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Daily Digest Archive for October 7, 2004
Q: (Initially posted October 5, 2004) FROM STUDENT
MEMBER HOLLY Y. IN CA
Hello Mentors! Thank you for replying to my last message! I
am slightly altering my science project idea. Instead of comparing
different muscle-soothing products, I am going to improve the
rate of penetration of one product. I am going to insert DMSO
(dimethyl sulfoxide) into the creme. DMSO penetrates faster
than water, and I have checked the ingredients of the cremes
and they do not contain DMSO. DMSO penetrates without harming
the tissues, and I have used this a lot in laboratory research.
Regarding actually doing the experiment, I will be using meat.
Since the muscles of animals are quite similar to those of humans,
I hope that this will work. I will mix in DMSO and dye into
the creme and apply it to the meat. I will measure the rate
of penetration for various depths in the meat. (I will be taking
cross sections of it.) I hope this works! Please comment on
my new idea and method. Thank you! |
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October 7, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
That sounds do-able. How will you detect the DMSO at various
depths,
I wonder? Do you expect the dye to follow the DMSO, or will
it bind
to proteins or membranes or nucleic acids? And have you thought
about skin as a barrier? What about using something like chicken
that you can get with the skin still on? You could test with
and
without skin, and even test the effect of subcutanous fat
on the
penetration rate. Of course, dead meat lack a circulatory
system - I
would guess than in living tissues DMSO might be carried around
by
the blood, not just by diffusion.
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A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Holly,
Your idea sounds great! I can't wait to hear how the experiments
go.
Please share your data and experiences with us! I will be
interested to
hear what others think of your idea as well.
One thing I am curious about- have you wondered if perhaps
DMSO may change
the makeup of the cream? I wonder why it has not been used
before. I
wonder if it reacts differently with other ingredients in
the cream.
I look forward to hearing more from you.
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