VDRL test

VDRL test is used to identify patients who are infected with syphilis. VDRL stands for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test. This VDRL test is not conclusive or diagnostic of syphilis therefore it is not useful as a diagnostic test. Because of that this test is primarily used as a screening test. VDRL test positive patients should be further investigated for the confirmation of the diagnosis.

VDRL test was developed in Venereal Disease Research Laboratory, USA in 1946 by Harris, Rosenberg, and Riedel.

The basis of the VDRL test is that antibodies produced in patients infected with syphilis react with an extract of ox heart (diphosphatidyl glycerol). Therefore VDRL test is a non treponemal test (does not detect the organism which causes syphilis; Treponema pallidum). The VDRL test is used to assess response to therapy, to detect CNS involvement, and as an aid in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.

Vitamin E oil for skin

Vitamin E plays a significant role in human health. The anti-oxidant effect of the vitamin E is important for most of its health benefits. Because of that it can also be considered as an anti aging product. Skin, heart and hair are the tissues which are most benefited by vitamin E. therefore almost all skin care preparations such as oil and creams contain vitamin E as an ingredient. Natural sources of vitamin E are cereals, cod liver oil and sun flower oil.

Vitamin E containing oil can be used topically and topical preparations have several benefits;

1. it moisturizes the skin by penetrating to deeper layers of the skin therefore vitamin E oil is beneficial for dry skin.
2. antioxidant effects of vitamin E oil help to protect skin from ultra violet (UV) radiation, medications, pollution, etc
3. exposure to ultra violet radiation (UV) can lead to skin cancer but if you apply vitamin E oil on the skin prior to sun bathing, it will protect you from skin cancers.
4. vitamin E oil helps to reduce wrinkles, scar marks and skin cracks as well.
5. vitamin E oil is used for skin diseases such as psoriasis and eczema.

Biosensors in food industry

Biosensor in food industry is one of the growing fields in food analysis. A biosensor is a sort of device which can be used to detect a compound or analyte which combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector component

Common applications of biosensors in food industry are;

1. to analyze the composition of a particular food item (protein content, carbohydrate content, lipid content,vitamine and minerals content)
2. to detect toxic substance (myotoxins) found in food
3. to detect micro-organisms found in food
4. to determine the levels of toxic substances before and after food processing
5. to measure the level of folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid in different food items as an alternative to microbiological assay
6. to determine the level of drug residues in food, such as antibiotics and growth promoters, particularly meat and honey

Optic coated antibodies are commonly used biosensors in food industry. These biosensors are used to detect pathogens and food toxins. Immuno or ligand binding biosensors are used in food industry to measure the levels of small molecules such as as water-soluble vitamins and chemical contaminants (drug residues) such as sulfonamides and Beta-agonists.

Rapid detection of total microbial contaminants and sugar quantification in soft drinks,
determination of the freshness of fish and other food items including beef and other foods are the most viable use of biosensors in food industry.

biosensor home page

Vitamin E benefits

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin. It acts as an antioxidant therefore it carries several benefits for human body. Skin, heart, hair and the immune system are the most benefited tissues by the vitamin E.

Vitamin E benefits for the skin

Antioxidant property of the vitamin E helps to protect cells of skin from various environmental factors such as ultra violet rays of the sun and pollution. Vitamin A is also important for a healthy skin and vitamin E helps in regulating vitamin A in the body. Anti-aging property of vitamin E helps the skin look younger and it reduces the wrinkles as well.

Vitamin E Benefits for Heart

Regular intake of vitamin E reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease)

Vitamin E Benefits for Hair

Vitamin E promotes hair growth therefore it may help bald head as well.

Dengue fever & vaccine

Dengue fever and vaccine is one of the hot topics in tropical countries where dengue is more prevalent. Dengue is a viral illness which is caused by four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae. It is an acute febrile illness which can be life threatening unless treated promptly.

Unfortunately a definitive therapy is yet to find out; therefore timely executed supportive therapy is the mainstay of treatment. For that vital signs such blood pressure, pulse rate, capillary refilling should be monitored regularly.

There are several researches and studies are being conducted in order to find out a definitive treatment for this condition. Vaccine for dengue fever is on the top of the list as one of the definitive treatment modalities. Some results are very encouraging.

