Effect of Metabolic on Beta Cells in the Pancreas - Diabetes 5

Level of glucose in the blood (credit to HiClip)

One group of three important factors lead to damage of beta cells is 

the metabolic factor (please see my previous post: Could Medicines 

Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update).

The metabolic factor includes:

- hyperglycemia (higher blood sugar level)

- glucose toxicity (glucotoxicity)

- lipotoxicity

- hypoxia

Hyperglycemia leads to glucotoxicity in which high sugar level in 

blood could cause death on beta cell.

Many causes to Hyperglycemia, usually (in most cases) is due to:

- food consumption (not follow diabetic plan)

- drinking (too much)

- physical activities (being less active)

- sickness

- skip taking drugs for diabetic

- not using fresh insulin

- using certain medications or negative effect of drugs 

which  stimulate higher blood sugar level.

Hyperglycemia caused of glucotoxicity (credit to PainAssist).

Glucotoxicity is disorder due to untreated higher blood sugar 

condition in longer period. Disorder may damage beta cell 

functionally and structurally.

Damaging beta cells and insulin production relate tissues will have effect on:

- lowering insulin production

- increasing insulin resistance.

You might knew that hyperglycemia have negative effects on several 

organs or tissues such as blood vessels. The disturbance of blood 

supply to important organs may cause to:

- stroke and heart diseases risk be higher

- kidney problems

- vision harmful

- nerve problem.

Hence, controlling the blood sugar level is great deal for diabetic patients. 

# The other metabolic factors are lipotoxicity and hypoxia. We will 

discuss these topics by next post. 

The oldest human Ancestor is Discovered

The face of the oldest man (credit to Daily Mail)

Many mainstream medias reported about the finding of the oldest human ancestor from Ethiopia, Africa recently.

We already knew that the 3.2 million years old Lucy was believed to be our oldest ancestor. The scientific name of Lucy is Australopithecus afarensis.

Lucy is different with ape (ancient ape) in terms of:

- start to walk on two legs

- brain

- body size

- strong jaws

The similarity that Lucy’s face is look like apes, and previously live on the trees. Even though Lucy able to walk then, but they still use their hands to hang on the trees.

Skull of the oldest human ancestor

Now, scientists found the oldest human ancestor. 3.8 million years old, Australopithecus anamensis who is older than previous discovered, Lucy.

With new finding, scientists have two hypotheses:

1. Australopithecus anamensis was Lucy’s parents. Then, Lucy had evolved to be an ancestor of Australopithecus hominins. This evolutionary line led to Homo sapiens, modern human, our selves.

2. Australopithecus anamensis had directed evolutionary line to the ancestor of Australopithecus hominins, then Homo sapiens, modern man. Lucy was not involve in this evolution process.

To find out which one is true, scientists needed to assemble reliable data of specimen from:

- different time periods

- different geographical locations

- different evolutionary trajectory.

Hope, we could settle doubt soon and understand more of our ancestors, include the way they evolved to become modern human.

Why Consuming Trash Fish could Help Environmental Protection?

Atlantic butter fish (credit to: Iberconsa)

American favorite seafood are salmon, tuna and shrimp. They consumed about 21.7 kg (48 pound) per capita per year.

But, you might not know that these marine species are not sustainable. Their population are depletion due to many causes, few of them are:

- over fishing

- over consumed

- diseases

- environmental degeneration

Consume “trash fish” instead of favorite ones is one of ways to help reducing of commercial fish in nature.

What? Trash fish?

Atlantic butter fish dish, look delicious (credit to Roy Yamaguchi)

“Trash” or waste is not what its literally mean. Trash fish, like other fish that they are rich in protein and nutritional rich too.

What we call “trash fish” is actually “by catching fish.” Not in purpose to be caught. They are abundance in market, thus, the price will be cheap.

Butter fish is one of “trash fish” which have great taste if cooked with proper recipe. The price is very cheap, less than US$ 1.00 per pound.

Just for comparison, tuna fish worth for US$ 30 per pound, and salmon US$ 9.99 per pound.

However, salmon costs depend very much on:

- species

- location where it from: Alaska, Norway, Denmark or other countries

- caught in the river or ocean

- wild or aquaculture salmons.

Moreover, I myself found butter fish in an ethnic grocery. The meat is white, also called as “white tuna.” I grilled the fish sometimes. Delicious for me.

Have you eaten trash fish? What species do you eat? 

Could Medicines Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4

Niacin (vitamin B3), just for illustration (credit to Shuvani)

Previous post (please read: Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update), we mentioned several factors may affect on beta cell to produce insulin in pancreas.

Factors lead to harm beta cells are distinguished at least in three groups:

- Medical or pharmacological

- Biological or metabolically

- Environmental factor

We discuss effect of medicine on beta cells in this post. Some drugs have negative effect on beta cells:

- antimicrobial drugs

- antidepressants

- Niacin (vitamin B3)

- anti seizure medicines

- HIV medicines

- Pneumonia medicine such as Pentamidine

- Glucocorticoids (asthma and rheumatic arthritis drugs)

- Statin

Statin tablets (credit to AARP)

Two medicines that got attention recently are Statin and Niacin. Both are used to lower cholesterol level in the blood.

