Megan+Boucher

= =

Megan's Wiki! :)

HIV
Everyone has heard of HIV I'm sure of it. While we've all heard it, I'm not sure we all know exactly what it is and what it does. I know I'm not sure, so I did a little research to find out.

__What is it?__ HIV is a virus passed on from person to person via:
 * Unprotected sex
 * Contact with infectious blood
 * Use of infected blood products
 * Injecting drugs
 * Mother to child

Note: AIDS is a disease caused by HIV.

__What are the symptoms?__
 * Flu-like illness
 * Rash
 * Swollen Glands

It is very possible to have no symptoms at all if you have been infected with HIV, and the only for sure way to tell if you are us by being tested.

__How can it be treated?__

There are more then 20 antiretroviral drugs out there for HIV, but treatment takes dedication. The drugs must be taken every single day for the remainder of the infected persons life and the side effects can be very severe, but not as severe as the disease itself.
 * Antiretroviral drugs can be used to lower the level of HIV in the body to keep the immune system functioning properly.

References:
__Info__:http://www.avert.org/hiv.htm

__ Part 4 __
In the final and shortest part of this heart-stopping novel, the author, Richard Preston tells of his hunt to find out more about the mysterious Ebola virus. He gives his opinions on the agent based on the information he had gathered and learned. He believes the virus could be spread very quickly among humans. He goes into the story about his trip to Africa, he tells of how he heads to Kitum Cave which was seemingly the starting point for the hot agent. He goes into detail describing everything he sees in the gave. Once he reaches near the back he notices tons of spiders and think that maybe they were the original host of Ebola. They can bite and infect people. It makes sense. Not only did he visit the alleged starting point of the hot agent, he also visited the ending point. The monkey house. While looking inside he says what I believe to be a very powerful statement. "It will be back." This is kind of alarming seeing as this book is not fiction, it is a real thing that really happened. Overall this book was extremely good! Along with learning about the interesting and mysterious case of Ebola, it also has a great story line to keep your attention until the very last second. I didn't clue in until the very end of the book that the author was in fact also hunting the virus himself. I think that makes the book all the more interesting. I'd like to know if they ever truly found the original host of the virus. Hopefully if the virus does come back, which Preston believes it will, the right action will be taken and they will know what to do now to prevent it from infecting the human race.

__ Part 3 __


In part three of "The Hot Zone" action is immediately taken in the clearly heavily infected monkey house. Only the most professional workers who know what they are doing and what they are dealing with are aloud to participate. They believe the contamination in the house to be Ebola virus. After quickly thinking of the best way to go about things without further spreading the virus, the team decides permanently ridding of the monkeys is their only option although some don't agree with this practice. After removing all monkey from the premises, with the help of a needle, a second needle was given to the monkeys in order to put them down. With all the monkeys gone, the researchers still need to figure out exactly what had been effecting them and how dangerous it could be to humans if it got out. The dead monkeys are transported to an area where they could take samples from there spleen and blood. Once all samples were taken, the dead bodies of the monkey were then incinerated for maximum safety. It was impossible for any hot agent to survive in such high temperatures. Next, the monkey house had to be completely bleached down and gassed in case the virus was lingering inside waiting for another host. After several months, the monkey house was reopened but the same thing happened. This time, they had a much clearer idea of what to do and how to contain the virus. Luckily, no human had been effected by the deadly virus thus far.

I was surprised to find out after such the dilemma they had with the monkeys before, that when the monkey house reopened, they used monkey from the very same farm. Clearly the monkeys from there were infected with something so why wouldn't the new batch be. In fact, the new batch of monkey did prove themselves to be of the same nature. However, after dealing with the same issue just recently, the proper procedures and precautions were taken to quickly rid of the virus for the second time.

__ References: __
Picture:http://great-discoveries-channel.blogspot.com/2009/07/potential-hot-zone-ebola-virus-detected.html

__ Color Blindness __
I'm sure we've all heard of it. Color blindness. Yes it is a real thing. Color blindness does not mean you see in black and white, it simple means your eyes have trouble distinguishing between certain colors. The most common form of color blindness is red and green. So what causes this? The eye has three different types of "cones" in the back of the eye that respond accordingly to colors. There is a cone for red, a cone for blue, and a cone for green. For example, if a person cannot see the color red, it means they have a defect in the red cone cells and it does not function one hundred percent. Color blindness is mostly an inherited trait but can be cause by retina damage or disease in some cases. Different types of colorblindness effect people in different ways. People who have severe green colorblindness will have trouble distinguishing between greens, oranges, browns and pale reds, if you have severe red colorblindness, all reds will look extremely dull. How do we determine who is colorblind and who is not? A test can be performed in the sunlight using different colored cards. For more severe cases, uses something called a anomaloscope. The anomaloscope uses a mixture of red and green light and the subject is asked to change the light until the mixture looks the same as a yellow light would. The examiner will then look at the redness or greenness of the light mixture to determine how severe or minor the case of colorblindness really is.