Dengue virus belongs to flavivirus group. Other diseases caused by viruses belong to flavivirus group are yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis. Fortunately those conditions are under successful control thanks to effective vaccines. Therefore production of vaccine against dengue is not out of the equation and the dengue vaccine should be a tetravalent as dengue is caused by four flaviviruses; DENV1:DENV2:DENV3:DENV4

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the umbrella term (generic descriptor) for a group of lipid soluble tocol and tocotrienol derivatives possessing varying degree of vitamin activity. The only human disease that can be attributed to vitamin E deficiency is hemolytic anemia in low birth weight infants. Such infants have low vitamin stores and the precipitating factor is a high intake of linolei acid. Nevertheless, vitamin E is essential because it prevents damage to cell membranes by oxidant. Vitamin E is the nature’s best anti-oxidant. he foods high in vitamin E include, almonds, avocado, egg, milk, nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, whole grains, kiwi fruit, etc

vitamin E benefits

TSH blood test

TSH; Thyroid-stimulating hormone

TSH is a hormone which is produced by the pituitary (an endocrine gland). TSH is one of the utmost hormones found in human body. The main function of the TSH is to stimulate the thyroid gland (as it name implies). Thyroid gland will produce two important hormones (thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3)) once it is stimulated by the TSH. If blood level of thyroxine and triiodothyronine are low, more and more TSH will be secreted in order to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine and triiodothyronine and vice versa.

Therefore TSH blood test is important to asses the function of the thyroid gland. Therefore TSH blood test is considered as one of the thyroid function tests. If TSH blood level is high, it will indirectly indicate that low blood level of thyroxine and triiodothyronine . And this condition is known as hypothyroidism where as low TSH blood level and high thyroxine and triiodothyronine is known as hyperthyroidism.

TSH blood test values

1. Normal TSH blood test value; 0.4 and 5.0 µIU/mL
2. If TSH blood test value is less than 0.4µIU/mL: hyperthyroidism
3. If TSH blood test value is more than 5.0µIU/mL : hypothyroidism

Preparation for TSH blood test

No specific preparation is required prior to the TSH blood test. It can be done at any time.

Beutler fluorescent spot test

G6PD enzyme test

Actually the name of the test is beutler and it is also known as fluorescent spot test. This is a test which is used to screen enzyme defects like galactosemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. The Beutler enzyme spot test is an effective assay for newborn mass screening of galactosemia (Galactose-1-Phosphate Uridyltransferase). This test can be used to detect carbohydrate-splitting enzymes in meconium, which can be used as a creen test for cystic fibrosis

Viral hepatitis & sgot sgpt test

SGOT; serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase:
SGPT; serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase: Alanine
SGOT and SGPT test
Liver diseases and SGOT and SGPT test


Liver enzymes such as SGOT and SGPT are elevated in viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver. This is due to various viruses. Commonest viruses which lead to viral hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E, Herpes simplex, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, or Yellow fever.

Most of the time liver is the primary site which is affected by these viruses. SGOT and SGPT test provides evidence for degree of liver damage.

SGOT/SGPT ratio is useful to differentiate viral hepatitis from alcoholic hepatitis;

• When greater than 2.0, it is more likely to be associated with alcoholic hepatitis
• When less than 1.0, it is more likely to be associated with viral hepatitis

Creatine Kinase (CK) Test

creatine phosphokinase (CPK) test

cpk mb in pregnancy

Creatine kinase is an enzyme which is found in various tissues of the body such as skeletal muscles, cardiac (heart) muscles, kidney, stomach, colon, and liver. This CK enzyme consists of two polypeptide subunits; M and B. Creatine kinase is found in three different forms (isoenzyme), depending on the combination of subunits.

• CK-MM is the major isoenzyme type available. This is present in skeletal and cardiac muscles
• CK-MB is the isoenzyme which is primarily found in the cardiac muscles. A small amount is present in the skeletal muscles as well.
• CK-BB is the isoenzyme which is mainly found in the brain matter. A small amount is also found in kidney, stomach, colon, and liver as well.

