E-Healthsite Resource Blog

Scientists have found a vital information about Insulin, the essence of life force. Presence of less insulin, the glucose-regulating hormone, in brain may be the cause for long life. This tremendous information is reported in the journal “Science” by a group of researchers headed by Dr. Morris White, a Howard Hughes Institute investigator at Children’s Hospital in Boston, USA. The group picked up mutant mice that over-ate, became fat and got symptoms of diabetes but yet lived 18% longer than their normal lab nice. The secret behind this is that these mice lacked a key gene that affects insulin. This new information raises question about how desirable it is to use insulin for treating type-2 diabetes. It is known to the Doctors that people doing exercise regularly live longer on average. The researchers also know that putting animals on a strict diet makes them live longer, though this has not been shown to work in human beings. So, Dr. Morris White’s group wanted to see if the two effects were linked. They had looked at Insulin because both fasting and exercise make cells more insulin-sensitive, meaning they respond more effectively to the effects of insulin.

The group made effort to look at the entire insulin pathway-a series of actions in the cell that control the body’s use of insulin. The team investigated mice that had no working copies of one of the genes involved in this pathway, called insulin receptor substrate 2 or Irs2. The group found that mice with no copies of Irs2 got defective brains and also diabetes. But mice having one working copy lived 18% longer than normal lab mice even if they could shorten their lives being overweight and having higher insulin levels in their blood. Read more…

For performance of various functions, human body needs energy. It is food that supplies that energy. Carbohydrate is turned into glucose as a result of digestion of food. The primary source of energy that is absorbed into our bloodstream is glucose. When this glucose is absorbed in our bloodstream, it is insulin that comes into action. Insulin is the name of a hormone secreted by an organ situated near the stomach which is called pancreas. It is insulin that helps in removing excess glucose from blood and allows its easy entry into the cells of the body. In this way, glucose that enters the body cells is broken down to produce energy that is required for our body. This is the process of a normal body.

If a person has diabetes, his pancreas either fail to produce sufficient insulin or produce insulin that is ineffective to carry out its function. Because of insufficiency or ineffectiveness of insulin, glucose that is built up in the blood stream is unable to enter the cells of our body. That is why, the body starves from energy. So, diabetes may be understood as a metabolic disorder which results in elevated blood glucose levels because of impairment of insulin secretion or action.

Diabetes is mainly of three types:-

Type -1:- This type of diabetes generally develops in early life and is known as juvenileonset diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Actually it is an autoimmune disorder. Very often virus infections may happen in this type of diabetes while the body’s own immune system or defense mechanism attacks and destroys the ?-cells of the pancreas what produce insulin hormone. The symptoms of this type of diabetes are severe. It can be life threatening if it is not well treated in proper time.

Type -2:- The second type of diabetes happens because of several factors, the most important being obesity. This is adult onset diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Usually this type of diabetes cannot be identified for years unless it is diagnosed. Its symptoms are milder. If it is not properly treated in proper time, it can be of life threatening case.

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Headache hits most of us and almost everybody gets it at one time or another during their lifetime. In fact general practitioners say it is a very common cause of concern. Head pain can be described as debilitating, humming, vague, rhythmic, throbbing, and steady. They can interfere with your ability to work and to play, but rarely life threatening, if they exist by themselves. Headaches can also be because of some medications like dilators or nitrates for heart disease; anti-hypertensive; calcium channel blocker; acidity and ulcer H2 blocker; hormone replacement drugs; contraceptives and many others.
However, headaches can also be caused by serious organic disorder which is why one needs to go through proper evaluation by competent doctors.

Different types of headache:

Tension Headache:
It is the most common type. Tension headache causes mild to moderate pain and feels like tightening of a band around the head. It can last from 30 minutes to 7 days and affect the whole head. But it does not cause nausea or vomiting. Physical activity does not worsen the pain.
This type of headache can be controlled with OTC pain relievers, anti-depressant, muscle relaxant, ice packs, heat treatment, massage, meditation or yoga.

Migraine:
It hits women more than the men between the age of 20 and 45. It may cause moderate to severe pain and usually the pain is felt on one side of the head. The pain gets worsened by sound, light, physical activity. It can also cause nausea and vomiting. It occurs after many weeks, months or even years and may last four hours to three days.
It can be controlled by avoiding trigger foods, stress and with OTC pain relievers like paracetamol and anti-nausea medication. Ultrasound physiotherapy and Biofeedback is also helpful.

Cluster Headache:
This occurs specially among men between 30 and 50 years of age. Such headache causes severe and piercing pain focused around a single eye. It lasts for 15 minutes to 3 hours and occurs in clusters, separated by pain free periods. On the same side of the pain, the nostril runs, the eye waters, eyelid drops, lower eye area swells. But it does not cause nausea or vomiting and is not worsened by lights or sounds.
If you have it consults your physician.

There are other types of headaches as well.

Hypertension:
It causes severe high blood pressure (over 160/110), occurs in spasms and felt at the back or top of the head. The pain is most severe in the morning. If it happens to you, consult with a specialist.

