Daily Archives: February 7, 2016

The One Eye Want

Sabrina Shah

Boyd

ENGL-105i

4 February 2016

Dear Ms. Boyd

According to your agency’s website, you are actively seeking an article regarding new scientific technology so I’m pleased to introduce my article “The One Eye Want”.

Do you yourself have dark brown eyes? Have you ever wished to have vibrant-colored irises? Have you ever invested in colored contacts? Imagine being able to have the bright blue colored lenses you’ve always wanted, permanently.

The idea of cosmetic eye color alteration procedures that were once only seen in sci-fi films and novels is now a reality. With the latest technology, labs in California and India are permanently changing people’s eye color with great rates of success and ease. My article is an informative piece regarding the new eye color alteration surgeries; it goes on to give in-depth descriptions of two different procedures in eye color-changing technology, the tests and trials that have been recorded for both surgeries, and real world implications of the procedure to everyday people.

The article will include a brief narrative of how scientists initially became interested in eye color alteration. The discovery of the ability to change one’s eye color was found when a glaucoma patient was undergoing experimental treatments. After scientists and doctors used a laser in hopes of curing the man’s glaucoma, they discovered his eyes changing in hue to a bright blue color— an unexpected side effect. Upon the realization that the eye color change did no damage to the man’s iris, and resulted in an aesthetic change, scientist started research and development to create a similar surgery to use for cosmetic purposes.

Under every brown eye is a blue eye. This is the basis of the idea a Californian lab developed its own technique on to attempt cosmetic eye color change.  They have created a non-invasive laser method that is pointed at a specific spot in the iris, the “sweet spot”, that causes gradual pigmented tissue degeneration over the course of a few weeks that eventually reveals the blue hue that is present under every brown eye. This operation has occurred so far in California and clinical trials have been done on 20 individuals in one eye each to see the success rates and possible long term side effects. So far the operation has yielded great success and no issues have come up however, one known flaw is that the procedure only works to turn brown eyes blue, and the blue hue varies in shade depending on the individual’s own base blue eye pigment.

A second technique in its trial stages is a permanent implantation of a colored lens over the iris. This has so far only had one trial performed on a New Zealand woman; the surgery took place in a lab in India. No negative side affects have been noted by the participant thus far, and the surgery was successful in altering her brown eyes to her desired shade of bright teal blue. This surgery, unlike the previously mentioned one, can change any person with any eye color to any other desired color.

The implications of these two surgeries are monumental. They can be used for people who are afflicted with genetic diseases such as albinism, birth defects, and people who lack color in their irises, for medical purposes. They can also be used on people who just do not like their dark eyes and want an everlasting eye color change. Imagine plastic surgery/body modification for the eye balls.

If you and your audience would be interested in learning even more about the exciting future of eye color alteration surgery I hope you will consider featuring “The One Eye Want” in your magazine.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sabrina Shah

3D printing Query Letter

TaVon Cates

Sarah Boyd

English 105i

 

The Next Big Thing in Medicine: 3D Printing.

Dear Sarah Boyd,

My name is TaVon Cates and I am a biology major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am doing research on a relatively new scientific innovation that I am sure your readers would love to hear about. I know that your brand is always looking for the next big thing, so no need to look any further because 3D printing to save lives is it. Many know that 3D printing has been around for years, now they’re bringing an old invention and putting it into new uses. 3D printing can be thought of like printing in layers to build a 3D object.

World renowned doctors are everyday understanding more and more about a newly found technology in the medical world that will save many lives. 3D printing in the use of transplants in the operating room. There have been many advancements in this field, especially within the last 2-3 years. There have already been a number of life-saving procedures done thanks to this technology. Many lives have been changed and many people grateful to be alive and performing everyday functions due to 3D Printing.

3D printing have helped create artificial bone structures such as a pelvis for a man who lost over half of his in his battle with cancer. 3D printing helped this man to walk again, something that the majority of people take for granted. A number of other structures have been created thanks to 3D printing such as kidneys, thyroids, stomach structures, and a number of other organs. Although there are still studies going on with this procedure, things seem promising for the future of the medical field and 3D printing.

This new technology is sure to change lives, much like the ones mentioned above. And it will continue to change lives over the years as the technology becomes more and more advanced. Soon, I’m sure with the technology, 3D printed hearts will be able to fully function and operate efficiently. 3D printed models of hearts have already been made with great precision in replicating an actual human heart. It is just a matter of time before we are able to implant a 3D model of just about any structure in the body.

As you can tell, 3D printing is the next big thing in medical technology. It is a subject that is being researched worldwide. There have already been successful organ transplants with 3D organs into live animals. The next step is full implants into humans, so the world should be hearing about this in the near future. Things to look forward in the actual article will be more specifics such as case studies on mice and the transplants they were able to do with them. A heartwarming article about how 3D printing help save a toddler’s life and many more ways 3D printing is going to change the world. Thank you for your time in reviewing my topic.

Sincerely,

TaVon R. Cates

“Double the Meat, Double the Trouble?”

Maddie Parker
515 Hinton James Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
madspar@live.unc.edu

February 6th, 2016

Dear Ms. Sarah Boyd,

My name is Maddie Parker and I am a first-year student at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I am currently a chemistry BS major. I am seeking representation for my article, “Double the Meat, Double the Trouble?,” to be published in your distinguished article, Science. The article explores multiple research studies as well as background information on cloned agricultural meat, such as cows. It aims to answer consumer questions of the science behind cloning as the well as the safety of consumption. I believe “Double the Meat, Double the Trouble?” would be an excellent addition to your journal.

