Healthwize (interesting health articles, alternative medicine, complimentary medicine)

Beet Root reduces blood pressure

2008-02-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

A study has found that a single glass of beet root juice a day may help in reducing the increased blood pressure. This study was done by researchers at Barts and London.
It was seen that after one hour of drinking the juice, the blood pressure started reducing, and went down by an average of 10 mmHg.
Beet root juice contains nitrate and nitrates are known to dilate blood vessels by producing Nitric Oxide, a natural vasodilator. But humans themselves donot have the capability of converting nitrate into nitrite, this is done by bacteria present on tongue or in saliva, this saliva containing nitrite is swallowed and nitrite is converted to Nitric Oxide in the acidic environment of the stomach.
Though it may be cumbersome to make beetroot juice and consume it daily, and the BP reduction may also be transient only, it may be beneficial for those people who are having only a mild hypertension.
This may also have some adjuvant effect (potentiating) to already taken medications.

Finally the proverb "An apple a day keeps a doctor away" may be in for some modification

Source: http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.103523v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ahluwalia&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

"Luke Arm" Prosthesis Readies for Clinical Trials

2008-02-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

Dean Kamen's “Luke arm”—a prosthesis named for the remarkably lifelike prosthetic worn by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars—came to the end of its two-year funding last month. Its fate now rests in the hands of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which funded the project. If DARPA gives the project the green light—and some greenbacks—the state-of-the-art bionic arm will go into clinical trials. If all goes well, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives its approval, returning veterans could be wearing the new artificial limb by next year.

The Luke arm grew out of DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, which was created in 2005 to fund the development of two arms. The first initiative, the four-year, US $30.4 million Revolutionizing Prosthetics contract, to be completed in 2009, led by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., seeks a fully functioning, neurally controlled prosthetic arm using technology that is still experimental. The latter, awarded to Deka Research and Development Corp., Kamen’s New Hampshire–based medical products company (perhaps best known for the Segway), is a two-year $18.1 million 2007 effort to give amputees an advanced prosthesis that could be available immediately “for people who want to literally strap it on and go.” Kamen’s team designed the Deka arm to be controlled with noninvasive measures, using an interface a bit like a joystick.

On the second floor of the mill complex that houses Deka, a 650-square-meter space is dedicated to realizing the Luke arm. Right past the entrance is a life-sized Terminator figure missing its left arm; in its place is the same kind of harness that patients wear when testing the Deka arm. It’s there for inspiration. The Terminator is in line for its new arm behind volunteers like Chuck Hildreth, who come to Deka to help the engineers prepare for clinical trials.

Hildreth, 44, lost both arms 26 years ago, when he was electrocuted while painting a power substation. His badly burned right arm was so damaged that doctors even had to remove the shoulder blade. They saved part of Hildreth’s less-damaged left arm, amputating about halfway between the shoulder and the elbow.

Since then Hildreth has been wearing—or more accurately, not wearing—a traditional prosthesis. As Kamen discovered when he talked to patients in rehabilitation clinics and at VA hospitals, after the initial shock of amputation wears off, usually within a year or two, patients stop wearing their prostheses. Even extreme levels of amputation don’t much curb this tendency. Wearing the burdensome prosthetic is simply not justified by the small amount of assistance it provides, says Hildreth. “It gets sweaty and slippery,” he says. He’s gotten so used to living without arms that he changes the blades in his lawn mower with his feet.

When DARPA director Tony Tether and Revolutionizing Prosthetics program manager Colonel Geoffrey Ling approached him in 2005, Kamen says he thought they were crazy—“in the good kind of way,” he says. There was no financial incentive to create a next-generation prosthetic arm. The research and development costs were enormous. Unless funded by DARPA, no private company would take such a risk for such a comparatively small market (in the Americas, about 6000 people require arm prostheses each year). Kamen spent a few weeks traveling around the country interviewing patients, doctors, and researchers to get an idea of the current technology—and soon saw the deficit in available arm prosthetics. He was swayed by the discrepancy between the current state of leg prostheses and that of arm prostheses. “Prosthetic legs are in the 21st century,” he says. “With prosthetic arms, we’re in the Flintstones.”

So he set out to reinvent the prosthesis that has been pretty much the same since the U.S. Civil War. Until now, a state-of-the-art prosthetic arm has meant having up to three powered joints. However, since this type of arm is frustrating to control and doesn’t provide that much functionality, most users still opt for the hook-and-cable device which has been around for over a century. In either case, these prosthetics only have three degrees of freedom—a user can move the elbow, the wrist, and open and close some variant of a hook.

