Cell Phone/Brain Tumor Connection Remains Inconclusive – But They Pose Neurological Health Risks
There has been much speculation over the last few years about whether cell phones increase the risk of developing a brain tumor. Research has not conclusively answered this question, which has left consumers confused. The majority of studies that have been published in scientific journals do not have sufficient evidence to show that cell phones increase the risk of brain tumors. The problem is that cell phone technology is in its infancy, so none of these studies could analyze long-term risks. This unknown is a particular issue for children, who will face a lifetime of cell phone usage. While the cell phone/brain tumor connection remains inconclusive, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) cautions that cell phones present plenty of other risks to people’s neurological health.
Several studies show cell phones are a leading cause of automobile crashes. It is estimated that drivers distracted by cell phones are four times more likely to be in a motor vehicle accident. The following are some sobering statistics:
~According to a Harvard University study, an estimated 2,600 people die and 12,000 suffer serious to moderate injuries each year in cell phone-related accidents.
~A Canadian study analysis of 26,798 cell phone calls made during the 14-month study period showed that the risk of an automobile accident was four times higher when using a cell phone.
~National statistics indicate that an estimated 50,000 traumatic brain injury-related deaths occur annually in the United States, 25,000-35,000 of which are attributed to motor vehicle accidents.
A few recent cases treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms:
~A 29-year-old male was talking on his cell phone while on an escalator, fell backwards, and lacerated his head.
~A 25-year-old male was talking on his cell phone and walked into a street sign, lacerating his head.
~A 43-year-old female fell down 13-14 steps while talking on her cell phone, after drinking alcohol. She suffered a neck sprain and contusions to her head, back, shoulder, and leg.
~A 50-year-old female suffered nerve damage which was related to extensive cell phone usage. She felt pain in her fingers and the length of her arm while holding her cell phone, and was diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy.
~A 39-year-old man suffered a head injury after crashing into a tree on his bicycle while texting
~A 16-year-old boy suffered a concussion because he was texting and walked into a telephone pole.
Cell Phone Injury Prevention Tips
~Talk hands free by using an earpiece or on speaker mode whenever possible.
~Follow all cell phone laws applicable to your city and state – these vary greatly.
~Use your cell phone only when safely parked, or have a passenger use it.
~Do not dial the phone or take notes while driving, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc.
~Never text message while driving, walking, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc.
~Never text message or use a cell phone while performing any physical activities that require attention.
~If your phone rings while driving, let the call go into voice mail and respond later when you are safely parked.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Mathematics Students Make Prime Discovery
Westfield State College senior mathematics majors Jeffrey P. Vanasse and Michael E. Guenette, working under the direction of Mathematics Department faculty members Marcus Jaiclin and Julian F. Fleron, have made a significant new discovery in the mathematical field of number theory. They have discovered the first known example of a 3 by 3 by 3 generalized arithmetic progression (GAP).
Most easily thought of as a 3 by 3 by 3 cube (similar to a Rubik’s cube puzzle) made up of 27 primes, their discovery begins with 929 as its smallest prime ends with 27917 as its largest prime. The intervening 25 primes are constructed by adding combinations of the numbers 2904, 3150, and 7440 in an appropriately structured method.
“Such an object was known to exist and its approximate size had been loosely estimated,” Fleron said. “However, a blind search would require checking more cases than can be feasibly checked by all existing modern computers each running for the next million years. Instead, the group used knowledge of the structural relationships between the potential candidates to greatly reduce the potential candidates to be checked.”
An algorithm to check the necessary cases – still easily hundreds of trillions of cases – was programmed using a Linux version of the computer language C++.
“This breakthrough is another indication that our Mathematics Department is working on a world-class level,” said Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College. “The college is very proud of these students and their professors for taking the initiative to practice cutting-edge mathematics.”
“We were worried that it might take months to run based on our estimates,” Guenette said. “Yet initial tests showed the algorithm running at a hopeful speed.”
