Stem Cell Bank

This post is a result of the image below (a similar one actually).

So met this guy who was working with Dhirubhai Ambani Life Sciences… And I asked him what does he sell? He said Biological Insurance. And then he was bombarded with a billion questions. Thanks to him, this is one subject that interests me (right now).

So could preserving stem cells save your child’s life?

There’s at least a possibility.  Research in stem cell treatments is the fastest growing field in medicine with good reason.  Stem cell therapies are being used to treat over 70 different conditions from cancer to anemia and with the rate of current research this is only the beginning.  There are companies working on a cure for baldness using stem cell therapies and one UK based firm that plans to have the ability to grow replacement teeth in patients within the next ten years.

Saving a sample of your newborns stem cells may one day be the key to treating any number of conditions, since the stem cell sample is a perfect match and the chance of rejection is minimal.  To top it off, those same cells may be able to save the mothers life or the life of a sibling.

Hence the concept of a stem cell bank.

How? Well, wait for the next post.

erving stem cells save your child’s life?

Can the unconscious hear?

There was this fire safety drill in our office and the trainer was explaining how to treat an unconscious person. He said you need to shock him and shout at him. I quite understood why the shock was necessary, but shouting? Can the unconscious really hear?

Web search got me to many (like this) where people have narrated successful stories where speaking to the unconscious has worked.

Yahoo answers got me to this explanation

It is often believed that even if they don’t understand it is a conscious sense that they do hear and understand the intent of speech while in a coma. Many physicians recommend that the family members do speak or read to comatose patients. They believe that it is beneficial in the healing process.

Tonsils

Was having a sore throat off late. My room mate asked if I have got tonsils… and I did not know what it meant.

Are tonsils already in your system? Does “having tonsils” mean having more of tonsils or less of it?

A web-definition of Tonsil is

The tonsils are two clumps of tissue, on either side of the throat, embedded in a pocket at the side of the palate (roof of the mouth).  The lower edge of each tonsil is beside the tongue…way in the back of the throat.

Now this means that Tonsils exist in even a healthy body. So when someone says that he/she’s got tonsils, it probably means less or more of the tissue. Lemme figure this out.

The tonsils act as part of the immune system to help protect against infection. Tonsils tend to reach their largest size near puberty, and they gradually undergo atrophy thereafter. However, they are largest relative to the diameter of the throat in young children, and tonsillectomy (surgical removal of tonsils) may be indicated if they are obstructing the airway or interfering with swallowing. Also, when tonsils become overly enlarged or inflamed (tonsillitis), they may need to be surgically removed.

Probably this is what is meant by “having tonsils”, enlarging of the tonsil gland.

Love Handles

I found it funny when some one used the term Love Handles… Did not quite understand the context. So I thought i’ll google it up to see what they are

Love Handles are basically that extra fat on your belly and on the sides above your hips.They are called “love handles” because they provide a soft place to rest one’s hand while one’s arm is around a person.

Love handles are also colloquially called a spare tire due to the enlarged tire-like shape around the midsection.

Interesting… So nextime you meet someone who has a paunch… You could simply be polite by saying… You’ve got some love handles now

“Laughter is the best medicine”

One of the most often quoted lines…and the famous Readers’ Digest jokes collection all of us would have read. I was just curious to know the physiological reason behind it. So, here goes.

Laughter helps promote healing in the body by lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow. When we laugh, the production of T -cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, and more Gamma interferon (which is a disease fighting protein) is released.

Laughter has been found to reduce the amount of stress hormones and help us cope with our lives better.

Now this is interesting…The diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles all get a workout. Laughing one hundred times is equal to a ten-minute workout on a rowing machine, or fifteen minutes on an exercise bike.

So, the next time you feel too lazy for a workout, you know what to do!

Why do we cry?

Well, the following is just the physiological aspect of the answer.

First of all, there are really three different types of tears. Basal tears keep our eyes lubricated constantly. Reflex tears are produced when our eyes get irritated, like with onions or when something gets into our eyes. The third kind of tear is produced when the body reacts emotionally to something. Each type of tear contains different amounts of chemical proteins and hormones.

The psychic tears (or emotional tears) require an emotional response, or trigger to be activated. When emotions affect us, the nervous system stimulates the cranial nerve, in the brain and this sends signals to the neurotransmitters to the tear glands. Thus, we cry .The largest tear gland, the lacrimal gland produces the tears of emotion and reflex. Many believe that the body, in times of emotional stress, depends on this gland to release excess amounts of chemicals and hormones, returning it to a stable state.

How fast do human fingernails grow?

No particular context as to why this question came to my mind. Nevertheless, here’s the answer.

The rate of growth of human fingernails varies, depending on the person, the nail in question, and the time of year. As a general rule, human fingernails grow between half an inch (one centimeter) and four inches (10 centimeters) per year, and a number of things can influence this growth rate. Incidentally, fingernails grow approximately five times as fast as toenails, for those who are curious.

Among the many factors which influence the rate of growth is age. Younger people tend to grow their fingernails more quickly, especially if they eat healthy, varied diets.

Longer fingers appear to grow nail material more quickly, as do the fingers on the dominant hand. On most people, the middle finger of the dominant hand grows a nail most quickly, while the thumb or pinky of the other hand has the slowest rate of nail growth.

Human fingernails appear to grow more quickly during the daylight, which means that they also grow more during the summer, when daylight hours are increased.

Contrary to popular belief, human fingernails do not continue to grow after death. The illusion of growing fingernails is created by the dehydration which the human body experiences after death. As the body dehydrates, soft tissue starts to shrink and pull away, which can make it look as though the hair and fingernails have grown. The shrinking tissue can also expose the teeth, which explains why the dead appear to be grinning.