMSELVES:

"Now researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center report in the current issue of Science that the mammalian newborn heart can fully heal itself."  A cardiologist at the medical center worked with mice and found that if a portion of the heart was removed within the first week of life, the heart grew back completely.  However, after the first seven days, this regeneration is lost.  In, humans, this could last for a few months.  Scientists believe cardiomyocites or stem cells could be aiding in this regeneration.  They are looking for genes that can regulate this process with hopes of finding a way to encourage the heart to regrow.

X-RAYS AND UNSHIELDED INFANTS:

In X-rays, exposure to radiation, though can help diagnose problems, has a bad downside.  Dr. Scalfani runs a department at State University Of New York.  One day, he noticed that an infant had been irradiated from head to toe.  The new pediatric radiologist noticed that the radiation level had been set way too high for infants.  The two doctors had put a stop to doing x-rays on infants and set limitations on when and how radiation can be used on babies.  This article made me extremely angry because these doctors are paid to treat patients.  If we pay as much as we do in healthcare then the doctors MUST know what they're doing.  There is no reason to pay so much for poor quality care.  The physicians must be fully aware of what's going on with all of their patients and the tests they must do.

TO FINISH THE BOOK:

After waiting out the severe storm, the doctor, Ben Payne, packs the makeshift sled and lays the woman, Ashley on it.  They head away from the crashsite hoping to find a town and some help.  On the way, the come across this A-frame house, which is assumed to be used for a boyscout camp.  After spending a few days in the house getting warmed up and fed, they head out again.  On the way, they find a shortcut that would cut ten miles off the trip, however it is an extremely steep decline.  He decides its a good risk.  While climbing down this hill, an avalanche starts.  Ben is separated from the sled and Ashley. He gets buried underneath all the snow, except for his foot, and is unable to move at all.  Ashley is able to dig him out and, after tending to her rebroken femur, he leaves her to go find help.  He walks for about ten miles and can walk no further.  He is too exhausted and injured to go any further.  However, memories of his wife keep him going and he happens to see a smoke stack.  That's about as much as I can say without giving away the ending.  Now that I've finished the book, I really really liked it and may even read it again.  The ending had two parts, one of which is completely unexpected.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes any of the books written by Charles Martin.

TECHNOLOGY HAS ITS CONS:

Even though technology has been great, it certainly has its cons.  Another article I read in the New York Times was called, Behavior - Videos Of Self-Injury Find An Audience.  It's about teenagers and young adults who post videos of themselves on youtube.  In these videos, they are engaging in "non-suicidal" self-injury.  "They depict burning, hitting and biting oneself, picking at one’s skin, disturbing wounds and embedding objects under the skin."  Most of these injuries are inflicted on wrists, arms, and, occasionally, the legs.  The sad part is that these videos are popular among the youtube crowd.  Seven percent of these videos positively portray self-injury.  What I don't understand why people are doing this to themselves.  It makes absolutely no sense to me and quite frankly, it's somewhat irritating.

FOR SOME TROOPS, POWERFUL DRUG COCKTAILS HAVE DEADLY RESULTS:

I read an article in the New York Times about soldiers and their perscriptions.  It states that 101 soldiers died from 2006-2009, accidentally, from the interactions of the multiple drugs in their bodies.  Therefore, the army and navy are offering other forms of treatment that do not include drugs, such as accupuncture and yoga.  This article mentioned thre specific men who died in their sleep from these interactions.  Airman Mena died in his Albuquercue apartment in July 2009, which was five months after he had a medical discharge.  Another soldier, Corporal Endicott, was a marine and saw many of his fellow soldiers die or get seriously injured.  He had suffered from nightmares, flashbacks, and had rarely left his house.  He died in January 2008 in his room at the National Naval Medical Center.  The toxicologist found at least nine perscription drugs in his system.  The third soldier was Sergean Bachus of the Marines.  Bachus suffered from backpain, depression, and anxiety.  In the last few days of his life, Bachus was thought to be delusional but not suicidal.  He was found dead in his on-base quarters in North Carolina.  All three cases had four similarities.  They all had been deployed multiple times, all had five or more medications in their systems when they died, they all had repeatedly switched drugs, and they all died in their sleep.  This is a hint, that the government needs to rely less on drugs and more on alternate treatments, such as therapy, accupucture, or yoga, like the army and navy. 

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US:

So over the weekend, I had the chance to finally get to the library back home.  I recently, as in, within the past four years, have taken up common library visits.  I'm not really sure why I really like reading now since I never liked to read, but I did.  I'm reading this book written by Charles Martin, entitled "The Mountain Between Us."  This book is about a doctor, who is flying back from a medical conference.  However, his flight is delayed due to bad weather.  While waiting to discover that it has been canceled, he meets a woman who is getting married within the next 48 hours. When he learns that his flight was canceled, he goes to a neighboring charter airplane, owned by a man named Grover.  The pilot agrees to drive the doctor and engaged woman to Denver.  Unfortunately, while in mid-flight, the pilot has a heart attack and crashes.  I haven't finished yet but so far, the doctor has assessed that he has a few broken ribs and the woman has a dislocated shoulder and broken femur. He soon realizes that the bones must be set in place for proper healing.  After a couple days on the mountain, the doctor goes fishing and hunting, and managed to kill a mountain lion that has been stalking the crash site. As of right now, his main goal is to get to lower ground but when he makes an attempt, a severe storm picks up and must turn back.
So far, I really like this book and am anxious to see how it ends.

