What is phosphorus and how is it used in the body?

Phosphorus is a chemical element occurs naturally as phosphorus rock. Phosphorus is needed in body with calcium to build strong bones. Phosphorus is essential for digestion of calcium, protein and glucose. It is found in milk, cheese, eggs and nuts. It should be mentioned that the bones are made of calcium phosphate and half of those bones are made from phosphate. Any excessive intake of phosphorus or calcium will cause an imbalance in the body therefore causing deficiency in one of the above. A scientific research has been done regarding the the intake of calcium supplements with no phosphorus which indicates that people who take these supplements without a proper balance for their phosphorus intake, could face bone loss. Some of the health problems associated with phosphorus deficiency are bone loss, numbness and stress. Parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone which regulates and acts as a balancing factor when calcium levels are too high or low and therefore body readjusts itself to maintain a proper level of this element in the body. Another organ that regulates the phosphorus and calcium balance is the kidney by the process of filtration.

How Does Alcohol Affects The Liver?

Ethanol or drinking alcohol is one of the oldest recreational drugs that has been consumed since the ancient times. Recently with the advance of science, the harmful effects of alcohol on human body has been identified. One of the organs directly affected by alcohol consumption is the liver. Hepatitis as the result of excessive drinking could cause inflammation and destruction of liver tissues. Cirrhosis is associated with blood vessel stiffness and distorted look in the internal parts of the liver. Free radicals are highly reactive oxygen molecules that are believed to be the main cause of liver tissue damage. Alcohol consumption can weaken the effect of antioxidants (molecules that prevent oxidization in blood and therefore preventing damage to the cells that is coming from free radicals). A good news regarding the liver is that it is the only organ in the human body that can completely repair itself as long as the main veins are not too stiffened as the result of excessive alcohol consumption. It should also be mentioned that women will develop earlier signs of liver disease that men as the result of lower gastric factor and more alcohol filtration by the liver.

Liver

Liver is the largest gland in the body that is responsible for over 500 functions. The liver helps in metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, storage of glycogen (to be used when the body needs extra energy), detoxifying the blood, destroying old blood cells, secretion of bile (bile is used to help metabolize fat). The liver also stores different vitamins for a specific amount of time. Vitamin A is stored in liver for 1 to 2 years, vitamin D stored 1 to 4 months, vitamin B12 stored 1 to 3 years. Minerals such as copper and iron are also stored in the liver. The common diseases of liver are alcoholism, hepatitis A,B and C, cirrhosis and cancer.

Stem Cell

Stem cell is a formative, non-differentiated, immature cell which can become specialized in diverse range of cell types such as blood cells, brain cells, liver cells, skin cells and other types of cells. Two types of stem cells are: embryonic stem cells, taken from a blastocyte or an early stage embryo which is about 5 days old after fertilization. Adult stem cells is an undifferentiated cell in a specialized tissue that can renew itself to the form of the tissue in which it originated. Adult stem cells are found throughout the body. Embryo harvest by in vitro fertilization is done to obtain embryonic stem cells.

Thyroid Gland

Thyroid Gland is one of the endocrine glands in the body. It is located in the neck below Adam's Apple. The main function of the thyroid gland is regulating how fast body uses energy and controls hormonal production. The Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 regulate the metabolism rate. Two major disorders associated with the Thyroid Gland are: Hyperthyroidism: excessive production of thyroid hormones which causes weight loss, excessive sweating, muscle weakness and sensitivity to heat; Hypothyroidism: decreased production of Thyroid hormones which could cause weight gain, tiredness and cold intolerance.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a silicate mineral rock and is used in building materials and has fire resistance property. Asbestos can resist high temperature, many chemicals and wear. It is also a poor conductor, therefore it insulates well against electricity and heat. You can find asbestos materials in walls, ceiling, roof and pipe covering. The asbestos fibres that are similar to crystals can get trapped in the lungs and the person who is in contact can develop mesothelioma or asbestosis after working in an environment where asbestos is used. Despite health hazards Asbestos is not banned in canada and russia and exported mainly to third world countries such as china and India.

Adam's Apple

The laryngeal Prominence or Adam's Apple is a protrusion that is formed by the angle of the thyroid cartilage that surrounds the larynx. It happens during the puberty when larynx grows in the throat and is more visible in males, therefore giving them a deeper voice. A cosmetic surgery called thyroid chondroplasty can be performed to reduce the size of Adam's Apple. This surgery could change the voice of the patient and cause permanent damage, as well as scars on the operated area. The surgery is done by reducing the size of the thyroid cartilage. 

Wernicke's Aphasia

Aphasia is a disorder that is related to language comprehension. Wernicke's aphasia (fluent Aphasia) is a type of aphasia where an individual has poor comprehension of reading and writing. This condition could be caused by a lesion in wernicke's centre or stroke. People with aphasia may talk in long sentences that have little or no meaning and also have a difficult time to comprehend speech. Anyone suspected of having aphasia will be referred to a neurologist where he will be asked to follow commands and answer questions to determine his level of disability. The patient can then be referred to a language pathologist where more comprehensive tests are done. There is no medical treatment available but the person can improve his language skills to reduce the symptoms of this condition.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes tiredness and excessive sleepiness. Scientists believe that narcolepsy is caused by reduced amounts of Hypocretine which is a protein produced in hypothalamus.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the main characteristics of narcolepsy where a person has to take a nap or a few naps during the day even after a good night sleep. There is no cure for narcolepsy but there are ways to ease the symptoms. Some of the treatments for narcolepsy are: having a regular sleep pattern, avoiding fatty/heavy meals and alcoholic beverages, taking naps during the day, taking stimulus medications to help with wakefulness and antidepressant to reduce sleep attacks if present.

