Lack of Sleep May be Causing Alzheimer's

There has been a recent discovery that states that lack of sleep may be linked to the Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a fatal brain disease that has no cure, Alzheimer’s results in memory loss. It destroys brain cells. But recently David Holtzman who is a neurologist and neuroscientist from the Washington University in St. Louis has been conducted studies associated with this cause.

Basically they have found out that the lack of sleep results in more brain plaque, which is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. They preformed a study with mice, the mice that didn’t get a lot of sleep developed more plaque in their brains then than mice that got enough sleep. “This is the first experimental study that clearly shows that disrupted sleep may contribute to the disease process,’ says Peter Meerlo, a neuroscientist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. ‘What makes it exciting for me is that it shows that chronic sleep loss, in the long run, changes the brain in ways that may contribute to disease” (Alzheimer’s linked to Lack of Zzzzs). Holtzman did a study that involved the levels of amyloid-beta. He said that even though the clumping of the amyloid-beta isn’t exactly proven that they believe it to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Although the mice in Holtzman experiment didn’t experience a rise in amyloid-beta tissue, they did realize that the longer the mice were awake the more their amyloid-beta levels increased. They also conducted the same experiment with humans and the cerebral spinal fluid. They found the same results that the amyloid-beta levels increased when the people were awake and decreased when they were sleeping.

When dealing with the mice they injected orexin, which promotes wakefulness and was used to help the mice stay awake. The researchers don’t know exactly if it’s the orexin, which is causing the amyloid-beta levels to increase, or if it really is lack of sleep. “Sleep deprived mice made more plaques then well-rested mice, but a drug that blocks orexin’s action was able to stop plaque buildup” (Alzheimer’s linked to Lack of Zzzzs). So in result of that it could be said that orexin inhibitors could be used to help decrease the levels of amyloid-beta, but the drug is equivalent to a sleeping pill and would in result make the patient very tired. But either way there is some reason why less sleep accounts to more amyloid-beta, but that reason is still unknown.

“It is interesting that there may be a link between sleep and the build-up of the protein associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease,’ says Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer’s society in London. ‘However, there are many other biological factors that may have an impact on the protein’s production, so further research in this area would be needed” (Lack of Sleep Linked to Alzheimer’s). More research will be done on this topic of wither lack of sleep can really lead to Alzheimer’s, either way we should all be getting enough sleep during the night. Exercise is a good way to help induce sleep if in fact it is proven that sleep is a cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Works Citied

Saey, Tina Hesman. “Alzheimer’s Linked to Lack of Zzzzs.” Science News. 24 Oct.

2009. 1 Nov. 2009

47580/title/Alzheimers_linked_to_lack_of_Zzzzs>.

Hamzelou, Jessica. “Lack of Sleep Linked to Alzheimer’s.” New Scientist. Sep. 2009. 1

Nov. 2009.

