Just discovered Scientific American Mind. Cool article points out that the reverse of "DESSERTS" is "STRESSED"...
The author highlights that in his study, nearly 25 percent of the happiness we experience in life is related to—and perhaps even the result of—our ability to manage stress. He states that stress management is both trainable and beneficial, and individuals reap the greatest benefits by fighting stress before it starts. Which brings me to one of the Habits of Mind - "Finding Humor" which is the willingness to laugh appropriately and to laugh at myself when I can. Appreciating the joyful things in life is the ultimate antidote to stress. This back to front approach to stress (DESSERTS!) is the key.
Scientific American Mind Sept/Oct 2011 issue highlighted that "psychological pressure can make you more attentive, improving your memory and ability to learn. But too much stress can have the opposite effect". In a study of effects of stress on memory, a researcher Sabrina Kuhlmann of University of Dusseldorf, Germany, studied 19 men who were asked to memorize 30 words that had positive, negative and neutral connotations. Participants were then put through stressful events and the next day, they were asked to recall the words. The results showed that stress reduced the number of emotionally charged words that the men were able to recall, although it did not affect their memory of neutral words.
Mice that were chronically stressed early in life also did not perform well in memory tasks later in life. Perhaps educators in Singapore should reconsider how stress in kids can potentially have lasting effects in the workforce of the future!
BIOLOGY TODAY - A Brief Look at Cord Blood...
As the name suggests, cord blood is blood taken from the umbilical cord and the placenta. There are multiple methods of harvesting cord blood. The most commonly used method would be the 'closed' method. The technician cannulates the severed vein of the umbilical cord and let blood flow into a sterilized blood bag. This has to be done almost immediately after the baby is born. More blood can be harvested once the placenta is delivered. The thing special about cord blood is that it has stem cells.
Stem cells are cells that have not developed. They can be engineered to form cells for specialized functions. These stem cells can aid in life-threatening illnesses by making enough healthy white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets, and reducing your risk of life-threatening infections, anemia and bleeding.
There are cord blood banks around the world where cord blood is donated to and is either sold or given to patients in need of treatment of stem cells.
On a philosophical note, a stem cell is efficient at all these life-saving strategies because by nature it is "naive" and able to undergo change to help its environment. At this stage of our lives, "naivety" and lack of differentiation can be a strength and not a weakness. The challenge in stem cell treatment is coaxing these naive cells to do what you want them to do. By an elegant mix of growth factors and chemicals, the body is able to utilize these cells, no matter what their origin. In the analogy where we teenage boys are like undifferentiated stem cells, perhaps teachers and significant family members have a lot to learn to direct us in where we are meant to go!