Sourced from: http://spectrum.ieee.org/feb08/5957

Pathways prove new role of BRCA 1 in Breast Cancer

2008-02-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

A breast cancer gene's newly discovered role in repairing damaged DNA may help explain why women who inherit a mutated copy of the gene are at increased risk for developing both breast and ovarian cancer. The discovery also could lead to more effective therapies for women with and without mutated copies of the BRCA1 gene, according to a study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers.
"Since it was discovered in 1994, BRCA1 and its role in preventing and causing cancer has been intensely studied, and our research represents an important piece of the puzzle," said Craig Bennett, Ph.D., a researcher in Duke's Department of Surgery and lead investigator on this study. "This study has identified an important mechanism by which BRCA1 comes into play when DNA -- the basis for all cell function -- is damaged. We have shown that this theory holds up not just in scientific models but in human breast cancer cells as well."
The researchers first looked at yeast to demonstrate that a molecular pathway that is particularly susceptible to BRCA1 influence is also crucial to normal cell function. "The BRCA1 pathway we discovered is directly involved with the critical process of transcription, in which RNA acts as a messenger between DNA and the making of proteins," Bennett said. DNA damage is a normal result of exposure to environmental agents, such as carcinogens, and the response to this damage can be influenced by other normal human processes such as aging and hormonal changes, Bennett said. It's what happens to RNA transcription after damage occurs in DNA that is BRCA1-dependent. "We found that BRCA1 acts together with transcription to detect DNA damage and to signal the cell to repair itself," Bennett said. "When BRCA1 does not function correctly, as when it is mutated, DNA damage remains un-repaired and cancer can occur."
The researchers applied their findings in yeast to human breast cancer cells, with the same results. "The fact that we were able to duplicate our results in human breast cancer cells is hugely important," said Bennett. "Yeast is a wonderful model organism that has been used to make significant discoveries in many areas of science and medicine, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, but the ability to replicate results in human cells is key."
Bennett said the discovery will lay the groundwork for further investigation of the role of BRCA1 and possibly lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting the genes or protein products within this pathway. Women who have inherited a BRCA1 mutation have up to an 80 percent risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime, and they are also at risk for developing the disease at much younger ages than women without the mutation, according to the American Cancer Society. Their risk for developing ovarian cancer is about 40 to 50 percent, compared to just over one percent for the general population. The mutation is most often found in women with Eastern European Jewish origin, but can be found in women of any race. "Someday we hope that this research will lead to the development of more effective ways to treat both the women who have inherited a mutated copy of the BRCA1 gene and those who have not," Bennett said.

IRAQ WAR FALLOUT ON SOLDIER'S HEALTH

2008-02-02T05:07:00.000-08:00

The Iraq war, also known as second gulf war or Operation Iraqi freedom, started on March 20, 2003 with the United States-led invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition composed of U.S. and U.K. troops supported by smaller contingents from Australia, Poland, and other nations.
In a January 10, 2007 televised address to the American public, Bush proposed 21,500 more troops for Iraq.On January 23, 2007 in the 2007 State of the Union Address, Bush announced "deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq." But the intensity of bombings has increased.
Pressures on U.S. troops were compounded by the continuing withdrawal of British forces from the Basra Governorate

More than 1.5 million U.S. military personnel have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of military operations in 2001. An important medical concern of the Iraq war is the potential long-term effect of mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, particularly from blast explosions.

In a study oublished in New England Journal of Medicine,out of 2525 soldiers, 124 (4.9%) reported injuries with loss of consciousness, 260 (10.3%) reported injuries with altered mental status, and 435 (17.2%) reported other injuries during deployment. Of those reporting loss of consciousness, 43.9% met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 27.3% of those reporting altered mental status, 16.2% with other injuries, and 9.1% with no injury. Soldiers with mild traumatic brain injury, primarily those who had loss of consciousness, were significantly more likely to report poor general health, missed workdays, medical visits, and a high number of somatic and postconcussive symptoms than were soldiers with other injuries.

