Ultrasounds (sonagrams) are one of the many types of medical imaging techniques. This type of medical imaging involves the use of high-frequency sound waves to scan specific  areas of the  body such as the chest  and abdomen. Because they are invasive and painless, ultrasounds are commonly used on pregnant women to see  and identify the sex of their unborn child.

According to Rober Mattews, this seemingly  “safe” type of medical imaging is possibly causing subtle brain damage to unborn fetuses. Subtle brain damage “can cause people who should be genetically right handed to become left handed.” (Mattews 3) People with subtle brain damage “face a higher risk of having learning difficulties and epilsey.” (Mattews 3) Researchers have found that mothers that had ultrasounds done to them in the 1970’s gave birth to males that were left hand although gentically, they were meant to be right handed, thus indicating brain damage in the womb. ” A team of Swedish scientist found that men whose mothers had ultrasound scans in the 70’s were significantly more likely to be left handed than normal, pointing to a higher rate if brain damage while in the womb.” (Mattews 5)

Ultrasound scanning is ultimately harming the human race due to the fact that it is messing with our gentic make-up. The fact is that it is causing innocent people to be born with defects such as epilespy, all because their mothers wanted to make sure they were healthy while in the womb. This is outragous and uncalled for. Scientist NEED to develop a safer form of ultrasound imaging. By developing a safer form of ultrasounds, the possbility of a fetus developing subtle brain damage due to medical imaging technolgy will be lowered.

Mattews, Rober. “Ultrasound Scans Linked to Brain Damage in Babies.” Mercola.com. 19 Dec. 2001. 6 Sept. 2012 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/12/19/ultrasound.aspx.

Skin is a vital part of our body because of the protection it provides to our body from the outside world. Furthermore, have you ever wondered what actually happens when the skin is damaged and needs to be healed? Professor Cédric Blanpain from , Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium along with Professor Benjamin Simmons from Cambridge, United Kingdom analyzed the process of wound healing by performing different experiments that concluded that there are two types of cells responsible for the healing .Libre de Bruxelles, University (2012, September 3). Newly identified stem cell population in skin’s epidermis responsible for tissue repair.

What began as an experiment to monitor the life cycle and preservation of the epidermis, led to an exposing of two dividing cells. The first is slow-cycling stem cells which perform most of the healing of the epidermis, and a unique characteristic of these cells is the ability to extend over large distances. Furthermore, it does not have to be at the exact site of the wound in order to treat it. This fact amazed Professor Blanpain  so much that he said, ” It was amazing to see these long trails of cells coming from a single stem cell located at a very long distance from the wound to repair the epidermis”. The other type of cells that were exposed are the progenitors cells which do normal repairs. These cells are active only at the site of the damaged tissue because they are unable to expand, and provide quick minor healing.

Knowing that there are two different cells working together to heal a wound can help doctors and researchers find out why some wounds heal faster than others and why some wounds leave scars and others don’t. Further study in this subject can lead to more efficient treatments for those that have been severely burn or cut. Regenerative medicine could be revolutionized because of the fact that each of the two cells described above have unique functions, and researching further qualities of each can lead to more effective medicine.

New Discovery for Skin Cancer (Melanoma)

Because Chapters 1 and 2 cover body systems and how they work, I decided to research something about the integumentary system. Today, skin cancer is among the leading causes of death in America. Melanoma is a cancerous growths of melanocytes, which are the cells that produce our skin color (Tortora). We have all heard how damaging the sunlight can really be to our bodies, but why is it that no one listens? Many still continue to rebel, using tanning beds and soaking up the sun during summertime. Since it is so appealing to today’s society, this new discovery could be rewarding!

Recently, research has been carried out by Heide Niederleithner from the University Department of Dermatology at the MedUni Vienna (Medical University of Vienna). Basically, tests were conducted trying to figure out what protein could halt the formation of metastases, which is just the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. The protein found was Wnt-1, which would inhibit the formation of new metastases in malignant melanoma, thus, stopping the continued formation of new cancer cells (Medical University of Vienna).

This is an important discovery, especially in today’s society that enjoys being sun kissed rather than sun damaged. If the Wnt-1 protein can be put to use in patients who already have melanoma, it could inhibit the continued spread of the cancer which could prolong his or her life. In such a rebellious society that encourages attractive attributes, such as tan skin, this discovery could potentially save lives in the future!

Works Cited

1)      Tortora, Gerard J. and Bryan Derrickson. “The Cellular Level Of Organization.” Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. 13th ed. N.p.: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. 104. Print.

2)      Medical Universtiy of Vienna. “New Discoveries In Skin Cancer: Protein Inhibits Formation of Metastases.” Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2012): n. pag. Medical Xpress. 17 Aug. 2012. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-discoveries-skin-cancer-protein-inhibits.html>.