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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
It all starts with an explosion. Imaging tech's latest advancement involves nanodiamond particles created from a shockwave's pressure and temperature. Scientists are finding ways to put these tiny formations to use as sensors inside cells. Listen to Dr. Takuya Segawa describe this exciting new step in particles physics and learn
Dr. Takuya F. Segawa is the Branco Weiss Fellow of the Society in Science in the ETH Zurich Laboratory for Solid State Physics. He is charged with finding better ways to investigate biomolecules inside cells. This led him to connect with a group in Japan that works with nanodiamonds. Why do scientists need a different way into cells? Dr. Segawa answers with a cogent explanation of the limits of magnetic resonance spectroscopy physics and how MRI machines work. The gist is that they lack sensitivity to give scientists the best information. He explains that this new nanodiamond won't necessarily replace clinical MRI diagnostics, but it has tremendous potential to make a difference in lab work.
Here's how it works: about 25 years ago, a German scientist discovered that a crystal structure with a specific defect, a missing carbon atom, causes an electron spin and produces fluorescent light. Further study showed that manipulating the spin enables different light frequency emissions and leads to a fine-tuned sensitivity. Scientists then put this same defect in a nanodiamond, enabling a nanoparticle that can be used like an MRI system but with increased sensitivity. In addition, the magnetic resonance signal changes if it's met with a magnetic field. Therefore, two signals can split and provide information on temperature and position by using the orientation of this magnetic field in relation to the nanodiamond. He explains how scientists might use this amazing technique in lab work and how close the industry is to gaining larger production needs. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Life or death is a false dichotomy—at least when it comes to viruses. Robert Siegel posits that viruses exist somewhere on the hazy border between things that are and aren't alive. He sums it up uniquely in a short stanza:
"A virus has a structure giving it properties that lie between Inanimate and truly living Less than cell, but more than gene."
Press play to discover:
Siegel is a professor in the Stanford University Microbiology and Immunology Department, and has an extensive background as a teacher and researcher. He entered the field of virology and biological studies during an exciting time, just after viruses were sequenced. Since 1981, he's been teaching a course on human viruses, which makes him a great resource for Richard Jacobs's book on viruses. The many topics explored include the three primary ways of defining life (plus a bonus definition), why the incubation period differs from virus to virus, for what reason viruses might use quorum sensing or coordinate action, treatments that are aimed at viral proteins, such as those of hepatitis C, viruses as therapeutics and tools for diagnosis, and more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Phyllis Zee has studied circadian rhythm sleep disorders and symptoms for decades and shares key findings in this podcast. Listen and learn your way to better circadian habits. She explains
Phyllis C. Zee is the Chief of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Neurology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. This podcast offers listeners an enlightening conversation about how our circadian clocks work and what happens when they don't. She is able to combine years of research with practical advice for listeners to address sleep issues. She explains that our circadian rhythms and sleep-wake schedules set the stage for all our other timing; therefore, disorders like sleep apnea or restless legs at night might fall under these larger issues.
She hits at the heart of sleep issues for many listeners: whether you are a night owl or morning lark, as long as you are able to keep to your ideal cycle, you might be ok; but problems arise when work and society dictate different hours. Therefore, your internal clock timing needs to be aligned with your social, physical, and work activities. She also addresses disorders outside of this tension such as the non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder. These patients have an intrinsic rhythm that is 26 or 27 hours, so they will drift an hour every day and have no predictability for their sleep habits. She gives advice on how we can align our rhythm, from making sure we are exposed to daylight first thing in the morning to not eating within a few hours of bedtime. For similar suggestions and other glimpses into the mystery of sleep, listen in and enjoy.
For more about her work, see the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine website. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Coral reefs struggle with the herpes virus just like we do. In fact, this virus runs all through the animal tree of life. How has it managed to become so successful? By effectively hiding from immune systems. Press play to explore the following:
Forest Rohwer is a microbial ecologist and professor of biology at San Diego State University who focuses primarily on two ecosystems: coral reefs, and the human body. He says that the former is a good analog of the latter, especially human mucosal surfaces. The ecology of cystic fibrosis, SARS-CoV-2 in the environment, and coral reef restoration are three areas of active research for Rohwer. With experience in a wide range of topics and research projects in biology, he contributes his knowledge and opinions on a series of compelling questions about viruses.
He explains the difference between viral and cellular replication, what governs when and why a virus will re-enter the lytic phase after a latency period and how this is associated with the health state of the host, whether viruses can be considered a quasi-species in their coordination to enter and infect cells, and so much more.
