Antibiotics - Discovery and Resistance

Antibiotics - Discovery and Resistance Antibiotics and antimicrobial agents are drugs or chemicals that are used to kill or hinder the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics specifically target bacteria for destruction while leaving other cells of the body unharmed. Under normal conditions, our immune system is capable of handling the germs that invade the body. Certain white blood cells known as lymphocytes protect the body against cancerous cells, pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites), and foreign matter. They produce antibodies which bind to a specific antigen (disease causing agent) and label the antigen for destruction by other white blood cells. When our immune system gets overwhelmed, antibiotics can be useful in assisting the bodys natural defenses in controlling bacterial infections. While antibiotics have proven to be powerful antibacterial agents, they are not effective against viruses. Viruses are not independent living organisms. They infect cells and rely on the hosts cellular machinery for viral replication. Antibiotics Discovery Penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered. Penicillin is derived from a substance produced from molds of the Penicillium fungi. Penicillin works by disrupting bacterial cell wall assembly processes and interfering with bacterial reproduction. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, but it wasnt until the 1940s that antibiotic use revolutionized medical care and substantially reduced death rates and illnesses from bacterial infections. Today, other penicillin-related antibiotics including ampicillin, amoxicillin,  methicillin, and flucloxacillin are used to treat a variety of infections. Antibiotic Resistance Antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more common. Due to the prevalent use of antibiotics, resistant strains of bacteria are becoming much more difficult to treat. Antibiotic resistance has been observed in bacteria such as E.coli and MRSA. These super bugs represent a threat to public health since they are resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. Health officials warn that antibiotics should not be used to treat common colds, most sore throats, or the flu because these infections are caused by viruses. When used unnecessarily, antibiotics can lead to the spread of resistant bacteria. Some strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. These common bacteria infect about 30 percent of all people. In some people, S. aureus is a part of the normal group of bacteria that inhabit the body and may be found in areas such as the skin and the nasal cavities. While some staph strains are harmless, others pose serious health problems including foodborne illness, skin infections, heart disease, and meningitis. S. aureus bacteria favor the iron which is contained within the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin found within red blood cells. S. aureus bacteria break open blood cells to obtain the iron within the cells. Changes within some strains of S. aureus have helped them to survive antibiotic treatments. Current antibiotics work by disrupting so-called cell viability processes. Disruption of cell membrane assembly processes or DNA translation are common modes of operation for current generation antibiotics. To combat this, S. aureus have devel oped a single gene mutation that alters the organisms cell wall. This enables them to prevent breaches of the cell wall by antibiotic substances. Other antibiotic resistant bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, produce a protein called MurM. This protein counteracts the effects of antibiotics by helping to rebuild the bacterial cell wall. Fighting Antibiotic Resistance Scientists are taking various approaches to deal with the issue of antibiotic resistance. One method focuses on interrupting the cellular processes involved in the sharing of genes among bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. These bacteria share resistant genes among themselves and can even bind to DNA in their environment and transport the DNA across the bacterial cell membrane. The new DNA containing the resistant genes is then incorporated into the bacterial cells DNA. Using antibiotics to treat this type of infection can actually induce this transfer of genes. Researchers are focusing on ways to block certain bacterial proteins to prevent the transfer of genes between bacteria. Another approach to fighting antibiotic resistance actually focuses on keeping the bacteria alive. Instead of trying to kill the resistant bacteria, scientists are looking to disarm them and make them incapable of causing infection. The intent of this approach is to keep the bacteria alive, but harmle ss. It is thought that this will help prevent the development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. As scientists better understand how bacteria gain resistance to antibiotics, improved methods for treating antibiotic resistance can be developed. Learn more about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance: Scientists Target Bacterial Transfer of Resistance GenesDisarming Disease-Causing BacteriaBacteria Discovery Could Lead to Antibiotics Alternatives Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work. Updated 05/01/12. cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/antibiotic-resistance-faqs.html