linked-to-alzheimers.html

Modern Day Health Records

An EHRs or Electronic Health Record, as defined by the Health Information Management System’s Society’s (HIMSS), is “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting” (National, 1). EHRs include the patient’s demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and even radiology reports. Therefore, everything that was previously stored on paper and in filing cabinets, is now stored in computer environments that allow the patient’s information to be viewed or manipulated from electronic devices such as desktops, laptops, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and soon iPhones and Blackberries.
The development of EHRs began in the 1960s. It was reported in 1965 that at least 73 hospitals and clinical information projects and 28 projects for storage and retrieval of medical documents and other clinically-relevant information were underway. By the 90s it was estimated that about 14% of hospitals and doctor offices had implemented the use EHRs. A goal has been set that by the year 2010 at least 80% of hospitals and 50% of doctor’s offices are using EHRs. Today, just under 60% of hospitals are using EHRs. The other near 40% are unable to support the cost involved in making the use of EHRs possible.
EHRs have eight major functions; health information and data, results management, order management, decision support, patient support, administrative processes, reporting, and electronic communication connectivity. More specifically Electronic Health Records are used to store basic information on the patient, such as weight, height, allergies, diagnoses, etc., new and past test results, medications, and much more using uniform data standards that is purely confidential. They can also be used to alert or remind physicians to perform regular screenings or tests, identify drug interactions, and to facilitate diagnoses and treatments. Lastly, EHRs not only allow access to other clinicians and physicians, but they also enable patients to view their own medical records, which makes home monitoring and testing much easier.
There are a few key advantage points of using EHRs. The first being the overall reduction in healthcare costs. Although getting the system started costs over $30,000 per physician, the amount of money saved makes switching from paper methods to electronic methods well worth it; the majority of the money that is saved it through medical imaging and the reduction in medical errors. Since creating duplicates of medical images, such as x-rays, costs so much, including them in the EHRs cuts duplicating costs a significant amount. The accuracy of EHRs also helps reduce the number medical errors, which in turn reduces the funds spent on further care. Another advantage of electronically recording health information is the improvement in the general quality of care. The new fast access to medical literature and best practices at the current time enable continuing advances in healthcare effectiveness. Not only do EHRs help physicians be more aware of what medicines are most effective for a specific diagnosis, but they also enable easier communication between the physician, patients’ insurance provider, and pharmacists. The last primary advantage of using EHRs is to support evidence-based medicine; this meaning the more nationwide amounts of data collected, the higher the degree of effective medical practices can be achieved.
I chose to do further research on EHRs because the little I knew about them I found quite intriguing. My boyfriend, who works at Allscripts-Mysys Healthcare Solutions, Inc. which is a leading HER provider in the country, had told me some brief details about the systems, how they work and why they are used, therefore I thought it would be interesting to dig a little deeper. I also thought it was interesting that my own physician switched from paper records, just last year, to using Electronic Healthcare Records this year.
I believe that Electronic Healthcare Records are indisputably related to science because they are making large advances in technological healthcare. This system allows physicians to do a lot more, more easily and faster than in previous years with traditional paper records.


Sources Cited:
"EHR Overview Home." ehrCentral Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. http://www.providersedge.com/ehr_overview.htm.

"HIMSS - Electronic Health Record (EHR)." HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society). N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .
"Medicare Part B Imaging Services." United States Government Accountability Office. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. www.gao.gov/new.items/d08452.pdf.

"National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources." Electronic Health Records Overview. The MITRE Corporation, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. www.ncrr.nih.gov/publications/informatics/ehr.pdf.

Spider Silk, Artificial Muscle?

While scrolling through the discovery channel website, I cam across this article and it immediately jumped out at me. Scientists at the University of Akron have been researching ways to use spider silk, which is known for being lightweight and having steel fibers, for artificial muscle. One of the head scientists, Professor Todd Blackledge, said “No one ever thought about using spider silk as an artificial muscle” . I was drawn to this because it reminded me of the modern day invisionaries who were combining two different types of science, this being the anatomy of muscles and the silk from spiders. Not only did this relate to our current class discussions, it is also a major breakthrough in modern medicine because it could help replace muscle tissue in those who couldn't grow it back.
The reason that this silk can be used as artificial muscle is that the silk contracts when touched with water, just as human muscles do. The new spider-silk muscle would have degrees of movement, just as human muscle does. That movement would depend on how much water is in the air around the muscle. The type of contraction is called a cyclic contraction, and could be used in microelectromechanical systems, which are tiny devices used on very small scales, such as separating individual cells. The cyclic contraction based spider silk would open and close a tiny channel to separate individual cells.
This type of artificial muscle is better than others that are currently used because it can last a lot longer than its counter parts. Though there are current artificial muscles that are superior to spider silk in terms of speed of contraction, they only last a couple hundred cycles and need high amounts of electricity or toxic chemicals to activate.
This could impact the world in a huge way, because it would have a new artificial muscle that could help people who's muscles are deteriorating due to a disease, or any other reason. The scientists have also been researching ways to make this into a power generator, though it has been difficult to find more information on this. This could be used also in prosthetic limbs, to make the muscle more real, and maybe even one day to create a fully functioning prosthetic limb.
Finds like these interest me because if perfected, this could be such a large scientific breakthrough and could help millions of people, and the materials used would be from a natural source.



