Clipmarks | Medical Clips

68 Molecules that hold the key to all Cellular Life

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:01:12 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Currently, the vast majority of medical research looks to the human genome and proteome for answers, but those answers remain elusive, and perhaps for good reason.

“We have now found instances where the pathogenesis of widespread and chronic diseases can be attributed to a change in the glycome, for example, in the absence of definable changes in the genome or proteome,” Marth said, adding that, as biomedical researchers, “we need to begin to cultivate the integration of disciplines in a holistic and rigorous way in order to perceive and most effectively manipulate the biological mechanisms of health and disease.”

Marth believes that biology should become more integrative both in academic and research settings. “I’m one who believes that we don’t need to sacrifice breadth of knowledge in order to acquire depth of understanding.”

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Why is it that the origins of many serious diseases remain a mystery? In considering that question, a scientist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has come up with a unified molecular view of the indivisible unit of life, the cell, which may provide an answer.

Reviewing findings from multiple disciplines, Jamey Marth, Ph.D., UC San Diego Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, realized that only 68 molecular building blocks are used to construct these four fundamental components of cells: the nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), proteins, glycans and lipids.

Like the periodic table of elements, first published in 1869 by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, is to chemistry, Marth’s visual metaphor offers a new framework for biologists.

These 68 building blocks provide the structural basis for the molecular choreography that constitutes the entire life of a cell

Tags: biology, cell biology

Gays and doctors in CA

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:03:24 GMT

clipped by: chipperdean

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

California: Gays and Medical Treatment

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 18, 2008

The State Supreme Court barred doctors from invoking their religious beliefs as a reason to deny treatment to gay men and lesbians, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extended to the medical profession. Justice Joyce Kennard wrote that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state’s law, which “imposes on business establishments certain antidiscrimination obligations.”

Tags: homosexuality

Abstinence Sex: US has one of highest rates of teen pregnancy

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:31:40 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: I blame the parents.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The US is said to have one of the worst annual rates of teenage pregnancies in the developed world.

Put differently, America is estimated to have some 750,000 teenage pregnancies a year.

According to America's leading health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "About one-third of girls in the United States get pregnant before age 20."

The US offers government funding for health education programmes that promote sexual abstinence until marriage, although US lawmakers were investigating earlier this year whether to cut the funding.

Opponents of abstinence education say the approach ignores the fact that teenagers are sexually active and fails to give them accurate medical information or advice on safer sex.

Governor Palin herself has said she opposes funding sexual-education programmes in Alaska and has supported abstinence programmes in schools.

Tags: abstinence

Burning incense may spark respiratory cancers

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:33:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday.

In a study of more than 61,000 ethnic Chinese living in Singapore who were followed for up to 12 years, the investigators found a link between heavy incense use and various respiratory cancers.

The findings are published in the medical journal Cancer.

Incense is usually derived from fragrant plant materials, like tree bark, resins, roots, flowers and essential oils. Past research has found that burning these materials can produce potentially cancer-causing substances, including benzene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

However, no studies until now had linked the practice of burning incense to an increased cancer risk over time,

the researchers followed 61,320 Singapore Chinese men and women

Over the next 12 years, 325 men and women developed cancer of the upper respiratory tract,

Another 821 developed lung cancer.

Tags: cancer, respiratory, incense

Philadelphia funeral home admits plundering corpses, selling stolen body parts

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:17:47 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

PHILADELPHIA - Two brothers who ran a pair of funeral homes and a crematorium admitted Tuesday that they sold corpses to a company that trafficked stolen body parts, a macabre scheme that left families aghast and unclear about the fate of their loved ones.

Louis and Gerald Garzone pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy, theft, abusing corpses and welfare fraud.

The brothers allowed at least 244 corpses to be carved up without families' permission and without medical tests, prosecutors said. Skin, bones, tendons and other parts — some of them diseased — were then sold around the country for dental implants, knee and hip replacements, and other procedures.

Some bodies were only torsos by the time the hacking was done, said Assistant District Attorney Evangelia Manos.

In Philadelphia, Mastromarino paid the Garzones and their partner, James McCafferty, more than $245,000 for at least 244 cadavers between February 2004 and October 2005, prosecutors said.

