Breakthroughs Today

MESOBUTHUS tumulus —that’s the scientific name of scorpion, specifically the Indian red scorpion, a creature so dreaded in ancient times that some 10 passages can be found in the Holy Bible talking about what it can do. But reputed as such, a scorpion can be easily missed, eclipsed by the cunning prestige of the snake. Thus goes an ancient Egyptian proverb: “Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.” And missing a scorpion when you should not, can result in getting its deadly sting. A scorpion’s sting is considered an acute medical emergency as it can pose a life threatening situation. Its venom can close the sodium channel in the human nerves, resulting into a so-called “autonomic storm,” wherein endogenous catecholamines are suddenly poured into the blood circulation. And this leads into... [ Read more. ]  This article appears in SunStar Cebu on 20 April 2011.

I USED to know someone working in the Cebu City Postal Office who had psoriasis in the forearms and elbows. The person responded very well to an aloe vera-based skin gel in a matter of three weeks, if my memory serves me well. But since there are many types of psoriasis, I can only assume it was a case of plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the menace. Plaque psoriasis appears as red and white scaly patches on the skin. Rapid accumulation gives it a silvery-white appearance. It is usually graded as mild (affecting less than three percent of the body), moderate (affecting three to 10 percent of the body), or severe (affecting more than 10 percent of the body). Although its cause is yet to be fully understood, many believe that the so-called Koebner response partly triggers it. Koebner response is an irritation resulting from exposure to agents such as molluscum contagiosum (a skin viral infection), warts and toxicodendron dermatitis (an irritation caused by the poison ivy), and

WITH graduations through, and parties being held, there is more time for drinking alcoholic beverages. So it may be a downer to bring out a recent study that put this favorite Filipino drink into the spotlight. But needless to say, being forewarned is being forearmed. In October 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer updated its 1988 classification of acetaldehyde (“probable carcinogen in humans”) to Group I human carcinogen (“carcinogenic to humans”). And that is not for insignificant bases. Thirteen medical researchers conducted a study involving 818 heavy drinkers found that acetaldehyde cause defects in their genes for the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Their findings came out in the November 2005 issue of the International Journal of Cancer. If you should drink this summer, then let me share with you a recent study that evaluated the acetaldehyde content major groups of alcoholic beverages available in the market. This way you can choose those that pose the

IN THE the right situations, disobedience to the order of an otherwise evil authority demands more courage than mindlessly following the order in the name of authority and obedience. Psychologically speaking, it becomes a healthy way to proceed as it provides no internal dissonance to the doer. “Disobedience, the rarest and most courageous of the virtues,” according to George Bernard Shaw, “is seldom distinguished from neglect, the laziest and commonest of the vices.” In 1963, a study demonstrated that “an average 65 percent of people had been willing to administer apparently painful and dangerous electric shocks to an innocent victim when ordered to do so by a seemingly legitimate authority.” Researcher S. Milgram published the report in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. In this study of 19 separate experiments involving thousands of ordinary Americans, researchers found that... [ Read more. ] This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 30 March 2011.  

THE fire that broke in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has sent radioactivity into the air, putting at high risk lives even as far away as Tokyo. As of March 15, 2010 the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that this radiation leak amounted to 400 millisievert (mSv) per hour. Exposure to over 100 mSv a year, said the World Nuclear Association, can already lead to cancer. To help control this radioactive cloud, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) considered using boric acid. So, what’s in boric acid that can help control radioactivity from spreading? Allow me to divert from my column focus in view of the crisis in Japan. Boron, its basic element, is chemically inert, making it a good fire retardant, and resistant to boiling even with such strong acids as hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. One of its naturally occurring and stable isotopes, boron-10, is good at... [ Read more .] This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 23 March 2011.

AN AFRICAN proverb wisely put it: “Filthy water cannot be washed.” Indeed, of all things we cannot wash, it is water. Once it’s dirty, there’s no washing it. And that’s exactly what happened in Arpili, Balamban, last February. The Department of Health Field Office 7 confirmed at least 24 cases of typhoid. And the culprit seemed to be the drinking water coming from the uncovered water collection pool common in the highlands of Cebu. During a research field work years ago, I had my time drinking water from uncovered sources in certain barangays in the south, having no other source of water in the area. For the World Health Organization (WHO), typhoid is a serious public health problem. Up to 33 million cases get documented each year, and 216,000 people die in endemic areas. And the Philippines belongs to countries “very endemic” with typhoid. A study in India reported last year in the Hepatobiliary Pancreatic and Intestinal Diseases found reasons that typhoid-causative agent Salmonel

The 8.9-magnitude quake, the world's fifth strongest, that hit Japan on 11 March 2011 shortens the day by 1.6 microseconds, said the United States Geology Survey. When the Pacific tectonic plate slipped under the North American plate, the earth's mass shifted towards the center compressing it, and shifted its axis 6.5 inches. This movement spurred the planet to spin a little faster, and moved Eastern Japan about 13 feet closer to North America. At the same time, it sank Japan about two feet, giving way for the tsunami waves to come rolling in. 2010 Chile Quake The quart, which registered 8.8-magnitude in Chile last year also shortened the day a fraction of a second. 2004 Sumatra Quake The stronger earthquate that rocked Sumatra in 2004 shortened the day by 6.8 microseconds. Source Liz Goodwin: " Japan's earthquake shifted balance of the planet ," The Boston Herald 14 March 2011.