SCIENTISTS SEE DANGERS IN ENERGY DRINKS:

Researchers found that energy drinks such as red bull, monster, rock star, and full throttle contain highlevels of caffeine and warned that certain susceptible people risk dangerous, even life-threatening, effects on blood pressure, heart rate and brain function.  "The authors noted that “four documented cases of caffeine-associated death have been reported, as well as five separate cases of seizures associated with consumption of energy/power drinks.”  Additional reports include an otherwise healthy 28-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest after a day of motocross racing; a healthy 18-year-old man who died playing basketball after drinking two cans of Red Bull; and four cases of mania experienced by individuals known to have bipolar disorder."  Long term affects of energy drinks are a major concern today since it is hard to tell if it will affect the liver, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and diabetes.  Another major concern about these drinks is not only the sugar but also with young people mixing them with alcohol.  The caffiene in these drinks can mask the perception of inebriation — and that can increase the risk of drunken driving or other dangerous behaviors.  Unfortunately, this proved true for a football player for the Cleveland Browns, who killed a pedestrian after drinking a red bull and multiple shots of tequila

MEDICAL DETECTIVES FIND THEIR FIRST NEW DISEASE:

This article is about a woman who has an excruciatingly painful disease that started when she was 25 and was diagnosed when she was 56.  The pain was in her legs and hands.  The pain was caused from calcium buildup in her blood vessels.  The deposits were so thick that the blood could hardly get through.  “Patients who have rare diseases are often abandoned by the medical community,” Dr. Gahl said. “We don’t know how to treat if we don’t have a diagnosis."  There is no reason for her to be abandoned by the only people who can help her.  However, it was discovered that the disease is caused by a mutation in a gene that prevents calcium from depositing in the blood vessels.   Cells use the gene to make extracellular adenosine, a common compound that, in this case, was needed to suppress calcification.  "Now they are working on treatments. The simplest might be to give a bisphosphonate, an osteoporosis drug. With the gene mutation and decreased levels of adenosine, patients end up with high levels of an enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, needed to make calcium deposits. Bisphosphonates bring down levels of that enzyme." 

GOING HOME THIS WEEKEND:

I am hoping to go back home this weekend and am extremely excited! This last couple weeks have been extremely long and boring. I think this week will be especially tough because chemistry labs start today and that is my least favorite class.  They last for two hours and fifty minutes and that is much too long for one class especially if you don't really like it at all.  Hopefully, this week goes by fast and I get ahead in my classes so I can go home.  This weekend, I'm hoping to have a nice, relaxing weekend visiting my old high school friends who I haven't seen in a month or so, which is weird because I normally visit them everytime I'm home.  It seems even after an entire semester of college, I'm not quite used to being away from home.  After about two weeks, I'm ready to go back, which is probably because I'm a home-body or because I don't have a roommate, possibly a little of both.  People always say you should stay away for a while and go back home every once in a while. I don't understand why though.  I mean what is there really to do on weekends anyways.  Normally, I work on homework, watch TV, and hang out with friends but eventually you run out of things to do.  Therefore, I still get excited to go home; I can't wait! 

BY ROGER O'NEIL:

It is true, with technology, writing has gotten horrible.  It bugs me to see people writing in text form or using numbers for words.  It just seems lazy to have to exchange 4 and for.  I also hate to see bad grammar and that seems to appear more and more everyday.  I can't stand to see sentences that are written poorly.  I know that people make mistakes and I have made plenty in writing papers but at least I spell out the full word and try to use appropriate grammar.  Even in emails, people make simple mistakes that could be noticed if they reread the email before they sent it.  Like O'Neil states, "people who are used to using BlackBerries and instant messaging are transferring that way of writing into all forms of writing." I understand if you use this type of writing while texting but in any other form of writing, it is unacceptable, especially, if you are shortening words by removing every vowel.

LED LIGHTS FOR YOUR TEETH:

Technology has made amazing advancements.  From cell phones to computer systems, we've made drastic progress.  Now, in Japan, they have a new fashion; LED lights for your teeth.  The article is from New York Times and within the articles are videos with people walking around with LED lights in their mouth and it looks stupid.  Personally, I don't get it.  What's the purpose of having lights for your teeth.  You can only see them when your mouth is open so you pretty much have to walk around with your mouth open to show your new fashion.  I honestly think these lights are kind of a waste of money.  It looks kind of awful to see lights on somebody's face, it's just not a good idea.  I honestly think this is not a good advancement just because it doesn't make any sense. There is no point to it whatsoever. 

