Monthly Archives: April 2018

SOMETIMES we find genius: from carl sagan – 9 tools in the baloney detection kit

Rants

These are just so awesome. Would that they had been taught to me as a graduate student in anatomy. I did finally learn most of them the hard way.

1) Wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the “facts.”
2) Encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view.
3) Arguments from authority carry little weight — “authorities” have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.
4) Spin more than one hypothesis. If there’s something to be explained, think of all the different ways in which it could be explained. Then think of tests by which you might systematically disprove each of the alternatives. What survives, the hypothesis that resists disproof in this Darwinian selection among “multiple working hypotheses,” has a much better chance of being the right answer than if you had simply run with the first idea that caught your fancy.
5) Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it’s yours. It’s only a way station in the pursuit of knowledge. Ask yourself why you like the idea. Compare it fairly with the alternatives. See if you can find reasons for rejecting it. If you don’t, others will.
6) Quantify. If whatever it is you’re explaining has some measure, some numerical quantity attached to it, you’ll be much better able to discriminate among competing hypotheses. What is vague and qualitative is open to many explanations. Of course there are truths to be sought in the many qualitative issues we are obliged to confront, but finding them is more challenging.
7) If there’s a chain of argument, every link in the chain must work (including the premise) — not just most of them.
8) Occam’s Razor. This convenient rule-of-thumb urges us when faced with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well to choose the simpler.
9) Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at least in principle, falsified. Propositions that are untestable, unfalsifiable are not worth much. Consider the grand idea that our Universe and everything in it is just an elementary particle — an electron, say — in a much bigger Cosmos. But if we can never acquire information from outside our Universe, is not the idea incapable of disproof? You must be able to check assertions out. Inveterate skeptics must be given the chance to follow your reasoning, to duplicate your experiments and see if they get the same result.

…….and ONE LAST Saganism (which sounds uncomfortably close to satanism – ha ha)…  “Consider it reasonable for the Universe to continue to exist forever into the future, but judge absurd the possibility that it has infinite duration into the past” which I am pretty sure he intended as a “crack” against fundamental christianity, but which doesn’t bother me, a christian, one bit. ha ha

Lichens planus: my thoughts!

Lichen planus

BEST post i have seen by far comes from osteopaths…. that says something about this group.
and then i read the American Skin Association’s site and it looks pretty much the same… go figure.  Lichen planus is a relatively common skin disease that comes in episodes lasting months to years. The onset may be gradual or quick, but its cause, like many skin diseases, is unknown. It appears to be a reaction in response to more than one provoking factor. Theories include stress, genetics, infective (viral hepatitis C) and immunologic (autoimmune). There are also drugs that produce lichen planus-like allergic reactions to high blood pressure, heart disease, and arthritis medications. There is an inherited form also which is often more severe and can have a protracted course.

Lichen planus appears as shiny, flat-topped bumps that often have an angular shape. These bumps have a reddish-purplish color with a shiny cast due to a very fine scale. The disease can occur anywhere on the skin, but often favors the inside of the wrists and ankles, the lower legs, back, and neck. The mouth, genital region, hair and nails are affected in some individuals. Thick patches may occur, especially on the shins. Blisters may rarely occur. Bumps may appear in areas of trauma on some individuals. About 20 percent of the time lichen planus of the skin causes minimal symptoms and needs no treatment. However, in many cases the itching can be constant and intense.

This disease occurs most often in men and women between the ages of 30 and 70 years. It is uncommon in the very young and elderly. All racial groups seem susceptible to lichen planus.

There is no known cure for skin lichen planus, but treatment is often effective in relieving itching and improving the appearance of the rash until it goes away. Since every case of lichen planus is different, no one treatment does the job. Topical corticosteroids are very useful. Antihistamines may be prescribed to relieve itching. Extensive cases may require the use of oral corticosteroid (cortisone, prednisone) for a number of weeks. This usually shortens the duration of the outbreak. For severe cases powerful treatments include photo chemotherapy light treatment (PUVA), the retinoids drugs (Soriatane and Accutane), cyclosporine and hydroxychloroquine.

Other helpful measures include soothing baths (Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal, Nutrasoothe) and the application of wet dressings (tap water, Burows solution 1:40) to the affected areas to help reduce itching. Also, the use of lotions containing anti-itch ingredients such as menthol, pramoxine and phenol (Sarna, Aveeno cream, Prax, Itch-X) may be helpful.

As it heals, lichen planus often leaves a dark brown discoloration of the skin. Like the bumps themselves, these stains may eventually fade with time without treatment. About one out of five people will have a second attack of lichen planus.

for those of you out there (like me) that have the misfortune to experience this….. blessings to you.
I was not very impressed with the general practitioner, the first resident dermatologist, second resident dermatologist, or the attending staff that I have seen about this, NOW DIAGNOSED BY MICROSCOPY, disorder. I am calling it a disorder because to me a disease is caused by an infectious agent. Diseases and disorders both may have known and unknown causes. A disorder in my mind is more a “out of order function” which may be caused by an agent (any environmental influence) but the basic processes involved in the reaction are normal processes gone ary. Compare, bacterial endotoxins, or agents that cause infections like viruses and bacteria,
From what I have read lichens planus resembles some excellerated immune response. Histologically the presence of Langerhans cells, lymphocytes, changes in the mitotic rates of the basal and lower levels of the epidermis. I even think that what I have been reading about lately (cell adhesion molecules) might be involved since not only does the epidermal layer of the skin (in lichen planus) look different, but several mentions of decreased desmosomes between/among keratinocytes occurred. This could be related directly or indirectly to the disorderly processes of this condition.

Dont bother googling the pictures for this disorder… ha ha…. too scary.

