February 8, 2016

Lab Practical – Gel electrophoresis of albumins and globulins

Keita-Eiri Uesugi

Well, today was a lab day at University! Although I was rather shocked when I turned up in the lab and realised that it wasn’t the normal way we go in AND THEN the massive lab room was split in half? It looked like such a different alien world, not even kidding!!!

I had my partner in crime with me today as well, Sam! We don’t seem to have as many labs together lately which is such a shame as I feel we make a great team… when things work, which they have been doing lately!

Today’s practical was for “Introduction to Clinical Biochemistry” involving SDS-PAGE, gel electrophoresis of proteins, acrylamide gel… some very nasty chemicals and stuff, to put it simply. But what is a lab without a few hazards? And we were all very sensible and nothing bad happened.

Fig 1: Finally feeling more confident with my pipetting skills!
Fig 2: Mes amino (lab partner in crime) Sam, as well as fellow lab Intro to Clincical Biochem buddies, Ruari and Paige.

Actually, the lab went pretty well… and there was definitely some clear results too.

Fig 3: BioRad PAGE mini gel apparatus once set up and running.
Fig 4: Results. You can see the marker ladder which corresponds to different proteins, and faintly, our results (although my camera flash refused to work in such a bright lab)

We were given a normal sample, gamma globulin sample, bovine serum albumin (BSA) sample and then an unknown, of which we had to figure out. Sadly, I was quite useless when put on the spot to figure out what was different/going on with the unknown sample… besides it had a larger band than the normal sample. But you live and you learn, right? We did figure it out eventually thanks to wonderful lecturers being nice and patient and guiding with me and mes amino (Sam is my amigo, therefore a la Science, she is mes amino) and after that, everything made sense!

Lab 1 - dinner
Fig 5: Obligatory student dinner of a Big Mac and fries, with obligatory diet coke and a million tissues pulled out of the dispenser when you only want one…

And of course, after every lab, there is a trip to McDonalds, as standard.

And then the weary student returns home to a cat who won’t leave her alone. I have had to type around her tiny body to post this, so if there are spelling mistakes, its her fault because she loves me just THAT much!

Lab 1 - the cat
Fig 6: The infamous princess and ruiner of work, Princess Snooty Pants, Magnus Bane

I’m looking forward to the next lab, which according to my timetable is next Monday morning for “Biology of Human Disease”, a personal favourite module of mine!

 

I never thought I would use my copic markers to draw the liver…

Keita-Eiri Uesugi

Good morning world.

This is the week my panic truly sets in. I have an assessed presentation for Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Toxicology on Friday and well… I have never been one to enjoy presentations. Usually, as with other presentations, I get really anxious, start shaking and sweating profusely, stumble over even the most simple words in the world so the complicated ones are even worse… and in the last one, the lecturer ended up asking me if I needed to sit down, which I did, because my legs turned to jelly and it was rather clear. I may have said a naughty word under my breath too… which everyone heard.

Regardless, I do like prepping and preparing posters and presentations! In the past, I keep getting told I could draw certain diagrams for it, but I never do… usually because I am leaving everything in a panic and focusing more on what I am going to try and say in the said presentation.

I am with a super group for this one though and they are all such a pleasure to work with. Indeed, I worry I am going to let them down with my rather blippy nature at the best of times, but I have made it through other presentations… I can manage this one too!!!

SO this time, I am drawing for my presentation… WHAT A SHOCK! And I won’t lie… I am actually enjoying it, and yet again, I am wondering why I did not do this sooner haha

Which begs the title of this blog, “I never thought I’d use my copic markers for liver diagrams…” because low and behold… I have drawn a liver, and shaded it in with my usual blending flair, with my epic copic markers of which I have owned for years and cost a bomb and I am surprised most of them still work seen as I only use them every now and again on work for myself.

Fig 1: A selection of copic markers, coloured pencils, my example of a liver diagram… and Peteacetaminophen, aka Pete the Paracetamol.

Haha, skills.

And yes, that is Peteacetaminophen popping up there in the corner to say hello. He is our cute presentation mascot, to make light of what is rather a sad tale of events with our case study. You may see more of Pete and a few of his other friends too over the coming months, I hope! They are so much fun to make and well… if Giant Microbes can be a thing… who knows what could happen to my little characters!

Guess I’d better figure out those two non-toxic pathways for paracetamol so I stand a chance of explaining myself in semi-clear English on Friday! Good luck to everyone who will be presenting then and the weeks afterwards too!

Fig 2: Peteacetaminophen aka Pete the Paracetamol
Fig 2: Peteacetaminophen aka Pete the Paracetamol
Fig 3: A very basic diagram of the liver