Science Cafe

DAILY SCIENCE - A new study entitled Age-dependent association of cannabis use with risk of psychotic disorder published in the journal Psychological Medicine estimates that teens using cannabis are at 11 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder compared to teens not using cannabis.

The association with cannabis and psychotic disorders may be stronger since the average THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) potency of cannabis in Canada has increased from roughly 1 percent in 1980 to 20% in 2018. As a result of increased potency.

Researchers involved include Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the University of Toronto and ICES based on linked data from over 11 000 youth in ON, Canada.
Data was obtained from health service records including hospitalizations, emergency departments (ED) visits and outpatient visits.

Canadian youth are among the heaviest users of cannabis in the world.

The report suggests recommendations to reduce usage and excessive cannabis usage:

1. Reinstating health warning messages that pertain to serious cannabis-related mental health risks including psychosis and schizophrenia

2. Supporting the development and implementation of evidence-based school prevention programs and other interventions to reduce the prevalence of youth cannabis use

3. Taking steps to mitigate the risks associated with cannabis products that contain higher quantities or concentration of THC

4. Taking action against producers and distributors who don’t comply with rules that protect youth

I remember MAC OS, Commodore and Computer Science in High school and a lot of us scoffed at it and found it difficult and would never replace the human touch. And even looked at the kids doing Computer Science as nerds (given the fact we were all in the Science Stream) and they had no lives.

That’s 3 decades ago.

Fast forward to now. Everything we do is computer related, like it or not we are all nerds now.
I was reading an article from The Economist (Mar 30th - Apr 5th 2024) with the headliner ‘The AI doctor will see you…eventually’. And I wanted to share some of their notes with you.

The headline captivated me since now we have so many artificial intelligence AI joints to choose from. Open AI, Meta’s LLaMA and Gemini from Google.
I’m no computer expert and by no way I am advocating for the removal of the human element, but we can’t deny the fact that AI has come a long way in helping us out.

Look at Open AI’s chat generative pre-trained transformers (Chat-GPT) ask anyone where English is not their strongest commando, how much this AI has helped them.
With AI we can improve diagnosis - catching Stage 2 cancers that were missed by doctors. Or being the “second pair eyes” as the other radiographer in mammograms, means more diagnosis is possible.

So that poorer nations that have much fewer medical staff and medicines and treatment can benefit from AI technologies. The AI will do the work.

As well as, some images can be interpreted with less radiation than normal. A home run on so many levels, affecting mobility, ease of usage and cost.

Then it’s a computer, so it can learn more than and do more than the Medical student.
Notwithstanding, doing more is good but getting it right is also important, AI can meet and in some cases exceed human assessment.

The system is not without flaw however, giving ‘false positives’ in Clinical Trials and creating more worry than comfort. But like with all technologies, it’s still learning and things will get better.

Thanks everyone for MY new year wishes. It’s truly appreciated. Love always K🎂🥳

Science is it.

Before taking any medication or vaccine or drugs knowing its ingredients and side effects are paramount. With the current situation we are facing with COVID-19 (a novel virus) and the vaccines we have knowing their composition is important.

As well as since there are no FDA approved vaccines for COVID - its use has been approved for Emergency use - Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) its knowledge is important.

The Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine includes the following ingredients: mRNA, lipids ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine, and cholesterol), potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and sucrose.

DAILY SCIENCE - The female dog ovule unlike the human ovule does not "die" on the first impregnation by a dog s***m. In fact it keeps accepting s***ms and continuously multiplies, until the dog's "heat period" is over. This is why you can have pups of varying colours and types which do not look alike.

DAILY SCIENCE - CANCER Part 1 - First off, cancer occurs when the cells in the body start to grow abnormally and spread to other parts of the body.

Our body consists of trillions of cells all grouped together to form tissues and organs performing various functions, such as muscles, bones, the lungs and the liver.

Now inside each cell there are genes (more on that later) that directs and tells the cells when to grow, when to work, what to produce, divide and then die. But sometimes these instructions get muddled, due to a variety of factors, and these cells keep growing and dividing and eventually form lumps in the body called a tumour.

However, not all tumours are cancerous, in fact a lot are non-cancerous (benign). These tumours have cells that stay in place, and don't spread, but they can get very big and pose problems with blockages and need to be removed. Plus when they are removed, they usually do not return.

