The Human Body’s Ability to Repair Wounds

AMONG the numerous mechanisms that make human life possible is the body’s ability to heal wounds and regenerate damaged tissue. The process begins as soon as an injury occurs.

Consider: The healing process is made possible by a cascade of complex cellular functions:

• Platelets adhere to tissues around a wound, forming a blood clot and sealing damaged blood vessels.
• Inflammation protects against infection and removes any “debris” caused by the injury.
• Within days, the body begins to replace injured tissue, make the wound contract, and repair damaged blood vessels.
• Finally, scar tissue remodels and strengthens the damaged area.

Inspired by blood clotting, researchers are developing plastics that can “heal” damage to themselves. Such regenerating materials are equipped with tiny parallel tubes containing two chemicals that “bleed” when any damage occurs. As the two chemicals mix, they form a gel that spreads across the damaged areas, closing cracks and holes. As the gel solidifies, it forms a tough substance that restores the material’s original strength. One researcher admits that this synthetic healing process currently under development is “reminiscent” of what already exists in nature.

ANTS AND THEIR UNBELIEVABLE MECHANICAL ABILITY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERS marvel at the ability of a common ant to lift weights many times heavier than its own body. To understand this ability, engineers at Ohio State University, U.S.A., reverse engineered some of the ant’s anatomy, physical properties, and mechanical functions by means of computer models. The models were created using X-ray cross-sectional images (micro CT scans) and simulations of the forces an ant generates when carrying loads.

A critical part of the ant’s anatomy is its neck, which has to bear the full weight of loads grasped in its mouth. Soft tissues within the ant’s neck bind with the stiff exoskeleton of its thorax (body) and head in a manner that mimics the interlocking of fingers in folded hands. “The design and structure of this interface is critical for the performance of the neck joint,” says one of the researchers. “The unique interface between hard and soft materials likely strengthens the adhesion and may be a key structural design feature that enables the large load capacity of the neck joint.” Researchers hope that a clear grasp of how the ant’s neck functions will contribute to advancements in the design of man-made robotic mechanisms.

The Mathematical Ability of Plants

PLANTS use a complex process called photosynthesis to extract energy from sunlight to create food. Studies on certain species have revealed that they perform yet another feat—they calculate the optimum rate at which to absorb that food overnight.

Consider: By day, plants convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into starch and sugars. During the night, many species consume the starch stored during the day, thus avoiding starvation and maintaining plant productivity, including growth. Moreover, they process the stored starch at just the right rate—not too quickly and not too slowly—so that they use about 95 percent of it by dawn, when they start making more.

The findings were based on experiments on a plant of the mustard family called Arabidopsis thaliana. Researchers found that this plant carefully rations its food reserves according to the length of the night, no matter whether 8, 12, or 16 hours remained until dawn. Evidently, the plant divides the amount of starch available by the length of time remaining until dawn, thus determining the optimal rate of consumption.

How do plants ascertain their starch reserves? How do they measure time? And what mechanism enables them to do math? Further research may shed light on these questions.

Birth control pills may increase risk of seizures

Could certain types of hormonal contraceptives cause an increase in seizures in women with epilepsy? A recent Texas A&M Health Science Center study suggests that ethinyl estradiol, the primary component of oral contraceptives, could be detrimental to the epileptic brain. The findings were recently published in the journal Epilepsy Research.

"We were inspired by an earlier study which surveyed women with epilepsy and found that those using hormonal contraceptives self-reported 4.5 times more seizures than those that did not use oral contraceptives," said D. Samba Reddy, Ph.D., R.Ph., professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, principal investigator of the study.

The study found that when epileptic animal models received ethinyl estradiol, they not only had more frequent seizures, but the seizures were more likely to be uncontrolled. "We suspected for some time that hormonal birth control increases seizure activity in women with epilepsy, but now we know what part of the contraceptive is problematic."

