The Tip
Natural cleansers
Detergent based cleansers can strip the skin of its natural oils. Using an alternative cleanser made of natural ingredients is a better option.
Yoghurt and oatmeal
Massage yoghurt or curds gently over the face while avoiding the eye area and wash off with warm water. Cooked oatmeal can also be used as a gentle face cleanser. Oatmeal is a perfect ingredient for dry skin. Mix some with yogurt and ground oats to make a soothing exfoliator.
Dairy Products
Milk, buttermilk or even plain cream will hydrate and nourish the skin while cleansing. These are perfect for all skin types and the lactic acid in dairy products help with exfoliation.
Vegetable Oil
Skin that is very dry or slightly older will react best to vegetable oil or butter as a natural cleanser. Those with very parched skin can use a mixture of olive oil and honey with water. Leave it on for a few minutes and then wipe off.
Get fruity
Fruit pulps are a great gentle facial cleanser. Try using avocado, strawberries and bananas. These have a good oil content that will condition the skin. Bananas gently scrub off the excess dirt.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Top 100 Species Ranked On Basis Of Longevity, Impact On Earth And Evolutionary Success
According to Christopher Lloyd, the author of ‘What on Earth Evolved?' that is published on the eve of Charles Darwin's 150th birth anniversary, Earth worms are the biggest survivors, that has survived many extinction events. This list is prepared on the basis of a species's longevity, the impact it has had on the planet, evolutionary success and geographical spread.
col3,4 : Evolutionary Impact: score, impact
col5,6 : Impact on Human history: score, impact
col7,8 : Environmental Impact: score, impact
col9,10 : Global Reach: score, impact
col11,12: Longevity: score, impact
col3,4 : Evolutionary Impact: score, impact
col5,6 : Impact on Human history: score, impact
col7,8 : Environmental Impact: score, impact
col9,10 : Global Reach: score, impact
col11,12: Longevity: score, impact
Friday, October 2, 2009
The 2009 IgNobel Prize winners
The 2009 Ig Nobel winners, awarded at Harvard University by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine:
Veterinary medicine: Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson for showing that cows with names give more milk than unnamed cows.
Peace: Stephan Bolliger, Steffen Ross, Lars Oesterhelweg, Michael Thali and Beat Kneubuehl for investigating whether it is better to be struck over the head with a full beer bottle or with an empty beer bottle.
Economics: Executives of four Icelandic banks for showing how tiny banks can become huge banks, and then become tiny banks again.
Chemistry: Javier Morales, Miguel Apatiga and Victor Castaño for creating diamonds out of tequila.
Medicine: Donald Unger for cracking just the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years to see whether knuckle-cracking contributes to arthritis.
Physics: Katherine Whitcome, Liza Shapiro and Daniel Lieberman for figuring out why pregnant women don't tip over.
Literature: The Irish national police for issuing 50 tickets to one Prawo Jazdy, which in Polish means "driver's license."
Public health: Elena Bodnar, Raphael Lee and Sandra Marijan for inventing a brassiere than can be converted into a pair of gas masks.
Mathematics: Gideon Gono and the Zimbabwean Reserve Bank for printing bank notes in denominations from 1 cent to $100 trillion.
Biology: Fumiaki Taguchi, Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei for demonstrating that bacteria in panda poop can help reduce kitchen waste by 90%.
Source: Annals of Improbable Research.
Veterinary medicine: Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson for showing that cows with names give more milk than unnamed cows.
Peace: Stephan Bolliger, Steffen Ross, Lars Oesterhelweg, Michael Thali and Beat Kneubuehl for investigating whether it is better to be struck over the head with a full beer bottle or with an empty beer bottle.
Economics: Executives of four Icelandic banks for showing how tiny banks can become huge banks, and then become tiny banks again.
Chemistry: Javier Morales, Miguel Apatiga and Victor Castaño for creating diamonds out of tequila.
Medicine: Donald Unger for cracking just the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years to see whether knuckle-cracking contributes to arthritis.
Physics: Katherine Whitcome, Liza Shapiro and Daniel Lieberman for figuring out why pregnant women don't tip over.
Literature: The Irish national police for issuing 50 tickets to one Prawo Jazdy, which in Polish means "driver's license."
Public health: Elena Bodnar, Raphael Lee and Sandra Marijan for inventing a brassiere than can be converted into a pair of gas masks.
Mathematics: Gideon Gono and the Zimbabwean Reserve Bank for printing bank notes in denominations from 1 cent to $100 trillion.
Biology: Fumiaki Taguchi, Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei for demonstrating that bacteria in panda poop can help reduce kitchen waste by 90%.
Source: Annals of Improbable Research.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
My Singapore Trip
I had a long trip to Singapore. I started friday morning at 4.30AM from home to catch a flight at 6:40 AM. I got my boarding pass on time and had security check in on time at DFW airport. There was some 1 hour waiting time at the gate. The flight was transiting from Chicago-HongKong-Singapore. At Chicago, I had some 3 hours waiting time. I had a smooth transition at the port of departure. At HongKong however, we all had to get through another round of security check ins. HongKong Airport looks quite nice with mountain at one side and a beach at the other. I had a waiting time of 4 hours at HongKong airport. Finally from HongKong to Singapore, it took some 4 hours. I reached singapore at 11.30 PM. The foreign exchange counter is open all 24 hours, so it was easy getting singaporean dollars. If you ever want to get your money exchanged, do it at the Singaporean airport rather than doing at any American points. There you get the best exchange rate. The airport is simply beautiful and you can get a taxi just immediately. Very reasonable fare. I was staying at Grandpark City hotel and the taxi takes about 20 minutes to reach there. Grand park city hotel is a very nice place to live, beautiful rooms, swimming pools, exercise area etc. It reminds me of town and country hotel in Oakland, CA where we had one sequence annotation jamboree way back in 2004.
Singapore is a city with western infrastructure and eastern warmth. I simply loved it. The climate is also very much like Indian climate. To sum up I would say, bring all the big buildings and best roads from Mumbai and Chennai and subtract slums, then it becomes Singapore. There is a super shopping center called "Mustafa" in Singapore and that is the life line of most of the people staying there. On weekends you will find a huge crowd there. There are little India, Little China, Arab world etc. I have seen traces of India there, with 13% Indian population in Singapore. People somehow democratize the roads and decorate them for the seasonal fervor. I saw for instance a whole road was decorated on the eve of Ramdan and another one on the occasion of Chinese Moon festival.
I went to see some apartments and they are more or less similar to Mumbai apartments but very expansive. In private housing society, the apartment rent could be somewhere between 4000-5000 singaporean dollars. The swimming pools look slightly different from the swimming pools here in USA or India. They are like canals - long. We dined at a place called as "Gayatri" and it was really good. For shopping, if you are going from US, don't do any shopping there. It may not be worth it. I heard from the locals that people don't prefer to buy stuff in USA, because they are lot cheaper there. So, I had few of my myths clarified.
As a whole, I think I will give 8 out of 10 for food and dining, 8/10 for transportation, 4/10 for cost of rental places, 7/10 for weather.
Singapore is a city with western infrastructure and eastern warmth. I simply loved it. The climate is also very much like Indian climate. To sum up I would say, bring all the big buildings and best roads from Mumbai and Chennai and subtract slums, then it becomes Singapore. There is a super shopping center called "Mustafa" in Singapore and that is the life line of most of the people staying there. On weekends you will find a huge crowd there. There are little India, Little China, Arab world etc. I have seen traces of India there, with 13% Indian population in Singapore. People somehow democratize the roads and decorate them for the seasonal fervor. I saw for instance a whole road was decorated on the eve of Ramdan and another one on the occasion of Chinese Moon festival.
