The Interesting, Weird, & Disgusting

These are some pictures I found while researching this topic:

Side Effect of Steroid Use

Livestock injected with Myostatin.

Mouse muscle composition before and after gene doping.

My Thoughts on Athletics and Biotechnology

My contemplative pose

First, I would like to emphasize that these are solely my thoughts and does not reflect anything I learned in E25 or here at Stanford. Now that is done, this is what I think about the fusion of athletics and biotech.

Whenever I watch ESPN and learn that a new star athlete has been busted with performing enhancing drugs (I guess I am talking mainly about baseball and Olympic events here), my initial reaction is that they must not be very smart to risk their positive reputation, career, and future earning potential with one injection.  I also wonder, with names such as Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds added to the PED users list, how narcissistic can someone be to ruin there already legendary status. 

But, I then think about my life as a student here at Stanford. Every week of the quarter, I search for ways to get my work done faster and more efficiently. Even with my pursuit for excellence, I still find myself up until 2AM Thursday morning finishing up my E25 problem set. After weeks of doing this over and over, my body feels the affect of sleep deprivation and it becomes harder and harder to work into the wee hours of the morning. My solution? Red Bull, Rockstar, Amp, and my new favorite, Bump (I swear this stuff has to be illegal. It is highly potent, extremely effective and also addictive.) 

This may be an inaccurate comparison, but I compare my consumption of these energy drinks to athletes' use of steroids. First, I drink energy drinks to get an advantage over my peers, who are probably unable to stay up as late to complete their work. This advantage over peers is the same motivation held by athletes who use steroids. Second, I willingly consume energy drinks, knowing the possible health risks posed by them in the future. These risks include nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, increased urination, abnormal heart rhythms, and stomach upset.  Other adverse effects include fluid absorption into the blood and energy system, increasing the possibility of dehydration. When a high level of sugar is in the blood stream the body cannot get the water into the cells that it needs because the water is busy trying to dilute concentration of sugar in the blood stream.  

These risks may not be as serious as PED use, but the though process is the same: take risks now 

to get the results (grades) I want later. I also understand that there is a human characteristic to excel 

and go further than the competition, no matter what profession or career path one chooses to follow. 

With this mind, I applaud sporting organizations and agencies in trying to clean up steroids and other 

potentially dangerous substances in sports, but I think there should be a greater focus on improvement 

and development of less dangerous alternatives.

Creatine and Muscle Milk are good examples of solid alternatives. They both help athletes fulfill their 

exercise regimen, but they don’t nearly have as much of a long term, negative impact as steroids and 

other drugs. There is still a lot of uncertainty with methods such as gene doping, but I think this is a step 

in the right direction.

Whatever the case, I am basically saying that as long as human are humans, some individuals will do whatever 

it takes to succeed because that is just part of human nature. For athletes, I think the focus now should be on less 

harmful ways to do that.

Muscle Milk: A Genetic Therapeutic in a Cup

Back in high school, I used Muscle Milk while training for the basketball season. I was young, dumb, and really did not understand what it was doing to my body. Fortunately, I came to Stanford and took E25, so now I have the tools to understand what is going on in my body.

What is Muscle Milk?

Muscle Milk is a muscle-building formula that burns fat, increases lean muscle growth and helps its users recover faster after intensive exercise. In its powder form, Muscle Milk is mixed into liquid and drunk before and after workouts. Muscle Milk was designed to be similar to breast milk. It is rich with nutrients that help the user develop muscle.

When muscle milk is consumed before a workout, it gives the body an energy boost by sending its nutrients straight to the muscles. This energy boost is similar to that given by Creatine. After the workout, consumption of Muscle Milk helps the body recover, by again sending those nutrients straight to the muscles under stress from the workout. 



 

The Key Elements of Muscle Milk

Muscle Milk contains lean lipids and Evopro. Lean lipids are fats that boost metabolism and encourage the synthesis of protein (enzyme that is key for muscle growth).