Bland, Eric. "Spider Silk Used as Artificial Muscle : Discovery News." Discovery News: Earth, Space, Tech, Animals, Dinosaurs, History. Discovery Communications LLC, 8 Nov. 2009. Web. 09 Nov. 2009. .

Children's Peace Monument

I decided to choose the “Children’s Peace Monument” also called the “Tower of a Thousand Paper Cranes” located at the Hiroshima Peace Park in Hiroshima Japan. This monument was sponsored by Hiroshima and Students Association for the creation of peace. The design was made by Kazuo Kikuchi, a professor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. This monument was unveiled on May 5th 1958. The golden bell that hangs inside the monument in the shape of a crane was added and produced in 2003.
During the summer of 2007, I traveled to Japan with a group of students to volunteer in a preschool in Fukuoka Japan. While I was in Japan, the group of students and the chaperones that I traveled with took a trip to the Hiroshima Peace Park. While I was there I had the chance to look at a variety of different pieces of art, one being the Children’s Peace Monument. This particular monument stood out to me because I remembered reading the book when I was in fourth grade, and I also was interested in the art of paper cranes. My sister and I had been making paper cranes for a while, and it was amazing to see this monument and look at the millions of paper cranes people from all around the world had sent.
There is the one main monument that stands in the center of a circular plaque, and behind the monument there is several glass boxes filled with millions of paper cranes that people have sent from around the world. The paper cranes in the boxes create pictures, and are also a variety of several different colors. This makes the glass boxes very appealing to look at, and it draws your attention very quickly. It is almost impossible to look at all the paper cranes, what they are made of, and the pictures that they create because there are so many. I did have the chance to look at several of the glass boxes, and also took pictures of some of the pictures that they create.
Next to this monument is a marble plaque that states what the purpose of it is. Engraved on this plaque is “This monument stands in memory of all children who died as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The monument was originally inspired by the death of Sadako Sasaki, who was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb at the age of two. Ten years later Sadako developed leukemia that ultimately ended her life. Sadako’s untimely death compelled her classmates to begin a call for the construction of a monument for all children who died due to the atomic bomb. Built with contributions from more than 3,200 schools in Japan and donors in nine countries, the Children’s Peace Monument was unveiled on May 5th, 1958.” The rest of this plaque states what is located at the top of the monument and also the inscription on the stone plaque that lies under the monument.
This is instrumental art in my opinion because it was built with a purpose, and the monument itself is expressing its purpose, why it is there, and why it is so important. This statue reminds everyone tourist or anyone for that matter about what happened on August 6th, 1945. I think that everyone who looks at this piece of art is reminded about what happened to Hiroshima many years ago. I know that when I looked at this it reminded me of the book that I read while I was in fourth grade, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.
Paper cranes now have a stronger meaning to me than they did before I visited this monument. They mean more than just a piece of paper. Each time I make a paper crane it reminds me of this monument and what Sadako’s classmates did for her when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. I remember that in this book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” the children tried to make Sadako a thousand paper cranes, and if they did this before she died, this meant she would survive. Unfortunately they were very close to this goal, but they did not succeed. Although I do not think that this was the reason she died, I do think that the message in behind it is important. Helping a classmate survive something as horrific as leukemia and doing whatever you can to make that person feel better is such an important thing to do.

