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| SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY |
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Ganges fish regenerates
its cardiac muscle A fish called wonder
Prof Yash
Pal What is the scientific reason for dreaming? On what basis can we say that -79.5° is three times
colder than 0° degree Celsius?
Space telescope spots odd new solar system Accurate test developed for human mad cow disease Museums alert for ancient Egyptian loot |
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Ganges fish regenerates its cardiac muscle A small tropical fish that normally lives in the River Ganges and is commonly found in pet fish tanks could trigger a revolution in the treatment of heart disease and the end of heart-transplant surgery. Scientists believe that the zebrafish’s astonishing ability to regenerate its cardiac muscle might lead to the discovery of new drugs and treatments that will one day allow the human heart to heal itself after being damaged during a heart attack. Medical researchers have already discovered a small protein molecule in zebrafish that appears to play a critical role in orchestrating the repair of damaged cardiac muscle. A zebrafish can repair up to 20 per cent of its heart muscle within weeks of it being lost. Heart specialists believe that studying the zebrafish could provide vital clues about how to repair human cardiac muscle. The research might one day lead to an alternative to the transplant operations that are the only hope for thousands of patients now. “If we could find a biological way of repairing damaged cardiac muscle, it would certainly obviate the need for heart transplants for some people who have had heart attacks,” said Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation. The BHF, the biggest funder of heart research in Britain, yesterday announced a drive to raise an extra £50m over the next five years for spending on new developments in regenerative medicine, including studies into the innate repair mechanisms of the striped zebrafish. “Since the BHF’s inception 50 years ago, we’ve made great strides in medical research to better diagnose and treat people with all kinds of heart problems. But the biggest issue that still eludes us is how to help people once their heart has been damaged by a heart attack,” Professor Weissberg said. “Scientifically, mending human hearts is an achievable goal and we really could make recovering from a heart attack as simple as getting over a broken leg. But we need to spend £50m to make this a reality, and currently the resources and investment we need are simply not available,” he said. Five years ago, discussions about repairing damaged heart tissue centred on the idea of transplanting stem cells that could grow into fully mature cardiac muscle. However, more recent research suggests that it may be possible to stimulate latent stem cells that are already present in the human heart, Professor Weissberg said. More people than ever before are surviving heart attacks but they often have to live with severely damaged cardiac tissue that can seriously affect their quality of life. The aim of the new research initiative is to help these people to regain their mobility, just as many transplant patients are able to live relatively normal lives, he said. Over the last few decades, death rates from heart attack have fallen but heart failure rates have risen. In 1961, an estimated 1,00,000 people in the UK had heart failure, but an ageing population and the fact that more people are now surviving heart attacks has pushed this figure up to more than 7,50,000 today. “We have a burgeoning epidemic of heart failure in this country... and we know that the zebrafish is able to regenerate its heart muscle to an extraordinary extent. There is a biological trick there that we need to learn from and adapt to human beings,” Professor Weissberg said. Professor Paul Riley of the Institute of Child Health, University College London, said that a protein molecule called thymosine beta-4, which is found in zebrafish, could become the basis of a new heart-repair drug. The protein seems to control the growth of the epicardium membrane, which surrounds the heart, so that it triggers the formation of new cardiac tissue and blood vessels. “We hope to find similar molecules or drug-like compounds that might be able to stimulate these cells further. We’d really like to translate this to humans,” Professor Riley said. Professor Weissberg warned that it could still take many years before the research leads to effective treatments: “In terms of main-line treatment, this might be eight to 10 years away.” — The Independent
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THIS UNIVERSE This is the reason psychologists believe that analysis of dreams, when the control of the conscious is weakened, is a good way to understand the normally suppressed subconscious. However, when we are unconscious the control of senses is almost completely stopped. We still metabolise and breath, but we cannot be woken up by a loud noise, a pinch or sprinkling of water on our face. Perhaps we do not dream either. There is a major circuit block in the brain. Unconsciousness follows a major trauma or metabolic malfunction. I feel that this is also designed to protect us from extreme pain and discomfort. On what basis can we say that -79.5° is three times colder than 0° degree Celsius? You have to do some lateral thinking to understand the statement. You have to remember that the normal temperature of our body is about 37° Celsius. If you touch a block of ice with your hand, the temperature of your hand would drop slowly by 37°. If you now move your hand to touch a block of dry ice, the temperature of your hand would drop by another 79.5°. Thus, your cooling would be 37° + 79° = 116°. This is a little more than three times the cooling drop you had while touching the block of ice. Thus, you as a warm-bodied human could say that dry ice is three times coder than water ice. Readers wanting to ask Prof Yash Pal a question can e-mail him at
palyash.pal@gmail.com |
Space telescope spots odd new solar system WASHINGTON:
Astronomers have spotted a strange new solar system with small “puffy” planets packed in close orbit to their sun. And an orbiting space telescope has pointed scientists to more than 1,200 other possible exoplanets- planets outside our own solar system-the space agency NASA said on Wednesday.
Accurate test developed for human mad cow disease LONDON: British scientists have made a prototype of the most accurate blood test yet for the human form of mad cow disease, and say their work could transform diagnosis and screening of the fatal brain disorder. In an early-stage trial, the prototype, which is 100,000 times more sensitive than previous methods, was able to detect tiny amounts of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)-causing particles, known as prions, in human blood, the scientists said.
Museums alert for ancient Egyptian loot LONDON: International museums are on high alert for looted Egyptian artifacts and some archaeologists have even offered to fly to the country to help safeguard its ancient treasures, museums said Wednesday. Egypt has been rocked by an unprecedented nine days of demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year-rule, and fears are high for the country’s priceless heritage after looters broke into the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. — Reuters
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River Ganges and is commonly found in pet fish tanks could trigger a revolution in the treatment of heart disease and the end of heart-transplant surgery.
Scientists believe that the zebrafish’s astonishing ability to regenerate its cardiac muscle might lead to the discovery of new drugs and treatments that will one day allow the human heart to heal itself after being damaged during a heart attack.
The zebrafish displays an extraordinary ability to rebuild its heart muscle after it becomes damaged. A blood clot forms almost immediately around the damaged area to limit bleeding. The epicardium membrane surrounding the heart then quickly grows around the clot and stimulates the re-growth of new cardiac muscle and blood vessels. With time, the wounded heart returns to almost its original shape, size and pumping ability.
This is a question to which I am not able to give a detailed answer, though I have attempted to answer a similar question in these columns earlier. I am not sure any one knows it fully. But a difference can be easily demarcated. When we are asleep, our brain is given rest, but only part of its functions are given a holiday. It is still on a guard duty, should a major need arise. Our pain and temperature sensing circuits are not shut down. If we are cold, we snuggle deeper into the blanket. If we are warm, we throw off the covers. Metabolism goes on; the food is digested. The memories and images are still stored in the brain but the manner in which they connect up and serialise is not under the conscious control. 