Eye Disorders:
Eye disorders might also cause headache. In this case the pain can be moderate to severe and worsen after using the eyes. The pain is felt at the front of the head or in/over the eyes.
Consult an eye specialist.

Sinusitis:
This is a condition when inflammation happens on hollowed out areas of bone at the front of the skull with openings into the back of the nose. The pain is severe, dull or sharp and felt around nasal area, one or both eyebrows. It may happen suddenly and last for few minutes or may happen gradually and be persistent. The pain worsens when you look down and in day time.
One can try steam inhalation or hot towel over eyes to shrink or unblock sinuses along with using some painkillers. Surgical drainage is the last option.

Brain Tumor:
The pain initially is mild but as the tumor grows, it gets from severe to unbearable. It occurs frequently and with time becomes constant.
The only way for relief is to see specialists.

Brain Abscess:
The pain and patterns are much like brain tumor except if it ruptures when meningitis occurs. The pain may be felt on one spot or all over the head.
Surgery is the only way for permanent relief.

Meningitis:
It is a condition when inflammation of the thin membrane that covers brain and spinal cord. Intense and constant pain is felt all over the head and it travels to neck which becomes stiff and makes bending to rest chin on neck difficult. It is accompanied by high fever and vomiting.
Immediately consult your physician and get admitted into hospital if possible.

Temporal Arthritis:
It happens when inflammation occurs on large arteries on the side of the scalp. It usually hits older people. This might cause disturbances or loss of vision. One might feel the pain while brushing hair or the jaw may hurt when eating or talking.
Steroids, Prednisone can be used to stop inflammation and prevent blindness.

There are many other conditions and disorders like TB, Syphilis, Sarcoidosis, Cryptococcosis that can affect the brain and cause headache. Best way to get relief is to see a doctor as early as possible and get proper diagnosis and treatment. Remember, early detection or diagnosis of a disease at its nascent stage might save a lot of trouble.

Gingivitis is relatively a rare condition and is characterized clinically by necrosis of the free gingival margin, the crest of the gingiva and the inter dental papillae etc.

Etiology:

Ulcerative gingivitis is a fusospirochetal disease and is caused predominantly by the fusiform bacilli and a spirochete called Borrelia vincenti.

Precipitatitng Factors:

• Sudden change in lifestyle
• Poor oral hygiene
• Lack of rest and sleep
• Local tissue damage
• Debilitating disease (viz. infectious mononucleosis, bacterial infection, diabetes, blood dyscrasias etc.)
• Emotional stress
• Down’s syndrome
• Smoking

Clinical Features:

• Ulcerative gingivitis usually occurs between the age of 15-35 years and males are to get infected more than females.
• Initially the gingiva becomes red and painful
• Erosion of the inter dental papillae occurs
• Gingiva is open covered by a “pseudo-membrane” and it has a pronounced bleeding tendency and produces extremely unpleasant fetid odor.
• Rarely gingiva lesion may extend to the mucosal surfaces of soft plate and tonsils
• Patients often develop headache, fever, malaise and lymphadenopathy etc.
• Difficulty in taking food due to increased salivation and a metallic test in the mouth
• Most of the patients develop systemic manifestations in the form of leukocytosis, tachycardia and gastro-intestinal disturbance etc.

Histopathology:

• The gingival tissue shows inflammation and extensive necrosis
• The stratified squamous epithelium is often replaced by a “pseudomembrane”
• The pseudomembranee usually consists of micro organism polymorphonuclear neutrophil and necrotic tissue debris etc.
• The unaffected areas of the gingival tissue shows a general lack of keratinization.

Treatment:

1. Local debridement of necrotic tissue with hydrogen peroxide
2. Administration of Metronidazole.

According to a recent study by a group of scientists led by Kerry Ressler of Emory University in Atlanta, it has been found that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or more popularly known as PTSD is a result of both genetic as well as environmental influence on the patient suffering from despair.

The findings published in the Journal of The American Medical Association have re-affirmed that environmental factors coupled with genetic variants affect tremendously on mental health. The findings also states that, no single factor of genetic or environmental can result in serious stress related disorder. All people who have had unpleasant experiences like war, accidents, terrorist attacks or natural disaster might not develop PTSD. Only those with genetic background are at risk of developing the dreaded condition that might stop someone from leading a normal life. The traumatic experiences of the past leads to nightmares, flashbacks, depressions or mood swings. But everybody who experiences bad or horrific experiences suffers from PTSD. It has been found that identical twins sharing all their genes and serving the Vietnam War were likely both to suffer more than their fraternal peers. But genes alone are not the cause for such traumatic and depressive life.

The research team had studied 900 adults who grew up in deprived urban communities and faced difficulties during their growing up periods. They were asked to answer a questionnaire that detailed their life including child or sexual abuse at one stage or the other.

Dr. Ressler also examined the gene variants known as FKBP5 normally related to how a body responds to stress. The team found that the gene made little or no effect in isolation to many. But when gene and environmental factors were put together, they made big difference in either raising or reducing the risk of PTSD on people. Dr. Ressler says

“These results are early and will need to be replicated, but they support the hypothesis that combinations of genes and environmental factors affect the risk for stress-related disorders like PTSD”