Pick Your Poison: Belladonna

What is belladonna and what effects does it have on the human body? This post is going to explain all of the basic principles of this poison, including its origins and history.

The poison can be found in the Belladonna plant, characterized with green leaves, purple bell-like flowers, and glossy black berries. There is enough poison in one leaf to be lethal, equivalent to ten berries of the same plant. The name Belladonna is derived from the Italian word meaning "beautiful woman."  During the middle ages, women used the poison for cosmetic purposes, dilating their eyes and adding color to their cheeks. The poison from the leaves has often in the past been used to poison the tips of arrows. This poison was also a favorite among assassins and authors of fictional mystery stories. Currently, Belladonna is used as a sedative for bronchial spasms and a remedy for Parkinson's disease, colic, and motion sickness, though it has been considered ineffective for all previously stated purposes.  The plant can be found in North America, Europe, and Western Asia.

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/images/atropa_belladonna_170906_1.jpg

What happens if Belladonna is ingested in lethal amounts? Belladonna targets the nervous system, using chemicals to prevent the system from operating correctly. Symptoms of Belladonna poisoning include dry mouth, enlarged pupils, blurred vision, red dry skin, fever, quickened heartbeat, inability to sweat or urinate, hallucinations, spasms, mental problems, convulsions, comas, and death. Two of the key toxins in this deadly plant are scopolamine and hyoscyamine. An alkaloid found in Belladonna works to jam the muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, preventing the brain from signaling correctly to the rest of the body, namely the nervous system. If known ingestion has occurred, the best remedies lie in acting quickly to flush the system before the poison has a chance to take effect. This can be accomplished by using emetics and stomach pumps. This is often followed by a dose of magnesia, stimulants, and strong coffee. 

Other common names for Belladonna:

Deadly Nightshade

Atropa Belladonna

Naughty Man's Cherries

Beautiful Death

http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2014/08/18/poisonous_plants_belladonna_nightshade_is_the_celebrity_of_deadly_flora.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/531.html

http://listverse.com/2012/12/02/10-poisons-used-to-kill-people/

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nighde05.html

http://www.acnp.org/g4/GN401000011/Default.htm

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

                    In this post, I am going to discuss the genetic disease Phenylketonuria (PKU). 

PKU occurs when a genetic mutation is inherited, disrupting the function of the PAH metabolic enzyme. In a functional PAH enzyme, it catalyzes the phenylalanine amino acid into another amino acid: tyrosine. With a defective PAH enzyme, the reaction needed to break down phenylalanine and produce tyrosine does not occur.

http://img.tfd.com/mk/P/X2604-P-23.png

Due to the build up and excess amounts of phenylalanine, multiple symptoms can occur, such as epilepsy, brain retardation, and a musty smell to the skin can occur. It is also possible for a child to have a head size below average expectation as a symptom of PKU. As a result of lack of tyrosine, the most identifiable symptoms lie in appearance. These symptoms include lighter qualities in skin and hair, and often cause eyes to be blue.

PKU is not a very common disorder, only about 1 in every 15,000 infants are diagnosed with the disease. Though the odds are not in the favor of a to be child to be born with PKU, it is very important that it be identified at an early age. In fact, the common procedure in the United States requires babies to be tested for the disorder immediately after they are born. The reason behind the urgency of testing is an attempt to prevent the build up of phenylalanine and provide treatment for the patient. Treatment is obtained through a low protein diet and the avoidance of eggs, meat, and dairy. Below are a few examples of how PKU patients organize foods into an acceptable dietary plan. The goal is to "hit the bull's eye" and consume phenyl-free foods.

http://www.drkarencann.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Food-Target-Graphic-.jpg

http://depts.washington.edu/pku/images/food_bullseye.jpg

For more information on PKU, please visit:

http://www.ygyh.org

http://www.nspku.org

Newborn Screening in Colorado

http://willroberts.com/pku/

 

Parts of The Animal Cell

This post shows the different components to an animal cell while giving a description of the function of each part.

Microscopy Lab

In this lab, I tested my abilities to operate a microscope. The pictures attached below were taken during the lab, showing what images were seen at the 40x, 100x, and 400x magnifications. Infected pork was tested for this lab.

40x

100x

400x

Understanding Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that primarily affects the respiratory and digestive systems. The life-threatening disease is caused when a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce  unusually thick and sticky mucus that can clog the lungs and obstruct the pancreas.

Symptoms of cystic fibrosis (CF) can include very salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing, frequent lung infection, wheezing, shortness of breath, poor growth, gradual weight gain (despite a healthy diet), and frequently greasy, bulky, or difficult stools. There is an estimated 30,000 children and adults diagnosed with CF in the US, 70,000 world wide. Testing for cystic fibrosis can be handled in several ways, including sweat tests, newborn screening, and carrier testing. Positive results on these tests could lead to a diagnosis for CF.

