ON APRIL 28, THE WORLD CELEBRATES BIOLOGICAL CLOCK DAY!
📍The tradition of celebrating this holiday comes from the United States. The history of its foundation is unknown, but the day is of great value, forcing people to listen to their bodies.
The Day of the Biological Clock demonstrates the complex relationship between our internal circadian rhythms and the outside world. This holiday emphasizes the profound impact our biological clocks have on our sleep patterns, mood, metabolism, and overall health, calling for a deeper understanding and respect for these internal timekeepers.
The circadian rhythm (biological clock) is a daily phase of activity that repeats itself. It is needed to regulate sleep, wakefulness, eating behavior, hormone levels, and other processes. The regulation of the circadian rhythm is influenced by the concentration of hormones at different times of the day and genetic mechanisms.
📍Our circadian rhythms, 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, play a crucial role in determining sleep and wakefulness. Controlled by the brain’s master clock, these rhythms depend on environmental cues – primarily light and darkness – and thus dictate not only sleep patterns, but also nutrition, hormone release, body temperature, and other vital bodily functions.
⚡️The causes of biological rhythm disruption can be various: working at night or during the day, a sharp change in time zones, sleep deprivation, and eating disorders.
⚡️ The concept of biological rhythms goes back centuries, and references to them can be found in ancient Greek texts.
⚡️ Modern scientific research began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and culminated in the discovery of the “clock genes” that control these rhythms. These genes ensure that our physiological processes are synchronized with the day-night cycle, optimizing health and functioning.
SAVE THE FROGS DAY
Save the Frogs Day is an annual event that takes place on April 28th and aims to raise awareness of the importance of amphibian conservation and the threats facing frog populations around the world.
This event is created and coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS! Since 2009, activists and volunteers of this organization have been conducting educational events around the world, providing educational materials for those who want to join this environmental campaign.
World Frog Day is the world’s largest day of amphibian awareness and conservation. Since its inception in 2009, this global event has inspired individuals, communities, and organizations in 58 countries to raise awareness of the critical threats facing amphibian populations and take meaningful steps to protect them.
⚡️ Amphibians, including frogs, salamanders, newts, and pygmy frogs, are among the most endangered animal groups on the planet. These fascinating creatures play a crucial role in ecosystems as predators and prey, contributing to pest control and serving as indicators of environmental health. However, they are facing unprecedented challenges and threats from habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, invasive species and disease.
⚡️ The impact of World Frog Day goes beyond a single day, as it aims to instill a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship and amphibian conservation. By creating a global community of aware and active citizens, the initiative hopes to halt the decline of amphibian populations and ensure a healthy planet for future generations.
📍Action Day embodies the collective power of individual action to address one of the most pressing conservation issues of our time. By participating in this global movement, each of us can contribute to a wave of positive change in environmental protection.
This day is a reminder of the crucial role that frogs play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and highlights the urgent need for action to protect these vulnerable species.
WORLD DAY FOR THE PROTECTION OF LABORATORY ANIMALS
(WORLD DAY FOR LABORATORY ANIMALS)
Every year on April 24, the world celebrates the Day for the Protection of Laboratory Animals. The purpose of this day is to draw the world’s attention to the moral and ethical problems of conducting laboratory research and experiments on live animals that experience pain, fear, discomfort, and other suffering.
Who are the experiments conducted on?
Animals of various species are used for experiments. Most often, rats, mice, primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, and frogs are used as objects of experimentation. Flies, worms, and other insects are also used. Most of these animals are specially bred for experiments or transferred from animal shelters, while some wild species are captured for these purposes from the wild.
But what about legislation?
Back in 1959, three basic principles were developed for the use of animals in research:
- Replacement of animal research methods with methods that exclude the use of animals (for example, computer modeling methods) if this allows achieving the same research results. At the same time, methods of conducting research without the use of animals should be given preference.
- Preference should be given to methods that allow obtaining the necessary information from experiments on fewer animals or more information from experiments on the same number of animals.
- Improving methods that alleviate or minimize potential pain, suffering, and debilitation of animals and improve the welfare of animals used in research.
The national legislation of Ukraine operates with the concept of “experimental animal” and allows the use of these animals in scientific experiments, biological testing, and the educational process only if there is no possibility of replacing them with other alternative methods and objects, and only if there is a permit for experimental research on the animal. In addition, procedures that pose a risk of injury to animals or cause acute or prolonged painful stimuli shall be performed only under anesthesia.
It is prohibited to involve animals that cannot tolerate captivity, confined spaces, or training in experiments. It is also forbidden to deprive animals of the ability to make sounds by surgery and to use traumatic methods when taking cells from animals.
However, despite these legislative norms, the animal somehow experiences pain and suffering, and its entire life is spent in the rhythm of experiments and interventions in the body, which leads to further death or euthanasia.
Testing cosmetics on animals in Ukraine
Since 2013, the European Union has completely banned cosmetics tested on animals.
In July 2019, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine initiated a discussion on strengthening the requirements for cosmetic products and banning animal testing as part of the preparation of the Cosmetics Regulation, developed on the basis of EU Regulation No. 1223/2009.
“This is particularly relevant to the prohibition of animal testing of cosmetics and the transition to the latest te
chnological developments, including alternative methods of testing cosmetic products. Currently, Ukraine has no approved methodologies for alternative safety testing of cosmetics. The transitional period will allow the Ukrainian cosmetics business to develop without obstacles,” the statement said.
In order to adopt a ban on animal testing of cosmetics, a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On Approval of the Technical Regulations for Cosmetic Products” was developed. We hope that this ban will be adopted soon.
