Thursday, January 12, 2017
Migraine- Research updates
Now that we are clear on the basics, here's another post on recent updates and studies on the concepts of causation and treatment strategies of migraine.
Pain killer in Human saliva.
Hello readers ,Here is something new information about human saliva !.
Human saliva and pain killer :-
Human saliva contains a painkiller that is naturally produced by human body .It is called as -"Opiorphin" in very low concentration.
Opiorphin's role:-
Opiorphin prevents the breakdown of chemicals called as enkephalins . Apart from this opiorphin inhibits 3 protease.-
a)Ecto-endo peptidase.
b)Ecto-amino peptidase .
c)Dipeptidyl peptidase.
This extends the duration of enkephalins.
The enkephalins activates opiate receptors .Activated opiate receptors blocks pain signals from reaching brain!!. opiorphin is 6 times more potent than morphine .Unlike morphine opiorphin is not addictive and prolonged use may not lead to tolerance .
Current status in research:
Painkiller was successfully tested on rats.Further research is still needed before it's use on humans .Research include modifying molecular structure to avoid rapid degeneration in intestine and it's poor BBB(Blood brain barrier !).Modification includes transformation of N-terminal glutamine into pyroglutamate .
~Ojas
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
New drug:Tideglusib
Hello awesomites ! Today's blog is about new drug -Tideglusib.
Tideglusib is actually Alzheimer's drug and is also used in paralysis of supranuclear palsy!
However this drug is currently in news because of its ability to stimulate repair of teeth .
Use of this drug can cause end of dental fillings .
Mechanism of action of drug
The mechanism is roughly known .It acts in 2 ways
1)It stimulates stem cells in the pulp of the teeth to generate new dentine and heal small cavities.(Dentine is hard dense bony tissue that forms your teeth)
2)Inhibits an enzyme called as GSK-3 which prevents formation of dentine !,
Progress in research:
Drug is successful tested on mice .They soaked biodegradable sponges in the drug and then placed them in cavity .The sponges melts away over time,leaving only the repaired tooth but for use in humans ,the drug is still under research.
Keep smiling :)
Happy day:)
~Ojas
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Interesting and rare disease:Ectopic cordis
Hello awesomites ,really tired of all the bookish knowledge so for time being I switched my self to internet,and came across some of the rarest and the most interesting diseases of all the time !
Here is the first one -Ectopic cordis.
What is -Ectopic cordis?
It is the disease where the heart is located at abnormal position that is places other than thorax or sometimes partially at thorax.It is a congenital disorder
Cause :-
It is caused due to improper maturation of the mesoderm and ventral body wall durig embryonic development.Lateral wall is responsible for fusion at midline to form ventral wall any change in this process may lead to -Ectopic cordis.
Types:-
Depending upon situation of the heart in patient ,ectopic cordis is classified into 4 parts :-
1)Thoracic.
2)Cervical.
3)Thoracoabdominal.
4)Abdominal.
Defects seen:-
1) Ventricular septal defect .
2)Atrial septal defect.
3)Absence of tricuspid valve.(Tri-cuspid atresia)
4)Fallots tetralogy. (http://www.medicowesome.com/2017/01/teratology-of-fallot.html)
Treatment:
Unfortunately the only treatment is surgery !
Not all the surgeries are successful .
Patients of ectopic cordis hardly can live for long years as there are more chances of infections to heart .
That's it for today.
Internet is interesting:)
~Ojas
Monday, January 9, 2017
MBBS practical viva tips on examination
Keep calm.
And rock those vivas!
This video is on how to not make silly mistakes during pracs!
The SAAG solution (Serum-Ascites Albumin Gradient simplified)
A good friend of mine asked me to review the concept of SAAG. So let's dive into a "Puddle" of ascitic fluid. :P
As you guys all know, SAAG stands for Serum-Ascites Albumin Gradient and it helps to differentiate the causes of ascites. What it means is pretty self explanatory, it is the difference (gradient) between the levels of albumin (a plasma protein) in two compartments i.e. Serum and Peritoneal fluid.
Tetralogy of fallot
Hello readers today's blog is small one -Fallot's tetralogy .
What is Fallot's tetralogy?
It is a congenital disorder of heart .It is caused to foetus may be because of alcoholic mother or who has diabetes or may be due to rubella infection caused during pregnancy.It is caused due to deletion of chromosome 22
Signs and symptoms:-
As the name suggest ,there are four signs
All four of them are related to heart .
Mnemonic is PVR -f cinema.
-Pulmonary stenosis
-Ventricular septal defect .
-Right ventricular hypertrophy
-Over-riding of aorta ,due to which blood from both the ventricles may enter aorta.
Due to defect in heart ,there is low oxygen supply to tissue this may lead to cyanosis when there is high amount of pulmonary stenosis but when there is moderate amount of pulmonary stenosis this may lead to pink tit that is pinkish colouration of skin.There is also clubbing .
Treatment:
Open heart surgery is only treatment for fallots tetralogy .
The appropriate time for surgery depends on the pulmonary stenosis .
However patient should be on life long medication for healthy life
That's all :)
Have a happy day.
~Ojas
Microbiology of legionella mnemonic
Flagella: Within the host cell vacuole, legionella are nonmotile, whereas in the later stages of infection and cell lysis, legionella are flagellated and highly motile. Motility enables Legionella to escape from a spent host and facilitates its attempt to find a new host by dispersion into the environment.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Extra Ocular Muscles Insertion : Mnemonic
I'M Low Standard
M = Medial Rectus 6.6 (or 6.5 but just remember 6.6 for easiness)
L = Lateral Rectus 6.9 (Loser)
S = Superior Rectus 7.7
3 of these are the same number repeated (5.5 , 6.6 and 7.7) but LR is a loser. Hence it does not follow the rule and is a badass hence does a 69. :p
Thank you.
Happy studying!