Immune Cells Predict Neck Cancer Therapy

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/04/27/Immune-cells-predict-neck-cancer-therapy/UPI-41091272406310/


This is a picture of someone undergoing treatment for a head cancer http://www.perthcosmeticsurgery.com.au/jsp/gallery/images/Skin_Revolution_Medica_Spa/Skin_cancer

"Immune Cells predict Neck Cancer Therapy." United Press International. United Press International, 27 Apr 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. .

• Cancer treatments more predictable with use of immune cells.


• Observation of level of immune cells in neck or head helps determine cancer treatments.


• Looking at level of immune cells through microscope can help determine the minimum toxicity need to treat the infection.


• High level of killer T cells located in HPV-positive patients.


• Even better when surveying whether pateint is HPV positive or negative.
  
  

Reflection

When I read the title of this article, I thought "Isn't this obvious?", at first. I figured that even a layman could work this out. But as i read the story, I realized that it is more complicated and confusing than it seems. I chose this article to examine because it involves both parts of the immune system and cancer in its content. Neck and head cancer is very serious and can be very deadly. My cousin actually was in a situation with similar consequences just yesterday. She had a brain hemorrhage that was leaking blood and she was in a lot of danger. The surgery was successful, but it will take awhile for her to rehabilitate. Cancer is similar to this situation in both danger and consequence, the strongest being death. I hope that this testing will help create better treatments for patients, and maybe even my cousin. This story has helped me understand that simple yet effective processes can help scientists with difficult studies.

EXPERT ASSESSMENT - Kenya: Controversy over GMO Maize Import Deepens

http://allafrica.com/stories/201004141073.html



PART 1
Odhianbo, Allan. "Kenya: Controversy over GMO Maize Import Deepens." All Africa Global Media. All Africa Global Media, 15 04 2010. Web. 19 Apr 2010. http://allafrica.co/stories/201004141073.htm

Purpose: Inform the reader about the controversy surrounding the importation of GMO maize.

Key information includes:

1. 40,000 tons of South African Maize lying in the port still
2. Regular priced corn gets more expensive as GMO corn influences the market even more.
   

Key Conclusion: GMO maize can ultimately harm the environment and possibly the economy if parts of Africa decide not to buy GMO corn.

I can better understand this article and the controversy behind it because of this course. I've learned to look deeper into the article and to assume what the author of the article is saying.

• Kenyan Government
• Mombasa
• Kenyan Biodiversity Coalition
• National Biosafety Committee
• National Council for Science and Technology (NCST)

This is a report on a topic with international implications.


PART 2

Article 1
Kenyan GM maize shipment blocked
Kenyan GM maize shipment blocked." Kenya Broadcasting Corporation 9 Apr 2010: 1. Web. 13 May 2010.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8609316.stm

(Informational Article)

• Kenyan Biodiversity Coalition claimed Kenyan authorities had failed to tell the public of its decesion to import GM maize.
• Many African countries are under increasing pressure to grow GM crops to tackle hunger and malnutrtion, and drought in recent years has caused food shortages in Kenya.

Article 2

Butunyi, Cosmas. "Kenya ‘aware that maize was GMO’." Daily Nation. Daily Nation, 19 Apr 2010. Web. 14 May 2010.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/902498/-/w6wou6/-/index.html

(Informational Article)

Over 40,000 tonnes of maize lying in port untouched

Several sources can verify modification

Part 3

1. There is a small amount of bias through selection and omission. The writer included several negative comments from people related to the topic. Spoken by the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition's advocacy coordinator, Anna Maria "...It will contaminate the Kenyan gene pool."
2. There does not seem to be any bias in the placement of information in the article. The information seems organized by importance of information in general, not by favortism of a side of the arguement.
3. There is bias in the headline. The word controversy gives the situation a negative effect in the reader's mind.
4. There is no bias in photos, caption, and camera angles simply because there are no pictures connected to the article.
5. There is not bias in use of names or titles because everyone referred to are addressed by their proper titles.
6. There is bias in statistics. To make it sound more bigger, the author decided to use actual numbers to describe how much maize there is on the port. Instead of saying "a large amount of maize", the author used actual numbers such as "40,000 tonnes of maize"
7. There was not bias in the sources used in the article. The author used information received from both sides of the arguement.
8. Though not too noticeable, the author uses some negative terms, instead of positive terms. Similar to the bias in the headline, subtle words like controversy make the situation seem more negative.

Stem Cells Harvested From Teeth

http://www.fox12idaho.com/global/story.asp?s=12274274

This is a mouth with a nice set of teeth.

http://womenofthecongo.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/white-teeth.26373811_std.jpg

"Stem Cells Harvested From Teeth." Fox 12 Idaho. World Now and KTVR, 07 Apr 2010. Web. 08 Apr 2010. .

• Doctor Lon McRae from Boise, Idaho has harvested stem cells from teeth.


• Can use baby teeth or regular teeth.


• "Stemsave" is a company that stores the stem cells.


• Doctor McRae has only tried this experiment on his son so far.


• Wisdom teeth have the strongest cells.
  

Reflection

This story caught my eye when I read it because I thought stem cells only came from certain places, specifically embryonic cells. Now, stem cells are being found all over the body. Teeth seem like a logical choice because they are strong tissues that are packed together. These hardened tissues could possibly be a source of stem cells. This story seems similar to Embryos-R-Us, because so many people and corporations have a stake in this discovery. I wonder if this experiment will work on others besides his son, the single patient Doctor McRae has already performed on. If it does, then it may create a new breakthrough in stem cell technology. This new experiment has shown me that anyone can discover something, if they look close enough in biology.