If you do not heal yourself, you die

In some cases of myocardial infarction, the clot spontaneously resolves itself, this is the healing process.

But at the same time the atheroma can worsen, there maybe haemorrhage & disruption exposing the thrombogenic components causing expansion of the atheroma.

So do you get what I'm talking about? In life too we can either choose to heal or worsen our condition, it's your decision really.. To feel better or worse about the smallest thing or the biggest problem you think you have..

Do you choose to heal?

-IkaN

Oxytocin

Heyy guys I know its' too late for a valentines day blog post.. But why need a day to celebrate love?
Lemme tell you about Oxytocin.. The love hormone <3

Oxytocin is secreted by the posterior pitutary.

Physiological roles:
Labour - It contracts the uterus & facilitates birth by a G protein receptor.
Milk ejection reflex - It causes contraction of the myoepithelial cells to let down milk. Remember it isn't responsible for production of milk. Only secretion or ejection more appropriately.
It is also a neurotransmitter (Love is in the air) ;)

It is a peptide that's why it is inactive orally [Destroyed by the acid in the stomach]
It is generally administered by iv or im routes

Uses:
Induction of labour: Either prematurely or in case of postmaturity.
Uterine inertia: When uterine contractions are feeble & labour is not progressing satisfactorily.
Postpartum haemorrhage: Hypertensive patients where ergometrine is contraindicated.
Breast engorgement: Due to inefficient milk ejection reflex. Nasal spray before feeding infant is given.

Do you know Oxytocin and Anti-diuretic hormone ADH  are both octapeptides & have 6 common amino acid residues but differ at position 3 and 8?
Water intoxication because of ADH like action of large doses given along with i.v. fluids can be a fatal complication in renal insufficiency and toxaemia of pregnancy.

Another cool fact: Myoepithelial cells are more sensitive to Oxytocin than the Myometrium

That's all! :)
Happy 13th April ^_^"
-IkaN
(Inspired by Andrea Martins)

Inflammatory pain & NSAIDs

Inflammation causes release of many different cytokines & growth factors.

Stimuli in the inflamed area that would normally cause only minor pain produce an exaggerated response (hyperalgesia) and normally innocuous stimuli such as touch cause pain (allodynia)

Many of the cytokines and growth factors facilitate perception and transmission in cutaneous areas as well as in the dorsal horn.

Prostaglandins induce hyperalgesia by affecting the transducing property of free nerve endings.

Prostaglandins and other inflammatory molecules facilitate activation of tetrodoxin resistant Na+ channels in the dorsal root ganglion (which give rise to unmyelinated C and Adelta fibres both conducting
nociceptive stimuli)

This is how prostaglandins produced during inflammatory states significantly increase the excitability of nociceptive nerve fibres.

So if you prevent this peripheral sensitization, hyperalgesia is reduced.
This is how NSAIDs work.

Note that NSAIDs do not affect the tenderness induced by direct application of PGs, but block the pain sensitizing mechansim induced by bradykinin, TNFalpha, interleukins (ILs) and other algesic substances.

That is why, NSAIDs are more effective against inflammation associated pain.

So now you know :)
Have a nice day

-IkaN

Viruses and Passion

Viruses are strange, they do not feed & by some definitions are not living things.
A virus simply exists to reproduce itself & only "comes alive" inside a living cell.

I feel that the living cell is our passion.. & without passion we'd simply exist.. Lifeless..
The "living cell" makes us enthusiastic.. To live life..

It maybe anything.. You maybe passionate about photography, cooking, learning new facts or as small as discovering a new piece of music =)
But that small thing.. Brings us to life.. It does make you feel alive, doesn't it?
Passion is your living cell & without it.. You feel just like a non-living thing..

Now there is a really cool thing you can learn from viruses..
Once cell lysis occurs, they free themselves of the past and they find a new cell..
They never stop living.. They keep moving on & exploring life as it comes..
I guess you have to read more about viral replication to understand what I'm talking about ^_^"

Anyway I hope you get what I meant to say..
Be passionate & keep moving forward :)
-IkaN

You can handle it

My mom tells me that God gives the grace & strength to the mother to take care of her child..
Come to think of it, the milk secretion starts from the mammary glands after the birth of the infant.. The milk ejection reflex happens just on time, when the baby suckles on the nipples..

You see, life doesn't put in front of things you can not handle..
I like to believe that with great responsibility comes great power is bestowed.

"I don't think that we're meant to understand it all the time. I think that sometimes we just have to have faith.
Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself" -Nicholas Sparks

So go with the flow & have faith.. No matter how tough you think life might get :)
Have a nice day with loads of positive energy ^_^

-IkaN

Author's diary - An introduction

Hello everyone..

I'm introducing a new section on my blog.. Which is personal notes from the author.. It is not exactly the informative section of the blog but more about what medicine teaches us.. How we can relate it to our day to day life.. Stuff like that.. Hope you an amazing time reading ^_^

It also contains blabber :P

-IkaN

Why lactate dehydrogenase in Light's criteria?

LDH is an enzyme found in almost all cells.

Tissue injury releases LDH.

If it's level is elevated in the plasma or extracellular fluid, that indicates cell death or cell membrane injury :O

It happens in all cases of exudates.. Inflammation remember?