People vs. Persons

People vs. Persons People vs. Persons People vs. Persons By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between people and persons? The fast-and-loose answer is that people is correct and persons is wrong; the former word has supplanted the latter as the plural form of person. At one time, the distinction between the terms was that people is a mass noun referring to an undetermined number of humans (â€Å"I’ve known a lot of people like that†), while persons is employed when the quantity is known (â€Å"Seven persons were apprehended†). Persons is still appropriate in legal and other formal contexts (â€Å"Authorities are seeking persons of interest†) and when referring to the human body (â€Å"A search was made of their persons†), but in one of those curious cases of illogical semantic shift, it has all but disappeared in general usage. On a related note, some readers are puzzled by peoples, but this is merely the plural form of the collective noun people; â€Å"the peoples of the Arctic region,† for example, refers to multiple distinct ethnic groups: the people of here, the people of there, and the people of the other place: the peoples. People, meanwhile, is occasionally used as a verb synonymous with populate (â€Å"We will soon people the entire planet†); the antonym is unpeople. (Populate and people share etymological origin.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsAwoken or Awakened?If I Was vs. If I Were

Nuclear Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nuclear - Assignment Example : One, it is more economical as it uses less fuel and produces more energy; two, nuclear energy lasts longer unlike fossil fuels which can be depleted; and three, well-maintained nuclear power plants do not emit substances that could harm the environment while coal and oil pollute the air when burned. (Nuclear Energy retrieved from library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.html) Though nuclear energy has its advantages, its disadvantages far outweigh them. Let us take the case of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant which, in 1986, had a meltdown (Nuclear Energy retrieved from library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.html) meaning the fission reaction went out of control resulting to an explosion in the nuclear plant instantly killing 2 workers of the plant and contaminating hundreds or perhaps thousands more in its surroundings. Within a few months, 26 more died because of radiation contamination. It was found out later that the cause of the accident was a flaw in the design of the nuclear plant and an undertrained operator. In short, human error is to be blamed. As for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster last March 11, 2011, it was not caused by human error but by natural calamities. The tsunami that followed the strong earthquake on that day damaged the generators and coolants resulting to a meltdown in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Though no deaths f rom contamination were reported, thousands were evacuated from their homes to escape radiation contamination. There was radiation leak into the sea and radiation contamination was noted in the land, the air and even the food of the people. Too much amount of radiation in the body, as we all know, causes sickness and even death to the one contaminated. Both the Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster showed mankind how disastrous and damaging the use of nuclear energy can be. With just a small error and the wrath of Mother Nature, lives are destroyed, structures and

KATIE'S CUSTOM ENGRAVING LOGOS Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

KATIE'S CUSTOM ENGRAVING LOGOS - Case Study Example The e-commerce business expands the consumer market beyond local. Katie is anticipating a huge opportunity of making money and is quite enthusiastic about establishing this business. Katie determines all costs associated with the establishment of the business. This business is very localized and independent with hardly any competitors or the dominant industry players. Katie considers her financial sources for investment in the business and seeks further knowledge. Her uncle tells her that at 876 images a year, Katie would have a break-even point, though selling 1000 images a year would lend her a substantial profit and payment. Although she is capable of producing over 1000 images a year, yet she is unsure about the size of the market for the custom images as well as the market share she needs to break even. Katie thinks upon the way to determine her venture’s market potential as well as of making a realistic estimation of the market share that results from that