Creatine kinase (CK), also known as creatine phosphokinase (CPK) or phospho-creatine kinase (and sometimes wrongly as creatinine kinase)

CK-MM type is the major isoenzyme whereas CK-MB is important in heart disease.

Followings are the conditions which can give rise to high level of Creatine kinase CKtest value;

1. Hyperthermia
2. Necrotizing fasciitis caused by S. pyogenes
3. Legionnaires’ disease (Pneumonia)
4. Severe Leptospirosis (Weil’s Syndrome)
5. Complications of influenza infection
6. Crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever
7. Trichinellosis
8. Cardiogenic shock
9. Hypothyroidism
10. Hypophosphatemia
11. As a side effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors
12. As a side effects of Antipsychotic medications

CPK MB (CK MB) test in myocardial infarction

CPK; creatine phosphokinase

CK; Creatine kinase
Myocardial infarction (MI); heart attack

cpk mb in pregnancy

CPK or CK enzyme is found in three different forms (Isoenzymes). Among those iso enzymes CPK MB (CK MB) is the important isoenzyme in myocardial infarction because CPK MB (CK MB) is the form which abundantly found in heart muscles than any other tissues.

Utmost important aspect of the CPK MB (CK MB) is it’s relevant with cardiac injury (myocardial infarction or heart attack). The level of CPK MB (CK MB) increases within 4 to 8 hours after the cardiac event (eg; heart attack) and it returns to normal level by 48 to 72 hours. The peak level can be detected within 16 to 24 hours after the event.

Since the CPK MB (CK MB) is more specific for the cardiac muscle, measurement of CK-MB level can be useful. But the skeletal muscles also contain some amount of CK-MB, which is very small when compare with the amount containing in the cardiac muscles (Table A). Usually in serum the fraction of CPK MB (CK MB) is about 3%. If this fraction is higher than the normal level it will indicate the cardiac injury (eg; heart attack). But sever skeletal muscles damage can give rise to the higher level of CPK MB (CK MB) therefore sever skeletal muscles damage can mimic acute myocardial infarction. To avoid this false positive scenario, series of ECG should be done with the measurement of CK level. There are some other causes which lead to the rise in CPK MB (CK MB) level such as crush syndrome, Major surgery, Defibrillation and Malignant Hyperthermia.

Table A

Isoenzyme	% in heart muscles	% in skeletal muscles
CK-MM	78	98
CK-MB	22	2

Recipes for weaning foods

Foods given to infants and young children vary between countries as well as within a country, depending on the factors such as availability, food preference and cost. A meal consists of several foods, and these should be in the correct proportion to ensure adequate balance between energy and nutrients.

A mixed meal has 4 basic ingredients; a staple such as cereal: a protein rich food such as a pulse, meat, fish or egg: vegetable and fruits to supplements the vitamins and minerals: and an energy source such as oil or sugar.

It is assumed that breast feeding is continuing that the infant has 3 meals per day and that the breast secrets about 300ml milk per day. The average weight of an infant of this age is 9kg.

To a basic mixture of 40guncooked rice and 15guncooked pulse with seed coat removed, add 40 g of dark green leaf such as spinach, sweet potato or amaranth and 5g oil or fat (coconut oil, butter or margarine)

The legume should be soaked, cooked without skins until soft and smashed finely. Only small amounts are fed at a time. Small quantities of animal foods added to the mixture will enhance the quality of the meal.

Potential effects of tea on health/medical benefits of tea

Tea is one of the popular beverages in the world.

Some of the health benefits are as follows;

1. Since caffeine relaxes the coronary vessels, it can be useful as a treatment for angina and myocardial infarction.
2. Useful in the treatment of bronchial asthma as the caffeine is a smooth muscle relaxant.
3. Tea can increase the gastric emptying therefore it is useful to relieve the post prandial distress.
4. There are evidences that tea is of value in gout.