Cystic fibrosis is passed down genetically when a child inherits one copy of the defective gene from each parent. CF is a recessive gene, which means that a person must have both copies of the mutated gene in order to be affected by cystic fibrosis.

https://patientcontent.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/StudentArticle/student/cystic-fibrosis/cystic-fibrosis-inheritance.jpg

In a non-defective gene, the protein acts as a gateway, allowing ions to bring water to the surface of the airway. This keeps the mucus moist. In CF patients, the vital chloride channel is blocked, preventing the movement of chloride ions into the mucus.

http://dm5migu4zj3pb.cloudfront.net/manuscripts/37000/37778/medium/JCI0837778.f1.jpg

This then halts the movement of water, causing the mucus to dry out. The mucus builds and begins to clog the lungs and obstruct the pancreas.

http://270c81.medialib.glogster.com/media/fa/faa1a7acc077a88fe83a10c17ad142bef9ed47b4aec1a358651840b4b6d209bc/cystic-fibrosis-mucus-diagram.jpg

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/images/cysticfibrosis01.jpg

While there is no known cure for cystic fibrosis, there are several options for treatments that will reduce the symptoms and their effects. There are several medication options for CF treatment, including antibiotics, mucus-thinning drugs, bronchodilators, and oral pancreatic enzymes. Other treatment options include chest physical therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and surgical or other procedures.

When a child or loved one is diagnosed with CF, it is very important to care for them and offer full support. There are several ways to bring aid to a CF patient, including encouraging better nutrition, heightened fluid intake, updated immunizations, exercise, and hand washing. It is also vital to illuminate smoke from the patient's surroundings, as it will only irritate the respiratory tract and increase the issue. 

Osmosis Lab Report

Objective:
A lab partner and I created this experiment in an attempt to model osmosis, the traveling of molecules of a solvent across a semipermeable membrane in an attempt to equalize the concentrations on both sides of the membrane.

Procedure:
To model the process of osmosis, we set up several beakers that contained water, dialysis tubing, and a salt solution. Each was modeled differently, depending on where the salt was located. Each beaker is detailed below:


Beaker A: Dialysis tubing filled with water sealed inside, tinted with food coloring, surrounded by a salt solution.
Beaker B: Dialysis tubing filled with a salt solution sealed inside, surrounded by water, tinted with food coloring.
Beaker C: Dialysis tubing filled with solid salt sealed inside, surrounded by water.
Beaker D: Dialysis tubing filled with carbon dioxide sealed inside, surrounded by water.


Before placing the dialysis tubing in the beakers, we measured the mass of each tube after they had been filled with their solutions/contents. 24 hours later, we measured again so that we could track the movement of the water.

Claims:
It can be concluded that the water diffused to areas of higher concentrations, such as the ones that contained high amounts of salt.

Evidence:

The graph organizes the results from the experiment, proving the water traveled from areas of lower concentration to areas of higher concentration. Based on the contents of the beaker and dialysis tubing, the ending mass of the tubing varied in proportion to the movement of the water.

Research:
In a similar experiment conducted using potatoes instead of dialysis tubing, the same general results were found. The same general results were also found when using eggs instead of potatoes or dialysis tubing. When experimental results were explored during a class session, it could be concluded that all experiments yielded similar results.

Reflection:
Reflecting on this experiment, I am very satisfied with the results. Throughout the process, I was able to understand the reasoning behind the results and predict what would happen. I believe the experiment could be improved by trying to reverse the experiment. Would placing the dialysis tubing (after the first 24 hour testing period) into new beakers with different concentrations reverse the original direction of the water? It would be interesting to try to control the flow of the water through several different tests.

Diffusion Lab Report

Questions:
The goal of this experiment was to model how a cell membrane functions. This includes what types of substances are able to pass through the membrane, and how the membrane passes them through to the inside of the cell.

Procedure:
For this experiment, dialysis tubing was used to model a cell membrane. The tubing was filled with a glucose and starch solution, then tied at each end. The mixture was used to model the inside of the cell. The "cell" was then placed in a beaker that was filled with a iodine/water mixture. After 24 hours,  the solutions in the beaker and dialysis tubing were tested for the presence of glucose and starch. The presence of glucose will be tested using indicator strips; the presence of starch will be tested based off of the chemical reaction indicators between the starch and iodine. Starch forms a blueish black complex with iodine whereas glucose does not react.

Claims:
Based off of the results from the procedure, it can be determined that the starch remained inside the dialysis tubing, and the iodine diffused into the dialysis tubing. While some glucose diffused into the beaker, the inside the tubing also tested positive for containing traces of glucose. The water diffused into the tubing until it could not contain any more. The results of the experiment proved that molecules move from regions of higher concentration to lower concentration during diffusion. 

Evidence:
The following table displays the results drawn from the experiment that support the previous claim.

"+" represents a positive test, "-" represents a negative test

Solution Color

                                  Initial Contents                  Initial            Final           Initial        Final

     Bag          15% glucose, 1% starch         milky white         black             +             +  

    Beaker           H2O+IKI                         yellow/brown       yellowish       -              +

It can be concluded from the evidence in the chart that the glucose diffused into the beaker and the iodine diffused into the dialysis tube.

Research:

When compared to results drawn from similar experiments, online information resources, and notes taken during class lectures, it can be confirmed that molecules move from regions of higher concentration during diffusion.

Reflection:

Reflecting on this experiment, the ideas and data constantly supported the results. I believe it could be improved by tracking the motion of the water to observe if it diffused.

Pictures:

Glucose strip before the experiment

Glucose strip after experiment

Dialysis tubing with starch and glucose before the experiment

Dialysis tubing with starch and iodine after the experiment