Commonly Used Antibiotics Leading to Heart Problems

Commonly Used Antibiotics Leading to Heart Issues

Many people would not think that taking recommended medicine may harm your body rather than helping it. Especially when taking antibiotics, people don’t necessarily consider the side effects to cause other health issues. A majority of the time when people are sick they will trust what medicine the doctor prescribes, as they typically know better than we do. Recent scientific discoveries have shown that commonly used antibiotics are resulting in heart issues. Scientist have connected two well known antibiotics that are putting people at a greater risk of aortic heart issues. These two commonly used antibiotics are Ciprofloxacin and Cipro which are used to help treat infections.

In the article on science daily, scientists explain how they were able to connect commonly used antibiotics to specific heart problems. A group of researchers from the University of British Columbia discovered that people who use Ciprofloxacin or Cipro are at a bigger risk of health issues such as aortic and mitral regurgitation. This means that people who use these types of antibiotic are at risk of blood flowing backwards into their heart. The group of researchers want physicians to know that if their patients are showing these health issues and are unaware of the causes, they should look into the medicine that they are taking. A main goal these researchers have is for doctors to be more cautious with which antibiotics they are prescribing to their patients. There has already been over 12,000 cases in which heart regurgitation was connected to antibiotic usage. Results of this study showed that there is a higher risk of heart problems from current or recent usage of antibiotics, past use has not shown correlation. Researchers showed that patients are at a greater risk within 30 days of using the antibiotics. Mahyar Etminan, a professor of ophthalmology has helped conduct these studies in hopes that agencies will add these possible side effects to their antibiotics to raise awareness around the country. Dr. Bruce Carleton who works at BC Children’s Hospital is focusing on observing a variety of drugs and whether they are improving health or not. These drugs include a variety of antibiotics.

A lot of people are unaware of the possible side effects when taking antibiotics that doctors are prescribing to them. With this being such a recent scientific discovery, people will need to be made aware of these risks. The FDA is now warning people to only take fluoroquinolone antibiotics if there are no other types of treatment available. This outbreak should also lead to more tests that could help detect if there are other harmful commonly used antibiotics. With the amount of antibiotics available and being used around the world, it could take a long time for more to be discovered but this topic is now a much larger concern. These recent studies are creating a platform for future tests to be conducted and discoveries to be found. Specific symptoms after using certain antibiotics such as stomach or chest pain should now be considered a red flag and reported immediately to a doctor for help. Since this study is still new, doctors may not have solutions right away as tests are still happening. With the amount of cases already being reported, it definitely is helping to spread awareness, hopefully leading to a decrease in people getting heart problems from these types of antibiotics.

Posted by Matt Cayer (1)

On Climate Change: The Fight or Flight of the Maldives

Off the coast of India lies a chain of atolls called the Maldives. On the global scale, tourism on its stunning beaches and scuba diving in its wonderful coral reefs are what places it on the map. This island chain, due to its low height of about 1.8 meters above sea level causes scientists to predict that it will be the first victim of climate change. Unlike many island chains in the middle of the ocean, the Maldives boasts a very hefty population roughly the size of Baltimore in the U.S. (~600,000 people). Studies show that the island chain could disappear within 30 years, resulting in the first mass exodus of climate refugees.

From a bird’s eye view, an atoll consists of a ring shaped island, formed from the peak of a volcano. This ring of land surrounds a lagoon. In the lagoon, due to the high fertility of volcanic soil and natural protection from the surrounding island, a wide variety of corals and vegetation is allowed to thrive. Atolls are located across the world, from the Caribbean, to the Pacific, to the Indian ocean.

During the country’s previous presidency, the Maldivian Democratic Party, led by Mohammed Nasheed, strived to make the country a poster child for global warming. Plans had even been made to buy a new homeland from another country. A new government recently took office in 2013, led by Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party. The new government has a different approach to combating climate change: terraforming and island building; nulling previous ideas of carbon neutrality (rate of carbon absorbance through carbon sinks equaling the rate of carbon expulsion) in favor of production. How will government change an entire ecosystem without disrupting the coral reefs and natural beauty that makes the islands their money?