Niacin is a supplement, mean we can buy without doctor prescriptions. It is sold not only in drug stores, but also in groceries (I saw in some groceries).

Statin is a prescription medicine. In addition to combat bad cholesterol, Statin also known for heart protection, and avoiding stroke. Unfortunately, Statin may develop risk of diabetes.

Niacin as vitamin B3, a supplement that could reduce arthritis and stimulate brain function. Proper dosage is 15 mg per day.

Negative effect of Niacin that it increases the level of sugar in the blood. Thus, It may harm beta cell, then affect on diabetes patients.

Finally, diabetes patients should aware about negative effect of any medicines. If doubt, just come and ask physicians.

Do You Want to Have International Flights for Few Dollars?

Eastar Jet, the budget airplane

In normal seasons, most one way flight cost for US$ 200 from Seoul (South Korea) to Fukuoka (Japan) or vice versa.

We may lucky enough to find the cheapest price of around US$ 100. Usually, the price around US$ 150.

Few budget travel companies may charge below US$ 100, often, about US$ 85 for one way ticket either to Seoul or Fukuoka. .

Actually, We will see the increasing of flight price during September to November because of important holidays, both in Japan and South Korea.

One of budgets travels, Easter Jet is giving a surprise cheap flight under US$ 10 for travel between South Korea and Japan:

- US$ 8.38 (Euro 7.57) flight from Seoul (South Korea) to Fukuoka (Japan)

- US$ 9.35 (Euro 8.44) flight from Fukuoka (Japan) to Seoul (South Korea).

One of shopping corners in Fukuoka, Japan

In addition to South Korea, Eastar Jet airlines have flights to cover other 10 countries destinations, they are:

- Russia

- Japan

- Singapore

- China

- Cambodia

- Malaysia

- Philippine

- Taiwan

- Thailand

- Vietnam

Off course, the price is not under US$ 10, but competitive compared to other companies.

You may have a question about service quality of flights. Of 130 reviewers, they have given 3.5 stars of 5. I think not bad, a quite reasonable good for a lower cost travel.

Do you plan to have international flights in near future? Good luck.

Reliefs on the Largest Buddha Temple in the World, Borobudur – part 2

Big vessel on temple wall

We talked about relief of Buddha life as the first part of the article (you may read at: 

- What is Inside Stupa of the Buddha Temple of Borobudur? | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Reliefs on the Largest Buddha Temple in the World, Borobudur – part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Now, we concern with relief of “the daily life of people surrounding the temple around 1,200 years ago.”

At above Figure, the relief showed that people surround temple has a big vessel to conduct overseas trade.

Indeed, Syailendra dynasty was one of a prominent dynasty in Indonesia, their reign has been marked as cultural Renaissance in the region of the Southeast Asia.

In addition to build the biggest Buddha temple in the world, Syailendra dynasty was considered to be ruled a maritime Southeast Asia.

The trade extended to the countries such as:

- India

- Madagascar

- Cape Town

- Ghana

- Other Asian and African countries

Reliefs on the temple wall

Other daily life of 8^th century of Java (one of 5 big islands in Indonesia) was depicted on temple’s wall, may include:

- life of people in the forest

- life of people in the villages

- palace life

We may know how ancient Java made a medicine, a herbal medicine called as “Jamu.” Drinking jamu regularly is common practice until now.

Fables also part of relief. One interesting story is about friendship between monkey and buffalo.

Known that buffalo was ready to sacrifice himself to save the monkey, Ogre canceled his wish to eat monkey.

It is interesting to understand the reliefs on the wall of temple as part of tour to Borobudur.

Why the Moon Has Thousands of Small Aliens?

Water bear (credit to CNN)

It was surprising me to know that our lunar surface is believed to occupy by thousands of tardigrade, also called as water bear or piglet like creatures.

These small aliens are part of mission “Noah Ark Mark II” to provide a library in the space craft, then landed on the moon.

In addition to tardigrades, the repository includes:

- human blood

- living DNA

- information about human civilization (30 million pages)

- almost all of English Wikipedia

- classic books

The library was belong to a non profit organization (Arch Mission Foundation), and sent to the moon by Beresheet, Israeli spacecraft. 

Alien (credit to NBC)

In case of hypothetical condition where all human being and living things destroyed in the world, because of:

- flood or natural disasters like story of prophet Noah in holy books

- wars (nuclear wars)

- whatever caused

Hopefully, other highly intelligence creatures from other planets might find the lunar library, let’s say in the next hundred or thousand years. They could learn something from man civilization on the earth.

Tardigrades (credit to NewsBeezer)

What attract attention is less than 1 mm microorganism, Tardigrades or water bear or piglet like animals.

This microorganism is toughest living microorganism on the earth:

- may survive in the freezing north pole

- found in the deepest ocean

- grow well on the highest mountain

- survived in the space.

It is assumed that the outer space intelligent also able to regenerate:

- human being from human blood sample

- plants and animals from living DNA

- microorganism from dormant “water bear”

We, human being and other living things could re-emerge on the earth. Exactly, like holy books story of prophet Noah in futuristic version.

Do you believe it?