Reddy says epilepsy is more difficult to control in women once they reach sexual maturity. "The hormones that control menstruation and pregnancy can trigger seizures," he says. "Women often experience more seizures in the week before their period due to the change in these hormones."

While epilepsy affects men more than women, women with epilepsy tend to experience seizures more frequently than men and women's seizures are more likely to be uncontrolled. Uncontrolled seizures last longer than 30-40 seconds and are more likely to permanently damage the brain.

"Controlled seizures don't tend to leave lasting damage, but uncontrolled seizures originate deeper in the brain," says Reddy, "some parts of the brain are more vulnerable to damage than others, for example the hippocampus, which has a role in regulating memory and spatial orientation. If that is damaged the person can suffer impairments to their normal functioning."

As a result of the study, Reddy recommends that women of childbearing age with epilepsy speak with their neurologist or endocrinologist about using non-hormonal forms of birth control such as a copper IUD or barrier methods like condoms.

The research was party funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

EPILEPTIC SEIZURES DECODED – Mechanism Behind Brain Development

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has achieved yet another milestone in molecular neuroscience research. Prof Nancy Ip, Dean of Science and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at HKUST, and her research team have made breakthrough discoveries in signaling mechanisms in brain development that have far-reaching implications for biomedicine.

These groundbreaking discoveries by Prof Ip and her research team have been published in Nature Neuroscience, a prestigious journal in neuroscience.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. During development, it is critical that new brain cells migrate to a specific location at the right time. Disturbances of this process are among the most common causes of cortical malformation disorders and are associated with neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and autism. However, the molecular mechanisms by which disruptions of early brain development result in neurological disorders are poorly understood.

Prof Nancy Ip and her team have successfully identified a cellular protein α2-chimaerin as a key regulator of neuronal migration and brain function. Using a cutting-edge technique known as in utero electroporation, they demonstrate that suppressing α2-chimaerin expression in the embryonic cerebral cortex arrests neuronal migration, resulting in the accumulation of migrating neurons at an erroneous area of the brain. Remarkably, mice with genetic depletion of α2-chimaerin exhibit spontaneous epileptic seizure behavior, underscoring a crucial function of α2-chimaerin in the development and functioning of the brain.

These exciting findings suggest that disrupting neuronal migration results in aberrant wiring of the neural circuit and subsequently epileptic seizures. Since many neuropsychiatric diseases are associated with problems in neuronal migration in the brain and seizures, the findings on α2-chimaerin by Prof Ip and her team now provide a new avenue for understanding the disease mechanisms and developing therapies to treat disease-related effects.

Prof Nancy Ip joined HKUST in 1993 and rose through the ranks to become Chair Professor in 2005. In February 2011, HKUST appointed her as Dean of Science. Prof Ip’s outstanding scientific accomplishments have won her numerous awards and honors including the Croucher Foundation Senior Research Fellowship in 1998, the National Natural Science Award in 2003, the L’OREAL-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ Award in 2004, the Scientific and Technological Progress Prize of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation in 2008, and more recently, the honor of Knight of l’Ordre National du Mérite bestowed by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Furthermore, she is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.

THE THORNY LIZARD'S MOISTURE-EXTRACTING SKIN

THE Australian thorny devil lizard (Moloch horridus) extracts moisture from fog, humidity, and wet sand. Then it channels the water to its mouth for drinking. How? The answer may lie in the lizard’s amazing skin.Consider: The thorny devil’s skin is overlaid with scales. Some scientists think that moisture or dew collected on the scales runs down to the rough surface of the skin and enters the skin’s network of half-open channels, or grooves, located between the scales. These channels are interconnected and lead to the sides of the thorny devil’s mouth.

But how does this lizard draw up water—up its legs, across its body, and into its mouth—defying gravity in the process? And how does the thorny devil extract moisture from wet surfaces by rubbing its belly against them?

Researchers have apparently unveiled the thorny devil’s secret. The channels on the surface of the skin are connected by way of ducts to another network of channels below, that is, within the lizard’s skin. The structure of these channels enables capillary action—a phenomenon in which water is drawn into narrow spaces even against the force of gravity. The lizard’s skin thus acts as a sponge.