A large number of symptoms associated with PTSD are indistinguishable from other disorders affecting soldiers returning from Iraq war.
The study suggests that greater care is needed in soldiers returning home, as concussion injuries acquired due to bomb explosions or other mechanisms on the battle ground may lead to PTSD and better intervention studies are needed to properly address this issue

SOURCE Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in U.S. Soldiers Returning from Iraq, NEJM, Volume 358:453-463 January 31, 2008, Number 5

SYPHILIS

2008-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

With new evidence coming out that Syphilis was carried by Columbus from new world to old world, I thought of giving a brief review about the disease.

It is a sexually transmitted disease.

Causative organism: Treponema pallidum ( A spirochete, which is a gram negative bacteria with helical coils)

FEATURES

Primary Syphilis:
When the infection is the acquired directly
After 10-90 days, a lesion appears at the genitalia (point of contact), this lesion is known as chancre
It persists for 4-6 weeks and then heals spontaneously

Secondary Syphilis
After 6-8 weeks of primary infection
Symetrical rashes on the body
Palm and sole may be involved
In moist areas, rash becomes broad and white, known as Condyloma lata

Latent Syphilis
presence of serological evidence without any clinical feature of syphillis

Tertiary Syphilis
1-10 years after the initial infection
soft tumor like masses known as gummas
neurological features such as Tabes dorsalis ( problem in proprioception and balancing), Argyll Robertson Pupil ( Accomodation present but doesnot react to light)
Cardiovascular features affecting the aortic valve may be present

Congenital syphilis
When the mother is infected, infection may be transmitted to the child.
Manifestations are mainly related to cardivascular and nervous system

Watch out for that double chin

2007-11-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Diabetes has always been notorious as a silent killer, as in most of the cases, the diagnosis of disease is much later than the actual start of the disease. But as the disease remains unrecognized, damage continues at all the levels, affecting almost all organ systems. Most common diagnosis has been the finding of elevated blood glucose levels on screening.
But this could change now.

Researchers at All India Institute of Medical Sciences have found that certain easily visible features may be an indicator of underlying diabetes.

These are:

A Double Chin
A buffalo hump in the upper back
Darkening and Thickening of skin at the nape of the neck

The study found that people with any of these markers were likely to develop diabetes over the next five years.

Music, developer and healer of human brain

2007-10-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

We all listen to music, rock or jazz or classic, everybody has his or her own taste.

We all know that it does have a soothing effect on us, may be energizing at times we feel low, etc., etc.
But have you ever though that there could be a scientific logic behind all this, and that music can be used as treatment for various disorders?

Researchers have called it the MOZART EFFECT, the effect of music on brain.
It has been known since earlier times that music plays a role in development of human brain.
Both harmful and beneficial effects of music have been recognized by the ancient Greeks and Romans, including Pythagoras, Democritus, Aristotle, Galen, and Celsus. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) refers to the qualities of specific instruments and sounds and their beneficial effects on various organs. Plato, Cicero, and Seneca all believed that music profoundly affected the behavior of entire societies and that the state should regulate the performance of music and prohibit certain types because of their potentially harmful effects.

The "Mozart Effect" is based on research by Frances Rauscher et al., who determined that listening to 10 minutes of Mozart's "Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major" briefly increased scores 48% (relative to control groups) on the paper-folding task, a component of the Stanford-Binet intelligence test that measures spatio-temporal reasoning abilities. Moreover, the effects were transient, lasting only about 10 minutes, and performance on non-spatial reasoning tasks was unaffected. Such results seem to be unique to the music of Mozart, whereas music not as highly structured did not have measureable effects. Other researchers have demonstrated that compositions of other classical composers such as J.S. Bach show similar benefits.

Different types of music may significantly affect blood cortisol levels. Cortisol and adrenaline are two "stress" hormones that are secreted by the adrenal glands in response to ACTH. In one experiment, patients who had just been informed of their need for imminent surgery, were tested for blood cortisol concentrations after listening to a calming piece of music, chosen by each patient in consultation with a music therapist; cortisol levels were reduced by 50% compared with the control group that did not listen to any music. In another experiment, this time with healthy people, similar results were obtained by playing sitar music by Ravi Shankar, whereas a waltz by Johann Strauss and a rhythmically irregular, somewhat discordant piece by contemporary composer W.H. Henze had no effect.

Music is used in a variety of medical disorders, including seizures, ADD syndrome in chilren, lower blood pressure, treat depression, stress, anxiety and insomnia.

Good Samaritan hospital in Colorado has a dedicated section for music therapy, where about 9000 musical selections have been assorted to help in various stages of healing.