I went to see some apartments and they are more or less similar to Mumbai apartments but very expansive. In private housing society, the apartment rent could be somewhere between 4000-5000 singaporean dollars. The swimming pools look slightly different from the swimming pools here in USA or India. They are like canals - long. We dined at a place called as "Gayatri" and it was really good. For shopping, if you are going from US, don't do any shopping there. It may not be worth it. I heard from the locals that people don't prefer to buy stuff in USA, because they are lot cheaper there. So, I had few of my myths clarified.
As a whole, I think I will give 8 out of 10 for food and dining, 8/10 for transportation, 4/10 for cost of rental places, 7/10 for weather.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Cooking Pumpkin flowers
While growing up in India we were always told - Cow is the most useful animal and Banana plant is the most useful plant. While, I don't refute this, now I have found another plant that I can add to the list of most useful plants - Pumpkin plant.
Pumpkin belonging to family cucurbitaceae has a large number of cultivated varieties. We in India most commonly grow Cucurbita maxima (Buttercup squash). The plant is annual, creeper, often developing very woody stem. The plant grows profusely in hot summer, but does not like to climb on support like other vines. It can grow on roofs very happily though. In 2-3 months the plant produces large number of yellow showy flowers. These flowers are very delicious if cooked properly.
In order to cook the flower, follow these steps:
1. Remove the calyx.
2. Slit open the corolla and remove the large yellow stamen.
3. Separate the corolla from the gynoecium as shown in picture.
4. Now wash the petals as well as the gynoecium thoroughly in running water.
5. Mix little bit of besan(or rice flour), very little salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and little water. Mix all the parts well(As shown in picture).
6. Pour little bit of oil on a pan and smear it.
7. Fry the flowers for 2-5 mins.
Apart from the flowers, the tender leaves, stems also form very delicious eastern Indian Cuisine. To cook the leaves:
1. First get the very tender leaves and wash them thoroughly.
2. Soak 1/2 cup mung dal in water after washing it.
3. Start boiling mung dal in slow flame, meanwhile get vegetables like Ridge gourd, pumpkin, brinjal, green peas, beans etc. Wash them and cut them and put them into the half boiling mung dal. Allow them all to cook for 5 minutes.
4. Cut the pumpkin leaves and stems into small pieces and put them into half cooked vegetables and mung dal. Allow this to cook for 5 minutes. Stir them as necessary.
5. In another pan just add little bit of oil and put few mustard seeds and allow them to burst. Then add crushed garlic and green chillies let it fry for 2 minutes and then add lots of cut onion and fry. After they all become golden brown put them into the boiling pan having all the vegetables. Mix them properly, add salt as needed and cook them for 1 more minute, a very healthy and tasty pumkin leaf dish is ready.
Growing Lisianthus
I happened to buy a Lisianthus plant without knowing a lot about it. I bought it in October 2008 and planted it casually. Soon, winter set in and the plant started to look grim. I did not have much hope from it anyways. But somehow through out winter the plant grew slowly adding new leaves. It reached upto 1 ft. Then came spring, to my surprise, the plant started having flowering buds and soon they all bloomed. Viola!! It just took the shape of a bouquet and looked spectacular. To my surprise, the flower lasted through out the summer in scorching Texas heat. When the flowers withered I cut the dry buds out and now in Mid August, It is having another installment of flowers. I am yet to watch how long it lasts!!
These are hardy perennial plants that can survive Texas winter and heat. Happy growing Lisianthus.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Obtaining a Singapore visa
Getting a Singapore short term business visa, if you are not a US citizen or not a citizen of EU requires the following documents.
1. Form 14 filled.
2. Form 39 filled by the sponsoring company or person.
3. $20 in cash or in money order.
4. USPS certified self addressed paid express mail envelope.
5. Your passport.
6. 2 copies of photograph with white background.
7. photocopies of the front and back page of your passport.
8. your travel iternary.
9. photo copies of your green card.
The time span is approximately 10 days (from the day you post your passport to the day you get your passport stamped back) for Washington DC center. The visa stamping does not look anything like US/Europe visa though, it is just a stamp. I have got Singapore visa for 24 months with multiple entry from the date of application.
1. Form 14 filled.
2. Form 39 filled by the sponsoring company or person.
3. $20 in cash or in money order.
4. USPS certified self addressed paid express mail envelope.
5. Your passport.
6. 2 copies of photograph with white background.
7. photocopies of the front and back page of your passport.
8. your travel iternary.
9. photo copies of your green card.
The time span is approximately 10 days (from the day you post your passport to the day you get your passport stamped back) for Washington DC center. The visa stamping does not look anything like US/Europe visa though, it is just a stamp. I have got Singapore visa for 24 months with multiple entry from the date of application.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sweet memoirs of my parents
All these days, it never occurred to me that I should write down something like this. Today however, I was reading a blog entry by someone that described sweetness of her mum led me to think what the heck, I never have penned down anything like this, shame on me.
While growing up, my mum used to be an extremely strict mum and I would lie if I say I used to love her then. However, as I reached around 18 - 19, I realized what is her love like. My mum will often be the one who will check our time tables and will get up well before the time and finish cooking, packing for us and then will wake us up from bed. She often brings me tea to the bed, and I always used to get irritated when she would wake me up. After tea when I leisurely go to brush my teeth, she would have already heated water in the kitchen, poured them in bathroom bucket and would have mixed them with cold water to make it bath-able. She will be the one to check if I have pressed clothes ready to wear, if not she would go press them and put them in the bathroom. Then I would go take bath as though I am doing a great favour to her. Then I would make face that it is getting late, but she would manage to run behind me with food and make me eat and put the bus fare as well as tiffin box inside my college bag. Oh mum how can I pay you back for all that you did for me? There are uncountable number of such things that she did for me that only bring tear to my eyes. Oh my great mum, hope I will be able to tell you how much I love you one day. I pray god to give my mum all the happiness and health in the world.
My dad on the contrary showered his love and affection in a different way. He would always be waiting for us if we are delayed by even 5 minutes from school/college. He would accompany me for all the exams/tests and will be waiting patiently till the exams are over. He will never buzz even little bit from his waiting place. He is the sweetest dad one can ever have. Recently 3 years back he came to visit us in California. We often use to take the trails to walk and when they were not around I always used to walk alone. But after they came, although my dad will not be able to keep pace with me when I walk up hill, but he will not stop and continue to walk till I am visible. I did not know he was doing this for a long time, when I discovered it one day, I realized what parents are and what their love is.. Please god bless my parents and give them all the happiness in the world that they truly deserve.
While growing up, my mum used to be an extremely strict mum and I would lie if I say I used to love her then. However, as I reached around 18 - 19, I realized what is her love like. My mum will often be the one who will check our time tables and will get up well before the time and finish cooking, packing for us and then will wake us up from bed. She often brings me tea to the bed, and I always used to get irritated when she would wake me up. After tea when I leisurely go to brush my teeth, she would have already heated water in the kitchen, poured them in bathroom bucket and would have mixed them with cold water to make it bath-able. She will be the one to check if I have pressed clothes ready to wear, if not she would go press them and put them in the bathroom. Then I would go take bath as though I am doing a great favour to her. Then I would make face that it is getting late, but she would manage to run behind me with food and make me eat and put the bus fare as well as tiffin box inside my college bag. Oh mum how can I pay you back for all that you did for me? There are uncountable number of such things that she did for me that only bring tear to my eyes. Oh my great mum, hope I will be able to tell you how much I love you one day. I pray god to give my mum all the happiness and health in the world.