Tags: crime, weird

Brain Blasting Laser

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:26:39 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: In a world first, a man was strapped to a bed in Paris and had laser beams fired into his brain. He not only survived but, amazingly, wasn't James Bond.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

The revolutionary surgery was carried out at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital to destroy a brain tumor that wasn't responding to conventional treatment. Drilling a hole in somebody's skull and piping laser destruction into it, on the other hand, definitely counts as "unconventional treatment" and destroyed the tumor.

A laser's ability to vaporise things is widely known - thanks to movies it was known long before it was actually true. But in medical applications the trick isn't blowing things up, but convincing the laser to stop burning things up in a precisely controlled way. In this case fiber optic cabling (like copper wire for light) was used to direct the laser to the correct location, and constant Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allowed surgeons to monitor its progress on a screen - like a very expensive videogame. And you only get one life.

Brain Tumor Blasting Laser

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:02:27 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Now if Medical science could just give me a new back...

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

In a world first, a man was strapped to a bed in Paris and had laser beams fired into his brain. He not only survived but, amazingly, wasn't James Bond.

Unbelievably, this incredible example of genuine Mad Science converted to humanitarian efforts is running out of funding. Apparently people think "curing brain cancer" isn't important enough for a few million dollars of funding. (Note: America alone spends four billion dollars a year on cat food.)

We can only hope that somebody official gets their act together and budgets for some more research

Palin Troof

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:54:38 GMT

clipped by: ColoradoRight
clipper's remarks: Get your propellers going team!

Clip Source: www.imao.us

Palin faked that she was pregnant with Trig to cover up that her daughter Bristrol was actually pregnant. When the baby was born and they found out he was black, so she bleached his skin to further conceal the truth. When nosy reporters got close to her secret, she killed a hobo, put the corpse in a gorilla suit, and froze it to claim she had bigfoot and cause a big media distraction. The hobo had hobo friends, though, and they started asking questions, so Palin had to murder them too and bury them in the middle of nowhere. But then there was a proposal to build a bridge to nowhere so she had to oppose that to keep people away from her secret. Then she still wasn't able to conceal the truth, so she forced Bristol to get pregnant again and changed the medical records so that it looked like Bristol was pregnant when Trig was born so Trig couldn't be hers. Finally, she joined a radical Alaskan separatist group to prepare to secede Alaska from America

Tags: republicans, palin, truth, democrats, nutroots, netroots

When Hairballs Become Hazardous

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:32:51 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: One of my cats is having a terrible time expelling hairballs and may be in trouble. I'm going to follow this advice with respect to adding some oil and fiber and see if this helps the old girl.

Clip Source: www.newschannel5.com

Cats are fastidious self-groomers, so it’s this habit that causes hairballs -- swallowed loose fur that is not completely digested. The problem usually warrants no cause for alarm, but in some cases, hairballs become too big for a cat’s digestive tract and cause blockage that can be life-threatening.

The feline digestive system is designed to handle hairballs (called trichobezoars by doctors) but only up to a certain size.

Three key symptoms can distinguish a not-so-worrisome hairball from one that may require immediate medical attention. These are:

Continued retching that does not culminate with the expulsion of a hairball

Frequent diarrhea

Loss of appetite following repeated hairball episodes

How to Prevent Hairballs

Brush your kitty

Feed your cat a specially formulated hairball care food

For repeat hackers, increase their fiber intake

Offer a little oil

Purchase a commercial hairball remedy

Keep a clean house

Older cats especially need this care

their digestive systems slow down with age

Tags: cats, pets, pet care

‘Robot Suit’ Helps Paralyzed People Walk

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:22:03 GMT

clipped by: Fast T friend
clipper's remarks: ReWalk is expected to be sold in 2010 with a price tag of about $20,000. It is currently in clinical trials in Tel Aviv’s Sheba Medical Centre and more trials are expected to take place at the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Pennsylvania.

Clip Source: www.redorbit.com

Many paralytic patients are getting the chance to walk again, thanks to a newly developed electronic exoskeleton.

The so-called ReWalk device was developed by Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company. Goffer was paralyzed in 1997, but is unable to use his own invention because he doesn’t have full function of his arms.

ReWalk resembles a combination of the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man. It allows paraplegics to stand, walk and climb stairs.