So go ahead, and listen all the soothing music you can lay your hands on, but remember music can make a person sick also, so just check the music you are planning to listen.

Happy Music listening

http://heartspring.net/music_health_effects.html

Health tourism, the ethical dilemnas

2007-10-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Health tourism, the latest buzzword in healthcare sector of developing countries.

They say it brings in a lot of money for the nation, improving the economy and thus reaping benefits to all people, rich and poor......... Really?

Health tourism basically means people going to other countries for getting treatments for certain diseases, which can definitely be treated back home, but at a much higher financial cost.
So we have patients lining up at shimmering new hospitals of some (previously) third world country, getting treatment for diseases as varied as tooth ache to sophisticated surgeries such as beating heart surgeries.

So far so good, but there is a larger story behind all this flow of cash.
Some concerns have now started coming up against running all and all for these hospitals.
Its a fact that most of the native population is not able to afford the treatment costs in these hospitals, though it may look cheaper to developed and rich country residents.
So poor people can surely avail facilities provided by government hospitals (however good they are).
Now here lies the main problem.
All these corporate hospitals, who make large profits, also offer good pay packages to doctors and other staff of their hospitals, basically in order to retain the best talent available. The result in INTERNAL BRAIN DRAIN.
Who would want to work for a lower salary, in a hospital located in an old dilapidated building, with most primitive of medical facilities available (most public hospitals would share this description), and that too after they have spent the prime of their life in studying heaps of books, to get that white coat and two letters prefixed to their name "Dr."
And the suffering of people is compounded by the fact that the expensive education of most of these doctors has been subsidized by money paid by these poor people as taxes. So all these voiceless people get is a raw deal.
Another thing, though not rampant, but has started coming up now is Organ donation, or rather selling. Rich people can afford to buy their way up the list of people waiting to get their organs replaced, and can additionally leverage their money muscle to buy organs, from poor people, who are forced by heir poverty and lured by touts, to sell their body parts, so that a filthy rich man may enjoy a few more years of his richness.

This issue needs to be intervened, and laws alone can do no good, untill people themselves take some strong step. You can not expect poor people to rise against this, the only hope is that buyers themselves discourage this practice, if there are no buyers, who would sell?

Mice, two sides of a coin?

2007-10-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

The news titled "Mice get Nobel Prize" made me think, well, what a creature they are, or what have humans made them to be.
Might be, there are different social classes of mice too, just like humans, born with a destiny.

While some are born in labs, properly taken care of, kept in clean environments and provided with good food, though at a cost of repeated poking and jabbing, they enjoy their life, however long decided by their Godfather, the gray haired scientist.
Others are just street rats, to be sneered upon. Kill on sight is the only sentence handed down to them, through their successive generations. Now, the technology also has also decided to be with humans, and mice are having the run of their life.

A new hi tech way of killing mice has been brought into market.
No more sleepless nights dedicated to the little pesky creature.

This is complete with infrared beams, remember all those hollywood heroes, who countered these red beams with so dexterity, mice must get their hands on all of those DVDs, if they need t survive in this cruel world, infested with humans touting all their gadgets against poor helpless mice.

Did somebody say animal rights, well, we are as humane as Hitler, even getting inspired from him to choose the Last Mile. Pesky rodents would be killed, or rather put to sleep, in a gas chamber, unarguably the most painless method available (???????).

May Almighty bless their Souls.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/New_hi-tech_way_to_kill_the_mouse/articleshow/2450872.cms

http://healthismoney.blogspot.com/

Entamoeba histolyticaFree Living amoeba

2007-06-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

Geographical distribution:
Worldwide but common in tropics & subtropics.The factors which aid in the transmission of this disease are poor sanitation, favourable temperatures. Infection rates have also been found to be higher in homosexual male populations (30-50%). It has also been suggested that dogs, pigs & monkeys may act as reservoir hosts.

Habitat:
Trophozoites of E.histolytica reside in mucosa & submucosa of large intestine of man while cyst is the infective form.

Features:

1. E. histolytica is contracted by ingestion of cysts.
2. Cysts are resistant to water chlorination, but are rapidly destroyed by drying or deep freezing.
3. Cysts are rendered noninfectious by heating to 500°C for 5 minutes.
4. Usual method of transmission is fecal-oral contamination, usually of uncooked food such as salads and vegetables.
5. Cysts may pass unharmed through the gut of housefiles and cockroaches.

