Potential Cure of Malaria

As well know malaria is passed by mosquito who have been infected by these certain parasites. The United States witnesses hundreds of cases As well know malaria is passed by mosquitoes who have been infected by these certain parasites  The United States witnesses hundreds of cases each year, mainly brought in by travelers and immigrants around the world. These travelers come from countries of Southeast Asia or Africa  The transmission of malaria happens when a mosquito feeds on an infected person and then goes around and feeds again on some one else causing a transfer of infected from one person to the next. In a recent news article I read, about a team of scientist who could have potentially found the cure for malaria in the aminopyridine class of drugs. This drug has been tested for eighteen months where is had been going through carious animal trials. The dynamic potential this pill has is huge. Just imagine the number of people who will be aided by this miracle drug. For centuries this disease has killed thousands of individuals and now it will at least save 24 present of the children who are suffering in Africa with this illness.

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Project Genome 2.0

Have you ever wondered what kind of history your genome encompasses? Where your ancestors came from? Who they were? How much of that information is within you? We are told we all come from a common ancestor which was about, give or take 2.3 million years ago when the genus Homo arrived to the scene some where in Africa. For the up coming years to follow they evolved and spread to different parts of the globe, where these species diverged, some going across Africa and others to Europe and Asia.

From there on forward we grew and adapted to our surroundings while branching out to different areas and locations where we developed our various cultures, languages, speech patterns, religions, society, etc.

An on going study called the geographic 2.0 beta project answers these fundamental questions, of where we all originated from ad how we branched off. Genetic and computer analysis are being used to analyze different groups of individuals to understand the variation and root of the human genome. This project is being carried out by Dr. Spencer Wells along with his team of international workers who all work for National Geographic Explorer. Anyone interested in volunteering towards the benefit of this project or just wanting to find out about their own ancestry, then it is as simple as a check swab. Which then that sample looks at 150,000 DNA markers on the mitochondria that are specific towards finding this relevant information about ancestry. Along with the maternal markers, paternal markers are also analyzed. 130,000 markers are also defined as regions of ancestral inheritance.

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Extending Life Expectancy, A Possible Scientific Breakthrough

We all strive to live longer, healthier lives by various means. Some accomplish this through diet and exercise while others have to rely on the marvels of modern medicine to increase their lifespan. However, scientists have recently experienced a breakthrough on a genetic level which can possibly increase the lifespan of humans in general. .

The researchers at national institutes of health published a research in the journal Cell Reports regarding the mTOR gene. This gene is found to be a major regulator in the aging process found in animals as well as humans. Scientists conducted an experiment where they used two groups of mice and regulated the amount of mTOR gene in each group. One group of mice had 25% of normal mTOR protein while the second group was the control group. The result of this experiment was fascinating. Scientists found that the mice with the suppressed mTOR gene expression had a 20% increase in their lifespan which amounts to approximately 15 years of human lifespan.

While researching mTOR I found that it is an intracellular signaling pathway important in apoptosis. It is important in cancer research and is activated by AKT which is then activated by PI3K

However, with new breakthroughs and results always leads to more questions. One of the questions asked is will the results of the drug trial on mice have the same outcome when applied to humans because humans are vastly more complex. Furthermore, every drug on the market has a side effect which is potentially deadly. For example, pain medications generally cause nausea and blood thinners such as Coumadin or Warfarin can cause spontaneous brain hemorrhage. 

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How Transposable Elements Bring Diversity to the Genome

As we all know transposable elements are unique segments of DNA that move around to different sites in the genome. Due to this transposition, they can end up any where in the genome. The relocation of these segments bring up a few thoughts and concerns in the scientific community. The research that is continuously being done on these sequences shows that they bring forth diversity in the organism. At the same time, these transposable elements result in various diseases through the process of mutations that occur when these elements move into another region of the genome. Even though the TE (transposable elements) tend to be neutral in response, they have a great influence on regulating genes and their function. There usually tends to be multiple copies of these TE and a good portion of the genome is made up of them.

A type of transposable element called retrotransposons found in eukaryotic cells, transpose through using RNA intermediate structures. A sub-unit of these retroviruses are LTR (long terminal repeats), that leave transposable sequences when cleaved out of the genome. These TE that are left behind bring a great amount of diversity to the genome through expression of gene regulation. Other research shows how transposable elements influence early development in the embryonic stage. Retrotransposons that are responsible in that stage called LINE-1 retrotransposons translocate into the regulatory sequence to control expression during that time.