                   

Evopro is a natural protein that stimulates muscle growth. It contains peptides, amino acids and proteins that are also found in breast milk. In E25, we learned how stem cell injections repair damaged tissue.  Evopro serves a similar purpose as it aids in the growth and repair of tissue. 
The protein blend in muscle milk is comprised of whey and casein, which both absorption and digestion. Whey protein increases amino acids that help synthesize protein and build muscle. However, whey protein burns fast. So, when it burns when using this product, the cassein becomes active. Cassein gives the body more time for protein synthesis, and hence more time to build muscle.

                   

The Fat in Muscle Milk

Muscle Milk has a high fat content. However, the fat in muscle milk is medium chain triglycerides, which are easier to absorb and burn. This fat also has low calorie content.

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How Does Steroid Testing Really Work?

How Does Performance Enhancing Drug Testing Really Work? 

The majority of drugs that can be abused by athletes can be detected in samples of urine. Drug testing begins when an athlete submits an urine sample. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for analysis and the results are reported back to regulators. For some substances, blood samples or used instead of urine.

 

Gas Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry

Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are the most common methods of chemical analysis. In class, we learned that chromatography is one of the processes used by Genentech to purify monoclonal antibodies. 

For this application, chromatography is used to vaporize the sample in the presence of a gaseous solvent and placed through a long path of a machine. Each substance dissolves differently in the gas and stays in the gas phase for a unique amount of time, called the retention time. Typically the substance comes out of the gas and is absorbed on to a solid or liquid, which is then analyzed by a detector. After the sample is analyzed, the retention results are plotted to create a chromatogram. Standard samples of drugs are run, so that specific drugs can be identified and quantified in the chromatograms of the urine/blood samples. Doing this allows scientists to recognize any irregularities in the subject's urine.

Mass spectrometry is an analytical process for determining elemental composition of a sample. In this case, mass spectrometry is used to blow samples apart with an electron beam and the fragments are accelerated down a long magnetic tube to a detector. Each substance has a unique "fingerprint" in the mass spectrometer. Again, standard samples are run for identification and quantification of drugs in the urine/blood samples.

Immuno-Assays

Some substances (such as HCG, LH, ACTH) can be measured in urine samples using an immuno-assay. In this test, the sample is mixed with a solution containing an antibody specific to the tested substance. From E25, an antibody is a protein that binds only a specific substance and is how the body recognizes foreign substances. Scientists use fluorescence activated cell sorting and fluorescent dye molecules to tag the antibody. Then, the amount of fluorescent light or radioactivity is measured and is related to the concentration of the tested substance in the sample.

Tests Under Development

Currently, there are no reliable tests for HGH, IGF-1 and EPO. However, a test for EPO is being developed. The EPO test examines the size of red blood cells. It has been noticed that synthetic EPO produces red blood cells that are smaller and bind more iron then natural EPO. So, the size and iron content of red blood cells from a blood sample are analyzed to determine whether an athlete has used EPO.

As new performance-enhancing drugs are developed, new tests are developed to detect these drugs, and the struggle to keep sports clean continues indefinitely.

An Entry About Creatine

Sorry about the title. I just finished three problem sets in a row and its kind of difficult to be creative right now. At the very beginning of the quarter, Cliff mentioned that his twin brother uses Creatine. I heard about Creatine before, but E25 has sparked my interest into learning more about the supplement and what it does to the user’s body. So, lets dive in!

 

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in humans. It is an amino acid-based compound and stores energy from the already existing amino acids and foods in the body. Some creatine rich foods include fish and red meat. Creatine is stored in our bodies as a compound called phosphocreatine, which further works as a reservoir of phosphate. Phosphocreatine is a substance that stores energy in the muscular tissues and provides energy for the muscular contractions. Phosphate produced from creatine is needed for regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which is the main source of energy for enzymes in the muscle during initial high-intensity muscle activity.

During muscle contraction, ATP loses a phosphate molecule to create energy and gets converted to adenosine diphosphate (ADP). We learned in class that ADP is a nucleotide consisting of adenine, ribose sugar, and two phosphate groups. Now that ATP is being depleted, ADP must be converted back to ATP. Creatine speeds up this process. The more creatine is available to the body, the faster the body can produce ATP molecules, so that an increasing amount of energy is available for the muscle contractions. This is how creatine acts as a great energy source for short bursts of exercise such as sprinting, bodybuilding and other athletic activities.

Diagram of Creatine Synthesis

A sufficient amount of creatine also slows the onset of fatigue.  Creatine helps in the synthesis of protein, which further promotes muscle growth and development. 

The fact that creatine can provide energy instantaneously makes it a very successful supplement for athletes and anyone who exercises with weights as they need steady bursts of energy during their workouts.

 

Side Effects?

Creatine supplements are generally considered safe by most medical professionals because there have not been many examples of short-term or long-term side effects associated with creatine use. If properly hydrated, creatine use should work in the user’s advantage. If the user is severely dehydrated, however, the additional water needed in the body's creation of more ATP can cause you to feel faint or dizzy. In addition to water loss, leg pain is a common complaint among creatine users. The leg pain is caused by a buildup of pressure in the muscles.  This accumulated pressure is a result of the retained water in the legs’ muscle fibers.

So, next time Cliff goes with his brother for a workout, he should sure to bring plenty of fluids and pay attention to any complaints about leg pain.

Should Gene Doping Be Banned?

Even though there is a greater focus on gene doping to improve athletic performance, genetic research has already changed the nature of sport. DNA and protein profiling can be used to identify specific gene variants to predict and select athletes for certain sports.  Currently, there are at least 50 alleles that are shared among the majority of athletes but uncommon in the general population. Knowing these variants can help us understand what makes a runner a distance runner or sprinter.

In class, we learned that gene mutations could sometimes help a new species evolve and become dominant. The same idea applies here. There are some people who have mutations that turn them into natural athletes. Finnish Nordic skier and 1964 Olympic gold medalist Eero Mäntyranta, for example, had unusually high amounts of red blood cells. Males born with a myostatin dysfunction have abnormally better weight-lifting capacities when compared to their peers. The question arises that if gene doping is banned in sports, should the individuals who naturally have genetic mutations also be banned?

If gene therapy becomes safe enough to be used not only as a medical treatment but also for athletic enhancement purposes, it will raise the question of whether gene doping should remain banned. There is already a grey zone of performance enhancements that are legally used in sports because they are accepted as standard medical treatments. Professional golfers, for example, have subjected themselves to laser eye surgery to enhance their vision.

I brought up two interesting questions in this blog. What do you think?

Source: EMBO Reports

Genetic Manipulation of Athletes: Stretching the Boundaries of Physical Possibilities

Genetic Manipulation of Athletes: Stretching the Boundaries of Physical Possibilities



In E25, we learned that genetic engineering is a collection of techniques used to isolate genes, modify genes for better functionality, and prepare genes to be inserted into a new species.

What is gene doping?

Gene doping is a practice coined in the sports realm for applying this genetic engineering concept to athletes. Now that regulators have closed the gap in uncovering steroid users, sports groups have taken a serious interest in gene doping. Potential targets for gene doping include the gene erythroprotein, or more commonly EPO. Manipulating this gene increases red blood cell production in patients with anemia and boosts oxygen delivery to the body. In athletes, this means boosts to stamina, which gives them a competitive edge.

Side Effects of Gene Doping

Athletes seeking an edge want better-than-normal blood oxygen. They could try adding the EPO gene with no controls. In healthy monkeys who received that treatment, blood became so thick with red blood cells that researchers had to bleed the monkeys to prevent heart failure and stroke. Eventually, the monkeys were euthanized.

Other Major Risks:

Cancer: Cancer can happen if a genetic modification unintentionally activates a cancer gene or inactivates a cancer-suppressing gene.

Gene doping can also affect an athlete’s immune system. His or her body might be unable to distinguish between self and non-self antigens, causing the body to attack the virus used to deliver the gene, the viral or bacterial genes themselves or the very protein meant to boost performance. The result could be mild, like a fever. But it could also be severe. Healthy monkeys died from severe immune reactions after "doping" with the EPO gene. The gene was injected into their muscles, which made a different EPO protein than the one naturally made in the liver. Since their bodies recognized the difference, their systems attacked both EPOs, and their bodies stopped making red blood cells.

