Road Trippin'

It's been a little over a month since my last blog post and I have a very good reason for this. The screenshot below is the route I have been travelling by car since last month. 

Impressive isn't it!? I've been making a loop from my home for the summer Montreal, across to the West Coast of Canada and down to the US where I am now. I'm writing this from Buffalo -  a town in Wyoming (McDonalds WiFi is a tourist's best friend).

I'll be back in Ontario soon and will write a post about my North-American adventures - there's been a lot to see along the way!

-Nikita 

O Canada

I've been in the beautiful country of Canada this past week and a half and although the time has now come for me to return to Munich — I thought a blog post would make my trip last a bit longer, through the photos of course.

 I visited downtown Toronto on the first weekend we were here. It's been 14 years since I last visited Toronto so it was really great to see the city again, this time from a different perspective. 

My sister, Vinita and I tried the surprisingly delicious combination of fried chicken and waffles with Niagara cherry jam, maple syrup and cream at The Drake Hotel. Their brunch menu was so good, and I loved their cute and quirky restaurant style. I definitely recommend it! :)

The Canadian $5 note is a little bit cool. Depicting an astronaut alongside the Canadaarm 2 — the Bank of Canada began circulating this new note last year — symbolising Canada's contribution to space exploration. I'd heard a lot about the new design so was excited to finally see it (and try not to use it)!

                                      

Niagara Falls was a magnificent sight to see. The three waterfalls dotted along the border between the United States and Canada were an incredible shade of turquoise in the Springtime sun — a rainbow even sat on the water which made for a great photo!

I stayed in Niagara-on-the-Lake which is about an hour and a half away from Toronto by car. Famed for its wine and ice wine production, the area is scattered with wineries — as well as the Georgian McFarland House, Floral Clock and the famous Rainbow Bridge — connecting the United States and Canada.

It's always fun revisiting places you first saw as a child and can now experience as an adult.

I'll be working in Montreal from June this year so I'm looking forward to spending more time in Canada, it really is a lovely country :)

-Nikita

Could A Vegetable Compound Protect Against the Effects of Radiation?

DIM could be used to protect astronauts during space travel (Credits: NASA).

A compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower may be the key to radiation protection, scientists have found.

The compound, called 3’3-diindolymethane or DIM, is under investigation as a cancer preventative agent. Used as a potential medical countermeasure, DIM may be able to prevent or mitigate acute radiation syndrome due to whole body exposure.
Previously studied as a cancer prevention agent, this is the first instance in which DIM has been considered as a radiation protector.

One of the study’s author Dr. Eliot Rosen of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in the US describes why this new development holds great intrigue and significance: “I find it fascinating that a known cancer preventive agent (DIM) has powerful radiation protection properties and wonder if there is a relationship in the case of DIM between its radioprotection and cancer prevention mechanisms.”

The early stage laboratory study administered DIM to rodents in a multidose schedule in order to identify whether DIM could protect against the effects of exposure to radiation.

Results from the experiment demonstrated that the compound protected the animals against lethal doses of body irradiation up to 13 Gy. This was the case whether DIM dosing was initiated before or up to 24 hours after radiation exposure. The irradiated rodents injected with DIM survived longer than those left untreated.

This suggests that DIM may be useful in protecting against the effects of radiation. Rosen commented “DIM could potentially be used to protect normal (non-tumor) tissues against radiation therapy treatments for cancer.”

The compound functions uniquely from other radioprotectors and mitigators. ”DIM works in part by amplifying the normal DNA damage response that occurs when cells and tissues are irradiated. DIM also acts to prevent radiation-caused apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death. The first mechanism is novel among radiation protectors, though other protectants might also act to block apoptosis.”

DIM could protect normal tissues in patients receiving radiation therapy for cancer (Credits: CTCA).

The experimental evidence collected thus far supports DIM as a potential radioprotector and mitigator. In terms of the direction of future research, Rosen added: “We will work toward FDA approval of DIM as a radioprotectant and mitigator. This is a complex process that will involve determining the best way to deliver DIM (e.g. oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular) and other animal testing studies.”

It is uncertain whether an outcome similar to the irradiated rodents treated with DIM is possible in humans. However if so, the potential applications for DIM may venture into orbit as a radioprotector for astronauts exposed to the harsh environmentof space.

“Although speculative at this time, DIM could be used to protect against radiation received by astronauts during space travel (eg., cosmic radiation). One has to be careful because there are different types of radiation, and we don’t yet know whether DIM protects against all forms of radiation.”

With the duration of time that astronauts spend in space set to increase with future Mars and asteroid missions, DIM may provide a method of radiation protection that is sustainable and that can be grown in-situ due to its vegetable origins.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Image credits: Charles Smith

Written for Space Safety Magazine by Nikita Marwaha