“We were always optimistic, but the first tests got us really excited that our method would be successful,” Vanasse said.
The team broke the search up into groups of cases for each of the researchers to run on separate computers. Within days the first known example of a 3 by 3 by 3 GAP was found – one with largest prime of 197,957.
Having succeeded in finding the first known example, and now having a strict bound on the size of the largest prime, the group set to work finding other 3 by 3 by 3 GAPs – in particular, the smallest such. They were successful, showing there are exactly three 3 by 3 by 3 GAPs of primes with largest prime less than 50,000, the smallest example being that described above.
The students and faculty members are hopeful that their work will aid number theorists who continue to work on elusive patterns that lurk within the mystery of the prime numbers.
With estimates for the largest prime in a 4 by 4 by 4 or 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 GAP being near 5 quadrillion (that’s a 5 followed by 15 zeroes) the group is fairly certain that their record for finding the highest dimensional GAP will stand for quite some time, Fleron said.
Guenette of Easthampton, Mass., and Vanasse of Chicopee, Mass., both plan on attending graduate school in mathematics following graduation. Their work on this problem has provided them with a valuable introduction to the efforts of a working research mathematician.
For Jaiclin and Fleron, and the rest of the Westfield State Mathematics Department, it is another opportunity to share with and involve undergraduates what they love best: doing significant mathematics and advancing the frontier of human knowledge.
Fleron said the team’s work was inspired by the recent discoveries of the young Australian mathematician Terence Chi-Shen Tao, now a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Many prominent number theorists are working simply to understand the implications of these discoveries,” he said. “Now Westfield State College students are playing a role, as well.”
British mathematician Andrew Granville, now on the faculty of the Université de Montréal, also inspired the group. Granville’s paper, “Prime Number Patterns,” was published in the April edition of American Mathematical Monthly.
Ironically, Granville just gave a lecture on “Patterns in the Primes” as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). This series, sponsored by the National Security Agency, took place at the MAA Carriage House Conference Center in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 13. This was the day before the Westfield State group’s discovery.
Westfield State College senior mathematics majors Jeffrey P. Vanasse and Michael E. Guenette, working under the direction of Mathematics Department faculty members Marcus Jaiclin and Julian F. Fleron, have made a significant new discovery in the mathematical field of number theory. They have discovered the first known example of a 3 by 3 by 3 generalized arithmetic progression (GAP).
Most easily thought of as a 3 by 3 by 3 cube (similar to a Rubik’s cube puzzle) made up of 27 primes, their discovery begins with 929 as its smallest prime ends with 27917 as its largest prime. The intervening 25 primes are constructed by adding combinations of the numbers 2904, 3150, and 7440 in an appropriately structured method.
“Such an object was known to exist and its approximate size had been loosely estimated,” Fleron said. “However, a blind search would require checking more cases than can be feasibly checked by all existing modern computers each running for the next million years. Instead, the group used knowledge of the structural relationships between the potential candidates to greatly reduce the potential candidates to be checked.”
An algorithm to check the necessary cases – still easily hundreds of trillions of cases – was programmed using a Linux version of the computer language C++.
“This breakthrough is another indication that our Mathematics Department is working on a world-class level,” said Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College. “The college is very proud of these students and their professors for taking the initiative to practice cutting-edge mathematics.”
“We were worried that it might take months to run based on our estimates,” Guenette said. “Yet initial tests showed the algorithm running at a hopeful speed.”
“We were always optimistic, but the first tests got us really excited that our method would be successful,” Vanasse said.
The team broke the search up into groups of cases for each of the researchers to run on separate computers. Within days the first known example of a 3 by 3 by 3 GAP was found – one with largest prime of 197,957.
Having succeeded in finding the first known example, and now having a strict bound on the size of the largest prime, the group set to work finding other 3 by 3 by 3 GAPs – in particular, the smallest such. They were successful, showing there are exactly three 3 by 3 by 3 GAPs of primes with largest prime less than 50,000, the smallest example being that described above.
