This week’s lectures have really caught my attention. The controversial topic of vaccinations and their effects have caused me to consider both sides of the argument. Most people of our generation have been vaccinated at a young age and are perfectly healthy today. There is plenty of evidence to show that vaccines work. As for the question of safety, there has been inadequate evidence to reject the null hypothesis. We learned that this is hard to explain; for people want to know without question that something is safe and effective.

Andrew talked about how powerful an anecdote can be to the rationale of a concerned population. We are led to believe that certain outcomes are more significant than the research that science has done in an attempt to rule out the null hypothesis. But sometimes, it can be hard to ignore the stories and events we see and hear in the media. For example, a column in The Washington Times communities section boasts the headline, “US Court pays $6 million to Gardasil victims.”  The column begins with a warning–the vaccine for HPV may not be as safe as backers claim.  The author continues to present statistics from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) that illustrates the amount of claims that have been made and adjudicated, 49 of 200, to be exact.  The Judicial Watch, an educational foundation that performs investigations to ensure ethics and morality, announced that, “This new information from the government shows that the serious safety concerns about the use of Gardasil have been well-founded. Public health officials should stop pushing Gardasil on children.” In addition, the article states that the adverse reaction reports detail 26 new deaths reported between September 1^st 2010 and September 15^th 2011, as well as a multitude of other maladies. In response, the Centers for Disease Control insists, “There was no unusual pattern or clustering to the deaths that would suggest that they were caused by the vaccine.” Even so, the thought of this can be scary.

If you read some of the comments left on the article, it is clear that the audience has bought into the anecdotal argument against the vaccine.  Sometimes irrationality and emotion play into others’ beliefs about its safety. One woman states, “I’m so glad I read this, I had been on the fence about getting this vaccine for my daughter…” and another, “Merck. The makers of Vioxx. Another deadly drug whose side effects were hidden during testing…”Can we really believe all that we see on the Internet, and take it for fact?  Looking at the credibility of the source, it may be more believable if this article were to be written by the CDC itself, rather than a contributor to a news website.

So, should everyone get the Gardasil vaccine? It can be difficult to make decisions about important topics such as vaccination, but it seems that the benefit of protection against HPV would outweigh any potential risks. Do articles like this affect your opinion on the vaccine?

Sources:

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/stress-and-health-dr-lind/2013/apr/10/us-court-pays-6-million-gardasil-victims/ 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/HPV/Index.html

http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/hpv-vaccine-injuries-and-deaths-is-the-government-compensating/ 

They say that a good nights rest can clear the mind. The functions of sleep are numerous, from imposing a state of rest on the body, to memory processing.  There is no question that sleep is essential for us to function, but there seems to be a debate between scientists as to what its basic function entails. A new study conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center adds evidence to one of the long-standing functions of sleep, which is described as a way for the brain to “clean up” the accumulations from our waking hours. This leads to a possible new purpose for sleep in regard to health and disease.

For the first time, researchers discovered that the space between brain cells might be enlarged during sleep, which could allow for the brain to rid itself of toxins that build up over time. The discovery of this  “plumbing” system, named the glymphatic system, may allow fluid to travel through the brain. Working with mice, they were able to observe this occurrence by injecting and then watching dye flow through the brain of the sleeping mouse.  At the same time, brain activity was monitored. They found that the dye flowed rapidly while the mouse was asleep, and in contrast, it hardly flowed at all while the same mouse was awake.

This discovery may be a catalyst in new research involving neurological disorders in humans, as there may be a connection between the glymphatic system and these conditions. The researchers tested this connection by injecting mice with a protein associated with Alzheimers disease, and took note of how long it lasted in their brains while they were both awake and asleep. The results mirrored the initial findings, and suggest that sleep may clear the brain of toxic molecules. Jim Koenig, Ph.D., a program director at NINDS states that,  “this means the cells regulating the glymphatic system may be new targets for treating a range of disorders.”