According to this article, the first stage of terraforming includes using boats called dredgers to bring sand up from the bottom of reefs and using it as building material for new islands. While this method is plausible for land building, the coral reefs that generate a large amount of revenue for the country will be in danger. As seen around the world, coral reefs are amongst the most delicate and endangered environments by global warming. The reefs also assist the people of the islands by providing food and sheltering from monsoon winds. In addition, they replenish the area with fresh sand from coral skeletons, allowing for a small amounts of natural land growth. The filling of these reefs will cause the short term negative effects of diminishment of local fish populations for food and a drop in lucrative tourism. A long term difficulty includes the replacement of natural island replenishment with human maintenance. Erosion is another difficulty with island building. Structures made of sand such as man-made islands need constant maintenance to counteract increasingly harsh wind and waves. The predicted increase in production will also affect the ecosystem negatively. Chemical residues from industry will likely prove to be one of the largest issues for the Maldives, seeing that they do wish to maintain a tourism friendly environment in the future. Increased plastic use will also be an issue, inevitably resulting in even larger quantities of debris on local beaches. Overall, the ecosystem of the Maldives lies on a balance. While global warming pushes down on one side, the current plans to transform the economy only further pushes down on an already collapsing ecosystem. Because of the bleak future for the Maldives, either path the country chooses may lead to its demise. While industrializing may be speeding up the destruction of the ecosystem, the government has an option: either to let their homeland be devoured by the sea and prepare for escape, or try to diversify its economy and build land to prolong the stability of the country in its current form.

Posted by Isaac Collibee (1)

What's the Change in Climate Change?

  Is our planet really warming? Our planet has been recorded to go through cycles of heating and cooling throughout its time, so is this period of warming just a phase? Human induced climate change is the prevailing factor for why we are experiencing global warming on our planet. Human activity since the beginning of the industrial revolution has caused increased amounts of carbon dioxide and additional greenhouse gases to penetrate the atmosphere. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and deforest our planet, additional greenhouse gases are becoming concentrated within the atmosphere, causing an overall rise in global temperatures. 

According to this article, we as humans are approaching atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases that have not been detected in the past 20 million years. Due to such implications, temperatures in the upper oceanic layers and land are now reported to be ~1 °C higher than pre-industrial times. This result truly has the ability to create an impact across every ecosystem on earth, ultimately creating new effects on all kinds of biodiversity. This article focuses on multiple effects in which climate change may affect organisms within their natural environment. Species are now being found to undergo evolutionary adaptations within both physiology and morphology. 

Physiologically, there has been observed evidence that warming has shifted certain species sex ratios. The snake pipefish, which relies on temperature dependent sex determination, has begun to alter its reproductive rate as a consequence of increased sea surface temperatures. In addition, it is known that most fish need oxygen in order to survive underwater. There is a very low and limited concentration of oxygen in our oceans and freshwaters today which creates a current demand for species underwater. As waters begin to warm due to climate change, oxygen content begins to decrease within the water, thus creating an even higher metabolic demand for oxygen amongst most fish species. 

Morphologically, individuals amongst some species are becoming smaller due to increasing global temperatures. Over the past 50 years, it has been found that 6 species of Appalachian woodland salamanders have undergone an 8% reduction in body size. It is most likely that species are reducing their body size in order to favor large surface-to-volume ratios in the increasing temperature climate. Wing length amongst three species of passerine birds have also shown an overall 4% decrease in wing length. Other species, like the long distance migrant bird, the red knot, have been found to produce smaller sized offspring due to increasing global temperatures. Body size reductions can have a critical impact on a species mortality rate, population size, and individual fitness if ill equipped with undersized physical features. It is difficult to begin to decipher which ecosystems are in a higher demand for help; however, I believe it is important to begin to start recognizing and deciphering which natural systems can potentially adapt on their own, while others may need additional outside support. We as a scientific community need to start understanding the new ecological demands/interactions that are forthcoming with increased global temperatures.

