http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/64255/title/Implants_help_heroin_addicts_kick_habit
One of the hardest things a drug user can do is quit. With quitting comes cravings, withdrawls, sweating, headaches, and many other side effects. It cannot possibly make it easy, especially when the drug one is addicted to is heroin. An overdose of heroin can kill you the first time you use it, and even if it does not, you chance already being addicted to it. So it is easy to see why someone would want to stop what they started, however its much harder to do than to say. For treatment many heroin users get methadone or buprenorphine to control withdrawl and cravings, along with counciling. I have never been an advocate for using one drug to cure the habit of another because the patient has the potential to get addicted to the second drug that is trying to help them. Yes, they may stop the heroin use, but now the person is addicted to buprenorphine tablets that can be crushed , liquified, and injected just like heroin. So what has been accomplished? An illegal drug has been substituted for a legal one, and now the addict has not recovered, just upgraded. In this article, a group of scientists decides to find a better way to break the habit while still using buprenorphine. Titan Pharaceuticals of South San Francisco, California developed an implantable form of the drug called Probuphine. It consists of four matchstick-sized implants put underneath the skin that administer a regular dose of buprenorphine over 24 weeks. When put to the test, patients who got the real Probuphine (others got placebos) had less cravings and two-thirds of them finished the test, compared to less than one-third who finished with just the placebos. Although this new way of using buprenorphine makes me less anxious about using another drug to treat a drug problem, it still seems to have downfalls that should concern people. Having implants means that the patient would not have to come to a clinic to get a regular dose of buprenorphine or methadone. That would lead to less patients attending the counciling that is crucial to staying off heroin and other opioids. The patients would never have the advice they need to kick the addiction completely, without returning or relapsing. Another thing that was concerning to me was that during the experiment, patients could come in and get additional doses of buprenorphine tablets if they felt they needed a stronger dose to stop the cravings. That, to me, still seems like the patient is addicted to taking drugs, considering buprenorphine mimics the euphoric feeling that heroin would make. I feel that scientists need to keep working to find a cure that does not use a drug to treat addiction. Using drugs like buprenorphine or methadone to treat heroin addicts are not the only ways to quit addiction, although they are statistically less effective. It takes determination and motivation, as well as life style changes and support to kick the drug habit. Heroin has a high relapse rate, but it can be done. A heroin addict has other options like detox centers and support groups like Narcotics Anonymous.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Chemistry in the Kitchen
http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2009/0112-chemistry_of_cooking.htm
Article Summary: Cooking is a series of chemical reactions in foods. Chemistry is helping some chefs understand why their dish goes wrong, and how to prevent it. For example, when asparagus is emerged in boiling water, the cells pop and the vegetable becomes greener. But if you cook the asparagus too long the plant's cell walls shrink and release acid, causing a grey color. Shirley Corriher is a chef, but was once a biochemist. "She says that science is the key to understanding what goes right and wrong in the kitchen." With red cabbage, heat breaks down the red anthocyanine pigment, taking it from acidic to alkaline, and causing a change in color. If vinegar is added, the acidity level increases again, and the cabbage turns back to red; baking soda will change it blue. Ethylene gas is given off by fruit, which makes them ripen.
Response: Cooking is a fun hobby of mine. I like to mix different ingredients together to create new flavor combinations. Knowing some basic chemistry could really help me make more flavorful and vibrant dishes. As I intent to one day be a dietitian, I value knowing things like the acidity and alkalinity of foods. It is important in dieting and creating meal plans for the ill or special needs. In dietetic programs, a student takes courses in chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. They are important classes to take because a dietitian needs to know what the chemical make up of a food is to better fit meal plans to a persons specific needs. This chemistry knowledge would be helpful to everyday cooks as well. Knowing how long one should cook a vegetable or other ingredient makes for better, nutritious meals. Also, it would help in restaurants because they too could make more colorful, lively, and nutritious dishes. Chemistry is everywhere, especially in cooking. Baking is even more precise, and chemical know-how could prevent mistakes and recked dishes.
Article Summary: Cooking is a series of chemical reactions in foods. Chemistry is helping some chefs understand why their dish goes wrong, and how to prevent it. For example, when asparagus is emerged in boiling water, the cells pop and the vegetable becomes greener. But if you cook the asparagus too long the plant's cell walls shrink and release acid, causing a grey color. Shirley Corriher is a chef, but was once a biochemist. "She says that science is the key to understanding what goes right and wrong in the kitchen." With red cabbage, heat breaks down the red anthocyanine pigment, taking it from acidic to alkaline, and causing a change in color. If vinegar is added, the acidity level increases again, and the cabbage turns back to red; baking soda will change it blue. Ethylene gas is given off by fruit, which makes them ripen.