Visit https://coralandphage.org/ to learn more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Paul Turner gives listeners a gift in this podcast with his clear yet complex exploration of viruses and immune system interactions. As he addresses Richard's questions in this continuation of Finding Genius's virus series, he allows for speculation yet also provides what evidence tells scientists. This perfect combination makes for an entertaining and enriching conversation. Listeners will hear
Paul Turner is the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the Yale School of Medicine. He specializes in how viruses evolutionarily adapt as infectious diseases and also focuses on the potential of phage therapy as one of several public health intervention strategies. As he answers Richard's questions, listeners are in for a treat as his professorial skill at explaining combines with his own enthusiasm for the mechanisms viruses engage. He offers interesting examples to illustrate every answer, such as a bacteriophage that acts more like an animal virus with an envelope that fuses to a bacterial cell as its pili contract.
As he addresses the question of viruses working together, he describes the ability of viral mechanisms to overwhelm the system; while a division of labor in viruses would be impressive, their capacity to overwhelm may be derived more from their variety and survival mechanisms. While division of labor is a part of cellular evolution, he says, and that's why multi cellularity is successful, do you viruses need that capability to be successful? He comments that we tend to valuate success as humans in limited ways and viruses are one of the most successful things on the planet. He also discusses his belief that viruses are alive, why long-term latency works in a virus like HIV, and the mechanism in viral spread that resets the configuration, constraining mutations between organisms more than we think. Listen in for many more examples of the vast viral world.
For more about his work, see his website: medicine.yale.edu/profile/paul_turner. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Scarlet Ravin tells listeners a fascinating story that changed her views of evolution, growth and change, an experience that began after she took a substance called psilocybin derived from psychedelic mushrooms. This dramatic psilocybin experience inspired her to spread the word of love and how psilocybin can help achieve these higher consciousness benefits. Listeners will hear
Scarlet Ravin is an author and founder of White Fox Medicinals, a company that uses tinctures and other substances to address higher level consciousness psychology. She brings her story to listeners and tells where she's headed next to achieve the goals from her trip that brought her in communication with the spirit of psilocybin. She explains that while we humans normally see three-dimensional objects as hard, everything is actually radiating energy. All living beings have spirit beings. She says that psilocybin expands our consciousness, and she shows how by describing her wild experience in which the spirt expanded her own consciousness and directed her on to next steps.
Essential to her vision is to get this mind-expanding solution to mainstream people—to people outside of the community that already accepts these psychedelic experiences. She also talks about her book and says it's about love. She adds that love raises us above the three-dimensional realm of contrast, division, and waring forces that enable hate—in her vision she experienced the fifth dimension above these divisions. It says to choose love over war and hate; instead of thinking on levels of who's right and wrong, this dimension equals an emotionally mature state that is spiritually evolved. She was directed to write a book about this in her vision and to bring psilocybin to the mainstream. She is using her psilocybin chocolates, which don't have the substance in them so can be sold everywhere, to raise awareness of the substance.
For more, see the company's website: psilocybinchocolate.com. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Michael McDonnel knew he was different than the average person. But it was in learning how to navigate his own life around his cystic fibrosis treatment and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes that give him the upper hand in organizing and prioritizing healthy habits. Listeners will find inspiration for a healthier life from this podcast, learning
Michael McDonnell is a speaker, author, and entrepreneur. He was born with cystic fibrosis and eventually developed a diabetes similar to type 2 from the mucus that cystic fibrosis causes acting like fat. His physical struggles, however, pushed him to work harder and longer than his peers at sports and fitness goals. He explains that he needed to think differently than other people to find his place in the world, both physically and in terms of work. Eventually, he used his expertise on developing physical fitness to become a personal trainer. But he had a realization: You can help people get healthy and fit by telling them to eat and exercise better, but the rest of their week is out of the gym. Maybe there a daily factors working against these goals.
This realization along with his own hard-won lifestyle choices and skills sent him towards a lifestyle design profession. He studied and researched stress relief and organizational skills to help clients create time all week to be healthy. He now helps his clients put lifestyle design first so that health and fitness develops as a result. You can tell someone to eat better, he says, but their lifestyle needs to enable that. Therefore, he expanded his work into the self-improvement and self-development route, utilizing skills in prioritizing health and organizing one's day around fitness goals that he had been developing his whole life. He shares some great examples with listeners about ways he's helped others to reshape their daily life towards these goals. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
The connection between alcohol and gut health is established in scientific literature: alcohol is an inflammatory agent. But as researchers like Vincent Maffei work to improve the quality of life for HIV patients, every bit of information of how that inflammation develops makes a difference, especially in how alcohol and bowel problems connect. Listeners will learn
Vincent J. Maffei is with the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology at LSU. As a graduate student, he became involved in LSU's Comprehensive Alcohol Research Center (CARC) and studied how dysbiosis accompanies biological aging. He combined this with studying how alcohol affects the intestines, and now studies this specifically with HIV patients. More specifically, he works to find associations between alcohol use and advancing aging in HIV patients and their guts. He explains to listeners about several players in this complex mix of cause and effect: alcohol and gut health as well as alcohol and HIV patients. He establishes that any amount of alcohol can be harmful to someone suffering from HIV. Combine that with an already-established connection with alcohol and dysbiosis in the gut, and researchers are faced with a very real problem to solve for these patients.
