Jesse+S.

**__Wiki Post #1: Freckles__**
Freckles are dark, circular spots that can be found anywhere on the body. They are usually the size of the head of a steel nail. Freckles are very common on the upper body (cheeks, arms, shoulders and nose) amongst those who have a fair complexion. They can be found in different colors such as brown (light, tan-colored, dark), black, yellow and red; however they will become darker from repeated sun exposure.



__The Development of a Freckle__ Freckles are generally found in two different ways: genetics and sun exposure. The ultraviolet rays that are given off from the sun cause the outer layer of skin to thicken and pigment-producing cells will create the pigment //melanin// at a higher rate (melanin is responsible for making freckles). People who have a lighter complexion are generally more likely to develop freckles than people with dark complexion as their skin is more vulnerable to to ultraviolet rays.


 * Graph showing the effect on melanin from UV ray contact to the skin.**


 * Liver spots can also be considered to be a type of freckle, which are generally slightly larger than a typical freckle.**

__The Genetics Factor__ Heredity and skin type are very important factors for the tendency to develop freckles. Freckles tend to be inherited genetically and are most common in individuals with fair skin and/or with blond or red hair. Logically, identical and nonidentical twins have a very similar amount of freckles, however this was less common amongst nonidentical twins. These studies suggest that the appearance of freckles is influenced by genetic factors. The variations in freckle counts seems to be due mostly to heredity.

A video on treatments to "get rid of" unwanted freckles: media type="youtube" key="xsmcyTeiZOw" height="315" width="560"

__More Websites on the causes of freckles__ http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/moles-freckles-skin-tags http://www.dailyglow.com/how-do-you-get-freckles-causes-and-prevention.html http://www.humantouchofchemistry.com/what-causes-freckles.htm http://www.freckles.org/causes.aspx

__Sources/Refe____rences__ http://www.medicinenet.com/freckles/article.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/problems/beauty/freckles1.htm http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/freckles-causes-symptoms-types-and-treatment-372374.html

__Wiki Post #2: Heterochromia Iridium__
Heterochromia iridium is the condition where an individual has two eyes, but each with a different color (Ex: one brown eye, one blue eye). This condition is rare with human beings, and is caused by an increase or decrease pigmentation of the iris. Most cases result in a change in the genes that determine eye color. There are certain factors that can cause an eye to change color such as a hemorrhage, glaucoma, inflammation, neurofibromatosis or a foreign object in the eye.


 * An example of someone with heterochromia iridium.**


 * A cat with heterochromia iridium, showing that the condition targets many other species of animals.**

Eye color occurs through the pigment that is present in the iris. Brown eyes are rich in melanin deposits, and blue eyes are a result of a lack of melanin. The melanocytes within the iris are in a richly “innervated psuedosyncytium”, which is necessary to keep a certain eye color. There are 2 genes that control eye color: **EYCL3**, which is found on chromosome 15 and codes for brown/blue eye color (BEY), and **EYCL1**, which is found on chromosome 19 and codes for green/blue eye color (GEY).

Despite being believed to be inherited in Mendelian fashion, eye color has been known to be a polygenic trait. It is still unknown how the genes interact to provide the full range of colors. There are also other genes that will decide the pattern and location of the pigment found in the iris, which will create eyes that have a solid color instead of having rays of colors.
 * Picture showing a family tree including the heterochromia iridium condition being passed along through generations.**

media type="youtube" key="O65r_86bKrw?hl=en_US" height="315" width="560"

__More Websites on Heterochromia Iridium__ http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/h/heterochromia_iridis/ http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-heterochromia-iridum.htm http://www.citelighter.com/science/health/knowledgecards/heterochromia-iridum http://heterochromiairidium.weebly.com/

__Sources/References__ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-someone-get-two http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/Condition/8590/Heterochromia_iridis.aspx http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/heterochromia/overview.html http://www.diseaseinfosearch.org/Heterochromia+iridis/3405

**Wiki Post #3: Birth Marks**
Birthmarks are blemishes on the surface of the skin that are noticeable shortly after birth. There are 2 main types of birthmarks: **vascular** and **pigmented**. Many newborns have a vascular birthmark, which is a colored blemish caused by abnormal blood vessels underneath the skin (usually red, pink or purple). There are certain people who are born with pigmented birthmarks, which are generally brown and are due to the clustering of pigment cells.