Dolly is a classic American name that holds with it the prestige of a first lady and the persona of a country signer. The less heard of Dolly, however, is the name of the world’s most famous sheep. In 1997, she was the first mammal to be cloned successfully. Although the first mammal to be cloned was around two decades ago, the technology is still relatively new and scientists are continuously researching new techniques of cloning. Due to the lack of general knowledge, there have been concerns raised about the safety of consuming cloned agriculture. The uneasiness sprouts from scientists and consumers, alike. These anxieties, for now however, can be put to rest. Multiple studies testing the composition of cloned animals versus naturally mating animals found no significant difference that could lead to severe health effects.

The first type of cloning used, such as in mammals like Dolly, is somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) which is when the cell nucleus from an adult cell is transferred into an unfertilized oocyte (developing egg cell) that has had its cell nucleus removed. The hybrid cell is then stimulated to divide by an electric shock, and when it develops into a blastocyst (early cell of embryo) and it is implanted in a surrogate mother. The more recently discovered type is embryonic cell nuclear transfer (ECNT). The methods are very similar, however, SCNT comes from adult cells where as ECNT is from embryos. While these two methods have been successful, researchers still face issues with the efficiency of cloning and as well as the health of the cloned animals. Although scientists are still struggling with the development process, sufficient research has shown the cloned animals are not harmful for human consumption.

For the rest of the article, I will elaborate on the research done on the effects of consuming cloned animals. The first study comes from the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), which is a part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It investigates the cloned meat in comparison to naturally mating meat. In another study, they tested the effects of cloned meat on Warstar Rats. For both experiments, they test the composition of the animals (specifically cows) including the milk, meat, and blood. Both experiments conclude to say that cloned meat has the same effects as consuming naturally mating meat. Next, I will discuss the FDA’s decision regarding regulation of cloned meat in commercial agriculture. In correspondence with the FDA’s regulations, I will discuss the views of consumers on eating cloned meat. I have a research study conducted in Japan that asked the views of eating cloned meat before and after learning about the process and the minimal health risks. It was found that there is still a large resistance to eating cloned meat. After summarizing the main facts, I will discuss a call for action to further investigate the health effects and the techniques of cloning to be done before the meat is distributed into commercial agriculture.

Thank you for your time and I hope you consider this article for your journal, Science.

Sincerely,

Maddie Parker

Natto Query Letter

Sonya Chung
495 Paul Hardin Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
schung14@email.unc.edu
February 7, 2016

Dear Ms. Sarah Boyd,

I am currently a student, very interested in food and nutrition, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recently, I have been writing an article about a relatively unknown yet very nutritious food, natto, and would love for my article to be a part of your distinguished journal.

Two East-Asian countries, Korea and Japan, have entered an aging era, and the number of seniors (aged above 65 years) has been rising dramatically. According to the UN, it only took Japan 24 years and will only take Korea 18 years for their senior populations to double, while it took France 115 years and America 71 years. As Korea and Japan are rapidly becoming “super-aged” societies, researchers have been investigating the people’s diet and found that various forms of fermented soybeans are often consumed with rice. “Sticky, Stinky Natto Stretches Lifespan” will delve into natto’s biological and nutritional benefits that may potentially lead to longevity.

Natto, covered in white mucous sap, is a Japanese traditional fermented soybean product that has a soft texture and an unpleasant wet-sock-like smell (to be extreme); Korea’s cheong-gook-jang is basically the same product with different names. But because more information is available with the name “natto”, the article will be referring to natto more than cheonggookjang. Natto contains high contents of fiber, various vitamins, minerals, and isoflavone, which is to be discussed later in the article more thoroughly.

Once soybeans are soaked in water, boiled, and fermented, sensory characteristics of natto are improved, undesirable contents are eliminated, and some nutritional properties are enhanced. Natto is very unusual in that, just as the sensory properties change, soy proteins, biological inhibitors, and bacterial enzymes break into easily digestible compounds when fermented. This decomposition allows more nutrients to be absorbed by the body, whereas unfermented soybeans do not grant as much absorption. Moreover, the fermenting process actually increases the total amount of protein, and findings say that this phenomenon is due to the increase of microorganisms, the synthesis of enzymes, and the rearrangements of pre-existing compositions.

The high levels of vitamin K and isoflavone, specifically, account for natto’s standing as a functional food and dietary supplement. Natto contains hundreds times as much vitamin K, a producer of protein and bones, than other foods. Ikeda’s report (2006) on the association of eating natto and bone mineral density (BMD) on 944 healthy Japanese women will be cited in the article; this research depicts the positive relationship between daily natto intake and BMD. Isoflavone, on the other hand, acts as a blood clot preventer, a blood clot dissolver, and a substitute for female hormone; isoflavone, in addition to reducing DNA damage, further prevents the activities of low-density lipoprotein (also known as the “bad” cholesterol) and free radicals (molecules responsible for aging and cell damage). Furthermore, following a concise explanation of what oxidation is will be the discussion of the antioxidative activities of natto and their effects on health.

Since food of such high-nutrition only has a very short shelf-life due to the secretion of ammonia, a hazardous compound, after time, food companies have been continuously attempting to change the form of natto into dry powder; this way, natto will sell as more acceptable and accessible, especially as the unpleasant odor is reduced when dried. Even though the direct impact of natto on lengthening one’s lifespan may not be crystal-clear, the overall nutritional content may lead to a healthier diet and body over time.

I hope this gives you a taste of what my article will be like. It would be a great honor to share this article with the million readers of your journal.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Sonya Chung