__ References __
__Info:__ MediResourceInc. (2010). Colour blindness. Retrieved from http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/condition_info_details.asp?channel_id=0&relation_id=0&disease_id=36&page_no=2

KidsHealth. (2010). What it's like to be color blind. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/Features.jsp?lic=1&feature=30 __Video:__ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWyrp3hu4KE&feature=related

__ Part 2 __


Part two of the novel starts in Reston, VA. There is a monkey house located there in which some of the monkeys begin dying of an unknown condition. After the rate in which the monkeys are dying rapidly increased, researchers and scientists begin to worry and perform several tests and examinations on the dead monkeys. At first, they believe that the virus infecting the monkeys is strictly kept within monkeys and are relieved that everyone who came in contact had no reason to worry. However, after sending some monkey meet away to the institute to be looked at, they photograph with the microscope what they believe to be a filo-virus. They begin to panic believing it is Marburg virus. The man who photographed the virus is almost certain it is but takes it to the professionals to be examined. A test is performed in the level 4 bio unit and the virus in the monkeys seems to react perfectly with the strain of Ebola Zaire found in a patient who had died from it. Ebola is a much more violent and contagious virus then Marburg and they figure the only way to stop it from spreading is to to a bio containment. Preparations are made for the huge task ahead to eliminate the virus from the monkey house and from spreading.

I found it really surprising how uncareful they were with handling the dead monkeys while doing their research. If it was clear that the monkeys were suffering from a very serious illness and it would just make sense to proceed the tests with extreme caution. Although they thought it was a virus only contagious in monkeys, this information was not one hundred percent guaranteed and therefore i would think they would still take the precautions as if it was a highly contagious virus considering that's what it turned out to be.

__ References __
__Picture:__ http://cydathria.com/ebola.html

__ Part 1 __


The Hot Zone is a non-fiction novel about the Ebola virus. The book is divided into four separate parts. Part one obviously tells you what the Ebola virus is. We learn the virus is highly contagious and kills 90 percent of the infected and cure or vaccination is yet to be determined. The researchers discover that two Ebola victims both contracted the virus after visiting Kitum Cave on Mount Algon. The very first case is apparent in a man named Charles Monet who suffers incredible symptoms such as puking up blood, red eyes etc. He ends up spreading the disease on while on a trip to the hospital by plane to get treated with high level medical attention. The doctor treating him, Dr Musoke, is the next to be effected by Ebola. Dr. Musoke uses surgical methods to try and solve the mystery of this virus. Instead, he ends up contracting the disease due to lack of knowledge of the contagiousness. Charles Monet, unfortunately dies but miraculously, Dr Musoke survives the deadly virus. Eventually, the virus breaks out in an entire town and the military institute try and keep it under control while researching the virus further. We are then brought inside the study of Ebola by following procedures of bio hazard researcher Nancy Jaax. Nancy, with the help of experimental monkeys, discovers the virus can be inhaled into the lungs and therefore is an airbourne virus. The basis of the virus is still a mystery so further research takes place. The effect it has on primates is increasing for the worse. The experimental monkeys are found dead by bleeding out with their brains completely liquified. After discovering the true horrors of the virus, researchers head up to the only known source, Kitum Cave. They do several tests on animals in the cave, looking for any sign of Ebola but strangle,y it's no where to be found.

The part in the book that first made me say "whoa" was when Charles Monet came down with the mysterious illness. The effects that were described were so shocking to me and not to mention disgusting. I had no idea there was any such virus that could do that to a human being. Although disgusting and sad, it was extremely interesting to read about and learn about the horrors that are actually living in our world.

__ References: __
__Picture:__ http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/health/page/3/

__ **Birth Control Pill** __


I'm sure everyone's seen of or heard of the show "16 and Pregnant". The show is about a bunch of 16 year old girls who weren't careful enough while engaging in sexual intercourse and the consequence was that they had a child. There are several ways this can be avoided including not having sex at all, but if that's not an option there are several forms of contraceptives. I'm going to focus on "the pill". I find a lot of people in high school use this mainly as a form of birth control. First off, what is "the pill". The birth control pill is a pill t

hat you take everyday around the same time for three weeks of the month. The fourth week you either do not take anything or you take placebos. The pill helps to prevent pregnancy and change the way the body works by use of hormones. So how do they work? Most of the pills contain hormones of estrogen and progesterone used to prevent ovulation eac

h month. The point of this is that a woman cannot get pregnant if she does not ovulate. Ovulation is when you release and egg when you're

on your period. If there is no egg to fertilize, there is no chance of getting pregnant. It also thickens the muscles around the cervix making it harder for the sperm to get through to the egg. Although the pill is quite effective, there is still a chance of getting pregnant even while using it so it's always better to be safe and use another form of contraceptive as well such as condoms or don't have sex at all.