Overall, the study is well executed from an experimental standpoint. There was a variable being manipulated, which was the state of consciousness of the mice. Altering whether mice were awake or asleep resulted in a change in the cellular structure of the brain. It’s hard to say for sure that sleep directly affects the enlargement of the space between brain cells, even though the increased movement of fluids during that time gives a strong causal link. Still, correlation does not equal causation. It could be something else entirely, such as any third variable. Additionally, I think that reverse causation could be ruled out, because it seems unlikely that the shrinkage of brain cells causes one to become unconscious. And in any case, the results could be due to chance.

The implications of such an experiment may lead to similar studies in human brains. Do you think it would be ethical for researchers to conduct this experiment on humans? Also, based of the results of the experiment, would it be a benefit to us to get more sleep if it may prevent a range of neurological problems? We already know sleep is important, so this just adds another reason for us to catch some Z’s.

Sources:

http://www.usnews.com/science/news/articles/2013/10/17/study-good-nights-sleep-cleans-out-gunk-in-brain

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/news_articles/pressrelease_brain_sleep_10182013.htm#!prettyPhoto

I am constantly trying to get myself into good routines. Whether it be a good study/sleep/social schedule, or an effective and consistent workout plan, I can just never seem to master the art of regularity. I can tell myself as many times as I want to that I will allocate three times a week to go for an intense run or gym session, but after a few repeats of that, for some reason I cannot keep up with it. I decided to look into it, and I found that a study has been done that could be my answer: I just need to persevere and give it some more time to stick!

 According to a 2009 study by Phillippa Lally and collaborators from the Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Research Centre based at UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, it takes about an average of 66 days to form a habit. So, it could take approximately 10 weeks time until you begin to automatically complete the tasks that you wish to habituate. On top of that, it only works well if there is little disruption in the process. In other words, taking a week or more off from your routine could potentially start you back to square one. It definitely isn’t an easy process to form new habits, but with a little hard work and dedication it could be easier than you think! Aristotle can be quoted in saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Source: http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/4284/1/How-long-does-it-take-to-form-a-habit/Page1.html 

Image: http://affirmyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/habit-affirmations.html

I’m sure many of you, like me, are searching for that miracle product that will transform your complexion into complete flawlessness. Proactiv Solutions is an extremely well known acne clarification product.  This system is highly advertised through infomercials to be the best formula for fighting acne on the market today. Their popular ads are generally known and endorsed by A-list celebrities who promote Proactiv’s promise of a better complexion, free of acne and blemishes. The infomercials almost seem too good to be true.  With hundreds, and even thousands of products on the market today, the acne treatment industry is highly competitive.  The mutual feeling in our society is that these products just don’t seem to work.  How can teens and those suffering from acne possibly know where to begin looking for a solution to their problem?  It may seem unlikely that this brand, above all others, is the key.  But through the effective use of advertising, Proactiv is able to convey the rationale that “You have nothing to lose but your acne!”

I did some research and found that it wasn’t the leading brand when ranked by an acne forum online.  The conclusion was that you could get many of the same results by utilizing more cost effective alternatives, such as a drugstore brand like Clearasil.  I know that everyone’s skin is different, so I feel that there cannot be one miracle product that works universally. The only way to know for sure is to give it a try. Have any of you used Proactiv and found success?

I have been seeing a lot of posts concerning the topic of technology use. I decided to take a look at some of its impacts on us. We now live in a world that is constantly overwhelmed with technology.  While revolutionary advancements in our knowledge have brought to us good things, these developments can have negative implications on society. An underlying issue of the twenty-first century is whether society is in charge of its technology, or whether technology is in control. 

Just think about your everyday life.  How often do your needs rely on technological devices? We all tell ourselves, “I’m not that person who is addicted to Facebook, or who can’t put my phone down.” But in reality, you are that person.  Speaking for myself, I have found that putting down my phone is easier said than done.  My cell phone becomes a vital part of my activities from the minute I wake up to the time I fall asleep.  This makes me think, at what instance does technological reliance cause social harm?