Elise Babula (1)

Does Antibacterial Soap Actually Work!

Does Antibacterial Soap Actually Work!

Door knob, elevator button, TV remote, all common things in our homes that contain trillions of germs. It has been instilled into us to wash our hands throughout the day to minimize bacterial exposure. Unfortunately, soap and water are not always at our disposal, so we got creative. Hand sanitizers and hand wipes have become the most convenient way to minimize our exposure to germs. A new effort to fight bacteria is antibacterial hand soap.  Doesn’t it sound like the answer to our problems? Well the FDA is banning this household item.

An article by Harvard Graduate School of Science addressed the FDA’s stance on antibacterial soap years after it has been on the market. First, let’s take a look at the chemistry of soap, because this will help us better understand the FDA’s incentives to ban this household item. Soap molecules are amphipathic (polar and nonpolar), this is the property that allows soap to loosen bacteria and come off of your hands. Antibacterial soap has all these properties; however, it also has the ability to prevent bacteria from replicating on your skin. So far antibacterial doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well this additional ingredient to soap is called Triclosan, and recent studies have shown that repeated exposure is harmful to humans and our environment.  

Take a look at a study from the Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology  It is a recent study done on animal cells to observe the effects of Triclosan on humans.  The result of this experiment indicates that added chemical interferes with hormone signaling and other biological processes. The most alarming concern is that triclosan increases the risk of drug resistant bacteria. Bacteria found on the skin are becoming resistant. Specifically, a protein mutation called Enoyl-Acyl carrier protein reductase (ENRs) that leads to resistance with constant exposure. This could lead to these bacteria being resistant to prescribed medication

The FDA’S objective is to protect public health. The intention is to monitor these chemicals that are being incorporated in our daily lives. Hand washing is essential, but it’s pointless if it is causing us more harm. This link here shows the CDC's statistics that stated that plain soap and water reduce bacteria by 82%. Maybe it is safe to so say we should resort back to our old ways, traditional hand washing. Find our way back to soap and water.

Posted by " Fredjah Desmezeaux" (1)

Can the Chinook Survive?

Even though the Chinook are the largest member of the salmon family in North America, their population size is dwindling. In the Columbia River System these salmon are a keystone species. According to this article, keystone species are vital for their ecosystem and act as the glue that holds everything together. Without that glue, everything would fall apart.

An article in The New York Times addressed how 8 large dams are involved in the decrease of the keystone species. The 8 large dams hinder the migration route of the Chinook. Chinook are anadromous meaning they start their lives in freshwater, then migrate to the sea for 1-7 years, then migrate back to freshwater to deposit their eggs. The Chinook travel hundreds of miles in their lifetime and the 8 large dams are making it a more difficult and dangerous journey for the salmon. The dams added more slack water to the migration route, allowing more predation to occur before the salmon can make it to the ocean. The dams also decrease the current of the water heading out towards the sea from 6-10 miles per hour to 1.5 miles per hour. This decrease in current can cause the salmon to go through smoltification too early. Lastly, the dams cause the water temperature to increase. Increased water temperature is detrimental to salmon according to this article.

With the Chinook population decreasing, it threatens the other populations that rely on the salmon as a food source. Chinook are the main food source for animals varying from eagles, to bears, to the southern resident orcas.  Many fisheries scientists are standing behind the removal of 4 of the 8 dams to try and regrow the Chinook species to help save other species like the southern resident orcas. The southern resident orcas are already on the endangered species list according to this website. These orcas survive in the winter and spring by eating large amounts of the wild salmon. Sometimes up to 30 a day according to the article in the New York Times.  Federal agencies are against removal of the dams and are saying that hatchery-reared fish will be able to compensate for the loss of the wild salmon. This however is false. The Chinook are bigger and have more fat compared to the hatchery-reared fish. The Orcas would have to catch double the amount of fish and do double the work. Also, wild fish can lose traits by mating with hatchery-reared fish. Traits that may be important later on for climate change adaptation.

