Bone Marrow Transplant

This week in class we learned names of two types of bones that are in our bodies.  The first type of bone is known as the trabecular or spongy bone.  The trabecular bone is not found throughout the whole bone.  The trabecular bone is found at the ends of the bone.  It also provides us with weight-bearing support.  The cortical or compact bone is on the outsides of the shaft of the long bone.  I am aware that stem cells can be taken from our bone marrow.  I was not previously aware that the bone marrow comes from the spongy bone instead of the compact bone(link below).  The bone marrow donor must have cells that mach that of the recipient's.  This type of transplant is called an allogenic transplant.  For those who have cancer, new healthy cells can help kill cancer cells.  Allogenic transplants are commonly used for bone marrow cancer and other bone diseases. 

http://www.drugs.com/cg/bone-marrow-or-stem-cell-transplantation.html

Melanoma Scanner

In class we learned that there are two types of skin cancer: melanoma and nonmelanoma.  Melanoma skin cancer appears to be darker colored.  The nonmelanoma skin cancer contains white-ish or pink cells.  There are two types of nonmelanoma squamous cell carcinoma in the epidermis layer and basal cell carcinoma in the basal layer. A Pop Sci news article(link to the article provided below) stated that there is a handheld device that can detect melanoma.  The laser device uses Raman spectroscopy in order to identify the types of molecular bonds that are in the skin growth.  The device relates the laser scan to a database of melanoma cases.  If the laser detects melanoma the device lights up green.  If no melanoma is detected then it lights up red.  This device only helps Physicians who are taking an educated guess on whether the skin growth is melanoma or not without getting a diagnosis through a biopsy.  For a person who may be anxious about a possible case of melanoma skin cancer this device could provide some relief.  Biopsy results would take days and maybe weeks to get any information back.  For the physician it would be another expense for their practice. Also the physician may be hesistant to entirely rely on a technology for a skin cancer diagnosis.   

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/new-handheld-melanoma-scanner-instantly-identifies-skin-cancers-laser-light

Can too much calcium for women actually be a bad thing?

In class we learned that our fingernail and toenail growth begins to slow down as we age.  We also learned that the elderly are more likely to have a thicker calcium deposition in their nails.  I am aware of the fact that if we do not have enough calcium we can start to develop osteoporosis.  Although I found online (website provided below) more specifically for women over the age of forty, they can may actually have toxic levels of calcium.  This is due to the fact that some women may have a metabolic problem where it places the calcium in their soft tissues instead of their bones.  Excess calcium deposits in the fingernail and toenails make them tear more easily.

 http://www.cybernation.com/livingston/meltdown/calcium.php

Get rid of age spots!

Recently I have begun to drink lemon ginger tea with honey and apple cider vinegar to clear my sinuses.  I have heard that apple cider vinegar can cure a lot of things.  Out of curiosity I searched online to see if apple cider vinegar has an effect on aging of the skin.  The website(shown below) stated that age spots are a result of oxidation due to a lack of antioxidants in the body.  In order to help rid your skin of the age spots, first you chop up an onion and take it’s juice.  Then you mix part of the onion juice with part of the apple cider vinegar and take a cotton ball and dab the solution onto the age spots.  The solution can be left on your skin for at least half an hour.  The website also indicated that after six weeks your age spots should start to fade.

  http://www.homeremediesweb.com/age_spots_home_remedy.php