The three most common types of vascular birthmarks are macular stains, port-wine stains and hemangiomas. **Macular stains** are slight red marks often found on the eyelids, back of the neck, forehead, nose, upper lip and the back of the head. **Hemangiomas** are found either on the surface of the skin or deep underneath the skin. The raised hemangiomas are bright red, while the deep hemangiomas are blue due to being involved with blood vessels in deeper skin tissues. The **port-wine stains** are birthmarks that look like wine was spilled on the skin, hence the name. They are usually found on the face, neck, arms or legs and unlike other types of birthmarks these will never go away on their own. These can be concerning if they're found near the eyes.

Pigmented birthmarks can also be broken down into 3 types: moles, Mongolian spots and cafe-au-lait spots. **Mongolian spots** are flat spots usually found on the lower back or buttocks region. They are bluish grey in color and appear most commonly on darker skinned children (African, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic or Southern European). They will disappear around the age of 5 without the aid of treatment. **Cafe-au-lait spots** are spots that are milky-coffee colored. Their location on the body is completely random, however keeping track of the size of these spots is important. If they exceed 0.5 centimeters (small child) or 1.5 (large child) it could be an indication of neurofibromatosis.


 * A baby with a hemangioma birthmark found on his head.**


 * A light brown colored pigmented birthmark.**


 * A child with a port-wine stain on his face.**

Birthmarks are surrounded in mystery as nobody seems to know the causes are. Research has showed that they aren’t hereditary; therefore they seem completely random. It has been noted that birthmarks are less common among Asian people when comparing to other nationalities around the world. There are some people who like to believe in a farfetched urban legend that a birthmark is the location on the body where someone was killed in their past life. There are also myths that whatever a pregnant woman consumes will determine the likelihood of their child having a birthmark, which is false.


 * A before and after picture showing the effectiveness of birthmark removal laser surgery.**

A video featuring the explanation of birthmark removal through the use of lasers. media type="youtube" key="V_KuFKWUNnE" width="420" height="315"

__More Websites on Birth Marks__ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthmark http://www.parenting.com/article/ask-dr-sears-mongolian-spots http://www.babycenter.com/0_birthmarks_75.bc http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/birthmarks-topic-overview

__Sources/References__ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174886.php http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/birthmarks.html# http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/birthmarks/SN00033 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/birthmarks.html

**Wiki Post #4:** Evolution of the Pinky Toe
When a baby is first born, most parents automatically look for 20 things on their newborn: 10 fingers and 10 toes. This makes sense as having 20 digits is normal, however in the distant future new parents might be hoping for "10 fingers and 8 toes". What happened to the 2 other toes? Those would be the "pinky toes", which are those seemingly useless tiny toes on our feet. There is plenty of suggestion saying that because pinky toes will become smaller and smaller through evolution until they're completely gone. If you think about it, these toes are pretty useless. But why are they becoming useless?

Our pinky toes are used for running and balance; however losing our pinky toe wouldn't be that devastation of a loss. If we look back at history, we notice that primitive primates walked with the leverage passing through the middle toe, which is why the toe is longer than the other toes. Through evolution and adaptation the leverage moved between the big toe and second toe. Overtime the leverage has moved even more towards the big toe, in some cases entirely over the big toe. As a result of the leverage point changing to the big toe, the other toes became smaller due to a lack of function (with the pinky toe having the smallest function). The pinky toe has gotten so small that people often lose their pinky toe nail altogether.