It should be noted that on September 01, 2021, the sculptural composition “The Phenomenon of Health Sciences” was unveiled on the territory of the National University of Pharmacy in preparation for the 100th anniversary. The Rector of the National University of Pharmacy Alla Kotvitska noted that “this sculptural composition symbolizes the gratitude of mankind to laboratory animals for their contribution to scientific discoveries, and was the first in Ukraine. Laboratory animals have been ideal assistants to scientists for many decades. Today, the scientific community is rethinking approaches to scientific research, starting to apply the latest technologies: bioengineering, three-dimensional modeling, cell cultures.”
The Educational and Research Institute of Applied Pharmacy and the Department of Biological Chemistry and Veterinary Medicine join the celebration of the important event and offer to view posters submitted by students, teachers and researchers from Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Lithuania.
The authors of the best reports in terms of content and relevance were awarded.
1st Degree Diploma:
– El Assri Abdeladim, Beri Zakaria, Sekkat Amane Allah: “Animal experiments: a historical perspective” (Kingdom of Morocco).
– Vadym Galuzinskyi, Dmytro Lytkin, Julija Razumiene: “Invertebrate laboratory animals as an alternative to vertebrates” (Ukraine, Republic of Lithuania).
– Eva Gros, Volodymyr Kushnir: “Modern technologies as an alternative to live laboratory animals” (Ukraine).
Diploma of the 2nd Degree:
– Igor Seniuk, Vira Kravchenko, Nodar Sulashvili: “Culture of laboratory animal care” (Ukraine, Georgia).
– Daria Hnatenko: “Alternatives to experiments on laboratory animals” (Ukraine).
– Daria Tyunina: “Mercy or murder? Discussion on the euthanasia of laboratory animals” (Ukraine).
Diploma of the 3rd Degree:
– Yelyzaveta Avramenko: “Laboratory animals in the educational process” (Ukraine).
– Polina Bogomolova: “Protection of laboratory animals” (Ukraine).
– Bogdan Sokolov, Daniel Pandas: “The global role of amphibians in the educational process” (Ukraine).
– Daria Koval: “The use of laboratory animals in cosmetics testing” (Ukraine).
POSTER REPORTS
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WORLD RAT DAY !
On April 4 of each year, a rather unconventional holiday is celebrated – World Ornamental Rat Day. The event was invented in the United States in 2003. The date of the celebration was chosen in accordance with the day the oldest resource on the Internet dedicated to rats was launched.
The decorative rat is a full-fledged member of many families, an animal characterized by good mental abilities, activity, friendliness and agility. Rats have a strong aptitude for survival, the ability to dream, compassion, and love. In addition, the animal lends itself well to training.
World Rat Day aims to draw public attention to the decorative animal and unite rat breeders from all over the world.
It may seem strange to some that so much attention is paid to the rat, but it is worth recalling that, for example, the Chinese calendar devotes a whole year to it (the Year of the Rat). And it is not for nothing that it is considered a very intelligent and agile animal with a cheerful disposition and amazing vitality. Fans of ornamental rats consider them not only gentle, sociable, curious and friendly animals, but also literally members of their family, inevitably attractive… By the way, scientists often compare rats to humans because our genomes are 95% similar (!). And they live the same way as we do: they fight to the last when it comes to survival or preservation of offspring, learn from their own mistakes, even fall in love and dream like humans. Recently, scientists have proved that in addition to squeaking, rats communicate with each other using ultrasonic signals inaudible to the human ear, which, as it turned out, number in the tens of thousands, indicating a rich vocabulary of these animals. And rats are also able to sympathize… But it is worth recalling that today we are talking about decorative, domestic rats, which differ from wild rats only in that they are bred in captivity for an ennomous generation (by the way, England is considered the “homeland” of these pets). This means that such a rat is as smart as a wild rat and as affectionate as a pet, but to a certain extent, of course. It’s no secret that many animals have been used by doctors as laboratory animals for many centuries, and the talents of laboratory rats have not gone unnoticed. For example, for the first time in the world, rats entered the circus arena thanks to the Durov brothers: they were the ones who began to demonstrate trained albino rats. Later, these animals were sold at bird markets and pet stores, and today there are rat lovers’ clubs and rat nurseries all over the world.
INTERNATIONAL VITAMIN C DAY!
On April 4, 2024, the world celebrates Vitamin C Day. This April event in the first decade of the month is a traditional annual event.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. Acorbic acid (the chemical name of the vitamin) helps to deactivate highly reactive molecules known as free radicals that cause cellular damage. It strengthens the immune system. It forms collagen. It heals wounds.
Vitamin C was discovered in 1912, isolated in 1928, and in 1933 it became the first vitamin to be produced chemically. It is included in the list of essential medicines of the World Health Organization.
In 1928, Albert St. Gyorgyi isolated a substance from the adrenal glands that he called “hexuronic acid”. Four years later, Charles Glenn King isolated vitamin C in his laboratory and concluded that it was the same as hexuronic acid. Norman Haworth deduced the chemical structure of vitamin C in 1933.
The purpose of Vitamin C Day is to raise public awareness of the importance of this vitamin in the diet.
Experts cited five facts you need to know about this vitamin:
Vitamin C is involved in metabolic processes, protects molecules (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.) from damage by reactive oxygen species. It is also needed for the synthesis of hormones that play an important role in the cardiovascular system’s response to severe infection, and helps to absorb iron.
Vitamin C deficiency causes a disease called scurvy, which is manifested by bleeding and brittle blood vessels.
It is an essential vitamin that can only be obtained from plant-based foods. It is most abundant in the following foods: citrus fruits, kiwi, red peppers, broccoli, currants, and strawberries.
Large doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal cramps, headaches, and insomnia.
How I love you, Vitamin C
bouncer of the body’s toxicity
firming up the skin, we see
speeding neural signals over
synapses..
so that we more quickly see
Anna Niemus