My dad on the contrary showered his love and affection in a different way. He would always be waiting for us if we are delayed by even 5 minutes from school/college. He would accompany me for all the exams/tests and will be waiting patiently till the exams are over. He will never buzz even little bit from his waiting place. He is the sweetest dad one can ever have. Recently 3 years back he came to visit us in California. We often use to take the trails to walk and when they were not around I always used to walk alone. But after they came, although my dad will not be able to keep pace with me when I walk up hill, but he will not stop and continue to walk till I am visible. I did not know he was doing this for a long time, when I discovered it one day, I realized what parents are and what their love is.. Please god bless my parents and give them all the happiness in the world that they truly deserve.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Who said Plants don't bite each other
As a passionate gardener my hobby is to watch garden plants. Last year we planted Cucumber, Ridge gourd and pumpkin together(Just 2 feet apart from each other). When I planted them I thought they will not come on each others way. But the fact is just the reverse. Pumpkin over grew other two and suppressed ridge gourd only partially and cucumber completely. Then I thought Cucumber is a docile plant and needs to be grown separately while Pumpkin and ridge gourd can be grown together.
This year, I planted cucumber, Bitter gourd and snake gourd together assuming that all of them are peace loving plants. What I see now is just so surprising. Cucumber now overtakes other two plants. What is amazing is, whenever the other two plants are trying to climb the support provided to them, cucumber successfully pulls them back putting the tendril around the apical part of the other 2 plants. It is not putting the tendril around the creeping low lying parts of the other 2 but only the branch that is climbing. I am not sure how it notices that this is the apical portion of the plant and found a support, so pull it back!!! I did not see the same tendency with other 2 plants however. They are just trying to escape rather than fighting back with cucumber. So, is there something called as relative aggressive - sism in plants? So I would scale the aggressive nature of the plants in the following order:
Pumpkin > ridge gourd > cucumber > Bitter gourd and snake gourd (Sorry I am yet to notice the relative aggressive sism with bitter gourd and snake gourd).
Another thing I have noticed is towards the side where the cucumber plant is in active aggression with the other 2 plants, there are full of small fruits, where as the other side although very healthy, has not got even a single fruit. Is it that Cucumber feels extremely threatened by the other two, so procreates faster? If somebody can answer how plants sense this types of things and how send messages to different parts of their body and which part of the plant acts as the decision maker will be really amazing.
Thanks for reading the article.
This year, I planted cucumber, Bitter gourd and snake gourd together assuming that all of them are peace loving plants. What I see now is just so surprising. Cucumber now overtakes other two plants. What is amazing is, whenever the other two plants are trying to climb the support provided to them, cucumber successfully pulls them back putting the tendril around the apical part of the other 2 plants. It is not putting the tendril around the creeping low lying parts of the other 2 but only the branch that is climbing. I am not sure how it notices that this is the apical portion of the plant and found a support, so pull it back!!! I did not see the same tendency with other 2 plants however. They are just trying to escape rather than fighting back with cucumber. So, is there something called as relative aggressive - sism in plants? So I would scale the aggressive nature of the plants in the following order:
Pumpkin > ridge gourd > cucumber > Bitter gourd and snake gourd (Sorry I am yet to notice the relative aggressive sism with bitter gourd and snake gourd).
Another thing I have noticed is towards the side where the cucumber plant is in active aggression with the other 2 plants, there are full of small fruits, where as the other side although very healthy, has not got even a single fruit. Is it that Cucumber feels extremely threatened by the other two, so procreates faster? If somebody can answer how plants sense this types of things and how send messages to different parts of their body and which part of the plant acts as the decision maker will be really amazing.
Thanks for reading the article.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Preventing sun tan - naturally
It has become very hot here in this part of the world. We Indians are very concerned about suntan, so I thought to put in few beauty tips for those interested.
Tips for Brighter Skin
You can try out several packs for getting clearer skin. Gram flour is good for getting rid of suntan. Mix lemon juice, yogurt, and gram flour. Before taking a bath you should apply it all over your face and other exposed parts of the body, which get tanned. Leave it on for twenty minutes and then take a bath.
Cucumber Care
You can even prepare a nice and effective face pack with lemon juice and cucumber juice. You can also add some rose water to this face pack. Apply it on your neck, face, and arms. Wash it off after twenty minutes. If you want to get quicker results then you can apply it two times a day.
Tale of Turmeric
Turmeric has skin-lightening properties in it. You can make a pack by mixing half teaspoon turmeric powder, some drops of lemon juice, and milk. Smear your neck and face with a generous layer of this pack and leave it on for half an hour. Wash off with plain water.
Home Remedies for Fair Skin
You can mix milk powder with lemon juice, almond oil, and honey to make your face look brighter and get a healthy glow. Another home remedy is also very helpful. You can mix oats with buttermilk and use the mixture as a good face pack. This also exfoliates your skin and gets rid of dead cells.
Instant Fairness
You can look fair if you use this face pack. Mix one teaspoon of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of yogurt, one pinch of salt, and some drops of olive oil. Leave this pack on your face for fifteen minutes and then wash to find glowing skin.
Tips for Brighter Skin
You can try out several packs for getting clearer skin. Gram flour is good for getting rid of suntan. Mix lemon juice, yogurt, and gram flour. Before taking a bath you should apply it all over your face and other exposed parts of the body, which get tanned. Leave it on for twenty minutes and then take a bath.
Cucumber Care
You can even prepare a nice and effective face pack with lemon juice and cucumber juice. You can also add some rose water to this face pack. Apply it on your neck, face, and arms. Wash it off after twenty minutes. If you want to get quicker results then you can apply it two times a day.
Tale of Turmeric
Turmeric has skin-lightening properties in it. You can make a pack by mixing half teaspoon turmeric powder, some drops of lemon juice, and milk. Smear your neck and face with a generous layer of this pack and leave it on for half an hour. Wash off with plain water.
Home Remedies for Fair Skin
You can mix milk powder with lemon juice, almond oil, and honey to make your face look brighter and get a healthy glow. Another home remedy is also very helpful. You can mix oats with buttermilk and use the mixture as a good face pack. This also exfoliates your skin and gets rid of dead cells.
Instant Fairness
You can look fair if you use this face pack. Mix one teaspoon of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of yogurt, one pinch of salt, and some drops of olive oil. Leave this pack on your face for fifteen minutes and then wash to find glowing skin.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A tribute to "Arise O India"
Before I talk about the book, let me say few words about the author "Francois Gautier". Francois Gautier is a french journalist who lived in India for more than 30 years and made India his home. He is a practicing hindu and is a supporter of true hinduism and hindu culture. His openness towards the political and social stigma that India faces is noteworthy. While many newspapers will shy away from publishing raw facts just on the name of secularism, he is quite honest in criticizing the real culprits. In true sense he is a great journalist!!
The book "Arise O India" is throwing a lot of light into the socio economic issues the country facing and the real cause behind it. Unlike others he is not trying to hide the true faces of people like Gandhi, Nehru and the consequences of their policies. It is really sad that the history books no longer dept truth - they are just doctored piece of documents designed solely for muslim appeasement. The Indian english print media is heavily biased - almost always concealing misdeeds of congress. These days it really requires lot of guts to go against the current and call a spade a spade. To our pleasant surprise people like Mr. Gautier is just doing that - daring to call a spade a spade.
He has analyzed India's political situation correctly and also proposed a solution on how the country can revive back is very heartening. I would recommend this book to anyone who truely loves India.
The book "Arise O India" is throwing a lot of light into the socio economic issues the country facing and the real cause behind it. Unlike others he is not trying to hide the true faces of people like Gandhi, Nehru and the consequences of their policies. It is really sad that the history books no longer dept truth - they are just doctored piece of documents designed solely for muslim appeasement. The Indian english print media is heavily biased - almost always concealing misdeeds of congress. These days it really requires lot of guts to go against the current and call a spade a spade. To our pleasant surprise people like Mr. Gautier is just doing that - daring to call a spade a spade.