 * Picture showing the small size of the pinky toe of a modern person.**

The fact that the pinky toe is getting smaller definitely suggests the idea that the pinky toe will disappear eventually. This evolution would occur over a very long period of time, considering nature is slow and losing a digit is a drastic change. Humans wouldn’t be the first species of animals to lose our pinky toes, as mammals such as pigs, horses, cows and camel have lost their pinky toes through adaptation.

Picture of a pig's foot, showing the loss of the pinky toe. Pigs are supposed to have 4 digits.

media type="youtube" key="f5uvh91jays" width="480" height="359"
 * A video about the pinky toe.**

__More Websites on Evolution of Pinky Toes__ http://www.positivehealth.com/article/bodywork/the-little-toe-and-beyond http://www.sciencebuzz.org/blog/long-and-short-human-toes http://www.scribd.com/doc/10268091/Are-Humans-Still-Evolving http://www.evolutionfaq.com/faq/are-humans-evolving-lose-our-smallest-toe (Idea that pinky toe won't leave)

__Sources/References__ http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/picks-from-the-past/151691/man-500000-years-from-now?page=5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uvh91jays http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-pinky-toe.htm http://www.ehow.com/info_8468420_pinky-toe.html

Wiki Post #5: Anxiety
Perfect way to end these wiki posts Mr. Smith, with something that I can easily relate to. My good friend anxiety is a word used to sum up many disorders that cause fear, nervousness and worry. These disorders greatly affect behaviors and feelings, which causes dramatic physical effects (big time). People suffering from anxiety will worry/fear excessively before anything outside of their comfort zone (test, exam, interview, party, school, large change). While for most people feeling worried or fearful of these things seems normal, anxiety will cause unwanted symptoms to decrease a person’s ability to function normally. In the nervous system, anxiety causes the autonomic nervous system to activate, or the "fight or flight response". This response is based on adrenaline, which makes sure there is a sufficient amount of blood in the arms and legs in case they need to run from a situation. Blood is taken away from places such as the stomach and sex organs, as they aren't necessary during a fight or flight situation. There are different types of anxiety disorders, as people are anxious from different things. There are two types that I've suffered from:    The first disorder is **generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)**. GAD is a disorder that is identified as high level, long-term anxiety about situations that don’t directly affect one’s life (chores, everyday activities). These people are constantly worried and afraid of important issues such as wealth, family, health, school, etc. While others who don’t suffer from anxiety can pinpoint where the anxiety comes from, sufferers usually have problems identifying what they’re afraid of or are worried about. GAD causes people to be more fearful of a situation than they should be. They will expect worse case scenarios (failure, disappointment, disasters) therefore it will force them to act differently in situations such as school, work, being with friends and relationships.      
 * Diagram showing the symptoms of anxiety (physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavior).**
 * Panic disorder** is a kind of anxiety that features sudden attacks of intense fear which leads to dizziness, shaking, nausea, confusion and breathing difficulties. These attacks generally last for about 10 minutes, but there are cases where they can last for hours. They’re triggered through stressful events or traumatizing experiences. Panic attacks can cause a sufferer to expect future attacks, which leads them to avoid the situations that caused the panic attack and change their behavior.
 * Diagram showing questions sufferers can ask themselves to figure out which type of anxiety is affecting them. **
 * Picture showing how the body reacts to anxiety and the cycle from brain to body.**



  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The biggest mistake people who suffer from anxiety make is that they refuse to get help. Seeing your family doctor to discuss options to deal with the disorder will help you bring your life back to normal. In certain cases anxiety is a short-term disorder that will subside after an event has passed (graduation, wedding, championship game). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="NPWFXZJ59Js" width="420" height="315"
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hyperventilation, a possible symptom from a panic attack, can deprive the brain of oxygen due to a lack of blood flow (completely blue). **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A video describing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). **

__More Websites on Anxiety__ http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11940-001-0038-1 http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=9&channel_id=2048&relation_id=36907 http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_types_symptoms_treatment.htm http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-anxiety-disorders

__Sources/References__ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/docs/biologicaleffects.asp http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/neurological-symptoms http://www.cmha.ca/mental-health/understanding-mental-illness/anxiety-disorders/