Victor E. Lopez

A newborn’s body undergoes many changes to adapt to life outside the womb, one of the most dramatic being the heart. Before birth, very little blood is sent to the lungs - most is diverted away from the lungs through a vessel called the ductus arteriosus. Before birth, the ductus arteriosus is as large as the aorta.

The placenta helps the baby “breathe” while growing in the womb. 

Oxygen and carbon dioxide flow through the blood in the placenta

At birth, the baby’s lungs are filled with fluid. They are not inflated. 

The baby takes the first breath within about 10 seconds after delivery. This breath sounds like a gasp, as the newborn’s central nervous system reacts to the sudden change in temperature and environment.

Lungs inflate and begin working, moving oxygen into the bloodstream and removing carbon dioxide (exhalation).

Lungs become distended, the capillary network dilated and their resistance is reduced drastically so that a rich flow of blood can take place.

Pressure in the right atrium sinks in comparison to left 

pressure turn around in the atria causes the septum primum to be pressed against the septum secundum and the foramen secundum becomes functionally closed. 

Towards the end of the first year, it has also grown together in 99% of the babies –> the hole between the left and right atrium is closed.

Fluid drains or is absorbed from the respiratory system.

Cutting of the umbilical cord gets rid of the placental low resistance area, increasing peripheral resistance in systemic circulation. 

pressure in the aorta is now higher than that in truncus pulmonalis 

 pO2 pressure in the aorta increases since the blood is now oxygenated directly in the baby’s lungs

Triggering a contraction of the smooth musculature in the wall of the ductus arteriosus - closing

Atrial Septal Defects

The ductus arteriosus closes within the first day or two.

However this doesn’t always happen smoothly - resulting in a congenital (from birth) heart defect - ASD (atrial septal defect)

The severity of the defect depends on the size of the hole -it may be very small (less than 5mm) with minimal leakage, allowing the individual to live a normal life. Location also plays a role in blood flow and oxygen levels.

ASDs are defined as primum  (linked to other heart defects of the ventricular septum and mitral valve) and secundum defects (a single, small or large hole). They may also be more than one small hole in the septum or wall between the two chambers.

The hole may stay the same size, or grow with the rest of the heart during development and consequently will be monitored throughout childhood development, then more infrequently throughout adulthood.

Need motivation?

To get an education. 

To earn a degree. There are barely any jobs that offer positions to people without a degree, or are on the path of obtaining one.

To prove people wrong. That science teacher that said you’ll never make it in the medical field? Make him eat his words. 

To prove yourself wrong. Every student has doubts on whether or not they can be good enough in the classroom. Prove yourself wrong, and always be better than you were yesterday. 

This is a privilege. Regardless of how much you believe that you HAVE to do this, to some extend you don’t. Realize that you have the privilege of an education even being an option for you.

Take advantage of what you’re capable of. Don’t waste a perfectly intelligent mind. 

More money. That degree can do wonderful things to your bank account in the future. 

It’s interesting. Studying can get pretty boring, but there are always those topics that spark your curiosity and motivate you to learn more.

It’s attractive. Not everyone cares for someone who is academically gifted, but a partner who is eager to learn makes me eager to take my pants off.

It’s useful. That random fact that you read in a random textbook can stick with you and really end up helping you out one day.

It’s fun to know useless shit sometimes.

To make your parents proud. This is one of the main reasons I study. My parents have always been aware of my capabilities and have pushed me to be academically better every year. They know I have big dreams, and I just want to achieve them so they can know that their child made it.

To make myself proud. This goes along with number four. Knowing that you accomplished something, however small or big the thing may be, is a huge self-esteem booster.

To be independent. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you don’t need someone else’s job, degree, intelligence, or presence to make you successful.

To pursue your passion. 

To gain knowledge. Whether its in your field, or a completely different one, being knowledgeable is just downright fun.

People will look up to you. Your siblings, your best friends, and your classmates may see you consistently studying, and it could motivate them to do the same. 

To make a name for yourself. “Oh yeah, (insert name here), I know them. Aren’t they like really successful now?”

To become your own role model.

To be able to pay off your student loans.

Because the long nights and excessive coffee will all be worth it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it now. 

To exercise your brain. Your brain is just like a muscle, and like the body it needs to be exercised. 

To improve your hippocampus. Your hippocamus is responsible for memory, and if you study your memorization will become significantly better.

To not waste time doing useless stuff. 

Because stationary is amazing. I could spend a whole paycheck on just pens.

Because notes are actually all so pretty. 

To be productive. I used to spend a lot of time on social media, and although I still do, the amount of time I spend studying and getting stuff done has definitely increased.

So classes will be easier. 

So tests will be easier.

To impress your professors. Get those letters of recommendation! 

So the anxiety of getting a bad grade is sufficiently decreased. I constantly worry about my grades, but studying has helped me not worry so much.

Because coffee exists. 

There is no other atmosphere quite like the inside of a library. 

So you won’t have to retake a class. Failing a prerequisite for your major really sucks, so maybe try not failing the first time around. This also saves you a lot of money because you won’t have to pay for the class again. 

Finals week won’t suck as bad. You’ll be used to studying so when finals week comes around it wont nearly be as stressful as for those students who are now opening a textbook. 

You won’t go to as many college parties. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for socializing and having fun, but a lot can go wrong at a college party very quickly. And there’s no better way to prevent that, than just not going to the party cause you’re reading your economics textbook. 

You’ll get used to FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Every teenagers nightmare. Eventually, you’ll get used to the feeling. 

You’ll be getting the most out of your college experience. You’re paying for these classes. Might as well try your best to pass. 

You’ll get used to not getting enough sleep. So, if you decide to go to grad school you’ll have that department covered. 

There’s really good study music out there. 

I guarantee there will be at least 5 places on campus, or around you that are perfect for studying, and you’ll want to go there everyday. 

You’ll become a pro at writing essays, or lab reports.

You’ll learn fairly quickly that study groups rarely work. 

You’ll make a lot of friends that are just as passionate about studying as you are. And you will cherish them. 

Beauty and Brains. Don’t you want to fit that description? 

Thousands of students before you have done it, so you can too. 

You can run a studyblr. Aren’t they the cutest? 

You get really good at time management. 

Sleep becomes 5x more satisfactory after a night of studying.

Photothermal Release of Singlet Oxygen From Au Nanoparticles

The image above (briefly) illustrates the absorption of light by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which results in fragmenting the anthracene endoperoxide ligands and the photorelease of singlet oxygen, 1O2 (i.e. an excited state of O2). One of the important roles 1O2 plays is in the treatment of cancer due to this highly reactive state of oxygen’s ability to “irreversibly damage nucleic acids, proteins and lipids within cells.” With that said, 1O2 could have a potential application in photothermal therapy, therapy where electromagnetic radiation is used to treat diseases including cancer.