Halogenic Elucidations

A new study found that NSAIDs (e.g. naproxen, ibuprofen, etc.) can increase one's risk for cardiovascular disease (e.g. myocardio infarction, stroke, etc.). This is a cohort observational study based on the data of 31 trials of 116,429 patients.

Gist:

Hospitals are finally amending the long hours of the first year of residency into shorter hours. However, in a large scale study, this apparently did not solve (or even reduce) the problem of the number of errors made with respect to patient care in the hospital.

Analogy: The problem with hospital care is like stacks of swiss cheese-there are holes in every layer and overworking interns is just a hole in one layer. Usually, somewhere along the line, the mistake is caught and is not propagated. Occasionally, the holes align and causes a fatal reaction in the patient.

Bracken is an apparently deliciously tasting vegetable but contains a known carcinogen called ptalquiloside that is water soluble and highly volatile.

Hemingway cats! Why they have 6 toes! Scientists found that this is not due to a mutation in the Sonic hedgehog gene, but rather an up-regulation in its expression. "...polydactyly is not due to disruptions of Sonic hedgehog function, but of its regulation."

Last May, I went to Honduras with a non-profit and provided primary health care to the locals. One of the antibiotics we had was Augmentin, which I remember, was prescribed for a kid with a bacterial infection. I remember asking the doc on the trip why he prescribed Augmentin instead of Penicillin. He said that Augmentin works for bacteria that are resistant to Penicillin.

It turns out Augmentin is a b-lactamase inhibitor. b-lactam is common to all penicillins. Structurally, it's the part that looks like a square with an N and a carbonyl group. The bacteria that are resistant to penicillins produce an enzyme, b-lactamase, which hydrolyzes the b-lactam ring, rendering the whole molecule (of penicillin) innocuous. Augmentin inhibits this enzyme and makes the pencillin effective again!

Pranactin-Citric is part of the urea breath test (UBT) kit that tests for presence of H. pylori in your GI tract. It's a powder that contains 13C-urea. This powder is mixed with water and then ingested by the patient (it tastes deliciously tangy).

The test basically utilizes the fact that H. pylori produces large amounts of the enzyme urease, which converts urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia.

(NH2)2CO + H2O --> CO2 + 2NH3

(urea)

In the stomach the ammonia goes through several more steps which essentially neutralizes gastric acid and therefore allows the bacteria to survive.

NH3 + H2O --> NH4+ + OH-

OH- + CO2 --> HCO3-

HCO3- is bicarbonate, which is the conjugate base of carbonic acid. This helps neutralize gastric acid.

Some vocabulary from a paper I read:

morbilliform - resembling dusky red eruption of measles.

exanthem - skin eruption characteristic of measles and scarlet fever.

adeno- - prefix referring to a gland

papules - firm bumps on the skin (adj. papular)

-plast - suffix meaning "pertaining to the formation or development of a"

pruritus - itching

neo- - new

-oma - tumor

neoplasm - abnormal mass of tissue

neoplasia - abnormal proliferation of cells (new growth)

vasculitis - inflammatory destruction of blood vessels.

Apparently, brain transplants are possible and have been done before!

Okay seriously though, the feasibility of this is limited since you have to sever the spinal cord to do this*, thereby making the transplantee into a quadriplegic. However, he/she will still be able to see/hear/taste/smell/and move their heads! Amazing! 

Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid used to terminate pregnancies that are up to 49 days (~8 weeks) along. It works by binding to the progesterone receptor dimers thereby preventing its action.

Recall that progesterone is essential for maintaining a pregnancy by suppressing ovulation and decreasing the maternal immune response. Without it, the uterine lining (decidua) degenerates and sheds eventually, causing the implanted blastocyst to be detached and then expelled. The detachment of the blastocyst causes decreased production of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which maintains the corpus luteum, which supplies the progesterone. In this process, prostaglandin levels increase, making the uterus contract and thereby helping the detached blastocyst to be expelled.

To summarize:

Mifepristone binds to progesterone receptors, preventing its action

Causes decidua to degenerate, cervix soften

blastocyst detaches

decreased hCG

corpus luteum disintegrate 

progesterone production stops

prostaglandin levels increase 

GOOD.is | Drugged Culture (Raw Image)

An excuse for me to use the chat post feature...

Marshall: Breakfast isn't girly, lunch isn't girly, why is brunch girly?