__ References: __
__Info:__ Teen Health. (2011). Birth control. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/contraception/contraception_birth.html __Picture:__ http://medical-endeavors.blogspot.com/2011/02/birth-control-pill-deficiencies.html

__ My Opinion On Stem Cell R ____ esearch __
Stem cells are cells in the human body whose fate is yet to be determined. This means, they have potential to become almost any other cell type in the body. This includes cells that could be used to help diseases such as parkinsons, diabetes and so on. Many woman release more eggs then necessary when IVF takes place. These unused embryos are called embryonic stem cells. They too have the same potential as a normal stem cell. The unused eggs are usually thrown in the garbage so I don't see why we shouldn't use them instead to better our life for everyone. If one little embryo can save tons of life, I don't see the harm in risking one inhuman egg to do so. If we have the proper technology to improve upon human life, it needs to be done. In my personal opinion, it's just as important and effective as any other type of research. I strongly believe the laws of embryonic stem cell research should allow further research under a controlled environment. However, although I am all for using the embryos from IVF that will be discarded, I think it's only fair to have donor consent. Stem cell research could be a major break through in our society, save many people lives and better our understanding of how the human

body works, this is why I believe stem cell research is a brilliant idea.

__ References :__
__Picture:__ http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/appendixc.asp

__Post Traumatic Stress Disorder__
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is an anxiety disorder diagnosed when one goes through a difficult situation or predicament and not being able to move on. Usually it i

[[image:ptsd.jpg align="right"]]
s a very serious, very scary situation. For example, soldiers are often patients of PTSD because of all the death or comrades, and scares of war that it will effect them much after the fact. Although soldiers are a very valid example, they are not the only ones who can suffer from PTSD. Anyone, including children can. The cause usually has to do with death or serious injury upon oneself or another. After experiencing such a traumatizing event, patients often find it hard to go on living there everyday life as if nothing ever happened and get over it just like that. So how do you know if yor suffering from PTSD? Signs usually over within the first three months after trauma. Often times, patients of PTSD will relive the event over and over as if it's haunting them. It could be in the form of thoughts, visions, memories, dreams etc. Avoidance is another big sign. If you are avoiding talking about the subject or anything that has to do with it, it is likely you are suffering from it even if you claim otherwise. Some patients will resort to emotionally numbing the pain by distancing themselves from family and friends. Rarely, one will believe they are in the situation once again reliving it and act as if it is happening all over again. This could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Therapy and depression medications are often recommended by doctors to treat PTSD and it is a very treatable condition!

__References:__
__Info__: Canadian Mental Health Association. (2010). Post traumatic stress disorder. Retrieved from http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=3-94-97 __Picture__:http://ptsd-anxiety-depression-treatment.blogspot.com/2011/06/some-ptsd-statistics.html

__ Acne __
Let’s face it .. What I’m about to talk about is something nobody likes. That’s right, acne! We know that acne is usually in the form of a red unattractive bump on your face or sometimes even other body parts, but do we really know where it comes from and what causes it? Let’s start by stating the obvious, acne is of course a skin where bumps of different sizes appear on your skin. There are many different types of acne such as blackheads, whiteheads, red bumps and bumps filled with pus. So what is the cause of these dreaded bumps? Well, your skin has tiny holes all over it that are called hair follicles, more commonly known as pores. These pores are filled with an oil gland called sebaceous glands that make an oil that is used to moisturize things like your hair and skin. If a pore makes too much of this oil, it will clog up the pore and other things like bacteria and dead skin cells can get caught in it and irritate the pore causing the acne. If the pore gets so clogged up that it closes, that’s when a whitehead will be formed but if it gets clogged up and stay open, that’s usually when a blackhead occurs. Sometimes when the walls of the pore break down and tons of bacteria and things enter it, you are left with a small red painful bump called a pinple. If your acne opens up very deeply in the pore, it can lead to a much great infection called a cyst.