The other types of tumours are cancerous and these are malignant. Malignant tumours, grow and spread to nearby tissues and other parts of the body via the lymphatic system or the blood network. And unfortunately, when the cancer is removed they usually return since the cancer cells may have already moved (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

This is why it is important to catch cancer as early as possible, since it is smaller and easier to deal and less chance the cancer has spread.

At my Cardiologist last week during my yearly checkup, (I recommend a yearly checkup once you cross 40) there he had this interesting info-chart on Vascular ( referring to the arteries and capillaries and structures that carry blood)Disease - specifically Diffuse Vascular Disease - specifically what it is and risk factors. I’ll add more data later and I’ll break it up to make it more interesting.
Below is Atherosclerosis, what it is and how it is formed and contributes to Vascular Diseases. Enjoy.

DAILY SCIENCE - We all know about viruses and know about their resistance. So you would think that as it gets colder heading from the equator to the Poles there would be less of them and less variety. But not so, in fact Researchers have discovered that the Arctic Ocean has a richer cast of viruses and abundance of them. Why? A big reason could be the fact that the Arctic Ocean is a mixing field from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as huge river systems emptying there.

DAILY SCIENCE. Did you know that the plastic bottles that were not recycled ends up in our stomachs? Yip, that’s right, you see fish, mussels and even sea salt can contain microplastics. The thing is unlike Aluminium or glass which do not lose their usefulness with multiple recyclings, plastic has a finite recycle life. Either you may have to burn it or landfill it. The essence is we need to reduce our usage of plastics and improve on recycling what we now have.

DAILY SCIENCE - We keep hearing about Gluten-free this or Gluten-free that and the fearful celiac disease that is associated with it and at times you are wondering what does it all mean, if there is so much issue with Gluten, why use it in the first place? What is gluten? To understand its usage, we need to start from the basics and work our way up.
As always, I try to keep it simple and clear and light sometimes…

Celiac disease is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine, causing classic symptoms such as chronic diarrhoea, abdominal distention, malabsorption, loss of appetite and pale, loose and greasy stool. Or none of these symptoms may show up. Additionally, it also may be associated with other autoimmune diseases, such as Diabetes mellitus 1 and thyroiditis.

Gluten is a group of proteins, which occur with starch in the endos***m (tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following fertilization, it provides nutrition to the developing embryo, by way of starch and in some cases it may contain oil and protein) of various cereal grains. It is also present in wheat and related wheat species such as spelt, einkorn, to name a few. As well as in barley, rye and oats, and products derived from these grains such as Malta drinks and bread. Gluten is kept there due to its uniqueness - its high viscoelastic and adhesive properties which helps make the dough rise and keep its shape and leaving the final product chewy. Plus its affordability makes it a mainstay. But should it?

Gluten has been known to trigger adverse inflammatory, immune and autoimmune reactions in some people, such as celiac disease, gluten ataxia and other gluten intolerant ailments. Or did it?

Recently, glyphosate (a broad spectrum systemic herbicide and crop dessicant) has been involved in a recent cancer lawsuit totaling $280 million and labeled as a carcinogen by the WHO and the state of California. And the symptoms of “gluten-intolerance” and celiac disease are very similar to the symptoms in lab animals exposed to glyphosate according to some Researchers.
In fact, the number of people diagnosed with gluten intolerance and celiac disease has risen in tandem with the increased use of glyphosate in agriculture, especially since the implementation of the recent practice of “drenching grains in the herbicide right before harvest” which became norm in the 1990s.
Furthermore, there are likings between the celiac disease and glyophosate for example:
• Both cause imbalances in gut bacteria
• Both inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes
• Deficiencies in metals such as iron, molybdenum and other rare metals associated with celiac disease can be attributed to glyophosate strong ability to cling to these elements and not release them
• Reproductive issues associated with celiac disease, such as infertility, miscarriages and birth defects can also be explained by glyophosate
• Deficiencies in some amino acids like tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine associated with celiac disease match glyophosate known depletion of these amino acids

Ironically that practice of drenching increases yields by killing the crops, just before they die, it is as though it’s a last “cry” from the plant saying let me at least make more of my species. And the chemical goes directly on the seeds.

In the end, more research is required before we make certain definitive statements. But for now, having an organic diet and knowing where these grains and what animal eat those grains may be a step in the right direction.