Janine Benyus, president of the Biomimicry Institute, says that mimicking moisture-extracting technologies may help engineers design a system to remove humidity from air in order to cool buildings more efficiently and also to obtain drinking water.

CUTTLE FISH AND ITS COLOUR CHANGING ABILITY

CUTTLEFISH can change their color and camouflage themselves, becoming almost invisible to the human eye. According to one report, cuttlefish “are known to have a diverse range of body patterns and they can switch between them almost instantaneously.” How do cuttlefish do it?

Consider: The cuttlefish changes color by using the chromatophore, a special kind of cell found under its skin. Chromatophores contain sacs that are full of colored pigment and that are surrounded by tiny muscles. When the cuttlefish needs to camouflage itself, its brain sends a signal to contract the muscles around the sacs. Then the sacs and the pigment within them expand, and the cuttlefish quickly changes its color and pattern. The cuttlefish may use this skill not only for camouflage but also to impress potential mates and perhaps communicate.

Engineers at the University of Bristol, England, built an artificial cuttlefish skin. They sandwiched disks of black rubber between small devices that function like cuttlefish muscles. When the researchers applied electricity to the skin, the devices flattened and expanded the black disks, darkening and changing the color of the artificial skin.

Research on cuttlefish muscles—“the soft structures that nature is so good at making,” according to engineer Jonathan Rossiter—could lead to clothing that changes color in a fraction of a second. Rossiter says that people might wear cuttlefish-inspired clothes for camouflage—or simply for fashion.

Why neural stem cells may be vulnerable to Zika infection

This image shows a section through a stem cell-derived cerebral organoid (mini-brain in a dish) where the radial glia stem cells are shown in red, neurons are in blue, and the AXL receptors are in green.

Credit: Elizabeth Di Lullo

Zika's hypothesized attraction to human neural stem cells may come from its ability to hijack a protein found on the surface of these cells, using it as an entryway to infection. In Cell Stem Cell on March 30, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco show that the AXL surface receptor, normally involved in cell division, is highly abundant on the surface of neural stem cells, but not on neurons in the developing brain.

The neural stem cells that express AXL are only present during the second trimester of pregnancy. These cells, called radial glial cells, give rise to the variety of cell types (e.g., neurons and astrocytes) that help build the cerebral cortex. The researchers also found AXL expressed by the stem cells of the retina. Disruption of this range of cell types is consistent with the multiple symptoms associated with Zika infection in the developing fetus--including microcephaly, a brain lacking in folds, and eye lesions.

"While by no means a full explanation, we believe that the expression of AXL by these cell types is an important clue for how the Zika virus is able to produce such devastating cases of microcephaly, and it fits very nicely with the evidence that's available," says senior study author Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research. "AXL isn't the only receptor that's been linked with Zika infection, so next we need to move from 'guilt by association' and demonstrate that blocking this specific receptor can prevent infection."

Kriegstein's lab has a long-time interest in brain development. When the Zika outbreak hit, first authors Tomasz Nowakowski and Alex Pollen realized from previous studies that viruses similar to Zika--such as Dengue virus--seem to use AXL as an entry point to infection. They then used gene expression analysis (single-cell RNA sequencing) to look for AXL's presence across different cell types in mouse brain, ferret brain, human stem cell-derived brain organoids, and developing brain tissue in humans. Each of the models showed expression of AXL by the radial glial cells.

The researchers then used antibody trackers (immunohistochemistry) in the developing tissues and organoids to find out where the AXL receptor was most likely to be found on the neural stem cells. They found that AXL aggregates toward areas where the neural progenitors come into contact with either cerebrospinal fluid or blood vessels. This unique position would give a virus such as Zika an easy way to reach a vulnerable population of host cells.