He has analyzed India's political situation correctly and also proposed a solution on how the country can revive back is very heartening. I would recommend this book to anyone who truely loves India.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A question of length
A question of length
by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen
When Charles Darwin accepted the invitation to accompany Captain Fitzroy on HMS Beagle as the ship’s naturalist, little did he know that he would bring back with him material that was to haunt him – one way or another - until the end of his days. Amongst the many mineral, plant and animal specimens which were unloaded from the ship on its return in October 1836, there were a number of preserved finches which Darwin had found on the Galapagos Islands. It was the study of these finches, which later became known as ‘Darwin’s finches’, that helped to forge the notion of the transmutation of species. In other words, any given species had the capacity to adapt, evolve and undergo transformations – and it turned out to be in the name of survival. With regards to finches, their beaks were different depending on the kind of diet they had. Charles Darwin had no idea how such changes could occur within a species. Today, we are getting closer and closer to understanding how it happens on the molecular level. And it seems that a protein known as calmodulin has a major role.
«It was the study of finches that Darwin collected on the Galapagos Islands which helped to forge the notion of the transmutation of species. Though the great naturalist had no idea how such changes could occur.»
As he set foot on terra firma after five years of sailing and as many of nausea, Darwin had no idea that fourteen of the many specimens of birds he brought back to England were in fact all finches. What is more, they seemed to be finches which bore many similarities to a type of finch found along the coast of South America. Darwin had identified them as different birds altogether but when he handed them over to the renowned ornithologist of the time – John Gould – it turned out that these fourteen birds were in fact representatives of twelve different species of finch. Until then, Darwin had believed that there were as many centres of creation as there were of species despite the fact that – within each centre – phenotypical change could occur. With Gould’s findings and Darwin’s knowledge of the geographical and ecological niches where he had found the birds, he shifted his theory: what if every species of finch on the Galapagos Islands had originated from the one same species on the South American coastline? It marked the very beginnings of his theory on the origin of species.
In those days, the description of specimens – whichever kingdom they belonged to – depended on a keen eye, a pencil and paper. Today, thanks to novel molecular methods, observation has been magnified by the thousands – if not the millions – and scientists are able to see or imagine processes which are going on well beneath the level of feathers and petals. Finding links between a specific gene and the effect it has on an organism is now routine. In this way, scientists discovered that the protein calmodulin – from CALcium MODULated proteIN – has a direct role in the length of a finch’s beak. What is more, they discovered that calmodulin seemed to have an effect only on the length of the birds’ beak and not its width, or depth – which are dependent on another gene. From an evolutionary point of view, this is not really surprising since it gives natural selection a form of plasticity. In other words, evolution is fine-tuned.
[‘Brown Beakface’ ]
Brown Beakface
by Kaitlin Beckett
Courtesy of the artist
How can calmodulin affect the length of a finch’s beak? It seems difficult to believe that one molecule could have such a massive effect on an organism’s appearance. In fact, it doesn’t. At least not directly. It happens to be at the very beginning of important molecular processes. Indeed, calmodulin has the power to trigger off a wide variety of biological pathways and, in turn, many activities such as muscle contraction, short-term and long-term memory, intracellular movement, inflammation, nerve growth and the immune response to name a few. It uses calcium ions, which are present in all kinds of tissues both inside the cell and outside it. Calmodulin is just one of the many molecules which use calcium ions to induce a reaction. Nevertheless, without it and calcium, a lot of what goes on inside us would go haywire.
«Not so long ago, the description of specimens - whichever kingdom they belonged to - depended on a keen eye, a pencil and paper. Today, scientists can see or imagine processes which happen well beneath the level of feathers and petals.»
At rest, calmodulin looks a little like a dumbbell. It is composed of two arms attached by a helix hinge. Each arm can hold up to two calcium ions. Once bound, the structural conformation of calmodulin is modified and ready to bind to specific target proteins which it does by wrapping its arms around it in a sort of molecular hug. What is more, depending on the amount of calcium ions bound – up to four – and the kind of post-translational modification calmodulin has undergone, the protein can bind to a great variety of targets ranging from kinases, phosphatases and phosphodiesterases to ion channels, cyclases and cytoskeleton receptors. In turn, each of these target proteins will trigger off cellular processes – from the regulation of metabolism and the cytoskeleton, to ion transport, protein folding and cell proliferation. With regards to the length of finch’s beaks, researchers discovered that the long-beaked finches always express a higher level of calmodulin than the shorter and wider-beaked species. And when they upregulated the calmodulin gene in chicken, this had a direct effect on the length of their beaks!
Although a number of anti-calmodulin products had already been described in the 1980s, by the 1990s interest had faded. However, owing to the more recent discoveries of the involvement of calmodulin in so many different physiological processes, there has been a drastic increase in its interest, especially within the world of therapy and drug design. Some synthetic inhibitors are already used clinically as anti-cancer and anti-psychotic agents for example. But scientists have already described over one hundred natural inhibitors, the most potent of which are animal venoms. Such naturally-occurring compounds could be used to develop herbicides or to design drugs for neurodegenerative diseases for example. The future certainly seems bright for calmodulin. HMS Beagle took Darwin around the world; little did the founder of the theory of the origin of species know where his finches would take him.
References
1. Abzhanov A., Kuo W.P., Hartmann C., Grant B.R., Gran P.R. The calmodulin pathway and evolution of elongated beak morphology in Darwin’s finches Nature 442:563-567(2006) PMID:16885984
2. Patel N.H. How to build a longer beak Nature 442:515-516(2006) PMID:16885968
Swiss-Prot cross references
Calmodulin, Homo sapiens, (Human) : P62158
by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen
When Charles Darwin accepted the invitation to accompany Captain Fitzroy on HMS Beagle as the ship’s naturalist, little did he know that he would bring back with him material that was to haunt him – one way or another - until the end of his days. Amongst the many mineral, plant and animal specimens which were unloaded from the ship on its return in October 1836, there were a number of preserved finches which Darwin had found on the Galapagos Islands. It was the study of these finches, which later became known as ‘Darwin’s finches’, that helped to forge the notion of the transmutation of species. In other words, any given species had the capacity to adapt, evolve and undergo transformations – and it turned out to be in the name of survival. With regards to finches, their beaks were different depending on the kind of diet they had. Charles Darwin had no idea how such changes could occur within a species. Today, we are getting closer and closer to understanding how it happens on the molecular level. And it seems that a protein known as calmodulin has a major role.
«It was the study of finches that Darwin collected on the Galapagos Islands which helped to forge the notion of the transmutation of species. Though the great naturalist had no idea how such changes could occur.»
As he set foot on terra firma after five years of sailing and as many of nausea, Darwin had no idea that fourteen of the many specimens of birds he brought back to England were in fact all finches. What is more, they seemed to be finches which bore many similarities to a type of finch found along the coast of South America. Darwin had identified them as different birds altogether but when he handed them over to the renowned ornithologist of the time – John Gould – it turned out that these fourteen birds were in fact representatives of twelve different species of finch. Until then, Darwin had believed that there were as many centres of creation as there were of species despite the fact that – within each centre – phenotypical change could occur. With Gould’s findings and Darwin’s knowledge of the geographical and ecological niches where he had found the birds, he shifted his theory: what if every species of finch on the Galapagos Islands had originated from the one same species on the South American coastline? It marked the very beginnings of his theory on the origin of species.
In those days, the description of specimens – whichever kingdom they belonged to – depended on a keen eye, a pencil and paper. Today, thanks to novel molecular methods, observation has been magnified by the thousands – if not the millions – and scientists are able to see or imagine processes which are going on well beneath the level of feathers and petals. Finding links between a specific gene and the effect it has on an organism is now routine. In this way, scientists discovered that the protein calmodulin – from CALcium MODULated proteIN – has a direct role in the length of a finch’s beak. What is more, they discovered that calmodulin seemed to have an effect only on the length of the birds’ beak and not its width, or depth – which are dependent on another gene. From an evolutionary point of view, this is not really surprising since it gives natural selection a form of plasticity. In other words, evolution is fine-tuned.