__ References: __
__Information:__ Hyde, P. (2008). Acne. Retrieved from [] __Picture:__ http://www.ebodytreatments.com/blackhead-causes-and-treatment/

__ SARS __
SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory infection. Basically what it is, is severe form of pneumonia that infects the lungs. SARS came form a sort of coronavirus which has never before been found in humans. A coronavirus is a virus that develops mainly in the upper respiratory. In order to contract the infection, close contact with an affected person is mandatory. Aerosolized droplets and bodily secretions included. The amount needed for the virus to jump from one person to another is undetermined, therefore it was wise to stay away from any one who was contaminated. The SARS epidemic happened when the first case was found in November of 2002. It ended up killing about 800 people worldwide.Throughout the whole epidemic a total of 8098 contracted the disease globally and of this total, 774 died. The epidemic mainly affected Toronto, Germany, China, Singapore and Vietnam, but at large numbers.


 * Symptoms of SARS:**
 * High fevers
 * Shortness of breathe
 * Headaches
 * Dry cough
 * Confusion
 * Rash
 * Diarrhea

Luckily, in July of 2003, it was declared that SARS was no longer going to be a major problem in the world although there are still a few cases around today. Below is a video from when SARS was just starting to become a problem and they weren't entirely sure what they were dealing with yet.

media type="youtube" key="noJCey4yyLc" width="425" height="350" align="center"

__ References: __
__ Information: __ ASEAN Secretariat. (2003). What is sars?. Retrieved from http://www.aseansec.org/what_sars.htm __Information:__ CBC News Online. (2004). Severe acute respiratory syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sars/ __Information:__ Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Frequently asked questions about sars. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/faq.htm __Information__: WHO. (2003). Affected areas. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/csr/sarsareas/2003_03_31/en/index.html __Video__: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noJCey4yyLc&feature=related

[[image:all.jpg align="left"]]
Tons of people around the word have an allergy to something, but have you ever wondered how that allergy develops? An allergy is simply when your immune system believes a completely unharmful thing to most people is harmful to your body. So, all of the side affects to get from an allergy would be your body's way of attempting to protect your itself from any harm. The body will release a chemical called histamine which will affect you lungs, throat, eyes, nose etc causing the symptoms. The symptoms can be very minor such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing etc. to very severe like not being able to breath, and sometimes even death. So how does this happen, how do you get an allergy in the first place? Well, allergies among tons of other things are often genetics. This does not mean you will have the same allergy as your parents, but you will develop the tendency to have an allergy. Some of the most commonly developed allergies include food, insect bites or stings, airbourne particles, medicines, and chemicals. Though these are the most common, they are not the only ones and I think it's safe to say that a person could be allergic to almost anything.

__ References: __
__Information__: Giemeier, W. J. (2009). Allergies. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/allergies_immune/allergies.html __Picture:__ http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/bee-pollen-cures-allergies.php

__ Bi-Polar Disorder __
Scientists have determined there is no one cause for this disorder and that there a number of variables that could affect a person. Genetics is a huge one. If someone in your family has or experienced bi-polar disorder, this will increase the chances of you bring affected by four to six times. Scientists are using functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to take live pictures of the brain and study them for certain patterns and functions in order to learn more and more about bi-polar. You may be wondering, how do you know if you have bi-polar disorder? The first thing you must do is talk to your doctor. If your doctor believes you could be at risk they will probably suggest a physical examination, an interview and lab tests.They will also refer you to a psychiatrist which really has the final say in diagnosing one with bi-polar. Once you have been diagnosed with the disorder, you must work on getting control of your mood swings as there is no known cure for bi-polar. This is usually in the form of mood stabilizing medications which will help keep your drastic mood changes under control but the patient has to WANT to get better. Sadly, a lot of bi-polar patients do not believe they have a problem and refuse to do anything to help themselves because they do not see it as a problem. Bi-polar is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not something you can help but it is a very serious condition that should be treated right away.

__ References: __
__Information:__ The National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). Bi-polar disorder. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-index.shtml __Picture:__ http://bsure.hubpages.com/hub/Bipolar-Disorder-Signs-Symptoms-and-Treatment

