Developing Low-Cost Lab Techniques: Q & A With Abraham Badu-Tawiah
Credit: Ohio State University.
“I never thought I could make an impact on chemistry and students’ lives. But now, I’m the head of a lab with several Ph.D. and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral researcher; and we’re developing simple, low-cost lab techniques that can be adopted by labs across the world,” says Abraham Badu-Tawiah, Ph.D., the Robert K. Fox Professor of Chemistry at Ohio State University in Columbus. We talked with Dr. Badu-Tawiah about his career progression, research, and advice for students hoping to launch a career in science.
Q: How did you get started on the path to a career in sci...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 21, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques Profiles Source Type: blogs
Tachycardia and hyperkalemia. What will happen after therapy with 1 gram of Ca gluconate and some bicarbonate?
A 20-something type, 1 diabetic presented by EMS with altered mental status. Blood pressure was 117/80, pulse 161, Resp 45, SpO2 100 on oxygen.Here is the 12-lead ECG:Wide complex tachycardiaWhat do you think?The providers thought that this wide QRS was purely due to (severe) hyperkalemia. They treated with 4 ampules (200 mL) of bicarb and 1 gram of calcium gluconate. Note: 1 g of calcium gluconate is insufficient. 1 g of calcium chloride has 3x as much calcium and is indeed a good start.His pulse on the monitor suddenly went down to 140 and another 12-lead ECG was recorded:Sinus tachycardia at a rate...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 20, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Angiotensin 1-7 Improves Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
Researchers here demonstrate that administration of angiotensin (1-7) protein to injured muscles in mice provokes improved regeneration of muscle tissue. Protein therapies are an expensive proposition at this point in time, so the usual approach for research of this nature is to look for a small molecule that upregulates expression of the desired protein. That said, gene therapies are looking ever more promising for any use case in which the objective is to increase levels of a circulating protein. Only a small number of cells, such as subcutaneous fat cells, need to be transfected via an injected therapy in order to produ...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 28, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 4th 2023
This study produced a great deal of data that continues to be mined for insights into human aging and effects of calorie restriction in a long-lived species such as our own, to contrast with the sizable effects on health and longevity in short-lived species such as mice.
In particular, and the topic for today, cellular senescence and its role in degenerative aging has garnered far greater interest in the research community in the years since the CALERIE study took place. Thus in today's open access paper, scientists examine CALERIE study data to find evidence for calorie restriction to reduce the burden of cellular ...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 3, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Mild Mitochondrial Inhibition Slows Aging in Nematode Worms
Researchers here demonstrate that means of mildly inhibiting the production of some of the protein machinery used to generate chemical energy store molecules, adenosine triphosphate, in mitochondria can extend life by 50-70% in nematode worms - a species in which much larger life extension is possible, so this might be viewed as a moderate effect size. Many different approaches to adjusting mitochondrial function can slow aging and extend life in short-lived species. In some cases this works by provoking mitochondria into an alternative pathway for ATP generation that produces a little more oxidative stress than usual, tri...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 30, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 9th 2023
Fight Aging! publishes news and commentary relevant to the goal of ending all age-related disease, to be achieved by bringing the mechanisms of aging under the control of modern medicine. This weekly newsletter is sent to thousands of interested subscribers. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the newsletter,
please visit:
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Longevity Industry Consulting Services
Reason, the founder of Fight Aging! and Repair Biotechnologies, offers strategic consulting services to investors, entrepreneurs, and others interested in the longevity industry and its complexities. To find out m...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 8, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
KCC2 in Alzheimer's Disease
The challenge with most identified mechanisms of disease is that they are not close enough to root causes to be highly influential on the progression of the condition. Particularly in the case of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, the condition is very complex, and there is much to be discovered about how dysfunction progresses. That doesn't mean that any given aspect of that progression will prove to be useful enough to make the jump from improvements shown in animal models to a basis for therapy in humans. There are many discoveries in the history of Alzheimer's research that have appeared to be as i...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 6, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Pencil-on-Paper Wearable Sensor
Researchers at Penn State have developed a low-cost, wearable sensor using pencil-on-paper technology. This approach involves depositing graphite (pencil ‘lead’) on paper that has been treated with sodium chloride, to create a conductive, low-cost sensor. Previously, these researchers had developed such sensors to detect moisture and even used them to develop a smart diaper (yes, really). However, they have now developed a hydrophobic version of the sensor that is not affected by water to create a skin-worn device that can measure a variety of health data, including assessments of gas molecules, temperature, and electr...