A Neuron

A neuron is an individual nerve cell. A stimulus begins from the branches of dendrites until it reaches the cell body.The impulse then travels from the cell nucleus along the Axon to the terminal end where it jumps from one neuron to the other. The space where the nerve impulse jumps from one neuron to the other is called the synapse. The transfer of impulses depend on the release of chemicals called neurotransmitter. Some neurotransmitters are Acetylcholine, epinephrine, dopamine, serotonin.

Sperm & Semen Production

The male sex cell, Spermatozoon consists of a head which contains the chromosomes and a tail region which is called flagellum. The tail helps the sperm cell to move forward to the fallopian tube where it reaches the ovum (egg). The sperm is produced in the testicles and the whitish substance called semen is produced in the seminal vesicles, prostate gland and urethral glands. The sperm takes 3 months to fully mature in order to impregnate a female. It is then stored in epididymis which is a tube located above the testicles. During the ejaculation process, the sperm in the ejaculatory duct mixes with seminal prostate, seminal and urethral glands to form semen. Various minerals and vitamins such as zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, etc help the sperm cell to survive its journey through the acidic walls of vagina.

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is the normal paralysis of the body that occurs during REM sleep (dreaming phase of sleeping). It happens either when falling sleep or awakening from sleep. During REM sleep, eyes scan left and right, heart beat and breathing becomes irregular, blood flow to the genital area creates a state of sexual arousal. At this time a chemical called Acetylcholine released from the brain stem to immobilize the body's movements. It is then that the body becomes paralyzed. It is the body's mechanism to immobilize the body so that the person does not act according to his/her brain. Some of the causes of sleep paralysis could be alcohol consumption, environmental changes and stress. In the end, sleep paralysis is a normal function of human body and anyone with this condition can learn and recognize this phase of sleeping by letting the paralysis to finish without reacting with fear or panic to avoid any stress or emotional problems.

How is Iron Made

Iron is made from iron ore, that is any rock such as Magnetite, Hematite, Limonite or Goethitite. Iron consists of iron and oxygen atoms that are bonded together. In order to get iron, the ore must be deoxygenated to leave only iron atoms behind. Heat is needed for this process and because coal is easily available, it is used to heat the ore to get the oxygen out and what is left is called wrought iron. In order to create steel, more heat need and the ore must be mixed with up to %1.5 carbon but no oxygen and any kind of impurity.

Gastric Bypass

Gastric Bypass is a surgical procedure to reduce the size of stomach by bypassing food from duodenum (first part of small intestine) to jejunum (second part of small intestine) so that the food we eat has a shorter time to travel inside the small intestine and therefore less food is absorbed. This procedure is done for severely obese people and they can expect to lose 65 to 80 percent of their body weight. Infection, Haemorrhage (bleeding) and hernia are some of the complications that could develop after or during the surgery.

Ectopic Pregnancy

An Ectopical pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy when the fetus develops outside of the womb. Normal Pregnancy happens in the upper portion of Uterus (womb). Ectopic pregnancy usually happens in the fallopian tube and rarely in the ovary or peritoneal cavity.

Lactose Intolerance

Most of us especially anyone who works in the health care field have heard about Lactose Intolerance, Where individuals have to make necessary changes to avoid the common symptoms associated with this condition.
Lactose Intolerance is a genetic condition when the human body is unable to digest lactose (a type of sugar) in milk and milk products. The small intestine is responsible to absorb food into our blood stream. When Lactose is present, the small intestine does not produce or produce a very small amount of lactase (an enzyme) to break down lactose and therefore it cannot be absorbed. Common symptoms of Lactose intolerance are abdominal bloating, cramps, diarrhea, gas and nausea. A balanced diet of vegetables and cutting on dairy products consumption can improve the symptoms.

What Is A Biopsy?

A Biopsy is a medical examination that involves the removal of cells, tissues or bodily fluids to determine the existence or cause of ant disease if present. There are different kinds of biopsy depending on the patient's illness. The above picture show two types of biopsy. The picture on the left shows a breast biopsy where a small syringe is inserted in one breast and fluid is withdrawn from a lump for medical examination. The picture on the right shows a skin biopsy where a special blade in inserted inside the skin and a piece of skin is cut for further examination in a medical lab

Money Talks

United states of America is the richest country on earth. China is the second and japan is the third richest countries on earth. The richest countries by GDP are Liechtenstein, Qatar and Luxembourg. Richest middle eastern countries are Saudi Arabia, Iran and United Arab Emirates. Richest European countries are Germany, France and United Kingdom. Richest South American countries are Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Richest african countries are South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. Richest Asian countries are China, Japan and India.

A Political View

During my years of reading, learning and exploring politics, I understood a simple facts that very well ma be known to you, my viewers also, yet I will discuss it with you, as my first blog posting until I come about more fascinating subjects.

Each political party, republican, democrat, NDP, green party, liberal, communism etc have their own supporters. These supporters include businessmen ( wealthy people who earn well above a very hight tax bracket), middle class people, labour class ( are in low or lowest tax bracket) and foreign interest and political groups. A Conservative voter would have the following qualities/demands which makes him or her interested to vote for a conservative leader. He or she is of a well paid group of citizens, planning to open a business, is in favour of more rules and regulations such as more criminal sentencing to longer prison time and more fines. He or she may have connections to a certain special interest group that represent her ideology or needs such as a jewish person who wants to support and promote jewish rights who may be in favour of a certain political party which has good ties with that lobby and of course in return the party gets benefits in terms of money, campaign, promotions, etc. The same can be applied to other people who choose a political party, also no political party always represent what it claims to be it's political manifesto and it changes during the course of history.