Cooperative Learning Essay -- Education Mathematics Essays

Cooperative Learning What is cooperative learning? In their article Cooperative Learning in Mathematics, Roza Leikin and Orit Zaslavsky propose four conditions that establish a cooperative-learning setting: (1) Students learn in small groups with two to six members in a group; (2) the learning tasks in which students are engaged require that the students mutually and positively depend on one another and on the group’s work as a whole; (3) the learning environment offers all members of the group an equal opportunity to interact with one another regarding the learning tasks and encourages them to communicate their ideas in various ways, for example, verbally; and (4) each member of the group has a responsibility to contribute to the group work and is accountable for the learning process of the group. The third condition is considered to be important because it shows that cooperative learning is more than just having students form groups in a class. The purpose of cooperative learning is not just for students to work with their peers, but to also be able to interact and communicate, which is very helpful in mathematics in particular. For example, â€Å"Cooperative learning includes the following features: face-to-face interaction, positive interdependence, individual accountability, and building social skills† (Rubenstein, Beckmann, and Thompson 11). Through this technique the students will learn and grow at the same time. However, before beginning this process, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. Before beginning cooperative learning in a classroom the teacher needs to make decisions. Determining the size of each group is the first choice to be made; this depends on the numb... ...h one another, and therefore developing their social skills. They are learning interpersonal and small-group skills by building trust within their groups and using conflict-resolution skills. Overall, â€Å"Cooperative learning is an effective tool for building collaboration within classrooms, a major component of learning communities† (Rubenstein, Beckmann, and Thompson 11). It is a teaching strategy that, in most cases, is beneficial to all. Bibliography Davidson, Neil. Cooperative Learning in Mathematics: A Handbook for Teachers. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1990. Leikin, Roza and Orit Zaslavsky. â€Å"Cooperative Learning in Mathematics.† Mathematics Teacher 92 (March 1999): 240-246. Rubenstein, Rheta N., Charlene E. Beckmann, and Denisse R. Thompson. Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics. Emeryville, CA: Key College Publishing, 2004.

Functionalist and Conflict theories Essay

Sociology is the study of society and the behaviour patterns of a particular group or culture. In contemporary Australian society, a good understanding of this is needed in order to make better social changes to meet social needs. When it comes to trying to explain and understand society, there are two main points of view that a person can take. These are the functionalist view, which is largely based on works by Talcott Parsons, and the conflict view, sometimes referred to as Marxism, as Karl Marx made a significant contribution towards this theory. Although in most ways these views directly oppose each other, ultimately, they are both trying to do the same thing, that is, explain why society is like it is today. Functionalists see society in a relatively optimistic way. They see groups as interdependent, working together for the good of the whole society. They claim that organisations and groups are largely benevolent, and that they are there for useful purposes. A person who takes the functionalist perspective sees society as generally operating smoothly, and perceives that very little change is needed, as groups being interrelated means that change in one area will have an effect on the whole society. The functionalist view, while useful in explaining structures and functions of various groups in society, tends to gloss over the negative aspects of society, over-explaining them so that happenings which could have a large negative impact on society seem trivial and unimportant. Where consensus is not happening, it is the conflict view that has the better explanation. Read more: Functionalist Perspective on Social Media The conflict theory perceives society as stratified, that is, having significant divisions. It puts forward a more challenging, questioning view on society. People who support this view claim that in every institution there are some people with more power, opportunities and status than others. This view is about inequalities, disagreement, and the use of power to advantage some while disadvantaging others. The conflict theory is the direct opposite of functionalism in that it focuses on the negative aspects of society, and even when something is functioning relatively well, conflict theorists tend to analyse it until they do find something wrong, making a mountain out of a metaphoric molehill. So while the functionalist theory and the conflict theory are two extremes of sociological thinking, it is not necessary to take the view of either one or the other. Very rarely are situations clearly black and white. Most often, if not always, there are many shades of grey in between. Therefore it is important to take on the perspective of both theories, and figure out which aspect of a particular situation applies to which theory. A good example of just how much the two opposing views differ is to apply them both to the universal institution, the family. Functionalists see the family as a vital institution that is needed to carry out several important functions. These functions are:  ¨Regulating sexual behaviour and reproduction  ¨Socialising children  ¨Protecting children and the elderly  ¨Providing emotional support and affection for its members  ¨Serving as an important consumption unit for society’s products (Earle and Fopp, 1999) These functions generally still work well in the cases of socialisation and reproduction, care of the children and the elderly, and as an economic unit, earning and consuming. However in today’s society, where there is an increasing amount of domestic abuse as well as working single parents or two working parents, members of a family aren’t always able to provide emotional support and affection for other members. Also in today’s modern society there are a great amount of people having sex before marriage, and an alarmingly large amount of teenage pregnancy. Therefore families are not carrying out the function of regulating sexual behaviour and reproduction as much as they were twenty or thirty years ago. Functionalists often use biological comparisons, claiming that a family is like an organism, with each member having a particular role. These roles are considered natural, and must be carried out for the good of the whole family. These roles involve men going out into the workforce and taking economic leadership while the women stay at home looking after her children and husband and doing all the housework. The functionalist theory claims the nuclear family as the ‘norm’. The nuclear family consists of two parents, one of each gender, and their children living together in one household. Although this structure is still fairly typical of today’s society, it was much more prevalent in the 1950’s. Today there are many variations of the family, and only about half of families are nuclear. With divorce and single parent families steadily on the rise, and women wanting the same rights as men, functionalists are having to come up with ways to explain these occurrences. For example, with divorce, a functionalist would argue that divorce is a good thing because it means that when people marry the second time round they will have more experience and it will be more likely to last. However, this theory is considered outdated. In today’s society with a rising economy more and more women are going out into the workforce. But this extra role does not mean giving up their other role as carer. Women end up taking on two roles – that of the carer and the housewife, as well as that of a worker. This is becoming undesirable for women, making them reluctant to marry. The functionalist theory fails to take into consideration the simple fact that things change. And where the functionalist theory doesn’t quite apply, the conflict theory has the better explanation. The conflict view sees traditional roles in families as limiting women’s lives to caring for their husband and children. They claim that this arrangement is not biological at all, but socially constructed, that is, created by people. These roles have been around and accepted for so long that they seem natural, but the conflict view argues that in actual fact people have been trained over many years into thinking this way. The conflict theory emphasises disagreement and struggle as a part of any human group. Conflict theorists say that in any group there will be status issues, something will be unfair, and the power will be divided – some will give orders, others will obey. This applies to the family in that it is often, if not always, the parents giving orders to their children/teenagers, who are supposed to obey. Also, even in today’s changing society, men still often have more power than their wives. In modern Australian society, there are demographic changes in family form, and family households are considerably smaller. The changes in family arrangement and in family values have important consequences for the family as an institution. Fewer women are having large families and the marriage rate has declined, largely because of changes in attitudes to marriage and living arrangements. There is an increasing amount of not only de facto relationships, but also in the social acceptance of these relationships. The divorce rate has also increased, which then in turn influences the number of blended as well as single parent families. The conflict theory addresses these issues, and asks the important question ‘what needs to be changed in order for the family unit to survive?’ On the other hand, the functionalist theory tries to explain why these things are happening and how they benefit society. Both the functionalist and conflict theories raise some very valid and important points. Functionalism sometimes has a tendency to focus on the past, while the conflict theory places a bigger emphasis on the present. However, both theories are needed if the family is to survive in the future.

