James Ganier

October 2,2013

Osteoporosis Warning Test

 Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which there is a decrease in bone mass and density. This decrease creates a breakdown of the bone tissue and makes fractures more likely. Osteoporosis affects 10 million people a year in the United States. Osteoporosis results in more than one and a half million fractures a year. However, researchers at the University of Southampton are testing a portable device to diagnose signs of osteoporosis.

  Researchers are currently testing a new device that has been developed to measure bone tissue to diagnose signs of signs of osteoporosis, which can lead to full-blown fractures. . For this new medical device, researchers push a microscopic needle into the superficial layer of bone. This amount of penetration exhibits how brittle the bone tissue is and the risk of a possible osteoporotic fracture later on in life.

  Previous methods to access bone fragility included using x-rays to measure bone density. This new technology introduces a new and unique measurement that will have a significant impact on diagnosing and treating osteoporosis. This new device has big potential for improving the assessment of osteoporosis and future fracture risk. This new devicecould reduce the overwhelming broken bone cases for the United States healthcare system and economy. New diagnostic techniques, like this portable device, are crucial to the development of understanding osteoporosis and bone health.

Works Cited:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). “ Portable, low-cost early warning test for osteoporosis.” Science Daily, 17. Sep. 2013. Web 6 Oct 2013

Tortora, Gerald J and Bryan Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. Hobokon: John Wiley & Sons. Inc 2012. Print

James Ganier

September 13, 2013

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that has three,  instead of two, copies of chromosome 21. Down Syndrome is categorized by cognitive impairment. One in nine hundred infants are born with Down Syndrome. Older women are more prone to having a Down Syndrome baby than younger women.  Down Syndrome is characterized my mental retardation, abnormal physical development and abnormal facial structures. However scientists at UMass Medical School have discovered that the extra chromosome can be neutralized or silenced. This extra chromosome is responsible for trisomy 21, also referred to as Down Syndrome.

Scientists have begun a research project in an induced pluripotent stem cells originated from fibroblasts cells given by a down syndrome patient. The scientists are inserting the XIST RNA gene at a specified location in the chromosome using Zinc finger nuclease technology.  RNA, derived from the XIST gene, was effectual in repressing genes across the extra chromosome. This allowed gene expression to normal levels and successfully neutralizing or silencing the chromosome.

Neutralizing or silencing the extra chromosome, which is responsible for Down Syndrome, will allow researchers to study cell pathologies. It will also allow researchers to find genome-wide pathways involved in the disorders. The scientists will be able to focus on abnormal gene expression in cells that entail an unusual number  of chromosomes. Scientists will be better able to comprehend the basic biology of Down Syndrome and will help develop new therapies for Down Syndrome.

Works Cited:

University of Massachusetts Medical School. “ Scientists show proof-of-principle for silencing extra chromosome responsible for Down Syndrome.” Science Daily, 17. Jul. 2013. Web 13 Sep 2013.

Tortora, Gerald J and Bryan Derrickson.  Principles of Anatomy and Physiology.  Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2012. Print.