In an article focusing on this subject, Tom Mahon, a contributing editor to the National Catholic Reporter, stresses his views. He states, “There is no future for a civilization that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” He also argues that innovations such as the Internet and cell phones have contributed to a society skilled in processing data, but ill-informed of the world around them.

Our modern civilization has become so reliant on the ease and convenience of technology we sometimes fail to notice its damaging effects. The fact is technology will not cease to exist in this lifetime. We as a society just need to learn better ways of managing our obsessive use of technological devices. What are your thoughts on how technology use has effected us?

Source:http://www.dikseo.teimes.gr/spoudastirio/ENOTES/T/Technology_and_Society_Viewpoints.pdf

Image:http://blogs.cisco.com/wireless/cartoon-catalyst-blog-series-why-deploy-pervasive-wireless-for-k-12-whos-doing-it-and-how/

The brain is such an interesting part of the human body. In my last post, I talked about the occurrence of making mistakes, and how we learn better from our successes. I find this concept fascinating, so I decided to do some further reading on the subject.

 Scenario: You’re getting ready to leave the house with your friends, and they’re all rushing you to meet them outside in the car. Hurriedly running up the stairs, you yell, “ONE MINUTE!” as you head back to your bedroom. Upon setting foot inside the room, you completely forgot what you came in here to get, and no matter how hard you comb through your memory you cannot seem to recall what it was that was so important. Deciding to give up because your friends are waiting, you angrily leave the room. But, just as soon as you put your seat belt on and pull out of the driveway, it hits you. You left your wallet upstairs on the bedside table! Ugh.

 We’ve all been there. Having mental lapses, commonly known as “brain farts”, can be such a pain. As it turns out, the reason behind these instances of short memory loss can be attributed to some brain activity that is much like that of your computer’s sleep-mode. Research has been done to suggest that these occurrences begin about 30 seconds before you make an error, or forget what it was you were doing at the time. They noticed that regions of the brain associated with the brain resting started to show activity during this time period. Contrary to that, brain regions that work when you are in an active state started to show less action.

It may be that this experience happens as a way for your brain to conserve energy. But I for one am not a fan of its inconvenience, as I just cannot remember what I walked into this room for!

Source: http://www.livescience.com/2461-mind-reading-hat-prevent-brain-farts.html 

Phrases like, “Third times the charm!” or, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again” imply that no matter how many times you fail, you will succeed if you keep on trying. I can think of many instances where I was new at something, and I would continue to make mistakes until I improved. Or maybe, I would find myself making the same silly mistakes over and over again.

Throughout my life, I’ve been told to learn from my mistakes. But like me, many of you may have found that this can sometimes be easier said than done. Science suggests there may be a reason for that. 

Through a series of studies conducted by researchers at MIT, the results showed that our brains learn more readily from successful experiences than from failures. A study done in monkeys shows that brain neurons were able to remember current successes and failures during a learning exercise. After the monkeys made a correct effort, neural signals were sustained and continued to be stimulated until the next action. This leads to a better chance of success in subsequent learning trials. If the monkeys were to make an incorrect action, there was little neural activity.

 Professor Howard Eichenbaum from the Centre for Memory and Brain at Boston University makes this statement about the result of the research: “The findings suggest that learning may not require the changing of connections of neurons on each trial, as several other studies have suggested, and instead suggest that information about outcomes on each trial are held in a sort of buffer for guidance in the next attempt,”

 In other words, the monkeys were able to improve on their behavior after successfully completing tasks, more so than after a failure. We as humans can relate to this, because our minds, fundamentally, work in the same way. So for me, a better motto for learning situations might be that, “practice makes perfect!” 

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/08/04/learn-from-our-mistakes-right-wrong/