I'm doing EduBlogging.

Photo credit: Google

     Well, I’m not fond of writing. I tend to express things through my actions and my mouth. But I love reading though. I love learning from others, absorbing what they know and bag everything in my mind. Hm. I didn’t expect I’d be writing for others. Everything about this… is because of chemistry class.

     My professor required us to write a blog every term, which I think was helpful to my grade. Still, I was thinking why we’re doing this. Its chemistry class. I thought it would be easy. Writing about our lectures, sharing them through blogging. I have basis. But when I’m about to do it, everything goes blank. I’m avoiding plagiarism. I have to keep things informative but interesting.

Photo credit: Google

     Here, blogs should be helpful. You should give right information. Sources and ideas about others should be stated properly. Everything written must be simplified for others to understand. The blog itself should be creative. And you, yourself, must be satisfied by it.

     I know you can find everything in the internet. Generation today tends to browse for information. Click it baby, and its here. However, while writing my blogs, I ought to read books. I view other sources. I need updates. And I realize, through this, I was learning myself. I’m happy. I’m doing educational blogging.

I hope I’ve encouraged you to write one.

I would like to give my gratitude to my dearest professor. I’m happy. :)

Toxicology: Introduction

Image credit: http://www.nscb.gov.ph/secstat/d_safety.asp

This table is concerned about the number of drug raids conducted with the number of people arrested due to drug-related violations. Drug addiction in the Philippines has been alarming for its increasing rates. Mostly, young people are the ones involved of the said problem. The Philippine government implemented laws to solve the current dilemma, however, because of illegal production; it becomes difficult for them to take hold of it.

Paracelsus (1493-1541) stated that “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” Toxicology is defined as a branch of science that deals with poisons and their harmful effect in the human body. It is the study of how natural or man-made substances can cause unwanted effects in a living individual.

To further more understand the meaning of toxicology, some important terms are included.

• Toxic – it is a term relating to a poisonous material that is capable of causing deadly effects by exposure with a chemical.

            Routes of exposure involved are via inhalation, ingestion, absorption, or by a skin or direct contact.

• Toxicity – It describes the degree to which a certain substance can be poisonous or can cause injury. It usually depends on different factors: dose, route of exposure, duration, shape or structure of the drug and some individual human factors.
• Selective toxicity – it means that a substance will produce an injury to a one kind of organism without harming another, though both may exist together.

Drug mechanism

This figures show the interplay between the absorption,

 distribution, metabolism and excretion of a drug.

Image credit: 

http://pharmaxchange.info/press/2011/04/pharmacokinetics-basics-absorption-distribution-metabolism-and-excretion/

Absorption

Absorption takes place when a toxin (naturally derived) or a toxicant (man-made toxic chemical) was able to cross cell membrane. Before a compound is able to reach a tissue, it is usually taken in the bloodstream.

Storage

Substances are stored on the following tissues: adipose tissues, bones (chemicals that are similar to calcium), blood, liver and kidney, etc.

Distribution

The substances are released from storage. Distribution determines the concentration of a drug in a particular tissue. A drug is usually subjected to various distribution processes to lower its plasma content.

Metabolism

As soon as they enter to the body, the compounds break down. As metabolism takes place, the initial compound is to be converted to other new compounds (metabolites) and usually reduces its effect in the body.

Excretion

Through kidneys, compounds and their metabolites are needed to be removed in the body. Until excretion is complete, the accumulation of foreign substances can cause adverse effects in the body’s normal metabolism. The three sites where drug excretion occurs are kidneys (through urine), fecal or biliary excretion (through waste products or feces), and lungs.

Sub-disciplines of Toxicology

Sub-discipline	Concern
Environmental Toxicology	Study of chemicals which contaminate food, water, soil, or atmosphere. How a variety of plants, animal, and humans are affected by the exposure to toxic substances
Industrial Toxicology	Cornered of the effects (usually health effects) from the exposure of the workers to the chemicals in their workplace.
Food Toxicology	It is involved in the delivery of edible and safe supply of food to the people. The additives are studied to determine at what amount they may generate adverse effects.
Clinical Toxicology	Concerned with the diseases associated with exposure to toxic substances.
Forensic Toxicology	It is used to determine lethal effects that result from the exposure to toxic substances. It is used to establish the cause and effect relationship between exposures to a drug

To furthermore understand Toxicology, please watch this video.

Video credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lCQ96LKOyM

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to my next post :)

Endocrinology: Introduction

Endocrinology is an area of medicine which deals with endocrine glands along with their function. An endocrine gland is a collection of cells which generates and secretes chemical messengers. These chemical messengers, often known as hormones, convey information and directions from one cell to another. Each hormone specifically influences cells that are programmed to accept and to react to its message. 

The major function of the endocrine system is homeostasis. It maintains an environment that is stable for the body. Also, this system promotes different structural changes for the body’s development.

Hormone’s physiologic functions are divided in three areas: a) maintenance of homeostasis, b) growth, and c) reproduction.

Maintenance of homeostasis

     All hormones can affect homeostasis, the most important are the following:

• TH – controls 25% of the basal metabolism in most of the body tissues.
• PTH – it regulates phosphorus and calcium levels of the body.
• Insulin -  maintains normal glucose content in the body.
• Cortisol – use permissive action for most hormones.
• Vasopressin – it controls renal free-water clearance.
• Mineralocorticoids – it manages vascular volume and electrolyte concentration in serum.

Growth

     Since multiple hormones mediate the phenomenon of growth, understanding hormonal interactions is essential in the diagnosis and management of different growth disorders.

Reproduction

     The stages of reproduction involve an interchange of multiple hormones. These include the following:

• Sex determination during fetal period
• Sexual maturation (puberty)
• Pregnancy
• Reproductive capability at menopause

This is an illustration of the different glands involve in the endocrine system.


Image credit : http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/endocrine.html#

The Major Human Endocrine glands and Functions

Endocrine gland	Function
Pituitary gland	It is also called as the “master gland”. Together with the hypothalamus, it produces hormones which are significant to female menstrual sequence, pregnancy, birth and lactation. The hypothalamus regulates the production of hormones.
Thyroid gland	It produces hormones which regulates body metabolism. Its hormones are important in body growth and brain development.
Pancreas	It produces digestive enzymes into the body’s small intestine. It regulates the level of the body's blood sugar.
Adrenal glands	They produce hormones in response to stress (anger, fright etc.). It secretes anti-inflammatory hormones.
Sex organs	It facilitates the secretion of sex hormones.
Pineal gland	It secretes hormones that encourage sleep. It depresses that activity of the sex organs.

To furthermore understand the mechanism of the endocrine system, please watch this video.

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKkKOBd0fT0&feature=related

The Endocrine System can be divided into three type of conditions:

Hormone Deficiency 

Most hormone deficiency states can be attributed to destruction of glands caused by infection, inflammation, surgery or autoimmunity. Mutations is a number of hormones, their receptors, enzymes and channels can also lead to deficiencies.

Hormone Excess 

Conditions like hormone excess can be caused by autoimmune disorders, neoplastic growth of edocrine cellsor excess hormone supervision.

Hormone Resistance

Hormone resistance conditions are caused by inherited defects in the membrance receptors, in the nuclear receptors, or in the pathways that transduces receptor indicators.

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” 

― Albert Einstein

Thank you for reading my post! Please look forward to my next topic.

References:


J. Jameson; Harrison's Endocrinology, 2nd edition; 2010

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/endocrine.html#

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio105/endocrin.ht

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/endocrine-system-function.html

http://www.beedictionary.com/meaning/endocrinology