Sea Star

Although, sea stars don't seem to be living creatures because of their lack of fast mobility, they are.
Sea stars are part of the group echinoderms which means spiny skin. A sea stars has five arms and it can regenerate itself as long as 1/5 of its body is still in tact. Sea stars feed by the suction in their feet, they wrap for instance a clam and pry it open. Even though it sounds very easy it take quite a while for the sea stars to move. Once it is open, the sea star will spit out its stomach and digest the clams soft body by spitting up enzymes to help it digest. Sea stars also have predators, they are eaten by sea gulls as well as crabs and certain types of fish.

Pet Overpopulation

The number of homeless pets is estimated to be around 6 to 8 million. These homeless animals are given a temporary home by the HSUS (human society) by being placed in an animal shelter. Out of these 6 to 8 million, 3 to 4 million pets are estimated to be euthanized or put down every year. The other half, the lucky half, is adopted. One solution to the problem of overpopulation of pets and animal suffering is the decision to spade or neuter your pet. Spading or neutering your pet seems to be the best and most effective solution. If the animal is unable to have unplanned litters in the first place then there wouldn’t be homeless unwanted animals wondering around.  These surgeries are performed by a veterinarian or you can even go to a clinic specifically for spading or neutering your pet. 

Elephantiasis

A few months ago while I was watching the Discovery Channel I saw a man that appeared to have a enlarged members in his face.  The episode that i was watching was about strange diseases and this man was called the "elephant man".  I'm assuming that he was called the elephant man because he had an enlarged member growing out of his nose which appeared to be some sort of an elephant's trunk.  This disease is called elephantiasis that is caused by worms transmitted by mosquitoes such as Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori.  The mosquito bite causes inflammation of the lymphatic vessels in the affected area, it is most common in tropical areas of Africa.  A way to cure this disease is chemotherapy  to destory the adult worms and as well as symptomatic treatment to repair the damage of the dead worms in the body. 

Lung Cancer

The most common type of lung cancer is Small Cell Lung Cancer; it is mainly caused by smoking cigarettes.  The cancer starts in the center of the chest in the bronchi; even though the cells are small they grow at a fast speed.  These cells then cause tumors that can also spread from the lungs to the brains or liver.  Some symptoms of this disease are weight loss, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and loss of appetite. Lung cancer can be one of the most horrible diseases someone can get because it makes a person feel like they are suffocating. Nevertheless, a person can always prevent this from occurring by not smoking.  Lung cancer is rare to those people that have never smoked. 

Gonorrhea

The topic for a research paper in another class I am currently taking is what inspired me to choose to write my blog over sexually transmitted diseases this week. Among many types of std’s out there is gonorrhea. The sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacteria is at home in warm, moist places such as the reproductive track which includes the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes in women and the urethra in both women and men.  Neisseria gonorrhoeae can also grow in the eyes, mouth, anus, and throat. Gonorrhea is one of the most common std’s around. The CDC(Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates 700,000 new cases of gonorrhea are born each year. Gonorrhea is obtained through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth or anus. There women may have no signs or symptoms of gonorrhea however men beginning exhibiting symptoms as shortly as 2 days after the infection. Symptoms of gonorrhea for men can also take up to 30 days to appear. Symptoms of this sexually transmitted disease are burning sensation when urinating, or a white, yellow, or green substance secreted from the penis. Swelling of the testicles is also another symptom exhibited by men with this STD. If gonorrhea is untreated in women this STD can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. Testing is available and the good news is there are treatments such as antibiotics that can cure this disease unlike some STD’s

Female Circumcision

Female circumcision is mainly practiced in Africa where young girls between the ages of four and eight are circumcised. This process is done mainly by tradition, it is said that she will not be considered a real woman until her genitalia is removed. For many women the thought of that occuring to them is quite frightning but for these girls it's more of a right of passage. Female genital mutalation is not a safe process because a girl will risk the possibilities of an infection, many times the obejects used are not always sterlized nor is there an adequate specialized person to assist in this procedure. Girls can also over bleed and in some cases even die from a so called tradition. The basic process of a female circumcision is the removal of the clitoris and the quite often the removal of the labia major and labia minora. The beliefes of such culutres are that when the clitoris is removed it as well removes the desire to have sex therefore, it will prevent sex outside a marriage and prevent a family from being dishonored. Regardless of such traditions the lives of many girls are being risked each day by this tradition.

Human Instestinal Roundworm

Just the simple idea of thinking that some sort of worm might be inside you is a little creepy. Well that was the same feeling i felt in my previous biology class that I had last semester when we were discussing roundworms. Ascaris lumbricoides is the human intestinal roundworm that is found the digestive tract. This kind of worm in ingested into your digestive tract by eating the eggs of the female worm which are found in warm soil, unclean water, and unwashed raw fruit and vegetables. Once a person has eaten the eggs they pass through the stomach into the duodenum where they hatch and the larvae burrow themselves into the intestinal tissue lining. The larvae stays in the intestinal tissue until it pushes itself out through the blood vessel wall into the blood stream, which is then carried into the liver, heart, and then ends up in the lungs where it continues to grow. From the lungs the larvae can either be coughed out through the mouth or nose but if it's not it can be swallowed back into the stomach and into the small intestine. The larvae may only survive the acidity of the stomach if it is mature enough, once in the small intestine the larvae continues to expand the females can grow up to 45 centimeters and the males are much smaller then the females. These worms thrive in places where water is contaminated and there are poor hygenical methods among people.