[‘Brown Beakface’ ]
Brown Beakface
by Kaitlin Beckett
Courtesy of the artist
How can calmodulin affect the length of a finch’s beak? It seems difficult to believe that one molecule could have such a massive effect on an organism’s appearance. In fact, it doesn’t. At least not directly. It happens to be at the very beginning of important molecular processes. Indeed, calmodulin has the power to trigger off a wide variety of biological pathways and, in turn, many activities such as muscle contraction, short-term and long-term memory, intracellular movement, inflammation, nerve growth and the immune response to name a few. It uses calcium ions, which are present in all kinds of tissues both inside the cell and outside it. Calmodulin is just one of the many molecules which use calcium ions to induce a reaction. Nevertheless, without it and calcium, a lot of what goes on inside us would go haywire.
«Not so long ago, the description of specimens - whichever kingdom they belonged to - depended on a keen eye, a pencil and paper. Today, scientists can see or imagine processes which happen well beneath the level of feathers and petals.»
At rest, calmodulin looks a little like a dumbbell. It is composed of two arms attached by a helix hinge. Each arm can hold up to two calcium ions. Once bound, the structural conformation of calmodulin is modified and ready to bind to specific target proteins which it does by wrapping its arms around it in a sort of molecular hug. What is more, depending on the amount of calcium ions bound – up to four – and the kind of post-translational modification calmodulin has undergone, the protein can bind to a great variety of targets ranging from kinases, phosphatases and phosphodiesterases to ion channels, cyclases and cytoskeleton receptors. In turn, each of these target proteins will trigger off cellular processes – from the regulation of metabolism and the cytoskeleton, to ion transport, protein folding and cell proliferation. With regards to the length of finch’s beaks, researchers discovered that the long-beaked finches always express a higher level of calmodulin than the shorter and wider-beaked species. And when they upregulated the calmodulin gene in chicken, this had a direct effect on the length of their beaks!
Although a number of anti-calmodulin products had already been described in the 1980s, by the 1990s interest had faded. However, owing to the more recent discoveries of the involvement of calmodulin in so many different physiological processes, there has been a drastic increase in its interest, especially within the world of therapy and drug design. Some synthetic inhibitors are already used clinically as anti-cancer and anti-psychotic agents for example. But scientists have already described over one hundred natural inhibitors, the most potent of which are animal venoms. Such naturally-occurring compounds could be used to develop herbicides or to design drugs for neurodegenerative diseases for example. The future certainly seems bright for calmodulin. HMS Beagle took Darwin around the world; little did the founder of the theory of the origin of species know where his finches would take him.
References
1. Abzhanov A., Kuo W.P., Hartmann C., Grant B.R., Gran P.R. The calmodulin pathway and evolution of elongated beak morphology in Darwin’s finches Nature 442:563-567(2006) PMID:16885984
2. Patel N.H. How to build a longer beak Nature 442:515-516(2006) PMID:16885968
Swiss-Prot cross references
Calmodulin, Homo sapiens, (Human) : P62158
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sometimes the unthinkable happens
I sometimes wonder do we have any control over the things that happen in our day to day lives? It may sound very unscientific, but yes, I would say yes. Sometimes our brain leads us to do something that makes no sense and the outcome sometimes surprises us. We may think of the worse, but somehow we come out of it unscathed, saved by some divine presence.
Something happened in our own household very recently. On Friday, the 3rd April 2009, 11 A.M my father took bath and took his clothes as usual to dry. He generally does it on the front side of our house, but that day spontaneously he saw a bright sunny spot over our well and thought why not to dry clothes there? Then he climbed onto the wall of the well(we have 3 feet tall wall around the well and the width of the wall is about 2 feet). There was a cement slab covering part of the well on which we climbed and jumped throughout our childhood. Its been almost 26 years since the slab is there but it has been now broken and can't sustain even little bit of weight. God knows why my father stepped onto that slab, and as he did, it broke into 2 pieces and he fell inside the well. To top it all on the slab there were some heavy duty garden equipments that were quite heavy, sharp and made up of iron. Those things also crashed into the well along with my dad. Then he went down the water and came up and was trying to swim. There were 14 ft. of water in that well. He managed to swim and remained on the surface and managed to raise some alarm to which my mother, my niece, my nephews responded and got some help. Then one of my neighbor boys, who is an expert in well climbing was summoned, and luckily he was home so he came by immediately and rescued my father. My dad came out without any major injuries.
I was sitting and thinking about this whole thing and was wondering how lucky we are that none of the heavy sharp equipments fell on him and not even the slab. Had it been the case, god knows what would have happened. I just thank god for saving us from the unthinkable....
Something happened in our own household very recently. On Friday, the 3rd April 2009, 11 A.M my father took bath and took his clothes as usual to dry. He generally does it on the front side of our house, but that day spontaneously he saw a bright sunny spot over our well and thought why not to dry clothes there? Then he climbed onto the wall of the well(we have 3 feet tall wall around the well and the width of the wall is about 2 feet). There was a cement slab covering part of the well on which we climbed and jumped throughout our childhood. Its been almost 26 years since the slab is there but it has been now broken and can't sustain even little bit of weight. God knows why my father stepped onto that slab, and as he did, it broke into 2 pieces and he fell inside the well. To top it all on the slab there were some heavy duty garden equipments that were quite heavy, sharp and made up of iron. Those things also crashed into the well along with my dad. Then he went down the water and came up and was trying to swim. There were 14 ft. of water in that well. He managed to swim and remained on the surface and managed to raise some alarm to which my mother, my niece, my nephews responded and got some help. Then one of my neighbor boys, who is an expert in well climbing was summoned, and luckily he was home so he came by immediately and rescued my father. My dad came out without any major injuries.
I was sitting and thinking about this whole thing and was wondering how lucky we are that none of the heavy sharp equipments fell on him and not even the slab. Had it been the case, god knows what would have happened. I just thank god for saving us from the unthinkable....
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thoughts determine your destiny
This article is not mine. I read it in "express buzz" and thought will blog it in my site. For a change, this type of articles are soothing for the mind..
Swahilya
First Published : 22 Mar 2009 07:21:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 22 Mar 2009 01:09:47 AM IST
Mind is the feature that distinguishes man from the other mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects, plants and other forms of life. The mind is expressed in man fully, while it is dormant in most other creatures such as dogs, monkeys, elephants, dolphins and crows. These
express a sort of intelligence and emotions that are in tune with and recognised by the human mind.
The research in this area is vast and deepening further. Patanjali has put the scope of yoga in four simple words — Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha (Through yoga, you can stop the thought patterns of the mind). The mind is like an ocean and the water is a composition of our thoughts. We are always immersed deep in this ocean of thoughts, which keeps moving in waves.
There are many schools of yoga today, each claiming that theirs is the best. There are people who do not just debate, but also fight about which is a more superior form of practice. Many are confused on which path to take. Such people need to realise that any form of yoga is but a road leading to the same goal — to stop the modifications of the mind.
It is impossible to stop the flow of thought. However, by stopping Chitta Vrittis or mind modification, the individual can become aware of what they’re thinking. This is akin to riding the crest of a wave or setting sail to the direction of the wind. Patanjali, a researcher of the human mind with utmost clarity, outlines five functions of the human mind. Each is the wave or the vritti that we speak about.
Pramana
Basis of cognition or understanding names and forms around you. This happens in the following three ways.
l Pratyaksha is that which is perceived by your five senses. You are reading a newspaper. You may even get a whiff of the smell of newsprint. Hence, you directly know that it is a newspaper. You don’t need another person to explain this to you. l The next is anumana. It literally means guessing. If smoke rises high in a distance, you guess that there is a fire. l Agama or relying on a treatise, is a text, a code of ethics or a law to base your understanding of the abstract concepts such as god, karma, life before and after death etc. These are the grey zones of knowledge that we cannot directly see or infer.