"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said 41-year-old Radi Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.

"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."

Through using a wristband, patients can choose from a setting – stand, sit, walk, descend or climb

Tags: robot, paralytics, walking

You do not have enough money for a new computer?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:34:54 GMT

clipped by: qrock

Clip Source: www.koerperspende.de

Clip Source: ils.seedmore.org

Clip Source: www.koerperspende.de

Plastination as well as anatomy courses at universities depend on people who are willing to donate their bodies after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons. Natural specimens are particularly valuable for medical education, because the complicated structure of the locomotive system and organs as well as their spatial relationships cannot be grasped from textbooks, images, or models alone. Body donation for Plastination allow individuals to contribute to the education of future medical professionals in a special way, as the specimens will be permanently available for doctors and lay people.

Have Sex, Live Longer

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:52:11 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: Sequel to the Eat Less, Live Longer article. Now I wish I clipped the Drink Wine, Live Longer clip, hehe.

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

According to a spate of news reports on life extension that have spread across the internet like influenza just about everything out there ads a little time to your mortal coil. Wine, calorie reduction diets, low body temperatures have all made news for their ability to give you a few more good years on earth, and now, so too does sex. According to a 1997 study in the British Medical Journal men who have regular orgasms live longer. The also have a better sense of smell, reduced depression and improved heart function.

This article in Forbes list a few good reasons to keep knocking boots until your boots can knock no more.

So with pot helping Alzheimer's, red wine helping you age gracefully, and sex improving just about everything else, you have to like the direction modern medicine is going.

Tags: health, science, medicine, body, biology, sex, life

Eating strictly healthy may not be so healthy`

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:42:10 GMT

clipped by: jimmy123

Clip Source: www.eatingdisordersonline.com

Orthorexia: When Health Food Becomes Death Food

Although Orthorexia Nervosa has produced very few deaths, it should also be noted that Orthorexia Nervosa is a rather recent discovery since for many years medical professionals thought those suffering from Orthorexia were just Anorexics.

Orthorexia Nervosa is known as the health food disorder. This is due to the Orthorexic's preoccupation with health food. Orthorexia causes the sufferer to become more and more obsessed with the types of foods they are consuming, resulting in more and more constriction placed on their eating habits. Most people suffering from Orthorexia never succumb to death, yet suffer social isolation and depression. "The risk of breaking the diet was just too much to hang out with others," recalls one former sufferer.

Tags: orthorexia, health food

Scientists Reprogram Adult Cell's Function

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:25:55 GMT

clipped by: spirithiker
clipper's remarks: This is great news for those people who are against using stem cells. We have the cells we need within our own bodies.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Scientists have transformed one type of fully developed adult cell directly into another inside a living animal, a startling advance that could lead to cures for a variety of illnesses and sidestep the political and ethical quagmires

associated with embryonic stem cell research.

Through a series of painstaking experiments involving mice, the Harvard biologists pinpointed three crucial molecular switches that, when flipped, completely convert a common cell in the pancreas into the more precious insulin-producing ones that diabetics need to survive.

The experiments, detailed online yesterday in the journal Nature, raise the prospect that patients suffering from not only diabetes but also heart disease, strokes and many other ailments could eventually have some of their cells reprogrammed to cure their afflictions without the need for drugs, transplants or other therapies.

Tags: medical, science, stem cells, disease control

Japan police fooled by life-sized doll

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:23:17 GMT

clipped by: wintertown
clipper's remarks: i think that's silly. plus, how did no one not notice it weighed a whole bunch less?

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

TOKYO - Police were trying to determine Tuesday whether they were the victim of a hoax after the body they thought they found at a seaside resort was actually a life-sized doll.

Investigators found what seemed like a body wrapped in a sleeping bag in a forest in Izu City, a seaside resort in central Japan, after an anonymous caller reported seeing it, a Shizuoka prefecture spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

Investigators never actually looked inside the sleeping bag and brought it back to the city police station for a post-mortem examination, the spokeswoman said. Apparently no one doubted a human body was inside until a medical examiner unwrapped it and found the doll, she said.

The Asahi newspaper said the doll was sophisticated and life-sized and wore a brown wig, a blouse and a skirt.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer