T Type Blog

2005-02-23T18:45:00.000+02:00

Roxana, my sister is now in hospital with a knee ski injury. I can't wait to see you back, Roxi. Keep it up!

Moving on: New Blog Address

2005-02-23T18:18:00.000+02:00

:: www.masariu.com :: Dan Masariu Blog

"Kiss of Death" - Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2004

2005-02-04T11:54:00.000+02:00

Proteins represent life base.
In 2004, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Aaron Ciechanover (Israel), Avram Hershko (Hungary) and Irwin Rose (USA) "for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation".

Ubiquitin - a common polypeptide that represents the "kiss of death".

Most of the cellular mass is made up of proteins which take part in the cell structure and perform the majority of cell functions. For a long time, the degradation process had been considered less important, being made without energy expenses when the protein would be denatured.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the authors succeeded in showing that protein degradation in cells takes place in a series of step-wise reactions that result in the proteins to be destroyed being labelled with the polypeptide ubiquitin. Proteins so labelled are then broken down – degraded – rapidly in cellular "waste disposers" called proteasomes. This process enables the cell to break down unwanted proteins with high specificity, and it is this regulation that requires energy.
Proteins marked with ubiquitin are doomed, touched by "the kiss of death" if you will.

The consequences of this discovery give us hope that we'll be able to control the degradation process of the proteins by controlling the ubiquitins. This aspect is already in study for the treatment of different types of cancer, immune disorders and aging phenomenon.

In the last few years, the Chemistry Nobel Prizes could have been awarded for Medicine or Physiology, as direct consequences are 100% medical. I think that the jury's choice is (almost) of the same importance as the scientific works they have to evaluate, because they influence the trends in future research areas.

How to Write An Article

2005-01-27T01:48:00.000+02:00

I started to enjoy writing here.. I never wrote a diary, so I guess I just discovered the benefits of writing down my thoughts. Cool, but how?
Here is a list that I compiled after reading more articles on how to write one:

Get over any "fear" you have of writing. The process is easy and rewarding. Begin writing your article for the most likely person interested.

Pick a subject and organize your thoughts.

Write one on a topic that your targeted readers are already interested in. Find that topic by visiting specific forums and looking for frequent topics and problems.
Be a problem solver.

Start with a quick outline to help you stay focused and organized.

Write using short sentences and paragraphs.

Don't use big words.

Choose the title.

The best thing to do when trying to come up with an article title is to write the biggest benefit that your reader will receive while they are reading it.
Don't choose just one title, write down several different ones.

The first paragraph should quickly identify the purpose and content of the article.

The last paragraph should be a call for action or a conclusion.

Write each paragraph deductively. That is, make your point immediately and follow up with supporting information.

Carefully check grammar and spelling (do NOT rely on your word processor spell checker - remember those checkers still cannot correct "there" to "their" if required).

My sources were Robert Sullivan and Rich Hamilton, Jr.

MTB in Romania - Campina

2005-01-25T20:25:00.000+02:00

I'll never forget this one day trip to Campina / Valea Doftanei. We planned the route in the parking lot that Saturday morning and it came out to be much longer than we expected. We rode the bikes for more than 100 km of ups and downs in the mountains, with rain clouds in the back and night coming in early (it was springtime). The maps we had weren't good enough, so we came out of the mountains at about 30 km away from were we had left the car. Marching back on the public road in the middle of the night, my front fork failed and the police got us for having no frontlights. Enough about it!

Does Stress Increase EQ?

2005-01-23T23:45:00.000+02:00

EQ stands for "emotional intelligence quotient" and seems to be directly involved in one's personal success, compared to IQ ("EQ gets you through life vs. IQ gets you through school").

More info on EQ:

Distinctions: EQ v. IQ
Emotional Intelligence (PDF)

Cortisone hormone is released in stress conditions. Cortisol (hydrocortisone) is a chemical compound with similar effects, used as a treatment in some diseases. Children taking cortisol in a long-term cure are much more "mature" compared to other children of the same age, so we could conclude that cortisol/cortisone stimulates EQ. The next logical step would be that stress increases EQ, which would be of a major importance in child education.
This is not a scientific paper, it's just a thought. Thank you, Ana!

Love It and It Will Love You Back

2005-01-22T01:09:00.000+02:00

No, this is wrong when it comes to women :). It's about choosing the right sports equipment and taking good care of it. Salomon (brand owned by Adidas AG) has a website that is not listed in Google database, aimed to provide manuals required for their staff handling skis. Here you can find manuals (in PDF) on choosing the right skis, maintenance and service not only for skis, but also for ski boots, bindings and helmets. Although the manuals are specific to Salomon products, there are many general-purpose things. I know from MTB that choosing the right equipment helps you develop your skills much quicker, and nobody takes care of it like yourself. [Salomon Shop Manuals]

MTB in Romania - Baiului

2005-01-21T11:34:00.000+02:00

As my wallpaper pictures cycle every day, this morning I have a picture from a MTB trip in Mt. Baiului, so I thought to share some of them. Mt. Baiului area is perfect for a one day XC ride. Almost perfect actually, because of the sheepfolds' dogs and some wild bears.. True stories.

My Medical Education Background

2005-01-20T22:34:00.000+02:00

Hello again! As a friend of mine anticipated, I didn't post any message on this blog for a while after I had created and tuned it a little bit. The chase is better than the catch I guess.

My Natural Sciencies school teacher (Mrs. Boicescu) made me dream about becoming a medical doctor. Then, my elder sister got into Medical School, so my dream was taking shape. I graduated The Faculty of General Medicine of the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania (official site 1 - only in Romanian, site 2 - in English). I attended a couple of Medical Students' Congresses in Istanbul and Cairo with Pathology studies and I also did some extracurricular activities. So, here I am after 6 years of student days as a general medicine doctor.

Life is great, but.. in December, last year (2004), I failed. :( I failed at the residency exam in surgery and it hurt me lot. I could find dozens of excuses, but I won't. One month has already passed and the mourning is over. I still think a lot about it, I've drawn conclusions, I've made resolutions and I'm ready to prove myself that I can do it and I can do it well.
So help me God.

Skimboard

2005-01-16T01:34:00.000+02:00

Mmm, summer days.. The only thing that keeps me alive in winter is skiing.. and my dreams of the summer action fun. So, I discovered skimboarding. Since The Black Sea isn't proper for sufing, this could be like a training for the real stuff :). I can't wait to buy the skimboard but, till then, I'll go skiing a little bit more :D. I'll come back on this topic as my plans evolve.

2 "Golf Players"

2005-01-15T01:39:00.000+02:00

Me and my mate ready to hit the slopes at Poiana Brasov. I feel that skiing is like playing golf relatively to my age. And I feel good :D.

P.S. Searching the web on choosing the right skis (like shape and dimensions), I came by a tutorial which I found very useful.

Hello World

2005-01-15T00:01:00.000+02:00

Testing, 1, 2..