Response: Cooking is a fun hobby of mine. I like to mix different ingredients together to create new flavor combinations. Knowing some basic chemistry could really help me make more flavorful and vibrant dishes. As I intent to one day be a dietitian, I value knowing things like the acidity and alkalinity of foods. It is important in dieting and creating meal plans for the ill or special needs. In dietetic programs, a student takes courses in chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. They are important classes to take because a dietitian needs to know what the chemical make up of a food is to better fit meal plans to a persons specific needs. This chemistry knowledge would be helpful to everyday cooks as well. Knowing how long one should cook a vegetable or other ingredient makes for better, nutritious meals. Also, it would help in restaurants because they too could make more colorful, lively, and nutritious dishes. Chemistry is everywhere, especially in cooking. Baking is even more precise, and chemical know-how could prevent mistakes and recked dishes.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Super Splitters Steal Simulation Limelight
http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56911/title/Aluminum_superatoms_may_split_water
Article Summary:
A simulation by physicist Priya Vashishta of the University of Southern California suggests that a new way of making hydrogen fuel is possible. His team suggests that tiny clusters of aluminum atoms may be able to extract hydrogen from water. In his simulation, 17 aluminum atoms grouped together (a superatom) were suspended in water, giving them special attributes that might change how they react to water. Molecules of water and hydrogen started moving. Some spots on the superatom were electron hungry, while other spots wanted to give them away. These spots started reacting with the water molecules and the hydrogens started jumping from oxygen to oxygen, eventually ending up on the aluminum superatom. As more hydrogen bonding continued, the hydrogens on the superatom left to join another hydrogen atom, creating a stable two-hydrogen molecule. In about three picoseconds, the reaction produced three hydrogen molecules, each containing two hydrogen atoms. The results of this simulation provide a more clear view of how tiny aluminum particles can catalyze hydrogen production. However, this may not be a reliable way to produce hydrogen molecules for fuel because it is not very practical and faces a lot of criticism.
Relevance/Response:
Honestly, this article intrigues me and confuses me at the same time, which is why I picked it. If this is possible, then we would be able to make a more pure hydrogen fuel. That would be very helpful in eliminating our dependency on fossil fuels. I'm sceptical about how this would actually work in real life though, and how we contain that energy. However, if we could, this would be an efficient way to produce fuel. It would also eliminate car pollution, because the reaction would only give off water vapor. I am interested in seeing more of his studies and conclusions about his hypothesis. If Vashishta is correct, he could play an important role in this new energy craze. Other experiments have hinted at this being possible, so don't denounce him just yet. Some other experiments use atoms like rhodium as a catalyst. In the future it will be interesting to see how many different kinds of atoms can actually make this fuel work!
Article Summary:
A simulation by physicist Priya Vashishta of the University of Southern California suggests that a new way of making hydrogen fuel is possible. His team suggests that tiny clusters of aluminum atoms may be able to extract hydrogen from water. In his simulation, 17 aluminum atoms grouped together (a superatom) were suspended in water, giving them special attributes that might change how they react to water. Molecules of water and hydrogen started moving. Some spots on the superatom were electron hungry, while other spots wanted to give them away. These spots started reacting with the water molecules and the hydrogens started jumping from oxygen to oxygen, eventually ending up on the aluminum superatom. As more hydrogen bonding continued, the hydrogens on the superatom left to join another hydrogen atom, creating a stable two-hydrogen molecule. In about three picoseconds, the reaction produced three hydrogen molecules, each containing two hydrogen atoms. The results of this simulation provide a more clear view of how tiny aluminum particles can catalyze hydrogen production. However, this may not be a reliable way to produce hydrogen molecules for fuel because it is not very practical and faces a lot of criticism.
Relevance/Response:
Honestly, this article intrigues me and confuses me at the same time, which is why I picked it. If this is possible, then we would be able to make a more pure hydrogen fuel. That would be very helpful in eliminating our dependency on fossil fuels. I'm sceptical about how this would actually work in real life though, and how we contain that energy. However, if we could, this would be an efficient way to produce fuel. It would also eliminate car pollution, because the reaction would only give off water vapor. I am interested in seeing more of his studies and conclusions about his hypothesis. If Vashishta is correct, he could play an important role in this new energy craze. Other experiments have hinted at this being possible, so don't denounce him just yet. Some other experiments use atoms like rhodium as a catalyst. In the future it will be interesting to see how many different kinds of atoms can actually make this fuel work!
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