Feather Art

Tyler Ury

I had a very hard time trying to find something to write about. I looked at pictures on the internet but I did not feel any type of real connection to them. I thought a lot about what I could do it about that would get me excited. Almost like an epiphany I realized what I should do. This piece of art is called “feather shield”, it is a tradition from the Native American Indian men to get or make a shield to represent their transition into manhood. Though I did not make this, the best artist that I know of made this for me. It is made out of goose, golden flicker, and one unknown feather. Every feather that you see was collected by myself. And the wonderful artist that made this for me is Jerrita Lake, my Aunt. The feathers are attached to a piece of drift wood, and made to look like wings. The whole thing is tied to a piece of deer hide. It is so beautifully done that it looks so natural, which shows the skill of the artist. Why do I think this is art? Well for one it is beautifully done and anything of this caliber is art to me. And secondly it really speaks to me. It reminds me of my past and where I came from. But not only that, it shows me of the future and what I can become. Every time I look at it I am reminded of what I went through and of my Aunt. If that does not make it Art then I really do not know what art is. The feather shield is so important to me that I have it hanging in my dorm room. I also have another piece done from her but I will not get into that yet. Even if it did not remind me of so many things the skill that went into making it is an Art in it of itself. I doubt many people on this earth could make such amazing feather art like my Aunt does. It is such an amazing skill that it could only be called an Art!

NOTE: No birds were harmed in any of her works of art!

Cutestest Babies Ever!

Anne Geddes Photography

Okay, so everyone has probably seen Anne Geddes photography before and quite possibly fell in love, much like myself. The babies are absolutely precious and make me just want to snuggle one up. I have always wondered how the photographs were taken and to be entirely honest had no idea that Anne even existed. I always just thought the pictures were called Anne Geddes, I never knew that she was the photographer. So with that I will give a little background on her, she was born on September 13, 1956 in Queensland, Australia. She has three sisters and was raised by her parents on their huge beef cattle property. In her biography it said that she and her sisters were true country kids. Her favorite magazine was Life because of the high value they places on the strength and quality of their photography. She remembers how she was always fascinated by images of people and the concept of a single still image and how it could capture a moment in time that would never be repeated. She started taking photographs when she was 17 to capture her day-to-day adventures working with a tourist hotel chain and worked various jobs throughout her young adulthood She got married in 1983. She quit her job and decided to open her own business taking pictures of neighbors and friends children at their homes, gardens and local parks. She advertised her business by posting something on her local community board. She moved back to australia in 1984 where she and her husband had their first daughter. Their second daughter was born in 1986, the same year Anne entered her first photogenic contest and came in second. Her first published work came out, in a local magazine, in 1988 which was first taken of a little girl named Gemma in her backyard studio.
After this photo became popular Anne decided to work specifically with children. In 1992 her husband left his highly successful career and became her business partner, that same year they began producing Anne Geddes cards. She used her cards and calendars to raise awareness of child abuse. Anne and her husband, Kel, sold the calendars from the back of their family car and raise more than US 20,000 to help prevent child abuse and neglect. After selling their house and investing their life savings into producing 20,000 copies of the calendar, turing those profits into producing 20,000 more copies Anne and Kel finally had an offer from a publishing company. In 1996 Anne created her Down in the Garden series and went on the Oprah show, which caused even more recognition world wide.
1998 was the year her first book, Until Now was published in eight different languages and she went on a world wide book tour. By the year 2000 more than 14 million Anne Geddes books had been sold worldwide! She created a baby clothing line in 2001 with the babies comfort in mind. Anne and Kel were very close to a young 8 year old girl who had cancer and who was a huge fan of Celine Dion. It just so happened that Celine Dion was a fan of Anne, so Anne asked if Celine would call the little girl at the hospital. After Anne called Celine to thank her for the call they realized they had some common interests and that Celine was pregnant. Anne wanted to photograph Celine's son, so the two worked together. They also created the music video for Celine's song Miracle with photographs Anne had taken. It was published in 22 countries and 11 different languages in 2004.
Anne and her husband continue to donate large amounts of money to charitable funds. Anne published an autobiography in 2007 titled, A Labor of Love. She also wrote Cherished Thoughts with Love(2005) and Be Gentle with the Young(2008). Early this year Anne was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Professional Photographers of America. Her two daughters now work beside her in her Sydney, Australia studio. She has sold more than 18 million copies of her books worldwide, translating into 24 languages and he images have been published in 83 countries.
The photo shoots are always very quick, usually lasting around two to three minutes. The studio plays soft soothing music and the temperature is set around 83 to keep the babies warm and cozy. Anne is said to be very professional, quick, and efficient.
I definitely consider Annes photographs art. They are not only aesthetically pleasing, especially to a baby lover like myself, but they are very thought out and clever. I would say that her photography is definitely emotionalist because her photos evoke a variety of emotions from people. They could also be seen as formalist though because of the techniques, lighting, alignment and subject.
Do you enjoy her photographs, why or why not? Would you consider them art? What quartet do you think they fit into?

