Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones where you have low bone mass. Osteoporosis can affect anyone, but women are most likely to get it. The reason women get osteoporosis more frequently is because the bones in the body are not depositing as much calcium as your body is absorbing. It mainly takes a toll on the upper portion of your body like the vertebrae, wrist, and hips, although it can affect the whole skeletal system. Osteoporosis can also  cause many other issues like shrinkage in height, bone pain, and a hunch in your back. More women often have osteoporosis, because their estrogen levels quickly decline after menopause. (Tortora, 203)

In the article, “Osteoporosis risk factors after menopause”, it states that a study was done on a group of Portuguese women that had gone through menopause. They wanted to find out if they could find any common factors linked to osteoporosis. They looked at the bone mass density by the use of DEXA, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. DEXA can tell you if you are at high risk for fracture. They are trying to come up with a drug that is  affordable for people with ostopenia to prevent it from progressing to osteoporosis.

I feel that people should know about this disease because it is so widely known in women. The more information you retain about osteoporosis, the better you can deal with it. I know several people that have osteoporosis and this disease has taken control of their life. It is physically hard for someone to stay active when you have osteoporosis. This could also lead to depression.

Inderscience, “Osteoporosis risk factor after menopause.” Science Daily. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 6 Oct. 2013

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson, 2012. Principals of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons

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

Healthy bone growth is a necessity for maintaining homeostasis in the human body.  The skeletal system protects, supports, and aids movement of the body.  However, humans are not born with healthy, hard bones.  As infants, we are born with cartilage and soft bones in the place of many of our adult bones.  The bones grow and harden as the infant grows older.  They do this through the synthesis of vitamin D.

As adults, most of the vitamin D that is synthesized comes from direct sunlight.  This is why doctors recommended we get fifteen minutes of sun exposure a day.  On the other hand, infants cannot withstand much direct sunlight.  They often require supplements of vitamin D in order to help the growth of healthy bones.  So, what is a healthy amount of vitamin D for an infant?

A study was conducted by School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at McGill University along with the Department of Pediatrics to find the perfect amount of vitamin D supplement needed for the growth of healthy bone.  Many countries have recommended amounts, but all the amounts differ.  The study consisted of132 infants.  The infants were randomly assigned to groups receiving different doses of vitamin D ranging from 400 IU per day to 1600 IU per day.  This was done over a 12 month period.

The infants’ growth was measured over the course of these 12 months.  However, at 3 months, the infants who received more than 400 IU per day showed no difference in growth than the ones receiving 400 IU.  The study concluded that infants only need 400 IU of vitamin D per day in order to grow healthy. The extra amounts do not provide any extra help to the infants.

The study has set a base of knowledge for future and current parents.  This knowledge will ease the parents’ minds while also growing healthy bones in their children.  Infants can still grow healthy bones without the extra vitamin D.  Therefore, this study disproved the statement “more is better” when it comes to the growth of bones in our little ones.

McGill University (2013, April 30). The right amount of vitamin D for babies: 400 IU daily dose for suggested for infants under one year of age. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2013/04/130430194039.htm

Justice Holliday

Research on MS

(New technique for imaging myelin loss and repair shows potential for identifying compounds with future potential to treat MS)

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects that brain and spinal cord. Some background on what myelin is. According to A&P the principles of anatomy and physiology, “Myelin sheaths are the multilayered lipid and protein coverings, formed by Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, around axons of many peripheral and central nervous system neurons.” Doctors’s commonly use MRI’s to look at brain disease activity but they have to develop a new way to look at the brains activity because an MRI is not sensitive enough to reveal specific information in the brain.

Dr. Wang and colleagues have created a new way to see specific areas that are inflamed in brain by injected a molecular probe called MeDAS into the blood stream. The MeDAS binds with the myelin. They injected several lab rats with the MeDAS and the used PET imaging and they found exactly were the myelin was lost to were as it was still intact. They treated the rats with an experimental drug that is supposed to stimulate myelin repair.

This new drug can help people with MS because it shows exactly where myelin is lost and where it is active so that they will know if inflammation is present in the brain because people with MS have inflammation in the brain. Since the new drug can show where the inflammation is in the brain, maybe doctors will be able to reduce the amount of inflammation and slow down the process. With new drugs and technology sciences may be able to find a cure to MS.

Citations

“New technique for imaging myelin loss and repair shows potential for identifying compounds with future potential to treat MS.” National Muliple Sclerosis Society. National Muliple Sclerosis Society, 03 Oct 2013. Web. 13 Oct 2013.

Tortora, Gerard, and Bryan Derrickson. A&P principles of anatomy and physiology. 13th ed. Danvers: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2011. G 18. Print.

The article, “Hydrotherapy for Burns,” touches on the treatment of hydrotherapy and how it can positively affect burn victims. Hydrotherapy is externally treating burns by using water. Hydrotherapy promotes healing by softening and removing the dead tissue and enabling new, healthy tissue to form. Although hydrotherapy can be immensely painful, it is a reassuring thought to know that a natural element such as water can play such a huge part in the treatment and healing of burns.