The students and faculty members are hopeful that their work will aid number theorists who continue to work on elusive patterns that lurk within the mystery of the prime numbers.
With estimates for the largest prime in a 4 by 4 by 4 or 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 GAP being near 5 quadrillion (that’s a 5 followed by 15 zeroes) the group is fairly certain that their record for finding the highest dimensional GAP will stand for quite some time, Fleron said.
Guenette of Easthampton, Mass., and Vanasse of Chicopee, Mass., both plan on attending graduate school in mathematics following graduation. Their work on this problem has provided them with a valuable introduction to the efforts of a working research mathematician.
For Jaiclin and Fleron, and the rest of the Westfield State Mathematics Department, it is another opportunity to share with and involve undergraduates what they love best: doing significant mathematics and advancing the frontier of human knowledge.
Fleron said the team’s work was inspired by the recent discoveries of the young Australian mathematician Terence Chi-Shen Tao, now a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Many prominent number theorists are working simply to understand the implications of these discoveries,” he said. “Now Westfield State College students are playing a role, as well.”
British mathematician Andrew Granville, now on the faculty of the Université de Montréal, also inspired the group. Granville’s paper, “Prime Number Patterns,” was published in the April edition of American Mathematical Monthly.
Ironically, Granville just gave a lecture on “Patterns in the Primes” as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). This series, sponsored by the National Security Agency, took place at the MAA Carriage House Conference Center in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 13. This was the day before the Westfield State group’s discovery.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Simple Chemical Procedure Augments Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells
Adult stem cells resemble couch potatoes if they hang out and divide in a dish for too long. They get fat and lose key surface proteins, which interferes with their movement and reduces their therapeutic potential. Now, via a simple chemical procedure, researchers have found a way to get these cells off the couch and over to their therapeutic target.
To do this, they simply added a molecule called SLeX to the surface of the cells. The procedure took just 45 minutes and restored an important biological function.
“Delivery remains one of the biggest hurdles to stem cell therapy,” explains senior author Jeffrey Karp, an instructor at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. “The blood stream offers a natural delivery vehicle, but stem cells don’t move through blood vessels normally after being expanded in culture. Our procedure promises to overcome this obstacle.”
These findings will be published online in the journal Bioconjugate Chemistry on Oct. 31.
In order for cells injected into the blood stream to be therapeutically useful, they need to take initiative to reach target tissues. But instead, cultured stem cells go with the flow. They move through the body quickly, carried by the current, which means they seldom contact the sides of blood vessels. Thus, they have fewer opportunities to escape into the surrounding tissue by squeezing between cells of the vessel wall. Adult stem cells must escape before they can colonize surrounding tissue and rebuild damaged structures.
In February of 2008, HMS associate professor Robert Sackstein (at Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and colleagues showed they could correct this problem by adding a particular molecule to the surface of adult stem cells. This molecule—a cousin of SLeX—formed temporary connections with proteins on the blood vessel wall, serving as a kind of weak tape. But Sackstein’s method involved enzymes, which made the chemistry complicated. Karp’s team achieved the same result without enzymes.
Karp lab postdoc Debanjan Sarkar simply flooded a dish of cells with three molecules—biotin, streptavidin, and SLeX—one after the other. The biotin and streptavidin anchored SLeX to the cell surface. Sarkar tweaked the concentrations of each molecule to maximize the cell’s ability to roll along the interior of the blood vessel, rather than getting lost in the flow. He also confirmed that the altered cells were still viable.
“The method is very simple,” says Sarkar, who is first author on the paper. “Plus, biotin and streptavidin work with many molecules, so labs can use this universal anchor we discovered to tackle other problems. They’re not limited to sticking SLeX on cells.”
The team worked with human cells extracted from the bone marrow. The cultures included mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can form fat cells, cartilage, bone, tendon and ligaments, muscle cells, and even nerve cells. When injected into the bloodstream of patients, MSCs can home to the site of an injury and replace damaged tissue. But just a fraction of cultured MSCs currently reach their target in clinical trials. Karp’s procedure might improve their homing abilities.