Vasectomy and Tubal Ligation: The Solution or the Problem

For many men and women having a vasectomy for men and a tubal ligation for women is more of a solution to having as much sex as they want without having responsibilities later. Although some people do aspire to have kids and settle down to a beautiful spouse with a nice house with a dog others don't. For those people that are sure that they do not want any kids whatsoever a vasectomy and a tubal ligation is the answer. It's quite simple to explain all a doctor really does is tie the vas deferans that runs from the testicles to the penis to prevent any sperm from leaving the body when ejaculating. For women this process consists of sealing a woman's fallopian tubes preventing the egg and sperm to meet. The process seems quite simple but there could be long term risks such as the increase of prostate cancer for men. For women on the other hand might experience changes in their menstrual cycle and have pelvic pain which they might need to undergo surgery again. Some people might see this as a solution others as a problem considering the risks involved, a person might want to double check the pros and cons.

Teenage Pregnancy

Its quite shocking how the alarming rate of young teenage girls are getting pregnant at their age. I was actually watching the Tyra Banks Show a couple of weeks ago that talked about the same exact thing, twelve to sixteen year old girls pregnant. The most outrageous thing I heard was that these girls actually wanted to get pregnant and how they thought that getting pregnant would strengthen their relationships. Many of them didn't even realize how much responsibility it takes to take care of a child nor did they realize how much money is needed yearly to financially support one. These girls were basically being naive about situations that they know nothing about and their solutions was to stay living with their parents and that they were basically going to support her and their babies. These young girls went so far that they were having unprotected sex to purposely get pregnant. Its seems that this problem is just going to get worse if they don't find an adequate solution to it since abstinence nor contraceptive methods work considering these girls aren't even practicing save sex. The only logical solution is for parents to talk to their children at a young age about abstinence.

Breast Feeding

I personally think that breast feeding is a little awkward, nonetheless it's one of the most beneficiary processes a new mother could do. Breast feeding helps both the mother and the child in being more healthy and strong. Women who breast feed lower their risks of getting breast cancer later on in the future and for the child it helps him by lowering down the possibility of illnesses. Breast feeding is strongly encouraged by many and it also helps the mother reduce the possibility of depression along with many other things. Simply by breast feeding a mother lowers down her stress level and helps her baby prevent allergies, obesity, and more important boosts a child's intelligence. Therefore, I as well encourage every mother to breast feed and become more healthy. :)

From Boys to Men

I'm a very curious person and I have the need to figure out the answer to something that I don't know. Last week in my Spanish class my professor mentioned the work circumcision. I know a very awkward topic for my blog but that was my only inspiration this week. Now since I am a Biology major and from previous reference I had an idea of what it meant but not in detail. Nonetheless, a semi adequate answer did not fulfill my thirst for a fully detailed answer. Of course, I decided to ask my boyfriend exactly what the process was considering he is a guy, it really didn't clarify anything I still had a lot of questions. My main question was why? I decided to look for my answer on Google Scholar. I found that if a boy is circumcised when he is little it will prevent a urinary tract infection and they also have a higher heart rate. Therefore, being circumcised is a good thing for boys so they can grow up to be a very healthy man.

The World's Deadliest Creature

This week's inspiration came from watching the movie "Seven Pounds" starring Will Smith. In the movie Will Smith is amazed by the beauty of a box jellyfish which later in the movie he uses to kill himself. The box jellyfish also scientifically known as Chironex fleckeri is very dangerous due to its venom. The box jellyfish has about fifteen tentacles in each corner and it gets its name from being shaped like a box. It also has a set of eyes in each corner which they use to move away things. The venom of this jellyfish is so dangerous that it can put a person in cardiac arrest and they can also go into immediate shock from the excruciating pain. This jellyfish is mostly found around northern Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. In some cases its also found near Hawaii where it is believed to go when they are reproducing. Many swimmers have died from the stings of this deadly animal, their stings are deadly hence the reason it is called the deadliest creature in the world.

I had never had to write a blog before so my ideas were kind of limited but thanks to a special someone I found something interesting to write about. Considering I'm such an animal lover especially with cats I find it so hard sometimes not to feed the adorable stray cats that wander into my yard. I only own three cats and these past recent days when I would go outside to feed them there were six other cats that I had never seen before. I find it amazing how stray animals are only attracted by the mere smell of food and how once you feed them once they'll just keep coming back. Yet they love it when you feed them they still won't even let you touch them or at least pet them the least. One of those days when I was outside feeding the hungry stray cats I tried petting one kitten that hadn't noticed my hands reaching out to it and caught it by suprise, so when it felt the grip of my hands it bit me. I got so angry at the fact that the stray cats don't appreciate the food I was giving them and all I got in return was a bloody finger and scratched arms. Then again I doubt cats even know what the word appreciate means. Nonetheless, I still am an animal lover so I won't stop feeding them just for a bloody finger. If I don't feed them then who will.