Messages

Hmm.
See, I'd heard it was the other way 'round.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305145145.htm

Mar. 5, 2013 — The inflammation of fat tissue is part of a spiraling series of events that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes in some obese people. But researchers have not understood what triggers the inflammation, or why.
In Cell Metabolism this month (cover), scientists from The Methodist Hospital report fat cells themselves are at least partly to blame -- high calorie diets cause the cells to make major histocompatibility complex II, a group of proteins usually expressed to help the immune system fight off viruses and bacteria.In overweight mice and humans the fat cells, or adipocytes, are issuing false distress signals -- they are not under attack by pathogens. But this still sends local immune cells into a tizzy, and that causes inflammation.

So the fat would come first, then the inflammation.
However...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/health/studies-focus-on-gut-bacteria-in-weight-loss.html?_r=0

Here the researchers first did gastric bypasses on mice, then took fecal bacteria from said mice and installed said bacteria in mice that had not received a bypass. The latter dropped weight.

Also mentioned in the Times article:

A second study by a different group found that overweight people may be more likely to harbor a certain type of intestinal microbe...

The study involved 792 people who had their breath analyzed to help diagnose digestive orders. They agreed to let researchers measure the levels of hydrogen and methane; elevated levels indicate the presence of a microbe called Methanobrevibacter smithii. The people with the highest readings on the breath test were more likely to be heavier and have more body fat, and the researchers suspect that the microbes may be at least partly responsible for their obesity.

Edit:  Though correlation ain't causation-so no telling here whether the fat or the bacteria came first, yeah...

http://www.livescience.com/39445-gut-bacteria-transplant-weight.html
Another mouse study:

mice that had been raised in a sterile environment, so that they lacked gut bacteria, were transplanted with gut bacteria from either a lean person or an obese person. The researchers used gut bacteria from pairs of human twins, one of whom was lean and one who was obese.

Mice that received bacteria from an obese twin gained more weight and fat than those that received bacteria from a lean twin

...And in the second part of the same study:

... the researchers put the mice together – they housed mice that received gut bacteria from a lean person along with mice that received bacteria from an obese person.

About 10 days later, mice with the "obese" bacteria underwent changes in metabolism that protect against obesity.

BUUUT...

when the researchers repeated their housing experiment, but fed the mice a Westernized diet (high in fat and low in fiber) instead of their usual diet, the obesity protection was no longer transferred.

*Shrug*

Thanks for making me work my brain, BTW.  It seems to be intent on turning into a pile of depressed goo these days.

Just got the news that my nephew has a greater than 70% chance of having bone cancer in his knee. 14 years old. Shit.

Shit.  Poor kid.

 
...Same author's thoughts on the DSM
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/real-problem-with-dsm-study-mental-illness-58843/

Had not heard anything about this:

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/10/21852934-uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalize-marijuana-trade?lite

Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals in the small South American nation.

Allergy and asthma attack in progress.  All inhalers (4) taken, Pseudoephedrine in system as of 1 hour ago, 200 milligram caffeine pill taken, chlorpheniramine taken, zyrtec taken, accolate taken, quercetin megadose taken.
Out of generic allegra ATM.
Now drinking my second big-ass coffee of the day, laced with 50 milligrams of benadryl.  Only have 50 milligrams more benadryl.

Lungs opening, though, so I can wait until I go off-shift, I think, to acquire more.  Don't want to drag someone over here with emergency benadryl.

...Feeling fairly cheerful otherwise.  Going to make myself do algebra and study Spanish today.

Legalization of pot is a gateway to the legalization of harder drugs.

...Within a decade we will all be using heroin, snorting bath salts, whipping crack up in our kitchens and chewing the faces off of small children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25774430

Edited...
Just digging into this for something to do:

http://hngwiusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/mexican-federal-government-suspends-disarmament-of-michoacan-civilian-self-defense-security-forces/

La Ruana, Michoacán – The Mexican federal government on Tuesday agreed to suspend the disarmament of the Michoacán Civilian Self-defense Security Forces (MCSSF) until a later date, according to Hípolito Mora, one of the leaders of the MCSSF in La Ruana...
...Mora confirmed, that the Mexican federal government has agreed to suspend the disarmament of the MCSSF until a later date.

And this nasty little thought from the NY times:

The self-defense group, armed with automatic rifles and police-style pickups that it said had been seized from the gang, swept in. The group denied suggestions by some in the government that it represented another gang, the New Generation, but when questioned about how ordinary farmers could disarm vicious and hardened criminals, members declined to discuss tactics.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/world/americas/a-quandary-for-mexico-as-vigilantes-rise.html?_r=0

Damned if I know.

Mass-murder fanboy...

OK, this is different... mass fainting in factories , vietnam and cambodia? Malmnourished garment workers protesting in the only socially acceptable way they have? Dunno, but its definitely interesting...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/opinion/workers-of-the-world-faint.html

Cool!
*waves dead chicken at article*

I read this recently, this thread reminds me of it:
http://365tomorrows.com/01/03/spacesuit/

I feel as though I am missing something.

Hello, just the same.

...I'm missing things too, and they put up with me rather well here.

You can't trust government but you can trust them to keep corporations from getting too powerful.

Should be elementary but...
... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture ....

I thought the "do what you love" mantra was one of those motivational poster thingees that nobody really expects you to take seriously.

I like my job.  I just can't live on what I get paid, and therefore have to go find something better.

OTOH, I spent an unhappy 4 months busting ass in a nursing home for minimum wage.
...Here I get slightly above minimum, free coffee, and glorious boredom. 
Not feces-flinging Alzheimer's patients and asshole co-workers.

...It could be worse...

I just want to be nce to people, why won't they let me be NICE?

Because humans.

...I saw a homeless guy who actually looked that grungy here, I was worried about him getting dehydrated b/c we were having a heatwave.

...Well, I bet he never catches cold-nobody can stand to get that close...

...His beard is likely not the only place he has dreads...

I guess Neither is an option as well.

OH PRAISE JEEBUS!