Diseases caused and their presentation:
a. Intestinal amoebiasis
abdominal discomfort, flatulence, recurring diarrhea and constipation tenderness in abdomen, blood and mucus may be found in stools ,frequent tenesmus, patient may be febrile
b. Liver
pain in hepatic region, jaundice may be prsent , edema of skin
c. CNS
Usually fatal due to late diagnosis

Intestinal lesion
Invasive Intestinal lesions occur when trophozoites invade the caecal, colonic or rectal mucosa. The ulcers are flask-shaped, pin head -2.5 cm at ileocaecal/sigmoidorectal junction on rectosigmoidoscopy.

Extraintestinal lesion
Liver lesions
a. Abscesses singular.
b. Right lobe affected mostly.
c. ♂ > ♀
d. purulent, necrotic, sterile and odorless contents.
Lungs abscess by extension through the diaphragm or via hematogenous route.
Brain abscesses if trophozoites pass to the brain via blood.

Terms used in relation to amoebae:

Trophozoite
Literally means any stage in the life cycle of a protozoan which can ingest food.
Cyst
Is the non-motile form, which is protected by a distinct membrane or a cyst wall. This is the infective stage of the parasite with the exception of Dientamoeba fragilis and Entamoeba gingivalis
Pre-Cyst
Is the rounded form of trophozoite which precedes the cystic stage. It differs from the cyst in not having a cyst wall.
Excystation
Is the process of emergence of the trophozoite from the cyst.
Encystation
Is the process of formation of the cyst from the trophozoite.
Metacyst
Is the trophozoite which emerges from the cyst.
Ectoplasm
Is the external hyaline portion of th cytoplasm which is generally visible in a moving trophozoite.
Endoplasm
Is the internal granular portion of the cytoplasm which contains various food inclusions.
Chromatoid body
Is the RNA-protein complex which stains deeply with basic dyes but not with iodine. It is found in the genus Entamoeba. In the electron microscope it reveals a crystalline structure resembling virus particles.
Glycogen vacuole
Is a glycogen reserve which stains deeoply with iodine and is found mainly in the cysts.
Pseudopod
Literally means false foot. It refers to temporary cytoplasmic processes formed at the surface of the trophozoite.
Food Vacuole
A membrane bound vesicle in the cytoplasm formed around an ingested food particle.
Contractile vacuole
A membrane bound vesicle in the cytoplasm which collects and expels water from the
cell. This is found in the free-living amoebae.
Chromatin
Is the substance in the cell nucleus which stains with basic dyes.

Life cycle

Morphology of the different stages.
1.Trophozites
Trophozoites are amoeboiid form with hyaline ectoplasm and granular endoplasm & range in size from 10 to 60 µm, motile (jerky gliding movement)
a. Nucleus contains a centrally located endosome (Karyosome)
b. Chromatin is very fine and is distributed at periphery of the nucleus.
c. Endoplasm may contain vacuoles phagocytic, pinocytic lysosome autophagic, food vacuoles filled with starch & ingested RBC's, Cpn 60 etc

2.Pre-Cyst
The pre-cyst 10-20 µm size occurs as an intermediate between the trophozoite and the true cyst & devoid of vacuoles.

3.Cyst
Cyst is the infective stage. It is smaller than the trophozoite
(10-20 µm). Glycogen mass, chromatid bodies & 4 nuclei are
present in
mature cysts.

Stool Examination

Macroscopic Amoebic Dysentry Bacillary Dysentry
Motion No. 6-8/ day >10 / day
Amount Copious Scanty
Odour Offensive Odourless
Color Dark red Bright red
Nature Blood + mucus + faeces Blood + mucus
Reaction Acid Alkaline
Consistency Nonadherent Adherent

LAB DIAGNOSIS

Stool examination
Diagnostic aspiration and liver biopsy in cases of liver abscess

No role of blood culture and serology

Prophylaxis :
Personal- Use boil water, Avoid raw veg., Food & water protected from flies , coackroaches
Community- Proper sanitary disposal, Protect fecal contamination of water, Avoid human excreta as fertilizer.