"We still don't understand why Zika in particular is so virulent to the developing brain," Kriegstein says. "It could be that the virus travels more easily though the placental-fetal barrier or that the virus enters cells more readily than related infections."

Pending confirmation that Zika is using AXL for neural stem cell entry, the Kriegstein group is interested in exploring if the receptor could be exploited for therapeutic purposes. Since the protein is important for neural stem cell proliferation, it is unlikely that blocking AXL will be an option in the fetal brain. But perhaps there's a way to treat women at risk with an AXL inhibitor to stop Zika getting into the developing fetus in the first place.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

EPILEPSY DRUG TO INCREASE POTENCY,SPECIFICITY,REDUCES SIDE EFFECT HAS BEEN REDESIGNED

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Arts & Sciences have designed a more effective version of an FDA-approved epilepsy drug with the potential for fewer side effects, according to a study published on March 22 inMolecular Pharmacology. The experimental agent also could prove to be a treatment for tinnitus and other disorders caused by volatile neural signaling.

Epilepsy, in which erratic firing of nerve signals causes seizures, affects about 1 percent of people worldwide, said senior investigator Thanos Tzounopoulos, Ph.D., Endowed Chair in Auditory Physiology, associate professor of otolaryngology and member of the Auditory Research Group, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Drugs to treat the disorder primarily work by influencing the transport of sodium, potassium and chloride ions across the nerve cell membrane to try to reduce the excitability of the brain cells.

"Unfortunately, these drugs don't work well in nearly a third of patients and there is a great need for better treatments," Dr. Tzounopoulos said. "We have been able to refine an existing medication so that it acts selectively on certain nerve cell membrane transport channels, which should make it more effective."

The available drug is called retigabine, and while it has improved symptoms for some patients, it can also lead to troublesome side effects, including retinal abnormalities, urinary retention and skin discoloration. Dr. Tzounopoulos was part of a study team that evaluated an earlier modification of retigabine, dubbed SF0034, which is being further developed by SciFluor Life Sciences LLC in Cambridge, Mass.

For the current project, Dr. Tzounopoulos and Peter Wipf, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Pitt, rationally redesigned several structural components of retigabine to further increase its potency. Retigabine works by activating all five types of potassium transport channels in the KCNQ category, but only two of the potassium channels, KCNQ2/3, are important for stabilizing the cell membrane of brain cells involved in hyperexcitability-related disorders, such as epilepsy and tinnitus, Dr. Tzounopoulos explained. The new compound, known as RL648_81 ("RL-81"), targets just those channels.

When the researchers compared the three drugs head-to-head in lab tests, they found RL-81 was 15 times more potent than retigabine and three times more potent than SF0034. Because of its specificity, RL-81 also should have fewer side effects.

The experimental compound could also help people with tinnitus by preventing hyper-excitation of nerve cells in auditory pathways, Dr. Tzounopoulos noted.

"At this point, the new compound is ready to be studied further in animal models of epilepsy and tinnitus and for other preclinical assessments," Dr. Wipf said. "RL-81 appears to have great potential for the treatment of these challenging neurological conditions."

