An Orphan Baby Girl Dugong Needs a Warm Hug

An orphan baby Dugong calms down in the arms of a marine biologist (credit to Google)

What make world exciting recently is that Thailand Marine biologists found a lonely orphan baby girl of Dugong nearby Phuket water.

When she saw marine biologists, the 5 months orphan girl approached the scientists. She hugs one of scientists who she taught of her mother.

Frightening fact that 200 Dugong left only in Thailands, and similar trend in other South East Asian countries. Dugong Population near extinct

Dugong (Dugong dugon) in South East Asia similar to Manatee (Trichechus sp) in America. They are also known as “sea cow.”

In fairy tales, they are called as mermaid or queen of sea or “putri duyung” in many countries.

I myself may found Dugong in the fisherman markets in South East Asian Countries about 30 years ago.

Marine biologists are milking orphan baby dugong (credit to Google)

Governments in South East countries included Dugong as endangered species around 15 years ago or later. The countries are:

- Thailand

- Philippine

- Malaysia

- Indonesia

- Vietnam

They are not only endangered species, but International Union of Conservation for Nature considered Dugong as “vulnerable” species, almost disappear from earth.

Baby girl Dugong is approaching a biologist (credit to Google)

The extinct is not due to commercial hunting for meat, skin or bones. Man activities are the main reasons of Dugong population to deplete.

Human activities destroyed food sources and habitat of this critters. The activities include:

- Fishing vessels with their fuel contaminated Dugong’s habitat

- Fishing tools (nets, cages, trawl, grates) destroyed sea grass beds as source of foods.

- Mining cause “sediment build up” and degrading marine habitat.

Have you seen Dugongs or Manatees in the nature? 

Why “Blue Blood” is Cost for US$ 60 Thousand per Gallon?

Horseshoe crabs on the beach (credit to Google)

What? “Blue blood?” Expensive? I am quite surprising when reading an article about price of blue blood of a horseshoe crab, a primitive marine creature.

When I was a little kid, I found these creatures on the beach while low tide. The horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs in term of evolutionary time.

They were appearing about more than 200 million years ago, thus categorized as “living fossil.”

In the USA, if we lucky enough, we may spot this living fossil along the coastline of Maine to Florida to Texas and then to Mexico in the summer season.

The scientific name for American horseshoe crab is Limulus polypemus. Other three species are found in tropical Indo-Pacific, mainly in South East Asia countries:

- Tachypleus gigas

- Tachypleus tridentatus

- Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

Blue blood was taken by bleeding horseshoe crabs (credit to Google)

Based on scientific name, horseshoe crab is not really crab. Close to spider and scorpion than to crab.

Why their blood color are blue? To carry oxygen in the blood, horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin, and hemocyanin contains copper to cause blood to be blue.

As comparison that mammals use hemoglobin to carry oxygen in their blood. Hemoglobin contains iron which make red color of blood.

Male on the top of female when they are breeding (credit to Google)

Price tag is US$ 60 thousands equal to Euro 53 thousand or US$ 16,000 per liter. So expensive.

It is because highly demand of horseshoe crabs blood by pharmaceutical companies. The companies catch the living fossil, and brought to lab to drain up the animal blood.

Around 30% of animals blood are taken, then released back to ocean. List of companies collect the blue blood are:

- Associates of Cape Cod

- Wako Chemical

- Lonza

- Charles River Endosafe

- Limuli Labs

Blue blood is extracted for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). The LAL then applied to detect virus, bacteria and toxin in the substances.

Have you seen horseshoe crab on the beach?

Why Diabetes Type 2 Patients Need Insulin? - Diabetes 18

Insulin injection for illustration only (credit to Google)

At early stages of type 2 diabetes, insulin is produced enough by body (specific organ in the pancreas).

The disturbance of blood sugar level, may be controlled with additional activities such as:

- Low caloric diet

- Need physical activities more

- Some medications (oral pills)

Why patients need insulin injection? Two main reasons are:

- Body reduces ability slowly to produce insulin to control blood sugar over time.

- Oral medications not effective to reduce blood sugar anymore

What mean by adding insulin to the body? Few are:

- To lower blood glucose to healthy level in quick manner

- Insulin make body take rest from hard work to break down glucose in the blood.

In term of cost, it is said that using insulin is cheaper compared to other diabetic medications in long term average.

Take out insulin

The most favorite area to inject insulin is abdomen, but other areas also perfect:

- Hip

- Buttocks

- Back of arms

- Thighs

Methods to deliver insulin into the body are developed well, in addition to syringe and needle other methods are:

1. Using a kind of pen. This method is less pain than syringe and needle, but little bit expensive.

2. Insulin pump. This method is imitating the body to control blood sugar. Specific training is needed to execute this method.

On going researches are conducted to find out the best way to manage diabetes. Improvement are seen day by day.

Are Colorful Cacti Favorite as Summer Flowering Plants?

Colorful cacti

We just visit Home Depot to buy our lawn mower spare parts. Then, have a look to nursery section.

We saw colorful cacti at one corner, one of waitress said that colorful cacti is one of favorite Summer Flowering Plants.

This cacti also called as chin cacti or moon cacti. It scientific name is Gymnocalycium mihanovichii.