The Chinook are considered an ESA threatened species according to this website. The king salmon is not endangered yet but it is quickly approaching that stage. It is time for actions to be made. Many organizations are in favor of removal of the 4 lower Snake River dams. For the sake of the Chinook, and many other species, hopefully actions can be made to move forward with this removal.

Posted by "Sophie DeRepentigny" (1)

Epidemic in Mass?

Relative to other parts of the U.S. and the world, northeast United States is a fairly safe place to live; naturally occurring disasters, wide-spread disease, and ferocious wild animals are not topics one would commonly see on New England news stations.  However, over the last few weeks, several Massachusetts counties have reported mosquitos which tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE. There have also been a handful of human EEE infections including one at the end of August that was fatal.

In response to this public announcement, fear has spread through Massachusetts. Citizens who understandably see this mosquito-spread illness as being something similar to the mosquito-spread Ebola virus that covers much of western Africa (many of its symptoms—high fever, severe headache, fatigue—are similar). Luckily, Massachusetts’ state government has been very informative (on sites like Mass.gov) on just how dangerous this outbreak is and what the public can do prevent infection. Unfortunately, there is no vaccination or even a treatment for the EEE virus. These facts along with the statistic that approximately 1 in 4 die from infection are why it is so important to avoid coming in contact with potentially infected mosquitos. 

In addition to spreading information and establishing behavioral protocols to prevent citizens from contracting the virus, many Massachusetts’ towns have ordered the eradication of the virus via chemical spraying. According to this report, three Massachusetts counties have executed chemical spraying in various regions earlier this week. These efforts might be effective but should not be taken lightly by the public. Although insecticides and other chemical treatments have come a long way in terms of safety, one need only look back to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to know the possible biological repercussions in nature as a result of human influence. 

Looking forward in light of events as a Massachusetts citizen, it is important to proceed with caution, being sure to avoid contact with potentially-infected mosquitos, but not to be overcome with fear; although the death tally among those infected with the virus is extremely high it should be noted that contracting the virus is a very rare occurrence. Also, as important as maintaining the safety of the public is, the quick, if not, first response of chemically treating EEE-ridden areas should be very carefully considered given environmental repercussions.

David Frykenberg (1)

Monk Parakeets of New York City

In New York one would expect to see heaps of pigeons mindlessly wandering. But in the middle of Queens another unexpected bird is very common to see, the Monk parakeet. It is characterized by their bright green body and rosy-orange beak. These birds are native to South America, specifically central Bolivia to south Brazil, Uruguay and southern and central Argentina. The reasons for their presents in the middle of New York City is highly debated. Some claim that there was an incident involving a crate of Monk parakeets at the JFK airport resulting in many of them escaping into the city. Other people claim that they are from people releasing captive pet parakeets into the city after not being able to take care of them properly. 

Regardless of why or where they came from, they have obviously adapted extremely well to their new home in the city. A report by Columbia University explains that these birds have thrived for a number of reasons. Monk parakeets are plant generalists, so they eat almost any kind of plant, including weeds and flowering plants. In the winter they eat seeds from bird feeders and have been known to fly long distances in search of food if they have to.

Introduced species of Monk parakeets are most common in Florida, due to the abundance of flowering plants year round. New York is a lot colder than Florida, so how do these birds survive in the winter? The answer is found in the places where they are natively found. They naturally thrive in the mountains of South America, which reach temperatures very similar to the temperature of New York in the winter. Monk parakeets also thrive in city and urbanized environments as told by this website dedicated to the Monk parakeets of New York City. They are naturally very smart and gregarious, because of this New Yorkers have taken a keen interest in them and their well-being.

Because these parakeets are an introduced species that are not native to New York City it is important to look at the impact of these birds on native wildlife. This report claims that the control level diagnosis of the Monk parakeet in New York is classified as a medium priority. If they continue to reproduce they have a real potential of becoming a pest. They have been known to damage power lines and have also been seen fighting with native birds like Blue Jays over territory. Their populations are relatively small currently, so they are not a serious threat. But if they continue to reproduce and exhibit aggressive behavior their impact will need to be reevaluated.

Liz Clark Week 1