BioEntrepreneurial Idea

Description:

Nowadays, many people face diet problems. For instance, in the US, obesity is a major problem. In 2006, only four states had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Twenty-two states had a prevalence equal or greater than 25%; two of these states (Mississippi and West Virginia) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.

Guiding people to keep healthy will be a great service. This service will mainly aim at people with health problems, especially people with obesity. However, this doesn't mean that the others don't need it because this service will guarantee to provide people with precious advice concerning their health. Everyone needs these healthy tips. The service will meet each person individually, and tell the person what he should do for a healthier life. The objective of this service is to prevent people from getting serious illnesses before it is too late. Also, it can give obese people valuable suggestions to improve their situations.

Reflection:

Prevention is always better than cure. If people make it a habit to pay more attention to their health, they will have a lower chance of being sick. And with this service, people will be reminded at all times about their health. Although people know that good health is very important, many of them don't know what they should do in specific to keep themselves fit. For example, many people know what the food pyramid is, but they don't know how to arrange their eating schedules. This service will give them a sample balanced diet as a guidance. Also, some people may not know how to prevent minor illnesses, such as headache or insomnia. This service will be able to help them specifically with different proposals. To conclude, people can lead healthier lives if they use this service.

The following website contains materials that are similar to my idea, but it focuses only on kids.

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/

Biological breakthrough

Description:

Recent discoveries have shown that people with type O blood are naturally protected from malaria’s most severe forms. When Mali and Kenya from Edinburgh University in the US studied African children, they found out that those with blood type O were two-thirds less likely to experience unrousable coma or life-threatening anaemia. In malaria, proteins recruit healthy red blood cells to stick to the malaria parasite, encasing the infected red blood cell inside a so-called rosette. This worsens the blockage and the disease. However, the lastest findings suggest that group O red blood cells do not easily join rosettes as the cell's surface structure prevents it from sticking fully. With this new discovery, it is hoped that a drug or a vaccine can be developed to reduce the number of children dying from severe malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

Reflection:

This is certainly a biological breakthrough! It is estimated that malaria kills up to two million lives annually around the world. If a cure can be found, many people can be saved. And knowing that people with blood type O are less likely to suffer from malaria is the first step to develop a drug or vaccine for malaria. With this useful information and further investigation, I am sure researchers will find a drug or vaccine that can cure this fatal disease.

Scientific researchers contribute a lot to the world. Without them, our world will not improve. They try to find ways to cure diseases, protect our lives, and many more. We should all be thankful to them. Yet we should always remind ourselves that we can also be researchers. For instance, we can pay more attention to our surroundings. We may be able to discover something new! Who knows?

Blood findings bring malaria hope!