Manipulating genes can also have adverse affects on gene actions. If the results of gene doping get into the wrong cell, cells can proliferate uncontrollably, making differentiation especially difficult. This could lead to tumor formation.

Clearing Up "The Clear"

Tetrahydrogestrinone, more commonly called "The Clear", is an anabolic steroid popular for its invisible appearance and high potency. It was developed in Bay Area Laboratory Co-op (BALCO) by chemist Patrick Arnold. The drug remained hidden under the radar until 2003. Before then, urine tests could not detect the drug, making it a popular drug of choice for prominent athletes. Recently, two athletes of note, Marion Jones and Barry Bonds, have been connected to use of Clear.

 

Important Terms to Know – These terms will help with understanding how The Clear actually works. This list also includes other related terms.

• Nandrolene – An anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the body. It is used in the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

• Trenbolone – steroid used by veterinarians to increase muscle growth and appetite. Trenbolone is also used for livestock.

• Dihyrdotestosterone – An active metabolite of the hormone testosterone found primarily in the prostate gland, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands.

• Hursutism – Excessive and increased hair growth in women in locations where the occurrence of terminal hair is normally minimal or absent.

• Immunosupression – The reduction of the activation or efficacy of the immune system. (Related to what we talked about in class regarding the immune system’s ability to distinguish between self and non-self antigens.)

• "The Cream" - A masking agent commonly used with "The Clear"
  

The Science Behind "The Clear"

 

“The Clear” is a highly potent agonist for the androgen and progesterone receptors, around 10 times more potent than the comparison drugs nandrolone or trenbolone, but with no estrogenic activity. The steroid has both high affinity and high specificity. It has affinity to the androgen receptor and the progesterone receptor, but not to the estrogen receptor. It has been found to bind to the androgen receptor with similar affinity to dihydrotestosterone and produces growth of muscle tissue.

 

Side Effects

 

Side effects from prolonged use are likely to include infertility in both men and women, as well as other steroid side effects such as acne and hirsutism. Unlike most other anabolic steroids, THG also binds with high affinity to the glucocorticoid receptor, and while this effect may cause additional weight loss, it is also likely to cause extra side effects such as immunosuppression that are not seen with most other steroids.

The Truth About HGH

HGH is Human Growth Hormone.  HGH is produced in our body by the pituitary gland in the brain. This naturally produced hormone’s duty in our body is to encourage cell production and stimulate growth. HGH is responsible for increasing height in humans, building muscle mass, maintaining bone health, monitoring and controlling sugar and insulin levels, retention of calcium in the body, and fat reduction. HGH is produced readily when we are young but the pituitary gland slows down the production as the body ages.

Age “catches” up in more ways than one with the passage of time. 

The reduced secretion of HGH happens when we reach our 30s and continues for years to come. This reduced secretion of HGH is why the human skin has less elasticity and the bodily functions slow down as we grow older. HGH secretion is high when we are children and reaches its peak during puberty. This is when children experience spurts of growth. The secretion continues into adulthood, but at reduced levels. Health problems, such as depression, reduction in muscle mass, reduced energy, diabetes and other age-related issues are associated with decreased HGH production.

 

HGH and Gene Therapy

In class, we learned about utilizing gene therapy to improve the patient's quality of life. HGH is useful in treating conditions such as Turner Syndrome, chronic renal failure, Prader-Willi syndrome, intrauterine growth retardation, among others. HGH injections are also useful for preventing muscle mass loss due to AIDS. However, use of HGH is not free of serious side effects. There are reports that it increases the risk for diabetes and can lead to joint pain and swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cancer if used on a regular basis.

 

 Side Effect of HGH: Excessive bone growth in limbs.

HGH Use in Athletics

Even though there is no direct correlation between HGH use and athletic performance, athletes young and old have used HGH to improve physical appearance and resistance to injuries. However, research has shown that HGH can actually decrease users' strength. Because HGH is banned in most American professional sports leagues, several athletes have been disciplined for use, such as Andy Petitte, Roger Clemens, Rick Ankiel, Jose Canseco and many others.