HKUST Scientists Discover New Measures to Facilitate Neural Repair

Damage to axons in the central nervous system (CNS) typically results in permanent functional deficits. If injured neurons can regenerate sufficient number of axons, the CNS may recover and overcome such functional deficits. A research team led by Prof Kai Liu, Assistant Professor from the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has recently discovered a novel strategy to promote axonal regeneration of injured neurons, which could inspire new directions for CNS repair research, including spinal cord injuries. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science on 16 February 2016. In his previous proof of principle work published in 2015, Prof Liu had found that inhibition of the PTEN gene would activate mTOR signaling pathway, which drives axons to regenerate across the lesion site and reform connections after chronic spinal cord injuries. In his latest research, Prof Liu suggested a mechanism by which enhancing neuronal activity promotes axon regeneration. The findings may potentially lead to the development of clinically useful methods to facilitate neural repair. Prof Liu’s research team demonstrated that axon regenerative capacity could be boosted with the right stimulants on neuronal activity through either an optogenetic or a chemogenetic approach. The team found that overexpression of a light-sensing molecule, melanopsin, in retinas of mice could enhance neuronal firing of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and promote axonal regeneration after optic nerve crush by activating mTOR signaling. The research team then took a chemogenetic approach to activate Gq signaling, downstream of melanopsin, by overexpressing Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD), widely adopted as a tool to enhance neuronal activity. A significant increase in axonal growth was detected as well after daily administration of clozapine-n-oxide, a synthetic ligand to activate DREADD. The results showed that melanopsin boosts axon regeneration by enhancing mTOR signaling in a neuronal activity-dependent manner. Melanopsin activates Gq signaling that subsequently increases neuronal activity and calcium influx to a degree that may be necessary to sustain long-term mTOR activation in RGCs. “Our findings suggest that boosting neuronal activity promotes axon regeneration,” said Prof Liu. “We are currently investigating whether a similar approach might also promote axon regeneration in a much more challenging animal model – spinal cord injury.” Prof Kai Liu received his Bachelor’s degree from Peking University, and obtained his PhD in Neuroscience from Rutgers University. He worked at the Boston Children’s Hospital of the Harvard Medical School before joining HKUST in 2011. The project was undertaken in collaboration with Prof Yung Hou Wong in the Division of Life Science, and scientists from the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, and Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou. This project is supported by Research Grants Council in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Spinal Cord Injury Fund.

LATEST/RECENT NEWS ON EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

LASU Expels 25 Students For Examination Misconduct

25 students of Lagos State University have been suspended for examination misconduct.

19 students are from the external system in Festac, 3 from the Isolo campus and 3 from the main campus.

It was learnt that the students were found to have indulged in malpractices ranging from use of fake docket, impersonation, some were caught with answers on a phone, others with answer written on a piece of paper, another with fake exam docket and LASU identity card, exam script found to be suspicious during grading and one caught with photocopies material inside the exam hall in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 academic sessions.

14 of the affected students are in final year at the external system, 3 in 400 level, 7 in 300 level and 1 in 200 level. 

TASUED Part-time Students 1st Semester Examination 2015/2016

This is to inform all Part-Time students that the 2015/2016 First Semester Examination starting with e-Test earlier scheduled to commence on Friday, 18th March, 2016 has been postponed by two weeks. 

The e-Test will now commence on Friday, 1st April, 2016 while the e-Examination and written examination will commence on Friday, 15th April, 2016.

This is to enable all students pay at least 60% of their school fees and development levy which are prerequisites for sitting for the e-Test.

2016 UTME: 15 JAMB Officials Under Investigation, Risk Jail Terms

Prof. Dibu, Ojerinde, Registrar/Chief Executive of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has said that 15 employees of the board are currently being investigated for allegedly compromising standard in the accreditation of examination centres which resulted in the unavailability of adequate infrastructure needed for the examination. 

According to him, the alleged compromise, led to the technical problems encountered during the conduct of the 2016 UTME.

He noted that of the affected staff are found guilt, they risk jail terms. 

NYSC 2016 Batch A Orientation Exercise Postponed

The management of the National Youth Service Corps has postponed the date for the Batch A orientation exercise (stream I and Stream II)

The time-table for the mobilization is now as indicated below:

1. 2015 Batch B Post Mobilisation Workshop: 19th - 21st November 2015

2. 2016 Batch A pre-mobilization workshop: 5th - 9th January 2016

3. Briefing of corps Members/ final year students: 12th - 16th January 2016

4. Display of list of all approved programmes for institutions on NYSC portal for cross checking: 11th - 15th January 2016

5. Collation of Prospective Corps Members' Data by Corps Producing Institutions CPIs: 11th - 18th January 2016

6. Submission/Uploading of Senate/Academic Board Approved Result for Full/Part-Time Graduates and Revalidation Lists by CPIs: 18th - 30th February 2016

