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Dave's Blog

Regulation of Mitochondrial Metabolism and PH

The following is an excellent excerpt from Metabolic Regulation: A Human Perspective, by Keith N. Frayn. After reading it, the connection between metabolism (specifically mitochondrial oxidative metabolism capacity) and PH should be clear. I’ll leave the in depth commentary of why (including how, if this is true, PH is restricted to affecting lungs as opposed to systemic circulation) for another post: “An important aspect of metabolic regulation and its adaptation to different circumstances is the use of oxygen to oxidize nutrients and, hence, generate ATP. There are two aspects relevant to this chapter. The first is a series of mechanisms that increase

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August 1, 2016

The Pentose Phosphate Path and PH, Part I – RBCs, G6PD, & GSH

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a metabolic pathway that parallels glycolysis. In cells, within the cytosol, glucose is converted into glucose 6-phosphate (catalyzed by the enzyme hexokinase), which can then either 1) enter glycolysis (and subsequent glucose oxidation via citric acid cycle) to produce ATP, or 2) enter the PPP. The PPP (diagram below) is primarily an anabolic pathway; the primary purpose being the following: to produce molecules (specifically 5 carbon sugars, and Ribose-5-phosphate) used for fatty acid synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, and protein synthesis. However, another important purpose of the PPP is to produce NADPH, a high energy

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July 31, 2016

Thought Of The Day – AMPK, Pulmonary Vasculature & RV

Today’s thought stems from a quote I found reading Metabolic Regulation: A Human Perspective by Keith N. Frayn. This is one of my new favorite books… Quote: “AMPK senses energy status of the cell: when there is a drain on ATP, AMP rises and the AMPK is activated, leading in turn to inhibition of ATP utilizing pathways (particularly biosynthetic pathways) and activation of ATP-generating pathways (glucose uptake, glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation).” Thought: AMPK (5′ AMP-activated protein kinase) activation in some form, either via dietary means, or as a drug target, would seem to be a good idea for the pulmonary vasculature as

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July 31, 2016

SearchingPHorACure.com, Now Live!

Welcome! This blog is a personal project of mine… one with the sole aim of finding a cure for Pulmonary Hypertension, and Cardiopulmonary diseases at large. By writing about the science of cardiopulmonary vascular diseases, the latest news in the field, new theories and ideas, as well as musings about nutrition and health/lifestyle choices, it is my hope that this website and its content may somehow help in fostering creativity, innovation, knowledge, and awareness in the Pulmonary Hypertension community, and ultimately help bring the prospect of a cure one step closer… This blog is both technical and non-technical and is written for audiences

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June 20, 2016

Fear of Creative Destruction is not new, but why does it persist?

Creative destruction is a term coined by the economist Joseph Schumpeter to indicate that, while temporarily painful to those affected, technological innovation that causes job losses in certain sectors of industries ultimately creates wealth and prosperity for everyone (including those affected). Cars displaced horse carriage manufacturers… a significant advantage for everyone and the modern world, we can all agree. This doesn’t mean there are no horse carriage manufacturers, just a few niche ones left, which are actually profitable. There doesn’t need to be a thousand horse carriage manufacturers anymore… it just doesn’t make any economic sense. Who today can deny that

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August 8, 2015

The Implications of Dodd-Frank

This weeks EconTalk episode highlights some interesting facts about regulation and the current regulatory landscape. The excerpt below is by Lee Ohanian, professor of economics at UCLA and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and pertains to the Dodd-Frank legislation: “Now, some of the regulations we see today, in my view, are perhaps even more inefficient than ones we’ve seen in previous years. There’s Dodd-Frank in the financial sector, which is unique piece of legislation. It doesn’t provide rules directed at individual’s [or] organizations, which is the intent of the legislation. Rather it is a directive for bureaucrats to create

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July 19, 2015

McKinsey on Disciplined Innovation

McKinsey Insights has a great article on the art of Disciplined Innovation. A cogent excerpt from the article below highlights the importance of simple constraints in fostering successful innovation. Simple rules/constraints can apply to organizations undergoing small iterative innovative processes, as well as large scale disruptive innovation.   “How, then, can organizations embrace a more disciplined approach to innovation? One productive approach is to apply a few simple rules to key steps in the innovation process. Simple rules add just enough structure to help organizations avoid the stifling bureaucracy of too many rules and the chaos of none at all.

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June 21, 2015
walking
Creativity

On Walking

“You’ve got brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” –Dr. Seuss Every person who is worth imitating has at least one of two things in common… they walk and/or and they meditate. There are absolutely some other qualities, which are (and should be) “imitate-able”, but these are two that are relatively simple and quickly adaptable. At first glance, walking seems like something that is just a waste of time. Of all the forms of physical exercise, it would appear that walking is the one with the least amount of visible

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February 24, 2015

My 2015 New Years Resolutions

Below are some of my resolutions for the upcoming year. I’m pretty excited to close out 2014, but at the same time, the year flew by too quickly… Regardless, I’m eager to start another, with a fresh perspective, and I’m going to really try to make a concerted effort to be mindful and present in each moment. Time just flies by too fast. I hope everyone has an amazing, positive, and fulfilling year.   2015 Motto Think big, ask better questions & get more specific in my goals (& in my thinking in general), push my comfort zone, be mindful

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January 2, 2015
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Health

Living Paleo: 2 Years and Counting…

I’ve been on The Paleo Diet for 2 years now and I’ve never felt better in my life. I’ve noticed significant improvements in my overall mood, energy levels, and mental focus. Aside from that, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. What’s more is that these changes took place relatively soon after I started eating Paleo, and while they occurred quickly, they’ve also been developing over time. For those who don’t know, The Paleo Diet (in short) advocates consuming protein, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats, and avoiding carbs and sugars (bread, pasta, flour, rice, candy, etc.). The reasoning

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October 21, 2014

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