Viparyaya
It means wrong understanding or misunderstanding. This happens when you see an object outside, but you entertain a different idea within. You have an understanding from something you heard, read or saw as a child that ghosts are white in colour and that they appear at night. This knowledge makes your mind mistake anything in white for a ghost.
Vikalpa
Vikalpa means uncontrolled imagination. In a few moments, the little boy sitting in a boring math class can imagine that he has passed the air force examination, become a pilot, and riding a plane which suddenly crash lands when the teacher in the classroom throws a piece of chalk on his desk to get him out of his day dreaming. Sankalpa is focused imagination. If you wish to become a doctor, you can make a sankalpa in your mind, imagining yourself with a coat and stethoscope, even while you are just now appearing for your class 12 board examinations. Many of the self-help techniques have its basis in sankalpa.
Nidra
It means to sleep, when all thoughts go on an eight-hour holiday.
Smriti
Smriti or memory is the last function where the mind recalls experiences of the past that are stored in the conscious and sub-conscious layers of the mind.
A time for yourself
You can try this exercise for about half-an-hour a week.
1. Sit down in a comfortable place. 2. Keep a notebook
and pen beside you. You may keep your eyes closed. 3. Once you settle down, you will be able to watch the steady flow of thoughts. 4. Watch if the thoughts are angry, depressed, hateful, sorrowful, jealous, morbid or tragic. 5. Do not interpret those thoughts as good or bad. Simply observe them and write them down. Most often, your mind wanders when you are doing something or listening to someone. This is totally unconnected with the present moment. Watch how your mind takes on such flights of fancy. Plain awareness can help bring the mind back to the present moment. This way you train yourself to get what’s commonly known as ‘presence of mind’.
Swahilya
First Published : 22 Mar 2009 07:21:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 22 Mar 2009 01:09:47 AM IST
Mind is the feature that distinguishes man from the other mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects, plants and other forms of life. The mind is expressed in man fully, while it is dormant in most other creatures such as dogs, monkeys, elephants, dolphins and crows. These
express a sort of intelligence and emotions that are in tune with and recognised by the human mind.
The research in this area is vast and deepening further. Patanjali has put the scope of yoga in four simple words — Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha (Through yoga, you can stop the thought patterns of the mind). The mind is like an ocean and the water is a composition of our thoughts. We are always immersed deep in this ocean of thoughts, which keeps moving in waves.
There are many schools of yoga today, each claiming that theirs is the best. There are people who do not just debate, but also fight about which is a more superior form of practice. Many are confused on which path to take. Such people need to realise that any form of yoga is but a road leading to the same goal — to stop the modifications of the mind.
It is impossible to stop the flow of thought. However, by stopping Chitta Vrittis or mind modification, the individual can become aware of what they’re thinking. This is akin to riding the crest of a wave or setting sail to the direction of the wind. Patanjali, a researcher of the human mind with utmost clarity, outlines five functions of the human mind. Each is the wave or the vritti that we speak about.
Pramana
Basis of cognition or understanding names and forms around you. This happens in the following three ways.
l Pratyaksha is that which is perceived by your five senses. You are reading a newspaper. You may even get a whiff of the smell of newsprint. Hence, you directly know that it is a newspaper. You don’t need another person to explain this to you. l The next is anumana. It literally means guessing. If smoke rises high in a distance, you guess that there is a fire. l Agama or relying on a treatise, is a text, a code of ethics or a law to base your understanding of the abstract concepts such as god, karma, life before and after death etc. These are the grey zones of knowledge that we cannot directly see or infer.
Viparyaya
It means wrong understanding or misunderstanding. This happens when you see an object outside, but you entertain a different idea within. You have an understanding from something you heard, read or saw as a child that ghosts are white in colour and that they appear at night. This knowledge makes your mind mistake anything in white for a ghost.
Vikalpa
Vikalpa means uncontrolled imagination. In a few moments, the little boy sitting in a boring math class can imagine that he has passed the air force examination, become a pilot, and riding a plane which suddenly crash lands when the teacher in the classroom throws a piece of chalk on his desk to get him out of his day dreaming. Sankalpa is focused imagination. If you wish to become a doctor, you can make a sankalpa in your mind, imagining yourself with a coat and stethoscope, even while you are just now appearing for your class 12 board examinations. Many of the self-help techniques have its basis in sankalpa.
Nidra
It means to sleep, when all thoughts go on an eight-hour holiday.
Smriti
Smriti or memory is the last function where the mind recalls experiences of the past that are stored in the conscious and sub-conscious layers of the mind.
A time for yourself
You can try this exercise for about half-an-hour a week.
1. Sit down in a comfortable place. 2. Keep a notebook
and pen beside you. You may keep your eyes closed. 3. Once you settle down, you will be able to watch the steady flow of thoughts. 4. Watch if the thoughts are angry, depressed, hateful, sorrowful, jealous, morbid or tragic. 5. Do not interpret those thoughts as good or bad. Simply observe them and write them down. Most often, your mind wanders when you are doing something or listening to someone. This is totally unconnected with the present moment. Watch how your mind takes on such flights of fancy. Plain awareness can help bring the mind back to the present moment. This way you train yourself to get what’s commonly known as ‘presence of mind’.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Silent pain
Silent pain
by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen [As appeared in protein spotlight]
Is there really a point to pain? Yes, argue most. Pain warns you that something is not right. It teaches children not to put their hands on a hot plate because they know heat hurts. It urges you to consult your doctor when pain persists in any part of your body. Yes, but what about pain that accompanies something which has already been diagnosed? What about the persistent pain that frequently escorts chronic conditions, such as a sore back or cancer? Who can see the good in that kind of pain? Though there may be instances when it seems superfluous and even cruel, the sensation of pain is more necessary than it is not. It is a clear indicator that there is something wrong, and that it needs to be seen to. In the absence of pain, no alert signals are given off – which could ultimately put your life in danger. It is a complex sensation with many a meaning and many a pathway. One particular pathway was discovered when members of a family were incapable of feeling pain – a singular and rare condition due to the loss of function of a protein known as SCN9A or Nav1.7.
«Though there may be instances when it seems superfluous and even cruel, the sensation of pain is more necessary than it is not.»
One of the very first medical descriptions of such an affliction was described in the literature in the 1930s. The article depicted a man who had an act as a human pincushion in a circus. Another similar case was discovered more recently in Pakistan where a young street performer entertained crowds by running knives through his arms or walking on red hot coal – and ended up in hospital on a regular basis for medical care. He died at the early age of fourteen when he threw himself off a roof. A study carried out on his family revealed other cases of seemingly total indifference to pain. In the past few years, yet other occurrences of this peculiar condition have been described. The disease is congenital, very rare – so far only 30 cases have been described worldwide – and though it sounds ideal never to be under the grasp of pain, life is not necessarily easier for those who suffer from it.
It took many centuries before it was acknowledged that pain could be useful and – in some ways – even protective. For Aristotle, pain was merely part of a man’s lot while on earth. Christianity transcended the belief by stating that pain was a divine gift. Although Hippocrates (460-379 BC) had already suggested that pain was the announcement of some form of physical disorder, it was only at the beginning of the second millennium that Galen of Pergamum (129-200 AD), a Roman physician, actually suggested that a network of nerves in our body lead to the brain. Such nerves were capable of distributing three types of perception: locomotion, sensibility and pain, where the purpose of pain was understood as a means of survival. The notion of the ‘usefulness’ of pain – such as the memory of what can harm or the telltale sign of a physical disorder – only emerged in the 18th century once Science had set itself free from the Church.