7. Uploading of Corrected Lists by Corps Producing Institutions: 18th - 30th February 2016 

8. On-line Registration by Foreign and locally Trained Nigerian Graduates: 8th - 28th February 2016

9. Entertainment of complaints from Prospective Corps Members by the state Deployment and Relocation officers and NYSC Help Lines/Desks: 8th - 27th February, 2016 

10: Forwarding of Complaints to Mobilisation Dept by State Deployment and Relocation officers: 8th - 27th February, 2016 

11. Online Delivery of Print-Outs to Corps Producing Institutions: 1st - 3rd March, 2016 

12. Deployment and Printing of Call-up Letters by ICT Department: 21st - 27th April, 2016 

13. Notification/On-line Printing of Call-up Letters: 24th - 27th April, 2016 

14. 2016 Batch A Orientation Course (Stream I): 27th April - 13th May, 2016 

15. 2016 Batch A Orientation Course (Stream II): 21st May - 6th June, 2016 

List of Universities that Accept Combination of O’Level Results

See the names of universities that can allow you merge WAEC and NECO results.

Here is the Universities that Accepts Combination of O’Level Results – WAEC and NECO.

Obafemi Awolowo University– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Ibadan– – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Nigeria
Nsukka – – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Uyo – UNIUYO – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Abuja–– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Benin– UNIBEN – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Nnamdi Azikiwe University UNIZIK – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Jos – UNIJOS – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Ahmadu Bello University – ABU Zaria – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

University of Ilorin– UNILORIN – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture – MOUAU – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba – MOUAU – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye – accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Kaduna State University– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Tai Solarin University– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Enugu State University– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO

Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM)– accepts WAEC & WAEC, NECO & WAEC, NECO & NECO 

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients

• 1 cup
  whole-wheat flour
• 5 to 7 scant
  cups all-purpose flour
•  2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups water

Directions

Combine the whole-wheat flour with a half-cup of water in a nonreactive container, such as glass, stainless steel or food-grade plastic. Mix thoroughly, and then cover the container with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

Tip

• The colder the house, the slower a starter grows. If your house is below 68 degree F, place the bowl in a warm location, such as near a baseboard heater or in a warm laundry room.

On the second day, discard half the starter -- about 1/2 cup. Add a scant cup -- meaning, a cup minus 1 to 2 tablespoons -- of all-purpose flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Mix well; cover and let it rest for another 24 hours.

Tip

• Discarding the starter helps balance the pH; if you neglect to do so, you’ll likely wind up with too much starter, and that’s not useful for baking bread. If it feels wasteful to discard it, give it to a friend.

On the third day, the starter should be bubbling, expanding and emitting a fruity aroma. Weigh out 4 ounces of starter and discard the remainder. Add another scant 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of water. Continue this process of discarding and adding flour and water for the next two days.

On day five, the starter should have doubled in volume and it will give off a tangy aroma. If it hasn’t finishing rising, repeat the step of weighing and feeding the starter for another two days.

When your starter is ready, discard all but 4 ounces. Give it one last feeding of a scant cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of water. Let it sit at room temperature for another 6 to 8 hours.

Tip

• At this point, remove a cup of starter to use in your bread recipe. Transfer the remaining starter -- it should be about 4 ounces -- to a jar in the refrigerator. Feed it with a scant cup flour and 1/2 cup of water once a week.

Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup
  sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups
  warm water
• 6 cups
  all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons
  salt

Directions

Pour the cup of starter into a large bowl, and add the water and 3 cups of flour. Mix thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for between 2 and 8 hours, depending on your schedule. A long period of time means a more sour flavor.

When ready, blend salt and another cup of flour into the dough. Add additional flour a little bit at a time until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes, adding extra flour as necessary. Grease a bowl, and then knead for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place the dough in the greased bowl; turn it once, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a loaf, and place it on a greased and floured baking sheet. Cover, and let the dough rise for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the cover; make slashes in the top, and bake the loaves for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the oven off and leave the bread in the oven for another 5 minutes with the door cracked.

Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

HOW TO MAKE CORNED BEEF (HOME MAKERS LESSONS)

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup kosher or sea salt 
• 2 tablespoons pink curing salt(see tip below) 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves 
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries 
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds 

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 
• ½ tsp ground ginger 
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled  
• 5 lbs beef brisket 
• 1 white onion, quartered 
• 2 large carrots, chopped 
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped

Step 1

In a large pot add the water, sugar, kosher salt, curing salt (if using), cinnamon stick, cloves, all spice, mustard, peppercorns, ginger and bay leaves. Cook over medium heat until the salt and sugar completely dissolve. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill until cold.

Step 2

Add the brisket to the brine, making sure that the meat is completely submerged. This can be done in a large zip-top style resalable bag, removing as much air as possible. Alternately, you can use a bowl just large enough to fit the meat -- but be sure to use a heavy plate or can to help submerge the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 8 days.

Step 3

Remove from brine and rinse well. Place in a pot just large enough to fit the meat. Cover with about 1 inch of water. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cover and bring to a very low simmer (just a few bubbles breaking at the surface every minute or so), and allow to cook until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours.

Step 4

Remove the meat from the pot and place on a cutting board. Cut across the grain into thin slices. Serve warm.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER ;Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen.

                                          WHAT IS MESOTHELIOMA CANCER

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen.

Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma.

Making a correct mesothelioma diagnosis is particularly difficult for doctors because the disease often presents with symptoms that mimic other common ailments. There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma, but treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy can help to improve the typical mesothelioma prognosis and even increase one's life expectancy.

Three major types of mesothelioma exist and they are differentiated by the organs primarily affected. Pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lung’s protective lining in the chest cavity) represents about three-quarters of all mesothelioma incidence. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal cavity, and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the cardiac cavity, comprise the remainder.

There are three recognized mesothelioma cell types. Between 50% and 70% of all mesotheliomas are of the epithelial variety. While prognosis is generally poor, it is considered less aggressive than sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma, which comprise the remainder of cell-type diagnoses.

The cavities within the body encompassing the chest, abdomen, and heart are surrounded by a membrane of cells known as the mesothelium. Mesothelial cells assist in general organ functions. The mesothelium is particularly important to organs that are commonly in motion, such as expansion or contraction of the lungs, stomach, or heart. Lubrication from the mesothelial cells allows free range of motion within the body. The mesothelium of the chest, abdomen, and cardiac cavity are called the pleura, the peritoneum, and the pericardium, respectively. Each of these groupings of mesothelial cells is extremely critical to the functions of the body structures which they encompass.

Malignancies (cancerous tumors) occurring within the mesothelial membranes are known as malignant mesothelioma, or simply mesothelioma. Benign tumors of the mesothelium are known to occur, but are much more rare than malignant mesothelial tumors.

While tumors of the mesothelium were first recognized in the late 18th century, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this particular cancer was studied and examined with more detail. It was at this time when suspicions of the cancer’s causal relationship with asbestos exposure became more substantiated. A joint research venture through the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of the Witswater and Johannesburg General Hospital in South Africa provided the most compelling evidence of the nexus between asbestos exposure and the development of pleural mesothelioma.

Incidence of mesothelioma is still quite rare, with only 2,500-3,000 diagnoses in the United States each year. There was a spike in reported diagnoses between 1970 and 1984, which has been attributed to the latency period between diagnosis and the height of industrial exposures, which occurred roughly 40-60 years prior to this time. While exposure was common across the United States in nearly all industries, it was particularly prevalent in the WWII-era military industrial cycle, including navy shipyards.

Although this cancer is much more common in men over the age of 60, mesothelioma in women and children has been documented as well. Mesothelioma causes for diagnosis in women and children are mainly attributed to secondary exposure to asbestos, as it was not uncommon for men to bring asbestos back into the home on their bodies or clothing.

