Knock Out to Understand Human Diseases – Part 1 – Science 14

Knockout is a technique to in-activate specific genes in human body. The technique is part of biotechnology.

Image 1- Procedure to produce gene knockout animal

(Source: Hansson, 2007)

This technology has been used to modify living organisms in order to improve human welfare since long time ago, may be dated back to ancient time about 5000 B.C.E.

Inactivated specific genes is the biochemical and pathological basis that might be used to understand human diseases.

For these purposes the scientists produced a knockout mouse.

Image 2- Red tulip, just illustration

National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH (2015: Knockout Mice) informed that human share many genes with mice.

Image 3- Green at neighborhood, illustration only

Thus, observing knockout mice gives information that can be used to better understand how a similar gene may cause or contribute to disease in humans.

Image 4- Looking cute, just illustration

So far, knockout mice have been used to understand many diseases, including: - cancer

- obesity and diabetes
- heart disease
- arthritis
- substance abuse
- anxiety
- aging and Parkinson disease.

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- What are Health Benefit of Eating Mango? - Part 1 – Health Life 19
- Colorful Flowers in the Spring – Nature 21
- Parks for Dogs in My City Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Part 2
- In what chromosomes are the gene mutation related to Alzheimer's Disease? - Part 1 - Alzheimer's 5

Giant Hibiscus Flowers are Found in Walking Trails – Nature 26

We are in the second week of June. Slowly the temperature is getting higher and hotter, so we decide to take morning walk a little early.

We left home about 7.00 am this morning.

Image 1- Red of a giant Hibiscus flower

The sky was clear, but some part of walking trails a little bit wet, so we walked around the roses garden.

There were beautiful giant flowers welcomes us in the corner of walking trails. Their colors are so attractive in:

- red
- pink
- white
- orange and yellow

Image 2- Contracted flower

Image 3- Rotten flower buds

Image 4- Giant Hibiscus flowers

When we walked closer to the flowers, I can see the petals of flowers are so big.

The tree is small and not that high, but the size of flowers is fantastic. Diameter of a flower can reach 10 to 12 inches (25 to 31 cm). I think the flowers are quite big (giant) compared to “normal” Hibiscus ones.

I believe they are hibiscus family with very big flowers, so call them the giant hibiscus.

From Google, some sites called them Hibiscus evening rose.

What do you think about those flowers?

# Previous postings:

- Blueberry is One of Fruits Rich in Antioxidants – Food 13
- Parks for Dogs in My City Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Part 1
- Can Alzheimer's Disease be Passing Down from Parent to Child? - Part 2 - Alzheimer's 4.
- Crowned Heron Crawfishing Near Our Neighborhood – Part 1 – Nature 20

Could Avocado Reduce Metabolic Syndrome? - Part 1 – Healthy Life 21

The Metabolic Syndrome is also known as syndrome that relate to insulin resistance. Then may causes to health problems (NIH, 2022: What Is Metabolic Syndrome?) 

Image 1- Five avocados on the plate

The combine conditions that believe to responsible for “Metabolic Syndrome” such as:

- increasing blood pressure
- high blood sugar
- excess body fat around the waist
- and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels

These combination conditions may lead to increase risk of many diseases.

Image 2- Walking path, just illustration

Image 3- Avocado, sold at local grocery, Walmart

The following diseases which are relating to metabolic syndrome, include:

- heart disease and stroke
- type 2 diabetes

Studies indicated that avocado could reduce metabolic syndromes. One of studies was reported by Jamshiod Tabeshpour et al at Phytotherapy Research in 2017.

Avocado contains two types of fats to boost metabolism, they are:

- monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- Attractive Yellow Flowers at the Corner – Part 2 – Nature 19
- When the Georgian Chicken Came to My Kitchen – Part 2 – Food 12
- Can Alzheimer's Disease be Passing Down from Parent to Child? - Part 1 - Alzheimer's 4
- A Bird on the Exit Sign in the Library – Part 2

The Mutant Genes in the Early Onset Familial Alzheimer's – Part 2 - Alzheimer's 6

You may read the previous postings (Part 1):

- The Rainbow Before Evening : The Mutant Genes in the Early Onset Familial Alzheimer's – Part 1 - Alzheimer's 6

Image 1- Meme from Google, just for fun

The mutant genes in another autosomal dominant forms of Alzheimer's disease were in:

- chromosome 1
- and chromosome 14.

This mutations lead to abnormal Presenilin 1 and Presenilin 2, which modified amyloid precursor protein so that increase amount of toxic form of Aß peptide.

Presenilins are kind of catalytic protease complexes that directly cleave the amyloid precursor protein.

Image 2- Handmade jar, illustration

Image 3- Here, my fav lady who always make me smile (credit to Google)

A person who carrying Presenilin mutation shown an alteration different of variant of amyloid beta peptides in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Mutation of presenil 1 and presenil 2 modify processing of amyloid precursor protein the increasingly of particular toxic form of Aß peptide.

