Nicotine: Worse than we thought?
Nicotine-which is currently being used to help tobacco smokers quit and is being considered as a potential treatment for a number of other disorders such as stress, the intestinal disease ulcerative colitis, attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Tourette's syndrome-has been found to harbor previously undiscovered side affects.
Currently there are nicotine replacement products such as nicotine chewing gum, nicotine skin patches, a nicotine nasal spray, and a nicotine inhaler on the consumer market. There are even plans of a nicotine tablet. The availability of such products (The gum and patch are already available over the counter) will undoubtedly lead to increase of use. Recent findings, however, suggest that there is a risk factor in using these products.
A study at the University of Minnesota suggests that nicotine can damage cells that line blood vessels and the airways in the lungs. It was found that blood cells and cells lining the blood vessels and lungs carry nicotine receptors. Ordinarily these receptors bind to acetylcholine, a signaling chemical, which plays an important role in cell shape and the interconnection of cells. When nicotine takes the place of acetylcholine over time it disables the receptor in a desensitization of some sort. When this happens the cells refuse to stretch and connect to neighboring cells. This tight, stiff, situation causes tearing in tissue. In blood vessels these tears lead to lesions which lead to artery disease. In the lungs to tears lead to bronchitis and in smokers allow harmful chemicals to enter the cells.
Although safer than smoking, long-term use of nicotine products is not healthy. All agree that nicotine replacement is useful when used for the three to six months to help quit smoking. The danger comes when people looking to quit continue to use nicotine replacement enduringly. Also the findings of this study discourage use of nicotine to treat other disorders since any treatment would be long-term.
Drinking Tea Prevents Heart Disease
By: George Xu
Researchers now say that drinking tea and reduce the chance of a heartattack by as much as 44%. A study was done at Bighram and Women's hospital in Boston. About 700 men and women were involved in this study. The reason why tea helps in reducing the chance of a heart attack is
because it contains flavonoids. Heart attacks occur when there is a blood clot in thecoronary artery. Flavonoid is a substance that prevents blood to clot. Flavonoids are also an antioxidant that lessens the harmful effects of oxygen inthe body. Flavonoid is found in black and green tea, as well as in vegetables,fruits, and red wine.
Earlier studies have shown that drinking tea will reduce the risk of aheart attack but not by this enormous figure of 44%. The study however, did not
compare the effects of drinking two or more cups of tea compared to justdrinking one cup. Many researchers doubt that one cup of tea a day will bringsuch a large effect. One experiment done with dogs indicated that six cups oftea was necessary to prevent a heart condition. Other factors also have hugeimpacts on heart diseases. Exercising and eating healthy foods is still the mosteffective measure against heart diseases.
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By:Kelvin Chan
The use of x-rays has been common since their discovery. On November 23, 1985, the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays. He found that they had very short wavelengths that enabled these raysto pass through many substances such as human flesh and clothing. Animportant part of this discovery was that the x-rays could not pass through human bone readily and would cast a darker shadow than compared to flesh surrounding the bones. Soon, the x-rays would be used to save many lives byenabling doctors to see where a bullet was lodged in a twelve year old child'sbrain or to see exactly where a bone fracture occurred and how severe it was.
However, with these wonderful uses of the x-ray, there came thedangers. Testers and builders of x-ray machines suffered first. Many received burn marks, lesions, hair loss, stunted growth of fingernails, swelled and redhands. Some, like Clarence Madison Dally, would have both of their arms amputated because of x-ray exposure. Since there were so many dangers, the field of radiology grew since the world needed people who could safely administer x-rays to others without putting themselves, patients and innocent bystanders at risk. However, this field was not very successful in the beginning stages.
Various studies were done to show the effects of x-rays onradiologists, the
supposed experts. The many studies done showed thatradiologists suffer from a leukemia rate eight times that of other doctors, thatradiologists lived 5.2 years less than other doctors, deaths from leukemia, multiple myeloma, and aplastic anemia among radiologists was greater than other professions. There is also a seventy- percent excess of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers among radiologists as opposed to the general population, that radiologists also suffer an increased risk of contracting multiple myeloma, and an increased chance of death from strokes and heart disease.
However, radiologists are not the only people administering x-rays.Many unlicensed doctors, nurses and medical physicians perform x-rays. Thepeople who are receiving x-rays are also in danger. It was also proven thateven a single x-ray affecting an unborn fetus could greatly increase the risks ofleukemia. In fact, eggs in the ovaries that have been hit by an x-ray couldincrease the risk of having a baby born with a high chance for leukemia. It was also proven that though mammograms were used to help detect tumors, a possible result of cancer, it could actually create a tumor by greatly increasing the risks of cancer.
Many people ask why so many x-rays are being performed if they areso dangerous. While it is true that x-rays can be helpful, that is not the solereason for so many x-rays. X-ray machines are very expensive and like so many other types of technology, they become obsolete after a year or two. Therefore, some doctors are inclined to give periodic x-rays that cost a prettyhigh amount so that they can be compensated for the cost of the machine and not suffer a loss of profit.
Though x-rays can cause so much damage, there is no other alternativeas yet. Until a time comes that society will find some other way to substitute an x-ray, we will have to live with these dangers. The information found here is provided by www.ratical.org.
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By: Sam Cho
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have discovered that bone marrow can engender liver cells. Bone marrow has already been known to produce bone, muscle and blood vessels linings. The belief that only fetal cells can create differentiated is no longer accepted because of this new finding. The research of Petersen's group has explained why the liver can repair itself.
The liver can regenerate through the use of hepatocytes (liver cells) that immediately splits to repair injured tissue. If the hepatocytes do not work, oval cells will take over the regeneration process. However, this does not always happen.
Petersen's
group tried to prove that oval cell came from bone marrow stem cells. The
research group treated female rats with radiation
to destroy their bone marrow. 
The
irradiated female rats were given bone marrow coming from male rats of the
same species. This transplant made the female rats chimeras
(an organism that has two or more tissues that are genetically different).
2 weeks later; the female rats (chimeras) were treated with 2-AAF, which obstructs
hepatocytes from reproducing in order to prevent the reparation of damaged
liver tissue. A week later, the female rats were given a chemical that damages
the liver. 2 weeks later the research team harvested the livers and searched
for a marker found only on the Y-chromosome to insure that the transplanted
marrow cells came from the male. The team found out that the female rats had
livers containing oval cells and healthy liver cells that were produced from
the contained the marker. This result showed that cells coming from bone marrow
become functional liver cells.
If the process of using bone marrow cells to repair liver tissue is successful on humans, a huge portion of the liver can be created. Patients in need of a liver can avoid a transplant and the risks of rejection and the effects of reduce immunity. The liver that the patients would need would come from their own body so there would be no rejection and no need to use drugs that suppresses immunity.
