guptashubhranshu's blog

Introduction

If you ever find difficulty in finding a suitable antibiotic or antiseptic on getting injured or wounded, just try applying saliva over the wound! Its not a joke. In fact, a team of leading scientists of Netherlands have recently found out that saliva can indeed heal up the wound. They have their article published in The Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).

Research Methodology

The procedure that was followed could be briefly understood as given. They took equal isolates of epithelial cells of mucosa of inner cheek. They divided the cells into two groups; control and one with saliva added. Both were injured mechanically previously by scratching. What they found was that the group with saliva added were healed when observed after 16 hours. While, the control set showed no healing. This proved that the saliva contains some factor(s) that is (are) responsible for healing process.

Identification

Scientists at Rockefeller University and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre have tried investigating the probable mechanism our ancestors had used to fight Retrovirus.

To achieve this objective what they did was they took an ancient retrovirus and analyzed how it used to interact with host defense mechanisms. To accomplish this aim, they resurrected a 'fossil' retrovirus called HERV-K and tested the host body's response to that viral infection. It was observed that the body fights back with several anti-viral proteins; of which one was recognized as APOBEC3G.

APOBEC3G was seen to mutate the viral nucleic acid and hence provide defence to the host body. This anti-viral protein is even now been used by the 'modern' human beings to fight against the retrovirus.

Mauricio Rosas-Ballina lead team has recently discovered the tremendous potential of brain in controlling the immune system of body. The team has found out a new anatomical path through which the brain and the spleen communicate,i.e.- through Vagus Nerve.

Spleen serves to produce macrophages. These macrophages as well evident are differentiated forms and specialized in serving an important role in immunity. They produce a cytokine called as Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF), which participates actively in producing inflammatory response.

When Vagus Nerve is stimulated, it decreases the TNF production. This inturn decreases the inflammatory response being evoked in infectious or auto-immune conditions. Actually, the Vagus Nerve is in intimate connection with Splenic Nerve and hence mediates the same action via latter.

Introduction

CD97-stalk and CD55 have been reported to play an important role in development of Gastric Carcinoma. The present blog has been prepared with reference to a clinical research conducted by Yong Liu, Li Chen, Shu-you Peng, Zhou-xun Chen and C Hoang-vu. In the research, CD97 and CD55 were utilized to mark the gastric carcinoma; i.e.- the probable mechanism of development of gastric carcinoma was investigated by understanding the expression of CD97 and CD55.

CD97 and CD55; and mechanism of receptor binding

It has been reported that Asia is on a high alert for high incidence of Tuberculosis infection that has emerged because of evolution of multi-drug resistant species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.Tb) against anti-tubercular drugs. To prevent the occurance of any type of tubercular casualty in near future as a result of successful evolution of multi-drug resistant M.Tb species, the WHO has urged Asian countries to take necessary and earliest actions possible against the disease.

According to WHO reports, many asian nations do not have required and appreciable lab facilities and instrumentation to detect and fight against the mycobacterium before it successfully mutates into drug resistant bacteria. Moreover, only 1 percent of the estimated 150,000 people infected with the disease in East Asia and the Pacific have been estimated who are receiving appropriate treatment.

Strategies to maintain good concentration and Memory

1) Relax atleast 10 minutes before the meal and have a well-balanced diet.

2) During long study regime, have lots of fluid intake and high caloric diet. Coffee, tea and soft drinks must not be taken in excess.

3) Sleep atleast 8-9 hours a day and don't compromise sleep with work; otherwise it may reduce the work performance.

4) Neither oversleep nor undersleep. Avoid sleeping during daytime . Concentration reduces both before and after sleep. Try maintaining regularity in sleep timings and duration.

5) If you are anxious, try to relax periodically. On inability to sleep try excercising and relax 30 minutes before going to sleep.

6) Choose an exercise that you are comfortable with- like jogging, swimming etc. Try maintaining it regularly.

In my last blog, I had stopped after laying out the tactics involved in better memory retention. In this blog, the explanation on those tacts would be attempted to be clarified. Comments are welcome!

Organizational Skills

A human brain can remember a given piece of information if it is fit into a definite scheme. To 'organize' a grasped piece of information implies that the newly learnt fact is being put and fitted into an already existing group of closely related and interconnected network of facts. This helps recollecting the information more easily later on when time demands its recollection.

Using Your Body

Introduction

Concentration and Memory are the two terms most bothering the students as well as working personnels. In fact, a student and his/her parents are most bothered about their student's memory and studying skills. Before proceeding with the topic, let me discuss briefly about these two 'pompous' words.

Concentration is something that lets us direct our minds towards a particular fact; may it be towards our study or work or anything else. On the other hand memory is something which helps us store an experienced and learnt information. Memory is something which lasts forever. It is immortal. Probably, we say the word 'forgot' to signify our inability to recall that information. This axiom holds true most effectively when we 'store facts in our memory with total concentration'.

Concentration

Want to lose weight? Here's a wonderful 'tasty' solution. Just try including chocolate in your breakfast. Initially this would surely confuse out the readers in the sense that the title suggests a fact totally opposite to what is heard out usually. But this is not a joke ; in fact a research shows the relationship between inclusion of chocolate in breakfast and loss in weight.

Doctor Daniela Jakubowicz had used the diet (containing chocolate) on her patients for 15 years, and reported that the breakfast helps putting down weight because it curbs hunger cravings later in the day.

Moreover, she also warned not to skip required amount of carbohydrates in diet, i.e.- never go for minimal carbohydrate diet in breakfast as they would amplify the body's demand for carbohydrates later during the day.

Besides chocolate, it was also suggested to include a glass of milk, two slices of cheese, 85g of lean meat and two slices of buttered whole-grain toast every morning.

Dear friends, I would like to bring a unique language in front of every reader... I really love speaking this way, i.e.- in pharmacy language (medical language). It's nothing but speaking the very common incidents happening in and around us in the language of medicine and physiology... My point would become very clear with the help of the examples given below...It's fun thinking that way and you will really enjoy the translated language you get out of commonly spoken sentences...Just try it out like these:

Sr. No.----Vernacular Language-----[Medical Language]

1.I can’t understand what you are saying…------[My auditory association area is not able to analyze the manner
your larynx is vibrating! ]
2.You are making me angry… ------[You are evoking my amygdala!!! (though, experimentally
amagdala has a role to produce rage in cats)]