They have variety of colors, include:

- bright reds

- pinks

- yellows

- oranges

- green

- purple

- blue

Yellow cactus

Moon cacti also known as desert germ cacti. They come from South America. Easy to grow, especially indoor.

Since colorful and small size, they are good for home decoration. Look beautiful on the table top or desks. They are perfect to be mixed with other houseplants arrangements.

Several yellow and orange cacti

The moon cacti have shorter life span compared to other cacti. The average life span was 1 to 2 years.

They would reach 4 years if we give a good care. But shorter compared to 10 years life span of several cacti.

Pink cactus

Rotting their roots is the main problem for any kinds of cacti. Rotting causes moon cacti turned to brown on the top

Generally, root rotting is caused by:

- over watered

- bad drainage

- both of over watered and bad drainage.

During winter, we no need to watering the cacti at all. They could survive until spring season.

Have you ever take care of moon cacti?

Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 1

First aid for gun shot wounded, illustration only (credit to Google)

There is social media called as “Figure 1,” a kind of Instagram for Doctors. “Figure 1 app” was developed by a physician and associates.

Their names are Dr. Joshua Landy, Richard Penner and Gregory Levey from Canada, then spread all over the world.

It is believed that more than one million viewers have accessed to the website, they are include, but not limited to:

- medical doctors

- students of medical school

- nurses and nurse students

- health professionals or health technicians

- other related professionals

A Surgery room (credit to Google)

Doctors may take any pictures of their patients that their think exciting or unusual such as a gun shot wounded.

Before posting the pictures, Doctors need approval from their patients. An agreement between doctors and their patients just by touching built in screen.

After permission of patients, the photos to be legal. Then, Doctors allowed to post in “Figure 1 app.”

Other doctors from around the globe examined the pictures, made comments and favorites its.

However, the name and face of patients cannot be shown in the social media.

By the way, just to let you know that this article is based on Podcast (Please see: #2 The Secret, Gruesome Internet for Doctors).

The Podcast tried to discuss about “Figure 1 app” and its impact to daily life, include medical field.

The podcast hosted by PJ Vogt and cohost Alex Goldman. They have some guests that are John Herrman and Lauren.

# This article will be continued. See you in the following post (part 2).

Which Menus do You Like from Taco Bell Fast Food Restaurants?

Self order

My last visit to Taco Bell, fast food restaurant was about 3 years ago or may be longer. I remember that we should queued up to order and pick our order.

Queue line was quite long, some times in lunch time. We could spend more than 30 minutes from order to pick up.

I saw at least two self order machines when I visited one of Taco Bell chains recently. Surprising me, automation can’t be avoided every where, here, in America.

Menus, no customer services

In case you never come to Taco Bell restaurants, especially for international friends that there are main menus:

- Tacos

- Buritos

- Quesadilas

- Nachos

- Vegetarian

These menus are Mexican menus with American taste. I always order Nachos, occasionally together with Burritos.

Nachos is Mexican food that found in America only. So, you can’t find Nachos in Mexico. 

Table at the corner

Nacho is a appetizer or snack originally, composed of tortilla chips, then covered with slices cheese.

Taco Bell chains sell what they called as a Nachos Bell Grande, which is the same with original Nacho which consist of tortilla chips, but difference covered.

The cover includes:

- ground beef

- diced tomatoes

- fried beans

- cheese sauce

- sour cream

- sprinkle green onions.

Two self order machines

Burrito is a food with ingredients which wrapped with a tortilla flour. The wrapped is “a closed ended cyclinder.”

Ingridients for US$ 1 Beefy Fritos Burritos are:

- seasoned ground beef

- cilantro rice

- cheese sauces

- fritos corn chips.

If you ever visited Taco Bell restaurant recently, what menus do you like?

Why Tsimane People, Bolivia Have the Healthiest Heart in the World?

Illustration for Starchy foods (credit to Google)

We knew that Japanese people, especially women have the healthiest heart in the world.

Their slim, drinking green tea sugar free, and eating fish promoted Japanese women for healthy hearts.

Recently, researches found that Tsimane People who live in the Amazon river, Bolivia have healthier heart compared to Japanese women.

If we compare the hearts of Tsimane to American people:

- Hearts of Tsimane people much more health than American average

- 80 years old of Tsimane people similar to health of 50 years old American heart.

Researchers refers to 3 important things that might responsible to Tsimane “excellent” heart conditions:

- Diet

- Physical activities

- Habits

Canoeing is one of physical activities (Credit to Google)

In respect to diet, Tsimane people eat low fat and high fiber foods. They consumed 70% of starchy foods:

- Banana (plantains)

- Rice

- Corn

- Manioc root

- Cassava

Source of protein comes from wild animals. They are hunting for mammals and fishing in the Amazon river for fish.

Banana is one of starchy foods

Tsimane tribe is slim in appearance, thus, obese no exist in the community. It is because they are physically active.

They are going every where such as for hunting, fishing, farming and enjoying by:

- Walking on foot

- Riding bicycle

- Canoeing of small boat

- Swimming in the river

Smoking for illustration only

Another good habit of Tsiname people have that they almost no smoking, thus in addition to hearts, they have healthy lung as well.

Would you like to copy the way of life of Tsimane tribe?