Following are the constituents of tea;

1. Protein
2. Carbohydrates
3. Lipids
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Polyphenols
7. Alkaloids

Importance of EICOSANOIDS

Eicosanoids are the oxidative metabolites of the Essential fatty Acids (EFA) containing 20 carbon atoms (in Greek Eicosa means twenty). Prostaglandins, prostacyclins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes are the main Eicosanoids. Each of these Eicosanoids has an important role in the human health. The Eicosanoids formation may proceed through one of several alternative enzymatic routes. The precursor highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) are esterified with cholesterol. Desaturation and elongation of the essential fatty acids, linoleic (18:2,n-6) and alpha-linolenic (18:3,n-3) lead to the formation of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, DHLA (20:3,n-6), arachidonic acid, AA (20:4, N-6) and timnodonic acid (20:5,n-3;5,8,11,14,17-eicosa pentaenoic acid) more commonly known as EPA. The major cyclooxygenase product in platelets is TXA2, a potent and important inducer of platelet aggregation and vaso-constriction. TXA2, formed during platelet activation, is highly unstable, with half life of 30 seconds, being rapidly hydrolyzed to inactive TXB2.

Acute deficiency of essential fatty acids (EFA) in children results in growth failure and increased susceptible to infection. A chronic deficiency (a low ratio of EFA to non-essential fatty acids in the body) causes faulty structure of cell membranes and increased prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Arcabose(an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor) for diabetes mellitus

Arcabose is an alpha glucosidase inhibitor. Alpha-Glucosidase is an enzyme found in the intestinal brush border. arcabose is an antidiabetic drug.Arcabose is the available Alpha-Glucosidase inhibitor. other alpha glucosidase inhibitors are miglitol (Glyset)and Voglibose. Acarbose is a competitive inhibitor of Alpha-Glucosidase enzyme. drugs that inhibit the alpha glucosidase enzyme( arcabose, migitol and voglibose) reduces the carbohydrate breakdown and slow down the glucose absorption. The ultimate result is reduction of postprandial blood glucose level.

arcabose should be taken with the meal since it is a competitive inhibitor of alpha-glucosidase enzyme.Acarbose tablets are effective only if swallowed whole with a little liquid. Initial Arcabose dose is 150 mg per day. strength of one arcabose tablet is 50 mg.Arcabose is given orally. Small amount of the drug is absorbed into the circulation.

Side effects of arcabose (alpha glucosidase inhibitors)

1. Abdominal discomfort, flatulence and diarrhea due to the fermentation of undigested carbohydrates.
2. If it is absorbed into the circulation in large dose, it can cause liver dysfunction

Clinical uses arcabose (alpha glucosidase inhibitors)

1. Useful for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose blood sugar control is inadequate with diet and other oral hypoglycemic drugs.
2. good for obese patients
3. It can be used to reduce the post-prandial blood sugar in patients with type1 diabetes mellitus.
4. arcabose is an adjutant for metformin.

Detection of bence jones proteins in urine

Detection of bence jones protein in urine is a simple urine test and it can be done by an unskilled person as well. It is a very good indicator of multiple myeloma. It is a diagnostic test of multiple myeloma.

Bence jones proteins are immunoglobulin light chains (paraproteins) and are produced by neoplastic plasma cells. Most of the time these are kappa chains but they can be lambda as well.

When a Sample of urine is heated up to 50 - 60 degrees C, bence jones proteins will be precipitated. Precipitated proteins will redisolve when the temperature is at 90 -100 degrees C. this is the simple way of demonstrating bence jones proteins in urine.

The Bence Jones protein was described by the English physician Henry Bence Jones in 1847 and published in 1848.The protein was later sequenced by Frank Putnam at the laboratory of Fred Sanger in Cambridge, who was the first to report the entire sequence.

Zinc oxide for oily skin and acne

The skin is the outer covering of the human body. Skin comprises of three layers; epidermis: dermis and hypodermis. It also contains different structures, which are called skin appendages. Hair follicle , sweat gland & sebaceous gland are the main skin appendages.

Each skin appendages has a particular function. Among those, sebaceous gland produces sebum, which is an oily substance. Sebum helps to maintain the texture of the skin. Excessive production of the sebum is the culprit of oily skin. When the skin produces excessive sebum, it becomes heavy and thick in texture. Oily skin is characterized by presence of shininess, blemishes and pimples. Oily skin is not always bad as it is less prone to wrinkling, or other signs of aging.

But drawbacks of oily skin are high susceptibility to clogged pores, blackheads, and buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin.

Therefore an aim of treating oily skin is to remove excess surface sebum without complete removal of skin.