Treatment

1.Tissue amoebicides
a. Intestinal & extraintestinal amoebiasis:
Nitromidazole - Metronidazole (flagyl)
Alkaloids - Emetine

b. Extraintestinal amoebiasis - Chloroquine

2. Luminal amoebicides
a. Amide - Diloxanide Furoate
b. 8- Hydroxyquinolines - Quiniodochlor
c. Antibiotics - Tetracycline

CHEST PAIN WHAT IT COULD BE

2007-06-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

DO all chest pains mean something wrong with heart?

No
There is a long list of conditions which can cause chest pain, and not all of them originate from heart.
Major causes of chest pain are :

Cardiac causes
Myocardial infarction
Aortic Stenosis
Myocarditis
Pericarditis

Noncardiac causes
Costochondritis
Peptic ulcer
Gall Bladder Disease

Pulmonary causes
Embolism Infarction
Pulmonary hypertension
Pneumothorax

Myocardial infarction is damage to heart cells because of decrease in blood supply to heart muscle cells.
Features which can point a chest pain to be due to myocardial infarction are:
Severe, prolonged, usually more than 20 minutes, chest pain
Nausea, vomitting
Sweating
Shortness of breath, congestive failure
Weakness
Anxiety

If you suspect MI, the best initial diagnosis is by EKG.
Cardiac enzymes are elevated in blood, providin a more specific diagnosis.

BIOINFORMATICS

2007-06-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

THE terms bioinformatics and computational biology are often used interchangeably. However bioinformatics more properly refers to the creation and advancement of algorithms, computational and statistical techniques, and theory to solve formal and practical problems inspired from the management and analysis of biological data. Computational biology, on the other hand, refers to hypothesis-driven investigation of a specific biological problem using computers, carried out with experimental or simulated data, with the primary goal of discovery and the advancement of biological knowledge. Put more simply, bioinformatics is concerned with the information while computational biology is concerned with the hypotheses.

Major research areas
Sequence analysis
Genome annotation
Computational evolutionary biology
Measuring biodiversity
Analysis of gene expression
Analysis of regulation
Analysis of protein expression
Analysis of mutations in cancer
Prediction of protein structure
Comparative genomics
High-throughput image analysis

ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING ASPECTS OF BIOINFORMATICS IS ITS USE IN DRUG DESIGNING.
EARLIER, IT WAS BY PURE HIT AND TRIAL METHOD. NOW, AS MOST DISEASE CAUSING REASONS ARE KNOWN, IT CAN BE ASSESSED WHICH KIND OF MOLECULES WOULD BE MOST BENEFICIAL AND THESE CAN THEN BE SYNTHESIZED IN LAB.

SHORTLY SAYING, BIOINFORMATICS IS BIO ASTROLGY, PREDICTING STRUCTURES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS AND CHECKING THESE PRACTICALLY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics

PICTURE FROM NCBI

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT

2007-06-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Human Genome Project (HGP) was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. It was completed in 2003.
During the early years of the HGP, the Wellcome Trust (U.K.) became a major partner; additional contributions came from Japan, France, Germany, China, and others.

Project goals were to

-Identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA
-Determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,
-Store this information in databases,
-Improve tools for data analysis,
-Transfer related technologies to the private sector, and
-Address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.
Though the HGP is finished, analyses of the data will continue for many years

The genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA. DNA in the human genome is arranged into 24 distinct chromosomes--physically separate molecules that range in length from about 50 million to 250 million base pairs. A few types of major chromosomal abnormalities, including missing or extra copies or gross breaks and rejoinings (translocations), can be detected by microscopic examination. Most changes in DNA, however, are more subtle and require a closer analysis of the DNA molecule to find perhaps single-base differences.Each chromosome contains many genes.The human genome is estimated to contain 20,000-25,000 genes.Although genes get a lot of attention, it’s the proteins that perform most life functions and even make up the majority of cellular structures.

For more info

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL : Precautions

2007-05-25T20:41:00.001-07:00

Are you planning to make an international journey? Have you taken all the necessary precautions?
What about healthcare? Getting an insurance is not the only requirement.
Most countries require that you produce a valid certificate of vaccination against certain diseases before you are allowed to enter that country.Ths, basically is to prevent the introduction of a disease causing agent into a place it never existed before.
Besides that, there are certain precautions you must take for your own health.
Most common diseases affecting travellers to underdeveloped countries are various infections.

Traveller's diarrhea
This is caused by a bacteria, leading to loose stools and abdominal cramps several times a day. Though self healing, it can lead to loss of work for 2-3 days. The only precaution that you need is to avoid eating vegetables and fruits unwashed or washed with unclean water.

