MASTERCHEF - ECTRODACTYLY
I found developmental biology in the most unlikely place possible…a cooking program – MasterChef USA. MasterChef USA is a reality cooking competition series – where they are trying to uncover the best amateur cook in the United States. Darryl Pierce was one of the contestants in the show, and he had a physical challenge since he had a rare birth defect known as Ectrodactyly, he only has three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. During the audition he stated that “I’m a no excuses kind of guy,” so even with the disability he was able to pursue what he loved to do. One of the challenges was to slice onions and also dice them into a perfect consistency – they commended him for his technique and speed and he went through to the next round. Holding a knife with three fingers is no joke! To think he went through several rounds was astonishing. Truly inspirational.Ectrodactyly, is a congenital abnormality which causes and absence of some fingers or toes. This can be due to a mutation on the seventh pair of chromosome – it is inherited and is autosomal dominant.
This subject triggered a memory when I was younger in Australia. Our church was having a guest musician come over to play the piano for us…but little did I know that she only had three fingers on each hand. The young girl sat on the piano stool, and everyone waited in suspense to hear her play. It was truly remarkable…an experience I haven’t forgotten – even after around eleven years. In that area of her life where she was lacking, she was able to show how God can work through us, and lift others up as well. We take so much for granted…we are really blessed to have our ten fingers and ten toes. – for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. If I hadn’t had this class, I would not have remembered that experience or thought more deeply into this matter.
References:
"Ectrodactyly" Wikidoc. (2008). Received: Sept. 2010. <http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Ectrodactyly>.
Image: http://www.tate.org.uk/images/cms/small/7283bittersweethyewonkwon.jpg
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LATEX ALLERGY? YULEX!
When I was living in Qatar – a small country in the Middle East – I remember in highschool we were able to dissect a sheep’s heart – I love dissections! That’s probably one of the main reasons why I am trying to get into the medical field, I find these organs so intricate and so fascinating to study – the small structures which have play a major role for the body overall. For example the valves, they are merely small flaps of tissue however they prevent the blood from flowing backwards which could cause heart failure or strokes, and the chordinae tendinae, just thin strands of fibrous tissue but they are so strong and have the capability to anchor the tricuspid and bicuspid valves. It’s all too amazing, I can’t fully describe the beauty of how these small structures have the ability to perform tasks which keep us functioning normally.
I digress… my point to all this is that my classmate wasn’t able to perform the dissection because she was allergic to latex. She too desired to go into the medical field – being allergic to latex would be detrimental as wearing gloves is an important protocol as this would prevent the spread of infectious diseases like MRSA, HIV and AIDS. In the US alone, ten billion latex gloves are used every year!
I came across an article found in Science Daily, and it mentioned that people with Spina Bifida – which is a serious birth defect where there is an incomplete formation of the spinal chord – who have latex allergy. 68% of individuals with Spina Bifida have allergic reactions to latex – although the correlation between the two is unknown. The allergic reactions can range from skin irritation, wheezing, blood pressure drop, anaphylactic shock and even death. Consequently, plant biologists and immunochemists developed a method to extract rubber from Guayule – a desert plant found in arid regions of US and Mexico. This is a good alternative as it lacks the certain proteins which would trigger an allergic reaction with latex. They collect the rubber by grinding the bark and then centrifuging it which causes the rubber particles to settle at the top – as they are less dense compared to water. The product is called Yulex. In actual fact, Yulex is more flexible and stronger than Latex.
This is a great advancement for the medical field as gloves are used for basically everything, from simple experiments to complex surgeries. Approximately 17% of the healthcare workers are allergic to latex so this is provides great alternative.
Reference:
"Protect Yourself From Latex Allergies -- Plant Biologists And Immunochemists Develop Hypoallergenic Alternative To Latex." Science Daily. 2008. Web. Oct. 2010. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/1206-protect_yourself_from_latex_allergies.htm>.