This mutation suspects a heritable form of Alzheimer's disease.

So, the signs of mutant genes that lead to early onset Alzheimer's disease is prominent amyloid deposit in the brain.

The abnormal process of amyloid precursor protein lead to what is called as: extracellular deposit.

The amyloid deposit is characteristic fibrils of amyloid beta peptide.

# Previous postings:

- When the Georgian Chicken Came to My Kitchen – Part 1 – Food 12
- May Smartphones Lead You Older Quickly? - Part 2 – Health Life 18
- A Bird on the Exit Sign in the Library – Part 1

Why Passion Flowers could Attract Butterfly? – Science 13

My neighbors call this flower “the last suffer,” and interestingly, its has many alternate names.

Image 1- Blooming of Passion flower.

Other common names, sure, depend very much on areas or regions, just few of them are:

- Holy-Trinity flower
- apricot vine
- maracock,
- white sarsaparilla
- molly-pop
- old field apricot
- granadilla

Image 2- Home décor, butterfly

Then, question: Why Passion Flowers could Attract Butterfly?

Image 3- Sunflower, just for illustration

The simple answer that it is because the plants could provide “specific” foods and fragrance to attract butterfly

Image 4- Walking path, illustration

In addition to butterflies, other critters that love to visit exotic purple passion flowers are:

- hummingbirds (the smallest bird in the USA)
- many other pollinators.

Image 5- Passion Flowers in the garden

Moreover, as reported by University of Florida (2012: Native Passionflower Vine Shares Special Relationship with Two Florida Butterfly Species) that at least two butterflies species depend on the flowers.

The butterfly are common, and easily observed in many places of the state of Florida, they are:

- the Zebra Longwing
- the Gulf Fritillary

Have you seen purple passion flowers?

Do you love it?

# Previous postings:

- Lord of the Ducks in the Garden – Part 2 – Nature 18
- May Smartphones Lead You Older Quickly? - Part 1 – Health Life 18
- How did Alzheimer find out the change in his patient's brain? - Part 2 - Alzheimer's 3
- Attractive Yellow Flowers at the Corner – Part 1 – Nature 19

Why are We Getting Obese Nowadays? - Part 2 – Healthy Life 20

You may read the previous posting (Part 1):

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Why are We Getting Obese Nowadays? - Part 1 – Healthy Life 20

Image 1- Sweet cookies sold in the market

Some experts suggested the following possible reasons (needed to be studied furthermore):

1) Due to life style or behaviors or habits

- Life style such as infant with less or without breast-fed are obese more than infants with breast-fed more than 3 months

- Increasing of drug using especially prescription drugs which in fact relate to obesity.

Image 2- Walking path in neighborhood, illustration only

Image 3- A cute cat, illustration

2) Due to environmental changes

- Changing of our microorganisms in our intestines. It is believed the current type of gut microorganisms are relate to weight gain.

- We probably expose to more chemical environments such as food processing and pesticides. These lead to disturbing of hormonal work in the body, then to cause obesity.

Should we back to old days?

What do you think?

# Previous postings:

- Lord of the Ducks in the Garden – Part 1 – Nature 18
- Corned Beef Harsh - The Popular Breakfast in Louisiana – Part 2 – Food 11
- How did Alzheimer find out the change in his patient's brain? - Part 1 - Alzheimer's 3
- Biscotti and “The Blissful Feast” by Teresa Lust – Part 2 – Reading 9

Purple Bell Peppers in the Farmer Market – Food 14

We visit nearby farmer market couple days ago. It was quite surprisingly, we saw first time the purple bell peppers.

You may see the photos that we took.

Image 1- Purple Bell Peppers

These purple peppers have the same shapes compared to other color of bell peppers like:

- green
- red
- or yellow peppers

Actually, the bell peppers not really “solid” purple, but kind of “stripes” purple.

Image 2- Three Purple Bell Peppers

Searching through internet, we found many source, one of them reported by Goldy, R (2012: Green bell pepper showing purple striping due to cool temperatures in September).

Image 3- Cutting one half of peppers

Two possibility cause of purple bell peppers:

- if temperature too hot, immature bell pepper to be purple (stripes or half purple)
- if temperature too cold, green bell pepper will develop stripes purple.

We thought, in case in Louisiana, the temperature quite hot nowadays, about F 88* (C 31*) degree. Hence, the bell pepper tends to be stripes or half purple.

The difference with other bell pepper is that the white color dominates the inside part of the peppers and the texture of its flesh.

The purple is not covering all the fruit of peppers, it is just one half of the fruits (just stripes), so the peppers are look cute in this half purple.

# Previous postings:

- The Early Person who Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Diseases - Part 2 – Alzheimer's 2
- Corned Beef Harsh - The Popular Breakfast in Louisiana – Part 1 – Food 11
- Reducing Number of Amazon River Pink Dolphin? - Part 2 – Nature 17
- Biscotti and “The Blissful Feast” by Teresa Lust – Part 1 – Reading 9