[[image:Addicted.gif align="right"]]
When someone says the word addiction, people usually think drugs but the truth of the matter is the body can become addicted to almost anything. There are two types, chemical addiction which is directly related to drugs and other harmful chemical s we put into our bodies. There is also process addiction which is just about anything else ranging from shopping, exercise, sex, TV, foods etc. Recent research however has shown that all addictions are in fact chemical even if you are not putting a harmful chemical into your body. All feelings and ways we respond are created by chemicals in our body. People usually will take drugs because they m ake them feel better, feel good, or do better. People thrive on this good feeling and there body feels it needs the chemical reactions the drugs produce in order to feel normal. If all they do is make you feel good, then why is it a problem you may ask? Drugs seem to take over a persons life when they reach the addiction stage. It can be all they think about, and they are always thinking of ways to get more and getting very anxious when they cannot have their regular "fix" right away. As explained in the previous post with marijuana, this can cause them to push the ones they love away and make there main focus in life getting the drug they need to make them feel normal. As we all know drugs have several bad effects and even though it temporarily makes them feel good, this will only cause problems later on with each fix. Getting addicted to things like exercise and TV is the same idea. Instead of consuming an unhealthy chemical however and your body needing that chemical, your body is in need of the feeling or chemical reaction you get from whatever you may become addicted to and that can also take over your life the same way drugs can with many of the same affects of pushing away your loved ones and becoming the main focus of your life. Its very important to use as much self control as possible to assure that you do not become addicted to any one thing, however sometime it is often a genetic thing and there is not much you can do about that.

__ References: __
__Information__ :The Sanctuary. (2008). Addiction. Retrieved from http://www.thesanctuarylanecove.com/resources_addictions.php The National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2009). Drug abuse and addiction. Retrieved from http://drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/addiction.html __Photo__: Retrieved from http://drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/addiction.html

__ The Affects of Marijuana Use on the Brain __
The use of marijuana has become increasingly popular in teens aged thirteen to seventeen. The main ingredient in marijuana is called THC. THC stands for TetraHydroCannabinol. This can have great effects on your brain in several different ways. Memory loss is one. The drug will effect the nerve cells in the area of the brain that forms memorys therefore making it harder for the user to remember or recall events even if they have just recently taken place. You require short term memory in order to perform simple one or two step tasks so damaging it could be a potential problem. Also, marijuana can have a much larger affect on learning abilities and social skills, cause depressions and or anxiety and cause a loss of interest in school, work, relationships and daily activities. The question is, how? When one smokes the drug, they get a "high" which usually lasts for 2-4 hours. This is caused by a increase in production of serotonin. Serotonin is basically what produces the "high" your body feels when you smoke marijuana. Every time you feel up however, you will go down twice as much each and every time and this is what can lead to anxiety and depression. Sometimes, people can become dependent on the drug marijuana or abuse the drug.Though it is believed by many that it is not addictive and that may be true, but it is possible to get mentally addicted. This means you are always thinking about smoking it, and when you will smoke it next, always wanting to smoke it, do it highly often, are spending a good portion of your time finding ways of getting it or of getting money to get it or centering your life around it causing you to push the ones close to you away. Long term effects of constantly using marijuana can be severe. It can affect the brain in such a way that it is said to cause many future mental disorders such as schizophrenia, by attacking the brain nerves and causing them not to properly function and distort the way they work.

__ References: __
__Information:__ Buddy, T. (2010). How does marijuana affect the brain?. Retrieved from http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/f/mjp_faq17.htm __Photo__: Retrieved from http://www.marijuana-addict.com/2009/08/articles/marijuana-side-effects-when-to-stop-smoking-weed/

__ The Basics of Genetics __
All living organisms are made of cells. The cells we are made up of contain something called DNA which stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. The DNA ties together to form what we call chromosomes and humans should have 46 chromosomes each, 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. Genes are the part of the DNA that determines things such as how tall you are, your hair color, your eye color and other characteristics. These genes are passed down from both your mother and your father therefore, making it so you have two of every gene. Some of your characteristics will come from just a single gene while some will be from a bunch of genes grouped together to form the characteristic. Genes are constantly giving orders and determining what color your eyes should be, what color your hair should be etc. There are two different types of genes and these are dominant genes and recessive genes. The more overruling of the two of course is dominant genes. What this means is that if the human has only one chromosome with a certain gene but it is considered a dominant gene then they will more then likely end up with this characteristic. For example, brown eyes are a dominant gene. If only one parent has brown eyes then this means you most likely will receive the brown eyed gene and have brown eyes as well. A recessive gene is when you need two of the same gene in order for the characteristic to become possible. An example of a recessive gene would be blue eyes. If you only receive one chromosome containing the blue eyed gene, it's possible for you to have a different color of eyes then your parents, but if you have parents who both have blue eyes, you too will have blue eyes. Genes are the basis for how you get your identity. Your surroundings and environment of course play a huge part as well, but a lot of your traits and characteristics will come mainly from genetics.

__ References: __
__Information__: Bartoshesky, L. (2009). The basics on genes and gentic disorders. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/health_basics/genes_genetic_disorders.html#a_Changing_Genes __Photo__: http://asimo-tech.blogspot.com/2011/09/gene.html