Annegeddes.com
http://www.annegeddes.com/modules/Anne/Galleries/index.aspx

Neil Young- Don't Be Denied

Matt Kavanagh
Neil Young- Don’t Be Denied

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-972pm8AhQ

The song Don’t Be Denied by Neil Young was released on his 1973 live album Times Fade Away, which consisted of all new material. The album itself never made the transformation from vinyl to CD, so the only way to hear the album without an original record is to pirate it from the internet. Anyways, the album tour was a complete mess to say the least. Neil’s former Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten had recently died of heroine overdose and Neil toured with a backing band called The Stray Gators, of who received poor reviews from audiences. Also, Neil and his fellow musicians proved to be intoxicated at all times and Neil was said to be mentally unstable as the tour ended.
This is the recording from the album as it was released more the thirty years ago. In the song, Neil sings about his childhood, everything from his Dad leaving home, and him trying to make it as a musician. The chorus sings “Don’t be denied” over and over inspiring the listener to never give up, just as Neil had to do has he faced his share of hardships while growing up.
I think this is definitely a form of emotionalist art for Neil Young is clearly putting all he has into trying to sing in key, as he also was suffering with a throat infection. Full of voice cracks and the possibility of a complete breakdown at any moment, Neil Young and the Stray Gatos put on an intense performance. It may be stretching it but this may also be instrumental art for it may inspire people. Maybe not this song in particular but Neil Young certainly has some songs that I’ve gained a strong connection to so in general, Neil could be called a instrumental artist as well as an emotionalist.
The reason I choose to do a Neil Young song for a blog is because he is my favorite artist and I believe he is pure genius. The song Don’t Be Denied relates well to last years Concept of Self class when we were all asked to design a self -portrait of ourselves. This song tells the story of Neil Young growing up until he was about the age we were when we did those projects so in a way it’s his own self portrait, just through song.

Source
Mcdonough, Jimmy. Shakey Neil Young's Biography. New York: Anchor, 2003. Print.
"Don't Be Denied"

When I was a young boy,
My mama said to me
Your daddy's leavin' home today,
I think he's gone to stay.
We packed up all our bags
And drove out to Winnipeg.

When we got to Winnipeg
I checked in to school.
I wore white bucks on my feet,
When I learned the golden rule.
The punches came fast and hard
Lying on my back
in the school yard.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Well pretty soon I met a friend,
He played guitar.
We used to sit
on the steps at school
And dream of being stars.
We started a band,
We played all night.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Oh Canada
We played all night
I really hate to leave you now
But to stay just wouldn't be right.
Down in Hollywood
We played so good

The businessmen crowded around
They came to hear the golden sound
There we were on the Sunset Strip,
Playing our songs
for the highest bid.
We played all night
The price was right.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Well, all that glitters isn't gold
I know you've heard
that story told.
And I'm a pauper
in a naked disguise
A millionaire
through a business man's eyes.
Oh friend of mine
Don't be denied.