“Hydrotherapy for Burns” touched on the treatment of hydrotherapy in several aspects. Not only is hydrotherapy used in regular households when one runs water over a burn, but some hospitals practice it as well by having a room dedicated to hydrotherapy. Burn patients in hospitals usually receive hydrotherapy on a daily basis, and treatment begins immediately after a day or two of burn recovery and shock. The patient can either go through hydrotherapy immersion, or shower hydrotherapy. Warm, running water with an addition of antiseptics that are optional to help treat the burns will be what is used for hydrotherapy. Pain medications and general anesthetics will be given to relieve the pain that hydrotherapy brings. Physical therapy is used because if they are able, they are told to engage in movements that will get them involved with the session. When patients get engaged with the session, more comfort, less pain, and a better healing outcome is experienced. As one can tell, burns are an extremely serious accident that can be extremely harmful and deadly if not treated properly, and hydrotherapy is one way to get a patient back on track to healthy healing.

Burns are an extremely serious matter that people need to have the knowledge on. A burn can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye, so knowing how a burn can be helped and treated is an important aspect of knowledge that every individual should obtain. Hydrotherapy should be a piece of information that is instilled in everyone simply because burns are so common. Options for treating burns should be known to everyone.

Burns. Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. 2013. Web. 6 October 6, 2013.

Hydrotherapy for Burns. altMD.com. 2013. Web. 3 October 2013.

“Human Skin Wound Dressings”

The skin is a very complex organ, consisting of several layers the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. The skin maintains our body temperature, protects and provides sensory information. The researchers in Canada have been working on vitro skin culture, used as a biological wound dressing. This study will help many patients suffering from bad ulcers in their legs; which are slow to heal especially in patients with diabetes.

The research that they have been working on, creating the skin wound dressing, is a very complex and takes many steps to grow. And is a last recourse when other treatments are not working. First thing they do is remove about 1cm of the patients’ skin, and after isolating the appropriate cells, grow them in vitro. This process creates skin substitute for the dermis an epidermis layer of skin, which takes about 8 weeks to grow. This then can be used on the patients wound. Also helping speed up the skin’s healing process. The study has been successful in treating 14 ulcers in 5 patients.

With this newly found treatment for wound healing, the researches are going to work toward ways to help even patients suffering from serious burns. It’s good that there are researchers working on other ways to heal skin wounds that won’t heal on their own.

Kethanne K. Colich

Universite Laval. “Human skin wound dressing to treat cutaneous ulcers.” ScienceDaily, 2 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013

Tortora,Gerard J and Derrickson, B. Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. 13^th. 2011.Print.

As we age we know that not all things will be as they use to be. We expect our skin to have wrinkles. We expect to gain “wisdom”, also known as pesky gray hair. We know that naturally our bodies will breakdown. Our bones will be come more brittle. Tasks that were simple during youth would become difficult. It has come to be known as a natural part of life, and for the most part we have accepted it. For years we have all dreamed of a magic cure, or a fountain of youth. Although we dream of younger days could we be doing something in our youth and adulthood to increase our chances of aging quickly.

Studies found that good and poor sleepers show statistically significant differences in skin aging (University). The participants in which poor sleep occurred, showed increased signs of skin aging. Which included but is not limited to fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced elasticity of the skin (University). All of these are classic signs of aging. Usually the pronounced effects of skin aging do not become noticeable until people are in their late forties (Tortora). The women who participated in this study were between the ages of 30 and 49, and still showed a significant appearance of aging due to the lack of good sleep (University).

Although this research shows how sleep affects aging skin, it also gives us some insight on how to help with aging. Aging skin is a popular topic in our lives, no one wants to age quickly and most don’t want to age at all. This study shows us one area we can improve on. This just one solution we can implement into our lives to help with the dreadful process of aging.

Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson. 2012. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 13^th ed., John Wiley and Sons

University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “Sleep deprivation linked to aging skin, study suggests.” ScienceDaily, 23 Jul. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.

Bone Marrow Transplants

A bone marrow transplant is a way of transplanting bone marrow by using a high dose of chemotherapy.  The process from the donor to the patient is referred to as a bone marrow harvest.  Through much research doctors have said it helps cure cancer such as leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma. At the Johns Hopkins Research Center doctors researched different ways that were effective to treat bone marrow failure disorders.

In this article doctors became interested in using radiation to kill off bad bone marrow.  Their research was in a controlled setting but lung problems began to arise as a result of the radiation exposure.  George Santos, a researcher under the Johns Hopkins Center, studied a different approach to treat diseased bone marrow. The treatment he researched was a chemotherapeutic cocktail drug; unlike the radiation treatment it did not result in any other medical complications.

His approach became widely accepted.  Santos’s research helped pave the way for modern bone marrow transplants.  Improvements in the marrow transplants would in turn save many lives for future patients. I believe this study from Johns Hopkins has revolutionized the former attempts to treat bone marrow failures.

Rachel Smith

Gupta, Sujata. “Human Stem Cells at Johns Hopkins: A forty Year History.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. 6 Oct. 2013. 6 Oct. 2013 <http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/stem_cell_research/cell_therapy/human_stem_cells_johns_hopkins.html>.

“Bone marrow transplants.” Cancer Research UK. 6 Oct. 2013. 6 Oct. 2013

<http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/transplant/bone-marrow-transplants>.