Without faith it is impossible —

Rants

There is a verse of scripture that is very hard for me to accept, to believe, to understand and to get past.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6

It condemns me to be forever a non-receiver of the blessings that those who believe can receive in the power of whatever god is. Believing in a god that can do all that has happened and will happen is just past the comprehension of my mortal mind. There are, i am sure some, who understand the complexity of life like i would like to think i do, all the intricacies of the cell ultrastructure, the tiniest of molecular machines, the massive amount of coding in the DNA, the unbelievably accurate reading of that code and transcription, translation, editing, transport and production of proteins. So many signals for just a single cell, let alone for all other aspects of “life”, “space”, “cosmos” and whatever constitutes the expanse of the “universe”.
I have such a difficult time receiving a personal input, finding a personal connection with some entity that could be “in charge” of all this. By being so “on the edge” i know i miss out on peace and tranquility of thought. I may miss out on any benefit “post mortum” as well.
Please explain to me why the concept of such an entity (which i refuse to give the masculine gender) is so difficult.
I obviously dont “please god” as the faith i have is measured in the mass of the tiniest sub atomic particles, not even as much as a mustard seed.

Weibel-Palade bodies: fun stuff

Layered intracisternal protein granules in mammalian lung, The cell: images, Ultimate order, the cell, Vesicles, isolates, fractions

I have seen these… at the present moment I am looking over the published literature for Weibel Palade bodies (WPD) in order to determine if there is ever a place where ribosomes are present on the bounding membrane.  So far, none. This makes this cell adjesion group of molecules, while oligomerized into very beautiful structures, some like tubules, they are quite different from the intracellular granule purported to be a surfactant protein (possible SP-A) found in the cytoplasm of alveolar type II cells in the lungs of some species… which have a very precise localization and number of ribosomes on their limiting membrane (opposite sides of the long dimension of the granule, and approximately 4 ribosomes per 100nm).

 

Weibel-Palade Bodies (WPB) Layered granules in alveolar type II cells
At least 12 different proteins are found in granules Undetermined number of proteins in type II cell granules
Recovered as oligomers in clathrin coated vesicles Recovered, but not recycled or re-internalized as oligomers
Granules as single membrane bound SMOOTH ER Granules as single membrane bound with end to end distribution of ribosomes,
Interacts with cell elements in blood Interacts with fluid elements in alveolar space
Endothelial cell product Epithelial cell product
Interacts with white cells and platelets Interacts with alveolar macrophages
VWP apparently oligomerizes to influence the shame of WPBs Oligomerization of the SPs involved in intracisternal bodes of alveolar type II cells create the granuel shape
 WPBs maybe storage (albeit a small percent of total) for VWP Granules in type II cells maybe for surfactant protein storage
WPBs have P-selectin in small quantitites, i wonder if these are for binding of clathrin proteins to initiate recycling from the secretion bubble structures after exocytosis of VWP? Re-uptake, recycling of surfactant proteins is not so obvious (but happens) not big obvious vesicles…  at least not that I have seen.

The cell: a polymer chemists playground

The cell: images, Ultimate order, the cell

I think it is just overwhelming to see the order “of life”.  Starting out with a search for patterns in electron microscopy for desmosomes has led me to find cell adhesion molecules a really fascinating, perhaps the ultimate, cell-environment interface. So I will go on a hunt, just for the pure joy of finding them.

Von Willebrand Factor (article) bar=10nm. “This factor serves as a docking station or molecular bus to which numerous proteins bind during the formation of blood clots.” (quote from article linked above by Zongchao Jia).

NICE Review of a few cell adhesion molecules

Cell adhesion molecules, The cell: images, Ultimate order, the cell

It is worth reading this nice review article which deals with adherens junctions and also some other cell adhesion molecules.

Oda and Takeichi 2011 have this nice electron micrograph or cell-cell adhesion, but it is even more interesting to me that the area described with the confines of their arrows, and the area within their bracket, does not show as distinct an organization as the area inbetween their designated zones… Haha.  see bottom two micrographs, their photo unretouched, and the area where I see amazing order, an area which is very organized.

semicircular arrangement (black lines), likely proteins which attach to whatever membrane proteins the circles are, and then the red lines as some molecule which links the former with some cytoskeletal element.  There is a great microtubule over by their arrows, i don’t know what is under their bracket.

Just a note: it looks like the primitive junctional complexes in drosophila are the result of one-size-fits-all type molecule with little segments snipped out as DE-cadherin has every thing but the kitchen sink there….including laminin, proteolytic, and EGF-like domains.

 

Right hand:left hand

Rants, Ultimate order, the cell

Sometimes I get dismayed at what the university of cincinnati (along with cincinnati children’s hospital) finds acceptable.  Just one parking lot away from the department of environmental health, where government has funded the removal of lead and asbestos in an effort to make the city a safer place to live, are two giant yellow excavators pulling down 100 year old neighboring houses (not that i am bemoaning the loss of less well kept property) unquestionably filled with lead paint, asbestos, mold and piles of trash billowing up dust clouds that would signal that much is airborne that should NOT be airborne. So cincinnati children’s is (has/continues) expanding into a very old neighborhood adjacent to it) but doing it in a way that is environmentally reckless (in my opinion).

I have met and talked to residents in those homes…  I remember one in particular at the south-east corner of burnet and erkenbrecher  who was a long last holdout before he sold to children’s hospital.  I have spoken with the owners of two of the very lovely old brick victorian houses on erkenbrecher, one a professor here, and i wonder whether greed will overtake historical value for them as well.

two issues here: 1) environmental health is important — and it is the biggest department at the university of cincinnati BUT why can its neighbor (also part of UC) disregard the information, persuasion, good policy of its back-door neighbor and pollute the environment of its own “house” so to speak.  I dont get it. Doesnt the right hand know what the left hand is doing. 2) second issue is just preservation of history.