Easing back in…

Right. There are excuses for the absence, but who cares now that I am back? (Permission to use smiley in text: .) Thank you dearly for being so understanding. Part of the excuse is that something very exciting and science-communication-related may be happening in my quarters very soon, and if everything goes to plan, I will be more than happy to share the bounty. In the meantime, please consider this:

Blood cancer. Nice and succinct.

The poster does feature the words leukaemia and lymphoma  in the corner, but the BIG LETTERS say blood cancer. Of course, that is what leukaemia is (lymphoma tumours target the immune system too, but not through the blood stream **disclaimer** this is not my field, so if I am wrong, please correct me), so it makes perfect sense. If the reader however does not know what leukaemia is, might the fact that it says “blood cancer” help them understand what the fund-raising is for? Is this wording helpful or patronising?

I rather like it the way it is, hence the caption on the image.

On an almost completely tangential note, this reminded me of another discussion revolving around fancy names. A friend was once asked his favourite artist. He said Rachmaninov, and got called a posh git. I once made a comment about Lapsang Souchong, and got teased for it. I will endlessly defend the favourite-artist-Rachmaninov, because ‘why not’? And on the Lapsang Souchong, I suppose I went asking for the mickey taken out of me, so I accept that. However, sometimes, I think it is perfectly acceptable to use a simpler descriptor if it helps reach a wider audience.

That said, maybe I am a posh git. You don’t know my life. (Although I will try to get the update rate back up again.)

Cheerio!

Three things to prove that one should not be overly selective regarding sources of science reading

Three different sources, all entertaining.

Thing one: Three British universities are about to start a project that looks to harvest re-usable material from human faecal matter. The “material” will include water, methane, electrolytes, etc. and the machine to do that harvesting – a lattice-like filter – should be portable when finished. (The Engineer)

Thing two: Britain and Belgium counts the largest population percentages who suffer from hay fever. Birch trees are earliest out to produce pollen during the hay fever season, and sufferers should also avoid “trigger-foods” like celery. (Daily Mail)

Thing three: “Sexual deprivation increases ethanol intake”… in fruit flies. This can apparently be mapped to humans. What gives? (Science)

Seen anything interesting? Let me know!

Food Diary – June 26, 2011 – and… heat exhaustion

So, I have been ridiculous again. Against my better scientific judgement, I was lured outside by “it looks so nice out there”, to go for my run in the middle of the afternoon. Already halfway through I was feeling “THE BURN” (say that with imagined reverbaration) an awful lot more than usual, but absolutely wanted to push through. I returned back home with a pounding headache, mild dizziness, super-dry mouth and throat and being able to hear my heartbeat in my ears. And generally feeling very warm. The saving grace would probably be that I put suncream on before I ventured outside.

Heat exhaustion is when your core temperature rises to 37-40°C. Levels of water and salt in the body starts to drop, and you will feel faint, nauseous, and sweat a lot (I did not mention that above, but given that I had been running outside, you may have guessed). If you take a person with heat exhaustion to a cool place, and give them plenty of water to drink, they should start to feel better soon enough. Even if some symptoms may linger.

If left untreated, heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke. Heatstroke is when the core temperature rises to above 40°C. Then, cells will begin to break down, you will feel confused, hyperventilate, and maybe even stop breathing. This is a medical emergency, and the sufferer will need to be taken to A&E. [Source]

So DO exercise, but DON’T go when it looks nice outside. In fact, if it is cold and wet, you will have to work harder to stay warm anyway. Win-win.

Buttered oven bottom muffin with ham; tea and honey-nut shredded wheat with semi-skimmed milk.

This has gradually become my “accepted” breakfast size. Thoughts? Too much? Too little? Just Right?

Spanish-style spiced potato wedges with ketchup. Last portion of raspberries, whipped cream and toasted chocolate dessert buns.

This is when I went for that run. Came back and necked an incredible amounts of water, and tried to find things in the larder that would help me feel better.

Olives and low fat orange chocolate yoghurt. Then a crispbread with brussels pate.

I did not feel that much better after the food, or even after a shower. So thought that maybe a proper supper would help.

Lots of sliced cucumber with the last of the pork and apple (and black eyed beans, yellow pepper, sundried tomato, onion, etc.) stew. Oat-bread toast with marmelade. Some squash.

Water count: ~2.25l. Look after yourselves out there in the heat! (However, being on British soil, the heat will probably depart soon enough, sadly.)

Caffeinism – when coffee goes sour (through no fault of bad milk)

The other day, a very physically active friend was talking about health foods. After the usual dos and don’ts – five-a-day, protein and fibre in every meal, and so on – the subject of coffee came up. For me, coffee is a tasty beverage offering a quick pick-me-up, but apparently some people use it as a diet aid, hoping to burn more fat during metabolism. (NB my friend does NOT use coffee for this purpose.)

The substance of interest is caffeine: aside from its properties as a stimulant (the proper word is ergogenic – increasing the subject’s capability for mental and physical labour) , can also serve to boost your metabolism. The trouble therein is of course, to what extent? And with what side effects?

Fatty acids circulate in your body as tiny fuel cells. Caffeine increases the level of circulation. This in turn increases the rate of oxidation of these fuels, thus increases the overall oxidation of fat. This is useful news to runners, endurance athletes and people with similar hobbies. It is particularly effective in those who are not regular users.

Before-and-after webs of a caffeinated spider.

For many of us coffee drinkers, we find that the effect wears off faster if we up the intake (say, around deadlines). We try to get around that by switching between different caffeinated drinks, or increasing consumption. What happens if you have too much? Is it possible to overdose?

The following extract is the abstract taken from research by K. Gilliland and D. Andress in American Journal of Psychiatry (1981; 138:512-514):

“Ad lib caffeine consumption, symptoms of caffeinism, and academic performance

The authors explored the relationship between ad lib caffeine consumption in college students and the incidence of caffeinism, characterized by heightened anxiety, depression, and various psychophysiological reactions. Students were randomly selected from four groups (abstainers from caffeine and low, moderate, and high consumers). A survey battery assessed the effects of caffeine, incidence of psychophysiological disorders, state-trait anxiety, and depression. The moderate and high consumer groups combined reported significantly higher trait anxiety and depression scores when compared with abstainers. The high consumer group also reported significantly higher levels of symptoms of caffeinism, higher frequency of psychophysiological disorders, and lower academic performance.”

Now we ask: how much is too much? 25 – 50 milligrams will have the pick-me-up effect in most people, offering alertness and lowering fatigue. Going to extremes, an acute overdose – caffeine intoxication – for the average adult is 300 milligrams, the result of which is colloquially known as “caffeine jitters”. See the image below for side effects.

Side effects of (high) caffeine intake. (Image courtesy of MedlinePlus, 2000-05-25.)

A lethal dose for humans is approximated at 150 – 200 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. This would involve 80 – 100 cups of regular coffee, drunk within a certain time frame. So caffeine poisoning by drink may not occur too often, but is a larger danger for those who take caffeine pills.

However, it is not only products who literally wear their caffeine on their sleeve that contain the substance. Feast your eyes upon some other culprits:

How will YOU get your five-a-day? (Clickable for more coffee and tea information.)

Remember that moderation is always best.