Source: Medgadget - June 1, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiology Diagnostics Materials PennState Source Type: blogs
The Ohio Train Derailment, Safety Regulation, and the Historical Improvement in Rail Safety
David Kemp andPeter Van DorenEarlier this month, a Norfolk Southern freight trainderailed in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a large fire, releasing hazardous materials, and prompting emergency crews to conduct a controlled release and burn of toxic vinyl chloride. Fortunately, no lives were lost, but up to two thousand nearby residents were evacuated from their homes for nearly a week, and there are still concerns about pollution. Sober analysis is rarely welcomed after an accident like this. We believe it is worthwhile, however, to illuminate some journalistic errors and place the derailment in the context of increasing fr...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 27, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: David Kemp, Peter Van Doren Source Type: blogs
TikTok and the “New News” Media
Paul MatzkoTake a second and think about how you heard about the recent train derailment in Ohio, which created a giant cloud of toxic chemicals and forced a mass evacuation. It’s the plot ofWhite Noise come to life.If you ’re reading this, then odds are you first heard about the crash online. But if you’re one of the dwindling number of people who rely on local newspapers and tv station for news, then you’ll likely have seen stories that mostly just repeat official statements from the authorities.“If you are in this red zone that is on the map, and you refuse to evacuate, you are risking death,”said PA Go...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 10, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Paul Matzko Source Type: blogs
Got Calcium?
Someone’s hand moving to scroll through this blog post is possible because of a mineral that both gives bones their strength and allows muscles to move: calcium. As the most abundant mineral in our bodies, it’s essential for lots of important functions. It’s found in many foods, medicines, and dietary supplements.
Calcium keeps your bones strong, allows your muscles to move, and is important for many other bodily functions. The element is found in foods, medicines, and the world around us. Credit: Compound Interest CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Click to enlarge.
Committed to Critical Duties
For athletes, calc...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Diseases Proteins Source Type: blogs
Flexible Sensors Detect Heavy Metals in Sweat
Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, along with collaborators in Germany and Sweden, have developed a flexible sensor that can detect heavy metals in sweat, an easily obtainable bodily fluid. Heavy metals, such as lead or cadmium, can cause serious toxicity if they accumulate in the body, but detecting the concentration of such metals in biological samples requires expensive laboratory equipment and skilled staff. To address this, these researchers have created a flexible sensor that is easy to use and which can detect metals in sweat samples before transmitting the results to a smartphone. The technology...
Source: Medgadget - January 31, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Medicine Source Type: blogs
It ’ s not only rock and roll
We were quite content with vinyl. Indeed, aside from the occasional warped record and friends who didn’t hold them properly by the edges, we loved our US import 45s, our double gatefold sleeve live rock albums and our picture discs. We put up with the crackles and pops and built our bedroom collections. We lent our vinyl to friends, despite their not understanding about sleeve liner orientation and they lent us theirs. We recorded them on to cassette when we couldn’t the latest and greatest and we made mixtapes, the playlisting of a Generation X. They even tried to stop us by telling us that “Home taping ...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - December 31, 2022 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Music Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, April 25th 2022
We examined central genetic and environmental lifespan regulators (putative anti-aging interventions, PAAIs; the following PAAIs were examined: mTOR loss-of-function, loss-of-function in growth hormone signaling, dietary restriction) for a possible countering of the signs and symptoms of aging. Importantly, in our study design, we included young treated groups of animals, subjected to PAAIs prior to the onset of detectable age-dependent phenotypic change. In parallel to our studies in mice, we assessed genetic variants for their effects on age-sensitive phenotypes in humans.
We observed that, surprisingly, many PAAI...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 24, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Lithium May Mildly Slow Aging via Reducing the Age-Related Loss of Kidney Function
The relationship between low dose lithium intake and slowed aging is an interesting one, through not of any practical value given that the effect size is small, where rigorously tested in animal studies. It is visible in human epidemiology thanks to differing levels of lithium in the water supply. Researchers here suggest that this relationship is mediated by a slowing of the age-related decline in kidney function. Loss of kidney function is harmful to organs throughout the body, and it is worthy of note that one of the better studied longevity genes, klotho, appears to function via protection of kidney function in aging.
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Source: Fight Aging! - April 19, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