Individuals suffering from indifference to pain have already been depicted in the scientific literature but their condition was always accompanied with other serious drawbacks, such as mental retardation for instance. However, the difference between these cases and what the Pakistani street performer was suffering from is that he was otherwise perfectly normal. People with congenital indifference to pain (CIP) present no mental disadvantages. They can discern a dull touch from a pin prick, feel their limbs moving and even discriminate hot from cold. Their cardiac rhythms are perfectly normal as is their capacity to sweat. The only other deficiency that may be linked to CIP is perhaps a slight loss of smell. But not every individual presents this slight anosmia.
«It took many centuries before it was acknowledged that pain could be useful and – in some ways – even protective. »
So what is at the heart of this particular case of indifference to pain? A protein: SCN9A, otherwise known as ‘sodium channel protein type 9 subunit alpha’. SCN9A is a transmembrane protein found in neurons. It forms a channel through which sodium ions flow, following the membrane’s electric gradient. SCN9A seems to be concentrated in peripheral neurons and may well be at the very beginning of the electric impulse which triggers off the pain message and sends it off to the brain. In CIP, SCN9A is truncated and the channel is unable to function. Consequently, the sensation of pain isn’t sent to the brain. Scientists were surprised to discover that only one protein seems to be responsible for a sensation which belongs to a pathway that is otherwise so complex. In this instance, SCN9A acts a little like an on/off switch. Certainly, SCN9A is at the very heart of pain perception since another mutation actually heightens the sensation – a condition known as erythermalgia.
Pain has many facets. There are many neuronal pathways which trigger off pain. There are many other types of sodium channels involved in its transmission. What is more, polymorphisms may well endow different individuals with differences in pain perception. Perhaps we all suffer differently. Be that as it may, pain is essential and the bearer of news which is better not to disregard. Babies and young children who suffer from CIP can bite off parts of their lips, chop off the tips of their tongues or burn their hands – which all go unnoticed unless a third party is present. And these are only surface wounds. What of broken bones or bowel blockage for instance?
The scarcity of CIP is precious for the design of drugs such as painkillers. Indeed, any rare disease whose phenotype can pinpoint only one protein – in this case, a sodium channel – is a godsend for scientists. If a drug can be designed to block SCN9A specifically, the side effects could be minimal. Currently, there are many analgesics that can silence pain by blocking other types of sodium channels, but the secondary effects can be big. However, the question arises: is it such a good thing not to feel pain? Imagine a chronic disease. Taking away all sensation of pain could turn out to be a catastrophe. A cardiac arrest could go unnoticed for instance. Perhaps, then, the population should be informed differently on the advent of a common harmful condition? Instead of describing the pain felt in your chest, for instance, why not put more of a stress on the other symptoms which accompany a heart attack? Undoubtedly, there is more to pain than meets the brain. And though at times it may seem heartless, a life without pain would be like a ship without its hull.
References
1. Cox J.J., Reimann F., Nicholas A.K., Thornton G., Roberts E., Springell K., Karbani G., Jafri H., Mannan J., Raashid Y., Al-Gazali L., Hamamy H., Valente E.M., Gorman S., Williams R., McHale D.P., Wood J.N., Gribble F.M., Woods C.G. An SCN9A channelopathy causes congenital inability to experience pain Nature 444:894-898(2006) PMID:17167479
2. Drenth J.P.H., Waxman S.G. Mutations in sodium-channel gene SCN9A cause a spectrum of human genetic pain disorders Journal of Clinical Investigation 117:3603-3609(2007) PMID:18060017
3. Young F.B.J. A life without pain? Hedonists take note Clinical Genetics 73:31-33(2008) PMID:18070140
by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen [As appeared in protein spotlight]
Is there really a point to pain? Yes, argue most. Pain warns you that something is not right. It teaches children not to put their hands on a hot plate because they know heat hurts. It urges you to consult your doctor when pain persists in any part of your body. Yes, but what about pain that accompanies something which has already been diagnosed? What about the persistent pain that frequently escorts chronic conditions, such as a sore back or cancer? Who can see the good in that kind of pain? Though there may be instances when it seems superfluous and even cruel, the sensation of pain is more necessary than it is not. It is a clear indicator that there is something wrong, and that it needs to be seen to. In the absence of pain, no alert signals are given off – which could ultimately put your life in danger. It is a complex sensation with many a meaning and many a pathway. One particular pathway was discovered when members of a family were incapable of feeling pain – a singular and rare condition due to the loss of function of a protein known as SCN9A or Nav1.7.
«Though there may be instances when it seems superfluous and even cruel, the sensation of pain is more necessary than it is not.»
One of the very first medical descriptions of such an affliction was described in the literature in the 1930s. The article depicted a man who had an act as a human pincushion in a circus. Another similar case was discovered more recently in Pakistan where a young street performer entertained crowds by running knives through his arms or walking on red hot coal – and ended up in hospital on a regular basis for medical care. He died at the early age of fourteen when he threw himself off a roof. A study carried out on his family revealed other cases of seemingly total indifference to pain. In the past few years, yet other occurrences of this peculiar condition have been described. The disease is congenital, very rare – so far only 30 cases have been described worldwide – and though it sounds ideal never to be under the grasp of pain, life is not necessarily easier for those who suffer from it.
It took many centuries before it was acknowledged that pain could be useful and – in some ways – even protective. For Aristotle, pain was merely part of a man’s lot while on earth. Christianity transcended the belief by stating that pain was a divine gift. Although Hippocrates (460-379 BC) had already suggested that pain was the announcement of some form of physical disorder, it was only at the beginning of the second millennium that Galen of Pergamum (129-200 AD), a Roman physician, actually suggested that a network of nerves in our body lead to the brain. Such nerves were capable of distributing three types of perception: locomotion, sensibility and pain, where the purpose of pain was understood as a means of survival. The notion of the ‘usefulness’ of pain – such as the memory of what can harm or the telltale sign of a physical disorder – only emerged in the 18th century once Science had set itself free from the Church.
Individuals suffering from indifference to pain have already been depicted in the scientific literature but their condition was always accompanied with other serious drawbacks, such as mental retardation for instance. However, the difference between these cases and what the Pakistani street performer was suffering from is that he was otherwise perfectly normal. People with congenital indifference to pain (CIP) present no mental disadvantages. They can discern a dull touch from a pin prick, feel their limbs moving and even discriminate hot from cold. Their cardiac rhythms are perfectly normal as is their capacity to sweat. The only other deficiency that may be linked to CIP is perhaps a slight loss of smell. But not every individual presents this slight anosmia.
«It took many centuries before it was acknowledged that pain could be useful and – in some ways – even protective. »
So what is at the heart of this particular case of indifference to pain? A protein: SCN9A, otherwise known as ‘sodium channel protein type 9 subunit alpha’. SCN9A is a transmembrane protein found in neurons. It forms a channel through which sodium ions flow, following the membrane’s electric gradient. SCN9A seems to be concentrated in peripheral neurons and may well be at the very beginning of the electric impulse which triggers off the pain message and sends it off to the brain. In CIP, SCN9A is truncated and the channel is unable to function. Consequently, the sensation of pain isn’t sent to the brain. Scientists were surprised to discover that only one protein seems to be responsible for a sensation which belongs to a pathway that is otherwise so complex. In this instance, SCN9A acts a little like an on/off switch. Certainly, SCN9A is at the very heart of pain perception since another mutation actually heightens the sensation – a condition known as erythermalgia.
Pain has many facets. There are many neuronal pathways which trigger off pain. There are many other types of sodium channels involved in its transmission. What is more, polymorphisms may well endow different individuals with differences in pain perception. Perhaps we all suffer differently. Be that as it may, pain is essential and the bearer of news which is better not to disregard. Babies and young children who suffer from CIP can bite off parts of their lips, chop off the tips of their tongues or burn their hands – which all go unnoticed unless a third party is present. And these are only surface wounds. What of broken bones or bowel blockage for instance?