       

                                            CAUSES OF MESOTHELIOMA

                             What Causes Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the mesothelium, a thin membrane encompassing the body’s internal organs and cavities. Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers that are inhaled through the mouth and nose may eventually become embedded in the lining of the lungs, causing harmful inflammation of the pleura and resulting in mesothelioma or asbestosis (scar tissue formation in the lungs). It has also been found that swallowing asbestos fibers could contribute to a form of the malignancy originating in the abdomen known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma generally results from occupational asbestos exposure, but there are instances of environmental exposure that can also cause the disease. Often times a family member can be affected indirectly by secondhand exposure from an asbestos worker’s soiled work clothes.

Asbestos was an effective insulation material. It was used liberally in commercial and industrial products in the United States until being regulated in a joint effort between the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989. Occupational exposure was common among workers who encountered these products in many industries including shipbuilding, power plants, and other industrial settings.

Asbestos insulation workers appear to have the highest incidence rate of asbestos-related disease. One study reports that almost six percent of asbestos workers fall victim to mesothelioma or experience respiratory symptoms. Asbestos insulation workers are over 300 times more likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma than those with no exposure history.

How does exposure to asbestos cause mesothelioma?

Asbestos fibers are microscopic, though they are also quite durable. For this reason, asbestos was used in a number of different industrial compounds to enhance strength and resistance to temperature extremes- two properties at which the mineral is highly adept. Asbestos exposure most often occurred among individuals who worked extensively with asbestos or asbestos-containing materials. Friable asbestos (meaning loose or airborne fibers) is easily inhaled- often without the exposed person realizing.

When inhaled, asbestos lodges easily in the outer lung tissue and within the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin membrane of cells which produces a lubricating fluid on the surface of the organs. This lubricant allows the lung and other internal structures to expand, contract, and move freely without friction in the body cavity. There is a great deal of latency associated with mesothelioma between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms.

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common variety of the disease and forms on the pleural membrane, which surrounds the lung and chest cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is less common and forms on the surface of the peritoneum, a thin membrane surrounding the abdominal cavity. Pericardial mesothelioma is the least common variety of the disease and forms in the cardiac cavity that envelops the heart, a mesothelial membrane known as the pericardium.

Inhaled asbestos fibers are known to be the cause of pleural mesothelioma, whereas ingested asbestos fibers are the cause of peritoneal mesothelioma. While the exact causal nature between asbestos and pericardial mesothelioma is not known, physicians and cancer researchers surmise asbestos fibers in the blood stream lodge in the outer layers of the heart’s ventricles and lodge in the pericardium. Once asbestos fibers reach the surface of the peritoneum or pericardium, the inflammation process is essentially the same as it is on the surface of the pleura.

Primary workplace exposure to the mineral was common in naval shipyards, power plants, railroad infrastructure, and other industrial jobsites. However, asbestos-related mesotheliomas have also been diagnosed in spouses or children of those exposed to asbestos. Workers often brought home dangerous asbestos fibers on their clothing, hair, or person. Those who came into contact with these fibers on the person or their clothing have developed mesothelioma as a result.

Other Contributing Factors

Mesothelioma is also causally associated with a few other factors, but many of these are attributed to the development of mesothelioma in conjunction with exposure to asbestos.

Smoking

Those who smoke are at a higher risk of mesothelioma, though smoking is more commonly associated with traditional lung carcinomas. Smoking tends to enhance risk even further in those who were also exposed to asbestos.

Radiation Exposure

While extremely rare, some mesothelioma patients attribute their diagnosis to exposure to radiation rather than exposure to asbestos. Radiation tends to transform and mutate cell growth patterns and is more commonly associated with brain and blood cancers.

Carbon Nanotubes

Research is extremely preliminary in this study, but some laboratory studies indicate a molecular similarity between asbestos mineral fibers and carbon nanotubes. Tests indicate a pronounced risk of mesothelioma in some laboratory animals implanted with carbon nanotubes.