TRAVELLING...ISH:

After I get settled in my career and have paid off all of my debt, I would love to travel.  My dream vacation would be going to Egypt.  I would have dreamed of seeing the pyramids.  Ancient Egypt has always been fascinating to me because of their monuments, and the statues, etc.  It seems like a truly miraculuos place to visit.  I would also like to go out West.  I want to go see the national parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite.  Another dream vacation is, to most people, not a vacation.  I want to be a member of Doctors Without Borders.  This group is an "international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe."  I've been wanting to participate in this group since the ninth grade.  I want to be a part of something bigger.  I want to help those who are unable to help themselves.  It would be such an honor to be able to work for this group because it means so much to me.  There are people out there who are suffering and deserve better than what they are given.  Americans have so much and we take it all for granted.  I want to go to a third-world country and do what I can to make their lives just a little bit easier.

SHOULD YOU CHECK FACEBOOK BEFORE HIRING:

In the technology section of the Washington Post is an article called, Should You Check Facebook Before Hiring.  I figured this article is perfect since we are working on cover letters and the class is about science and technology writing.  This article is about two potential employees who are being considered for a job.  One man was involved in nonprofit work and won an award.  However, the employer googled both employees and found some inappropriate pictures on the man's friend's wall.  So the employer decided to hire the woman who, when googled, was shown to be a good project manager.  The issue is whether or not employers have the right to base their decisions on facebook pages. Although I understand how it is wrong because what people do on their own time is their business, I tend to believe it is reasonable to hire based on whatever information you have.  If you're looking for a job and know you are a potential employee, you should know enough to remove anything posted on your facebook page to disprove your abilities.  Facebook is a part of this new technology.  Like the article states, in the virtual world, our houses are made of glass.  Anybody can see what kind of person you are, it's a feature that comes with this new technology.  It is your job to be responsible about what is posted on your facebook.

GROUP PROJECT.....

So I am somewhat nervous about this project, however, earlier this week the group got together and discussed our topic.  Even though I still get nervous while presenting, I am excited that we picked a topic that I am so interested in...Stem Cell Research.  I've seen a documentary about it recently and lately keep finding myself lost in thought of all the possibilities this could create.  I don't know much but I know that under certain conditions, stem cells can be trained to become other cells.  Say, for example, somebody has a heart defect.  We can train stem cells to become heart cells and replace the bad heart cells with good cells.  We could drastically decrease fatality rates.  Now, I know this is a very controversial subject, but that's why I am anxious to research this topic.  Why is it controversial?  What are the pros and cons that make it controversial. So far I don't understand it, but by the end of this project, I hope to know enough to determine, for me, whether it is right or wrong.

GROWING UP:

My dream career is to be a pediatric oncologist.  I want to be part of a medical breakthrough in the cancer field.  My biggest worry, however, is medical school.  I really don't have a backup plan.  What happens if I don't get into medical school or do poorly on the MCAT? And, if I do get into med school, how will I pay for it? Especially after four years at MSU.  Can I work while in medical school?  I already have all these worries and I'm only a freshman.  It seems to me, as excited as I am to actually be a student in medical school, that growing up is completely overrated.  How can there already be that many problems when I'm only 18 years old.  People always tell me, "Enjoy your college years, they're seriously the best years of your life." Well...that depressing.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I am loving college life but if I've got that many worries already, I will probably be a nervous wreck when I'm done with school.  It just seems like kids can't wait to be adults and adults want to go back to being kids again.  That's the problem with the human race, we're always wishing for things we don't have.

THIS ISN’T WHAT WE DID IN HIGH SCHOOL:

I was going through the readings for this week and I read through the entire portion called This Isn’t What We Did In High School.  I really hope our class is going to be just like this.  All throughout my high school career, teacher always gave us a question or statement to write about. However, they were looking for a particular answer.  Most of the papers we wrote were literary analysis and I hate those.  I think I mostly hated them because my teachers were always looking to see if what I thought the book meant was what they thought the book meant.  I always disliked that because every mind is different.  Pouring rain could mean one thing to someone and then mean a completely different thing to someone else.  It just never made any sense to me when the teacher said to analyze it based on your own thoughts and then they graded the paper based on theirs.  So I’m glad we are not analyzing and I really hope the class is laid back like the one described in this article.

COMPUTERS THAT SEE YOU AND KEEP WATCH OVER YOU:

I came across this article the other day and thought it was really quite interesting.  Technology is drastically advancing every single day.  This particular article is about a machine that can track and analyze your every move even your facial features.  It has opened a whole new world of technology and safety.  This machine is able to analyze facial expression at a prison and alert a corrections officer.  If the computer analyzes that a fight is about to start then it can send a warning and a location.  This new technology can also help in a hospital.  Cameras are placed at inconspicuous spots on the ceiling, watching every move in the room.  If a nurse doesn’t wash his/her hands enough, the computer will remind the nurse to wash his/her hands before leaving the room.  It can also detect when the patient is about to fall out of bed and it will warn the nearest nurse.  However, those are just little things.  This software can also detect signs of distress, heart rates, blood flow, and other vital signs. These machines, not only could save lives in a hospital setting, but they can even detect interest of viewers in a new movie.  They could have volunteers watch a scene from a movie while being recorded.  The computer would analyze their facial movements and detect whether the movie will be a hit.  I truly believe that technology has been making amazing advancements; for it to detect a possible fight, rate a movie, and save a life.