The scarcity of CIP is precious for the design of drugs such as painkillers. Indeed, any rare disease whose phenotype can pinpoint only one protein – in this case, a sodium channel – is a godsend for scientists. If a drug can be designed to block SCN9A specifically, the side effects could be minimal. Currently, there are many analgesics that can silence pain by blocking other types of sodium channels, but the secondary effects can be big. However, the question arises: is it such a good thing not to feel pain? Imagine a chronic disease. Taking away all sensation of pain could turn out to be a catastrophe. A cardiac arrest could go unnoticed for instance. Perhaps, then, the population should be informed differently on the advent of a common harmful condition? Instead of describing the pain felt in your chest, for instance, why not put more of a stress on the other symptoms which accompany a heart attack? Undoubtedly, there is more to pain than meets the brain. And though at times it may seem heartless, a life without pain would be like a ship without its hull.
References
1. Cox J.J., Reimann F., Nicholas A.K., Thornton G., Roberts E., Springell K., Karbani G., Jafri H., Mannan J., Raashid Y., Al-Gazali L., Hamamy H., Valente E.M., Gorman S., Williams R., McHale D.P., Wood J.N., Gribble F.M., Woods C.G. An SCN9A channelopathy causes congenital inability to experience pain Nature 444:894-898(2006) PMID:17167479
2. Drenth J.P.H., Waxman S.G. Mutations in sodium-channel gene SCN9A cause a spectrum of human genetic pain disorders Journal of Clinical Investigation 117:3603-3609(2007) PMID:18060017
3. Young F.B.J. A life without pain? Hedonists take note Clinical Genetics 73:31-33(2008) PMID:18070140
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My 7 days diet program
I heard about this diet plan as GM diet plan, that my brother told me. I was not very serious about it then. But after hearing my friends husband followed it and lost about 15 lb weight, I thought I will give it a try...
Day 1
Today is 12th Jan 2009, Monday. Today is the fruits day and no bananas. I started with Canteloupe, pine apple, pomogranates, oranges. Today was a great day. No problems..
Day 2
Today is the vegetable day. I cooked some cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli together with little olive oil and mustard, cumin seeds, little salt and little chilli pepper. In the morning I had boiled potato, seasoned with little onion, salt, green chilli. After noon I had 2 bowls of boiled vegetables, garnished with onion, garlic, cumin seeds and chilli pepper.Today is also a great day.
But I got up in the middle of the night with some cramp in my tummy. That receded in the morning.
Day 3
Today is the mixture of fruits and vegetables day. I have had dizziness in the morning, and was feeling very weak. Then I consumed few apples to supply carbohydrates to my system, then it was OK. By the end of the day, I was normal but fatigued.In the day I boiled large amounts of raddish, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, beans together. Garnished this with little fried onion garlic, red chili, salt, cumin powder. Through out the day no issues, except, I still feel weak. I consumed some grapes too. May be I drank 6-7 glasses of water.
Day 4
Today is banana and milk day. I am feeling tired and dizzy. I already had a glass of milk. I can eat 8 bananas today. Altogether I ate 6 big bananas today with 3 glasses of milk. Apart from this I also drank a bowl of vegetable soup that I made yesterday and also another bowl of soup plus vegetables. It was a difficult day for me, since I had this cravings for all kinds of food. I went to sleep feeling hungry. I woke up in the middle of the night, saw some strange dreams..
Day 5
Today as the diet program says should be feast day with 6 tomatoes and beef. I am a non-beef eater and was wondering what I can replace beef with. I thought of chicken first, but later replaced that with dal. I made some dal in the morning with half onion and one full tomato. Pressure cooked together, then added little salt and half a spoon of olive oil to it. This was quite good and helped me get over my dizziness in the morning. Its been constantly the case since day 3..
For lunch, I had 2 large tomatoes finely cut and mixed with little onion, salt, little olive oil and one and half green chilli.
For Dinner, I have boiled 3 tomatoes and have some dal left.
Day 6
Today is suppose to be a beef and vegetable day. In the morning, I had a carrot and one cucumber. I also had 2 egg whites. Today we were invited to party where I stuck to raw vegetables as well as egg whites. In the dinner/lunch however, I ate chicken curry - the typical Indian way. I cooked chicken with tomatoes, onion, zinger, garlic, cilantro. I also had some boiled vegetable.
Day 7
Today is the last day of my fast and I am yet to see any weight changes. I took cooked vegetables and fruits today. In the night however, I could not resist eating rice..
Outcome
Well, I did not see any visible weight loss, may be 1 KG or may be 3 lbs. Anyways, no problems with no weight loss, I feel happy because I think I detoxified successfully. I saw a boil in my thigh before the diet program which steadily increased in size till the program lasted. Surprisingly, I saw in the last day of the program the boil has shrunken... This for me is a great thing.
Day 1
Today is 12th Jan 2009, Monday. Today is the fruits day and no bananas. I started with Canteloupe, pine apple, pomogranates, oranges. Today was a great day. No problems..
Day 2
Today is the vegetable day. I cooked some cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli together with little olive oil and mustard, cumin seeds, little salt and little chilli pepper. In the morning I had boiled potato, seasoned with little onion, salt, green chilli. After noon I had 2 bowls of boiled vegetables, garnished with onion, garlic, cumin seeds and chilli pepper.Today is also a great day.
But I got up in the middle of the night with some cramp in my tummy. That receded in the morning.
Day 3
Today is the mixture of fruits and vegetables day. I have had dizziness in the morning, and was feeling very weak. Then I consumed few apples to supply carbohydrates to my system, then it was OK. By the end of the day, I was normal but fatigued.In the day I boiled large amounts of raddish, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, beans together. Garnished this with little fried onion garlic, red chili, salt, cumin powder. Through out the day no issues, except, I still feel weak. I consumed some grapes too. May be I drank 6-7 glasses of water.
Day 4
Today is banana and milk day. I am feeling tired and dizzy. I already had a glass of milk. I can eat 8 bananas today. Altogether I ate 6 big bananas today with 3 glasses of milk. Apart from this I also drank a bowl of vegetable soup that I made yesterday and also another bowl of soup plus vegetables. It was a difficult day for me, since I had this cravings for all kinds of food. I went to sleep feeling hungry. I woke up in the middle of the night, saw some strange dreams..
Day 5
Today as the diet program says should be feast day with 6 tomatoes and beef. I am a non-beef eater and was wondering what I can replace beef with. I thought of chicken first, but later replaced that with dal. I made some dal in the morning with half onion and one full tomato. Pressure cooked together, then added little salt and half a spoon of olive oil to it. This was quite good and helped me get over my dizziness in the morning. Its been constantly the case since day 3..
For lunch, I had 2 large tomatoes finely cut and mixed with little onion, salt, little olive oil and one and half green chilli.
For Dinner, I have boiled 3 tomatoes and have some dal left.
Day 6
Today is suppose to be a beef and vegetable day. In the morning, I had a carrot and one cucumber. I also had 2 egg whites. Today we were invited to party where I stuck to raw vegetables as well as egg whites. In the dinner/lunch however, I ate chicken curry - the typical Indian way. I cooked chicken with tomatoes, onion, zinger, garlic, cilantro. I also had some boiled vegetable.
Day 7
Today is the last day of my fast and I am yet to see any weight changes. I took cooked vegetables and fruits today. In the night however, I could not resist eating rice..
Outcome
Well, I did not see any visible weight loss, may be 1 KG or may be 3 lbs. Anyways, no problems with no weight loss, I feel happy because I think I detoxified successfully. I saw a boil in my thigh before the diet program which steadily increased in size till the program lasted. Surprisingly, I saw in the last day of the program the boil has shrunken... This for me is a great thing.
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