New Drug May Reverse Autism

This article from the BBC shows how scientists have managed to reverse the symptoms of autism in mice by targeting the PAK enzyme, which controls connection between brain cells. The mice displayed behavior common to those affected by Fragile X Syndrome, a known factor in autism and mental retardation, but after scientists inhibited the action of the PAK enzyme their symptoms virtually vanished.

This may be a tremendous breakthrough in the field of autism and other mental retardation issues. The fact this treatment and reversal occurred quite some time after the symptoms first began suggests there's hope for those already suffering, as well as those in danger of developing Fragile X Syndrome in the future.

Birthday Pains

I've been stretching the truth a little in my profile until now--today is actually when I turn 26. It's the first birthday I almost forgot...and sort of wish I did.

Never thought I'd be one of those people who get all depressed and morose on their birthday. Looking back, I guess it's been a natural progression for me. While I never had any grand delusions that I would be saving the world by now, I did expect to be doing something worthwhile. Instead I sit in limbo, waiting: waiting to get enough money to pay off my student loans, waiting to get my life back on track, waiting for those words I long to hear from my father's radiation oncologist that the cancer is gone. So much waiting...and only 26 damn years old.

In birthdays past I would celebrate with friends and family by seeing a Broadway show (front row, of course) and visiting my friend Bob at the Encore restaurant in the Marriott Marquis. This year I have no money, nearly all my friends have moved out of state, and neither of my parents are in any physical condition to celebrate. So now I celebrate the only way I can--with a deep dish pizza and a blog post.

I know I sound bitter and self-pitying, and maybe to a degree I am. But while I've learned to adapt to any situation quickly, embracing change has never been a strong point for me. Now I'm another year older, nothing is how I envisioned it five years ago, and the road ahead is rocky at best and a nightmare at worst. 26...and I feel like 50.

Ah, well. Maybe next year the Broadway lights will sparkle again.

M*A*S*H fanfic

Mon conte est finie. I command you to read it.

Faster Treatment = More Lives Saved

I ran across this article from Medical News Today. Apparently a hospital in Indiana has found a way to increase response time in treating ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (a type of heart attack in which an artery is completely blocked). The common treatment for STEMI is an emergency angioplasty, but how successful it is depends a lot on how fast it gets done.

So this hospital came up with two key changes to speed up the process that seem to be working: instead of having to wait on activating the cath lab until a cardiologist comes to the ER to examine the patient, the ER physician can now activate the cath lab without waiting for the go-ahead from the cardiologist. (Sounds like a simple idea, but just consider how difficult it is to break away from "traditional" protocol in the ER.) The other change was to put in place an in-house "Emergency Heart Attack Response Team", to set up the cath lab almost as soon as the physician activates it.

This is a fantastic idea, and I have no doubt it'll catch on with other hospitals--the sooner the better.

We'll Run On Our Own Legs

I'm uploading this pic for a page of mine on Neopets. (Contrary to popular belief, it's not really a children's site; it was created almost eight years ago by two college kids to help other college kids throw away their study time.)

It's from an anime called Wolf's Rain. The series had some fascinating concepts and centered on an original story about wolves seeking "paradise" as the world comes to an end. One line stuck with me over the years, spoken by the wolf pack leader Kiba to a human: "Why? Why do you always look to the sky? Why do you try so hard to fly when you don't have any wings? We'll run on our own legs." I always took that to mean a person shouldn't spend time dreaming or wishing things were a certain way; if there's a way to get it done, just shut up and do it. It's a lesson I've come to learn the hard way.

Cracking the Genetic Code--Again

A friend recently forwarded this article to me from the BBC. The article discusses a recent study that suggests we may be a step closer to linking specific genes with the development of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

The potential ramifications for this discovery can be huge. After all, who wouldn't want a surefire way to know if they'll have an increased risk of disease later in life? The earlier they discover it, the more preventive measures they can take. This also opens the door for possible genome-specific cures to be created, effectively re-training a person's genes to reject disease.

Of course, as with any advancement in the genetic field, there's a flip side. My friend also included an article from the New York Times showcasing Dr. James D. Watson, whose entire genome was recently deciphered along with that of Celera Corporation's J. Craig Venter. At the same time, questions are being raised that the project might reveal their familial genetic "imperfections" to the public.

Say what now?

Obviously, there's a "creep factor" for anything as invasive as examining your own gene structure. And I too have innate fears as to what currently unknown horrors might face us when this technology regrettably (yet inevitably) ends up in the wrong hands. But if the only argument against genome-mapping for possible links to disease is the fact you might air your family's dirty laundry to the public, get over it. There's plenty enough to worry about with the future of genetics--say, biowarfare, for example--without being scared that people will laugh at me because one of my chromosomes looks funny.

I may not be the biggest supporter of genetic mapping, but I sure as hell know there's no stopping it. And I'd rather see it progress under the supervision of those scientists who have no ulterior motives than worry about my genes hanging out while someone deep underground makes those same scientific advances as they plot my destruction.

A Little Fall of Rain

I uploaded the first chapter of my fanfic to FanFiction.net. Check it out. Other chaptery goodness is soon to follow, I promise.