He does a careful job explaining the background to listeners, bringing in other studies more general to alcohol use and explaining its effect on T-cell senescence, which basically means they lack the ability to copy themselves—limiting their ability to fight infection. Senescence is also a characteristic of biological aging. He explains that the administration of alcohol breaks down the gut barrier, allowing microbes to migrate from the lumen of gut into tissue, which causes inflammation. He also explains their worthy end goal: to identify some sort of microbiota intervention to relieve this component of inflammation in HIV patients, improving their life span and quality of life. Hopefully their findings will lead to more precise mechanisms that can be leveraged in therapeutic modality.
For more, see the CARC website: medschool.lsuhsc.edu/alcoholresearch. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Researcher and physician Yoshifumi Saisho is on a mission to change diabetes treatment in his country. His research on the physiology of type 2 diabetes in Japan versus the U.S.A. makes an exciting case for his argument. Listeners will be treated with an explanation of his model-shifting findings and learn
Yoshifumi Saisho is a researcher and physician with the Department of Internal Medicine at Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo. When he began his career, he decided he wanted to be a doctor that would treat the entire patient rather than just one part. He also was focused on preventative aspects of disease. These two motivators still dominate his work and he shares compelling evidence about diabetes manifestation that centers on beta cells. He says that pancreas tissue samples have shown that beta-cell mass is reduced by around 50 percent in patients with type 2 diabetes. Also significant, patients in Japan who develop type 2 diabetes are not as obese as American diabetics but both share this reduction in beta cells.
How does this happen and why does it matter? Well, it's our beta cells that make insulin. He explains his theory for why this lower beta-cell number happens. When we eat excess carbs, he says, beta cells release insulin to take care of it. Humans don't increase beta-cell numbers under excess sugar, so each beta cell works harder to release more insulin. Therefore, he thinks that these beta cells die off from exhaustion and overwork. Preservation of beta cells must be important and this is why he'd like to change how the Japanese view diabetes. Japanese treatment for diabetes views it as a glucose-centered problem but he argues that if health professionals shift to seeing it as a beta-cell disease, treatment and prevention will be more successful. He hopes to appeal to the concept of avoiding wastefulness. We need to apply conservation language to our physical body's resources as well, he adds, and utilize nutrition and fitness facts as tools for reducing beta-cell workload. In other words, beta cells are a limited and precious resource in our body.
For more about Yoshifumi Saisho's work, he suggests googling his name. Here are Yoshifumi Saisho's recent two papers and the website for ResearchGate for more information. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14656566.2020.1776262 https://www.emjreviews.com/diabetes/article/editors-pick-how-can-we-develop-more-effective-strategies-for-type-2-diabetes-mellitus-prevention-a-paradigm-shift-from-a-glucose-centric-to-a-beta-cell-centric-concept-of-diabetes/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yoshifumi_Saisho Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Sarah Hallberg was charged with setting up a clinic to treat obesity and researched her way into a remarkable finding: the low-fat emphasis engrained in medical school as preventative of obesity had no real backing in actual outcomes. This started her journey that led to type 2 diabetes treatments centered on a low-carb intervention. Listeners will hear about
Dr. Sarah Hallberg is the Medical Director at Virta Health; previously, she founded Indiana University Arnett's Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program and still serves as their Medical Director. Even before medical school, she focused on physiology, exercise, and nutrition and fitness facts. Her research into obesity before the clinic opened aligned with type 2 diabetes causes. She gives listeners an intriguing story about the dramatic effect the low-carb diet had on her patients at the Indiana University Clinic. In fact, the plan quickly morphed into a type 2 diabetes diet. Her work with the clinic and Virta Health on low-carb plans is reversing type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise in numerous patients.
Dr. Hallberg gives listeners a helpful picture of how this plan works as she defines what low carb means in her clinic. Generally, if under 25% of daily calories come from carbs, or if one consumes under 125 grams of carbs per day, it's considered a low-carb diet by professionals. But she utilizes an even lower number, with less than 10% of calories from carbs a day, or less than 50 grams per day. She's careful listeners understand that this is NOT a no-carb approach and some carbs are good providers of micro nutrients and such. A small amount of those carbs will come from dairy and the biggest amount comes from non-starchy vegetables and seeds. She gives an interesting description of the physiology for these interactions as well as how adding whole-food fats make a difference. Finally she describes how the Virta Health plan and application works. It's a direct-to-consumer product and provides users with frequent personalized contact with a health coach.
For more about the program, see virtahealth.com.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
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