Malaria
Now thats a big problem in most countries, and you may show symptoms well after you have returned home after a vacation. symptoms are fever with chills and shakes, intense head ache and body pain.Its better to use mosquito nets, mosquito repellants and preventive treatment before leaving home.onsult your doctor for details

Hepatitis A
This is a viral disease, caused due to ingestion of contaminated water. it affects liver and can present as lethargy, body ache, vomittings and jaundice (yellow discolouration of skin, urine and eyes.
Prevention is by a vaccine and avoiding unhygienic food and water.

Some other diseases which may require vaccination are yellow fever, polio, tetanus, etc.
the list is a long one and depends on the country to be visited.
just consult your doctor and make sure you visit your doctor atleast four weeks prior to the expected departure.

for more details, log on to http://www.who.int/ith/en/

How to care for Diabetic foot

2007-04-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a disease caused due to increased blood sugar on chronic basis.
Its incidence increases with age and obesity.

Diabetic foot is a common complication arising with uncontrolled diabetes.
It is basically caused due to loss of sensations along with poor wound healing.With damage to the nervous system, a person with diabetes may not be able to feel his or her feet properly. Walikng and other normal daily activities may breakdown the skin of the foot. Sores may develop.
Damage to blood vessels and impairment of the immune system from diabetes make it difficult to heal these wounds. Bacterial infection of the skin, connective tissues, muscles, and bones can then occur. These infections can develop into gangrene.

FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN :

Good diabetes control
Regular leg and foot self-examinations
Knowledge on how to recognize problems
Choosing proper footwear
Regular exercise, if able
Avoiding injury by keeping footpaths clear
Having your doctor examine your feet at least once a year using a monofilament, a device made of nylon string that tests sensation

For details see http://www.emedicinehealth.com/diabetic_foot_care/page3_em.htm

FIRST AID IN CASE OF SNAKE BITE

2007-03-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

*Call for emergency assistance immediately if someone has been bitten by a snake. Responding quickly in this type of emergency is crucial. While waiting for emergency assistance:*Wash the bite with soap and water.*Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart.*Cover the area with a clean, cool compress or a moist dressing to minimize swelling and discomfort.*Monitor vital signs.*If a victim is unable to reach medical care within 30 minutes, the American Red Cross recommends:*Apply a bandage, wrapped two to four inches above the bite, to help slow the venom. This should not cut off the flow of blood from a vein or artery - the band should be loose enough to slip a finger under it.*A suction device can be placed over the bite to help draw venom out of the wound without making cuts. These devices are often included in commercial snake bite kits.*Most often, physicians use antivenin -- an antidote to snake venom -- to treat serious snake bites. Antivenin is derived from antibodies created in a horse's blood serum when the animal is injected with snake venom. Because antivenin is obtained from horses, snake bite victims sensitive to horse products must be carefully managed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_bite

SUPRANATURAL POWER OR JUST A MIRACLE

2007-01-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

A MAN FROM INDIA CLAIMS LIVING ONLY ON SOLAR LIGHT.
HIRA RATAN MANEK CLAIMS THAT HE TAKES ONLY WATER AND NOTHING ELSE,WELL JUST SOME SUNLIGHT AS FOOD.
UNBELIEVABLE????????
A STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON HIM IN WHICH HE SPENT 411 DAYS IN COMPANY OF DOCTORS WHO OBSERVED HIM AND REGULARLY MONITORED HIS HEALTH.
THEY FOUND HE WAS NOT ONLY ABLE TO SURVIVE FOR SUCH A LONG TIME BUT ALSO MAINTAINED A GOOD HEALTH.

MORE ON THIS
http://home.iae.nl/users/lightnet/health/lightresearch.htm

CAN TUBERCULOSIS BE TREATED BY SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS GARLIC ????

2007-01-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

The most probable answer is YES

Garlic has always been known for its antioxidant effects.
Its benefits in arthritis are aleady documented.

Now a new study carried out at Aligarh Muslim University, India has shown promising effects of garlic in multidrug resistant tuberculosis.
The study was carried out by Mr. Nazarul Hasan under the guidance of Dr. N. Islam.
They found that allicin, a well known beneficial component of garlic reduced the levels of TNF alfa and also reduced significantly the proliferation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative organism of tuberculosis.

http://www.newsrx.com/library/newsletters/Tuberculosis-Week/351168.html