Karp cautions that his lab’s discovery must be validated in animals, before doctors can apply it in the clinic. He’s collaborating with another lab to test the homing ability of the SLeX-dotted cells in mice.
“We need to confirm that this rolling behavior translates into increased homing and tissue repair,” explains Karp. “We may need to tweak the cells further.”
“This is definitely an approach that should be tried,” adds Pamela Robey, chief of the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Robey is working to reconstruct three-dimensional tissues with MSCs. “Jeff hasn’t tested the altered MSCs inside animals, and that’s really the gold-standard, but his in vitro data looks promising.”
This research is supported by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) brings together the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard University, the Boston area teaching hospitals and an assortment of research centers in a unique collaboration that integrates science, medicine and engineering to solve problems in human health.
Adult stem cells resemble couch potatoes if they hang out and divide in a dish for too long. They get fat and lose key surface proteins, which interferes with their movement and reduces their therapeutic potential. Now, via a simple chemical procedure, researchers have found a way to get these cells off the couch and over to their therapeutic target.
To do this, they simply added a molecule called SLeX to the surface of the cells. The procedure took just 45 minutes and restored an important biological function.
“Delivery remains one of the biggest hurdles to stem cell therapy,” explains senior author Jeffrey Karp, an instructor at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. “The blood stream offers a natural delivery vehicle, but stem cells don’t move through blood vessels normally after being expanded in culture. Our procedure promises to overcome this obstacle.”
These findings will be published online in the journal Bioconjugate Chemistry on Oct. 31.
In order for cells injected into the blood stream to be therapeutically useful, they need to take initiative to reach target tissues. But instead, cultured stem cells go with the flow. They move through the body quickly, carried by the current, which means they seldom contact the sides of blood vessels. Thus, they have fewer opportunities to escape into the surrounding tissue by squeezing between cells of the vessel wall. Adult stem cells must escape before they can colonize surrounding tissue and rebuild damaged structures.
In February of 2008, HMS associate professor Robert Sackstein (at Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and colleagues showed they could correct this problem by adding a particular molecule to the surface of adult stem cells. This molecule—a cousin of SLeX—formed temporary connections with proteins on the blood vessel wall, serving as a kind of weak tape. But Sackstein’s method involved enzymes, which made the chemistry complicated. Karp’s team achieved the same result without enzymes.
Karp lab postdoc Debanjan Sarkar simply flooded a dish of cells with three molecules—biotin, streptavidin, and SLeX—one after the other. The biotin and streptavidin anchored SLeX to the cell surface. Sarkar tweaked the concentrations of each molecule to maximize the cell’s ability to roll along the interior of the blood vessel, rather than getting lost in the flow. He also confirmed that the altered cells were still viable.
“The method is very simple,” says Sarkar, who is first author on the paper. “Plus, biotin and streptavidin work with many molecules, so labs can use this universal anchor we discovered to tackle other problems. They’re not limited to sticking SLeX on cells.”
The team worked with human cells extracted from the bone marrow. The cultures included mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can form fat cells, cartilage, bone, tendon and ligaments, muscle cells, and even nerve cells. When injected into the bloodstream of patients, MSCs can home to the site of an injury and replace damaged tissue. But just a fraction of cultured MSCs currently reach their target in clinical trials. Karp’s procedure might improve their homing abilities.
Karp cautions that his lab’s discovery must be validated in animals, before doctors can apply it in the clinic. He’s collaborating with another lab to test the homing ability of the SLeX-dotted cells in mice.
“We need to confirm that this rolling behavior translates into increased homing and tissue repair,” explains Karp. “We may need to tweak the cells further.”
“This is definitely an approach that should be tried,” adds Pamela Robey, chief of the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Robey is working to reconstruct three-dimensional tissues with MSCs. “Jeff hasn’t tested the altered MSCs inside animals, and that’s really the gold-standard, but his in vitro data looks promising.”
