Breakthroughs Today

It is something amazing to realize that boromycin, an antibiotic now relied upon to combat the so-called "Superbugs" had it roots from the poverty of the father of boron studies (organoboron chemistry). In a previous article, we mentioned boromycin as an antibiotic effective against most Gram-positive bacteria. It is however ineffective against Gram-negative bacteria, where most of many super bugs belong. Boromycin was noted as the first natural product found to contain boron. Boron is not abundant in nature, be it in the solar system or the Earth’s crust. It occurs as borate minerals, from where it is evaporated as borax or kernite. First isolation of boromycin came from Streptomyces antibioticus, a bacterial strain discovered in 1890. From these bacteria another antibiotic known as Actinomycin also came from. (G. H. Jones: Journal of Bacteriology, Dec 1987) Also known as N-formulboromycin, the antibiotic is a D-valine ester of boric acid, wrote J. D. Dunitz in a report

The great gap that separates medicine and morality is as deep as the difference between faith and science. And the medical definition of "abortion" is a classic example to this great divide. LOTS of misunderstandings are avoided when people know where the others came from. In a way of speaking, they must be on the same page. Lots of misunderstandings too surround the RH Bill. Opposing camps simply are not on the same page. And, apparently it is on the term “abortion,” grossly misunderstood. I was watching the movie Spy Game, starring Robert Redford, when this realization came to me. Sniper “Boy Scout” (Brad Pitt) was in a mission to assassinate an unofficial American enemy when an enemy copter obstructed his line of shot, looking for them. The enemy knew. Boy Scout’s sidekick urged that they abort the mission. But the sniper stayed on, and took the killing shot. Merriam-Webster defines “abort” as “to become checked in the development so as to degenerate or remain rudime

While technology has helped a lot in advance mankind, it also spawned diseases in the person, in his mind, body and even soul. The growth of internet technology did the same, bringing a new set of maladies that psychiatrists called the internet addiction disorder (IAD). In this article you will find specific symptoms studied scientifically. THE Farmer’s Almanac, published in 1978, has this curious entry: “To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.” Well, this can mean a lot of things. But the same message gets through though—computer can mess things up. The Philippines has a low penetration rate for personal computers, estimated at less than 10 percent of the total population as early as 2004. As of 2000, internet users run around two millions. But driven by the growth of online gaming in Internet cafes, barely 10 years later, users totaled 29.7 million, says the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency for information and communication

IAD, or the Internet Addiction Disorder, is a creeping addiction that grips many Internet enthusiasts. You've been wondering why you can't get away from Dotta for a day? Or, perhaps from social networking sites, such as Facebook? DENISE Caruso of New York Times wrote: “It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the Internet has evolved into a force strong enough to reflect the greatest hopes and fears of those who use it. After all, it was designed to withstand nuclear war, not just the puny huffs and puffs of politicians and religious fanatics.” Last month you were introduced to a new mental disorder worth inclusion in the DSM-V—the Internet addiction disorder (IAD). You learned what’s going to happen when this mental disease gets stuck into your heard. This week you will know what makes internet addiction possible. There are many studies that tried to determine the precursors of IAD. As early as 2003, it has been established that obsessive compulsive (OC) behaviors are b

As trees slowly disappear with growing urbanization, the Rooseveltian lungs are replaced with more dangerous electrical lungs at home, many of which can damage the genetic materials of the human lungs. FRANKLIN Roosevelt said: “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” In Cebu today, however, people may have given up “fresh strength” for the material conveniences of an urbanized province. Even the more far-flung towns in the province of Cebu have already shown signs of urbanization. And it will not be long when even forests will cease to be. Nonetheless, the “lungs” have been replaced with electric air fresheners, with all the varied approaches to freshen the air—at least in the cities and the suburbs. But four Japanese researchers—three from the Iwate University (Ueda, Morioka, Iwate) Department of Veterinary Medicine and one from the National Institute of Health Services (Kamiy