Hence, LDH can be used to differentiate between transudate & exudate :)

-ikaN

Exudate & Transudate

Hello everyone!

Whenever you find fluid in the body which is out of the circulatory system you need to differentiate whether this fluid is an exudate or a transudate (Only if it is in pathologically significant amounts!)

I'll let you know why this is important in a while.. Keep reading.

Hypersensitivity types mnemonic

Hypersensitivity is a state of altered reactivity in which the body reacts with an exaggerated immune response to what is perceived as a foreign substance.

What if you had no idea which hypersensitivity reaction they are talking about in the exam? Disaster right?

Well.. I got it sorted for you.. Remember, "ACID"

Type I - Anaphylaxis
Type II - Cytotoxic
Type III - Immune complex mediated
Type IV - Delayed type of hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity types mnemonic

There is another type V Autoimmune disease.. Some people put it in type II though..

Wanna remember the disorders too?
Okay.. here you go..

Type I AAA
Atopy
Allergy
Asthma

Type II GATE
Goodpasture's syndrome
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Thrombocytopenia
Erythroblastosis fetalis

Type III EARSS
Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (Hypersensitivity pneumonitis)
Arthus reaction
Rheumatoid arthritis
Serum sickness
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Type IV CMCM
Contact dermatitis
Mantoux test
Chronic transplant rejection
Multiple sclerosis

Type V GMG
Graves' disease
Myasthenia Gravis

Hope this helps..
Have an amazing year :)


-IkaN

Updated: Image on 25th Oct, 2013.

Wanna reblog? Here's the link to the tumblr post!

Mechanism of invasion and metastasis of tumor cells comic

I made this very short comic.. Hope you understand! :)

Mechanism of invasion of tumor cells

Cadherins and catenins

Laminin and fibronectin

Type IV collagenase, cathespin D, urokinase type plasminogen activator

Autocrine motility factors and thymosin beta 15

That's all!

-IkaN

Classification of antihypertensives

Heyy guys! I'm back.. And this post is the coolest.. I have put in all my creativity!

What are anti-hypertensives?
They are used to treat high blood pressure ^_^

This post is like a mnemonic..
So lets get to the classification..
How to remember?
ABCD!
A is for awesome.. Medicowesome ;)

That's all for today!

Hope you had fun!

-IkaN

Fulminant liver failure and Hepatitis E

Hey guys! Do you know what is fulminant liver failure?

Fulminant means occurring suddenly, rapidly, and with great severity or intensity :O

Fulminant hepatic failure is generally used to describe the development of encephalopathy within 8 weeks of the onset of symptoms in a patient with a previously healthy liver..

It occurs in pregnancy.. mostly due to a viral cause..
The prevalent viral cause of ALF [acute liver failure] in pregnancy is Hepatitis E..


In fact, liver failure is the most common feature in Indian women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy

The immunity is altered during pregnancy and the hormonal status is also different..
So, the diminished immunity and high level of steroid hormones influence viral replication and expression during pregnancy

That's all for today!
Take care ^_^
And drink boiled water!

-ikaN

Prophylaxis of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis D

Hey guys!
Guess what? I did an amazing microbiology seminar today on this topic..
So thought of posting it on the blog as well :D

Prophylaxis of Hepatitis B

Avoid sharing personal items

• Don't share needles, razors, toothbrushes, manicure tools or other items that could bear contaminated blood.. [Don't share a bloody thing! ;)]

• Don't allow yourself to be pierced or tattooed with non-sterile equipment

• Make sure your barber uses clean razors, manicure and pedicure items


Behavior Modification

• Use a new latex or polyurethane condom every time you have sex, particularly if you have multiple sex partners.

• Limit alcohol intake. [Love your liver :) ]

• If you are a medical professional, follow good practices for using and disposing of needles. [Or a wanna be doc like me!]

Passive Immunoprophylaxis

•  Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) is a sterile solution of ready-made antibodies against Hepatitis B

• HBIG is prepared from human blood from selected donors who already have a high level of antibodies to Hepatitis B and used in passive immunoprophylaxis

• Passive immunoprophylaxis is used in:

• Newborns of mothers infected with Hepatitis B
• After liver transplantation

[I know you are probably wondering why liver transplant! See sometimes as a last resort to Hepatitis you need to get a liver transplant.. So better not get infected with the same virus again eh?]

Active immunization

• The vaccine contains one of the viral envelope proteins, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).

• It is produced by yeast cells, into which the genetic code for HBsAg has been inserted.

• Three doses of vaccine are required to achieve effective immunization

[I know most of you haven't got a vaccine against Hepatitis B yet.. So get vaccinated please!]

Mixed Immunization

Infants born to mothers infected with Hepatitis B virus should be treated with Hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth, with the second and third doses of vaccine given at one and six months of age.

Prophylaxis of Hepatitis D

• Hepatitis D only occurs in those who have hepatitis B

• Hepatitis D virus depends on HBV to develop, all the preventing measures that someone can take are regarding also the prevention against Hepatitis B virus

• So the vaccine against Hepatitis B, prevents both Hepatitis B and Hepatitis D infection

• Unfortunately, there is no vaccine available against the hepatitis D virus for people who are already infected with hepatitis B virus

Thats all.. Thank you so much for visiting & reading.. I appreciate all your support! ^_^
Have a rocking weekend \m/

-ikaN