This research is supported by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) brings together the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard University, the Boston area teaching hospitals and an assortment of research centers in a unique collaboration that integrates science, medicine and engineering to solve problems in human health.
World's Rarest Big Cat Gets a Check-UpThe world’s rarest big cat is alive and well. At least one of them, that is, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) who captured and released a female Far Eastern leopard in Russia last week.
The capture was made in Primorsky Krai along the Russian-Chinese border by a team of scientists from WCS and the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biology and Soils (IBS). The team is evaluating the health and potential effects of inbreeding for this tiny population, which experts believe contains no more than 10-15 females. Other collaborators include: Wildlife Vets International, National Cancer Institute, and the Zoological Society of London.
The Far Eastern leopard is perhaps the world’s most endangered big cat, with an estimated 25-40 individuals inhabiting a narrow strip of land in the far southeastern corner of the Russian Federation.
The leopardess, nicknamed “Alyona” by the researchers who captured her, was in good physical condition, weighing a healthy 85 pounds (39 kilograms). A preliminary health analysis revealed that she is he is believed to be between 8-10 years old. The animal has since been released unharmed.
Specialists are continuing to analyze blood samples as well as an electrocardiogram, which will reveal genetic information to assess levels of inbreeding. Three leopards captured previously (2 males and 1 female) in 2006 and 2007 all exhibited significant heart murmurs, which may reflect genetic disorders.
“We are excited by the capture, and are hopeful that ongoing analysis of biomedical information will confirm that this individual is in good health,” said Alexey Kostyria, Ph.D., senior scientist at IBS and manager for the WCS-IBS project. “This research is critical for conservation of the Far Eastern leopard, as it will help us to determine the risks posed by inbreeding and what we can do to mitigate them.”
One of the options scientists are considering is trans-locating leopards from other areas to increase genetic diversity -- similar to what happened with Florida panthers when animals from Texas were brought in to supplement the remaining population. Today, Florida panthers have risen from less than ten individuals to a population of approximately 100.
The leopard capture and release was overseen by representatives of the Russian federal agency “Inspection Tiger,” a special department of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“This project has been ongoing for just over two years, and scientific work to capture Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards in this part of Primorsky Krai has always been distinguished by the participation of world-class specialists and use of the best equipment and methodologies,” said Sergei Zubtsov, the head of Inspection Tiger. “I want to note that the leopard captured for medical analysis and released represents another achievement for this highly-qualified team, and that one of the most important things is that she was not harmed at any point in the capture process. I hope that such fruitful collaboration will continue in the future.”
Over the last 100 years, Far Eastern leopard numbers have been reduced by poaching combined with habitat loss. However, both camera-trapping and snow-tracking surveys indicate that the population has been stable for the last 30 years, but with a high rate of turnover of individuals. If inbreeding or disease can be kept in check, WCS and its partners believe there is great potential for increasing survival rates and habitat recovery in both Russia and Northeast China.
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s work to protect Far Eastern leopards receives funding by the following U.S. government agencies: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Save the Tiger Fund, and U.S. Forest Service International Program.
The Far Eastern leopard is listed under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), which protects it against illegal trade for fur and medicinal purposes.
Around the world, large carnivores are faced with a variety of threats including habitat loss, depletion of prey, conflicts with people, poaching, and disease. The U.S. Congress is currently considering legislation called the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act, which would directly benefit the Far Eastern leopard and over a dozen big cat and rare dog species by creating a fund for research and monitoring, law enforcement training, and other conservation efforts. This bill has received support from several leaders in the U.S. Congress – notably Senators Joe Lieberman (CT-I), Barbara Boxer (CA-D) and Sam Brownback (KS-R) and Representatives Tom Udall (NM-D), John Tanner (TN-D), Hal Rogers (KY-R) and Ed Royce (CA-R). Timely action by the U.S. Senate would ensure passage of this important legislation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