Why The Family Health Nurse Can Be A Useful Resource...

The public health nurse works within the community and focuses on care to the public, whether it is sick or well-care. Public health nurses collaborate with various agencies within the community to help improve or stabilize the health of the community while also promoting healthy living. Primary health promotion and prevention involve the nurse to have resources, within their community, for diverse settings such as home health agencies, public health departments, community and home health education, and nursing centers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss access to these facilities in my community and how families can benefit from using these resources. I will also discuss why the family health nurse can be a useful resource within the community. Home health care has continued to grow over the last decade due to an increase in the elderly population, chronic illnesses, increased life expectancy, and shorter hospital stays (Helbing, Snagl, Silverman, n.d.). Home health agencies a re able to provide the community with various services such as wound and surgical care, education, intravenous and nutrition therapy, injections, and monitoring illnesses or an unstable health status. The benefit of having a home health nurse is that it is cheaper than facilitating the use of a nursing facility or hospital, and the convenience of visiting the patient in their own home (Medicare.gov., n.d.). Nurses can provide patients in the community with resources to locate a home healthShow MoreRelatedIn A Hospital Setting, Healthcare Personnel More Than Often992 Words   |  4 Pagespulmonary disease. Nurses need to have knowledge about the health problems occurring within the framework of family and personal friends, the immediate community culture where individuals live, and the larger world society. 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