Zinc (Zn) containing products show some encouraging points in treating oily skin. Zinc (Zn) is one of the basic elements of healthy skin. Zinc (Zn) acts as an astringent (a chemical substance that shrinks, constricts, or tightens body tissues) and may help in the treatment of acne. Zinc oxide acts as a skin drying agent so it is helpful for oily skin.

Zinc in the form of zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate is thought to help heal acne blemishes, reduce inflammation caused by acne, and reduce androgenic hormonal effects on skin that contribute to acne breakouts or in other words help regulate the skin’s oil gland activity.

Menstrual dysfunction and contraceptives

The effect of hormonal contraception on menstrual problems has perhaps the greatest effect on method choice. Depo-Provera and the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) (Mirena) confer amenorrhoea, and the decrease in hysterectomy rates in the UK and Scandinavia has been partly attributed to increased use of the LNG-IUS, which is licensed for the treatment of menorrhagia. The COCP is associated with artificially induced monthly withdrawal bleeds that tend to be lighter and more predictable than natural menstrual bleeds. When packets of pills (or combined patches) are taken without a break, amenorrhoea can be induced by combined hormonal methods. Many women, regardless of their pattern of menstruation, find amenorrhoea attractive and choose a method that reliably confers it. Women with heavy or painful periods, anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding, premenstrual symptoms, endometriosis or menstrual migraine all benefit from amenorrhoea. Even when used in a 21/7 regimen, there is evidence suggesting that use of the COCP is associated with measurably lower blood loss, and fewer hospital consultations for menstrual problems.

HAIR LOSS TREATMENT FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Hair loss is one of the major psychological and social problems, particularly during young age. Hair is one of the skin appendages. Alopecia is the medical term used to describe the hair loss from head. Treatment for hair loss depends on the underlying cause. Therefore it is the responsibility of the physician to find out the underlying cause.

Some common causes of hair loss are Male pattern baldness (most of the time genetic), Androgenetic alopecia (due to increased level of male hormone, androgen), Fungal infection such as "black dot" tinea or tinea capitis, Chemical breakage such as over processing, or frequent use of chemical relaxer and Heat damage as from repeated hot comb use. There are few systemic illnesses like hypothyroidism, iron deficiency and chronic cutanous lupus erythematosus can result in hair loss. But fortunately there are some effective treatments available for hair loss.

Cancer prevention

Cancer prevention and control is an advancing field because of advances in understanding the biology of origin of cancers (carcinogenesis). The field has expanded beyond the identification and avoidance of carcinogens to include studies of specific interventions to reduce the cancer risk. The screening methods for early detection of cancers are now well developed.

Central to cancer prevention and control is the concept that carcinogenesis is not an event but a process, a series of discrete cellular changes that result in progressively more autonomous cellular processes.

Primary prevention concerns the identification and manipulation of the genetic, biologic, and environmental factors in the causal pathway. Smoking cessation, diet modification, and chemoprevention are primary prevention activities.

Secondary prevention concerns the identification of asymptomatic neoplastic lesions combined with effective therapy. Screening is a form of secondary prevention.
Public education on the avoidance of known risk factors for cancer and encouraging healthy habits were among early efforts in cancer prevention and control. Many educational messages have come to the public through commercials in the print and electronic media and through school health courses. The physician is a potentially powerful messenger in this education campaign about the hazards of smoking, the benefits of a healthful diet and exercise, use of proven screening methods, and sun avoidance.

Tobacco use through cigarettes and other means is the most easily avoidable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and cancer. The degree of smoke exposure, meaning the number of cigarettes smoked per day as well as the level of inhalation of cigarette smoke, is correlated with risk of lung cancer mortality. Light and low-tar cigarettes are not safer because smokers tend to inhale them more frequently and deeply. Those who stop smoking have a lower lung cancer mortality rate than those who continue smoking.

Green python (Morelia viridis)

This particular species of python was once classified as a genus of its own and was the only member of the genus. But later it has been re-classified in another genus along with many other Australian pythons. No sub species has been found yet.

Adults average 120–200 cm (3.9–6.6 ft) in length, with a maximum growth (although rare) of about 7 feet. The supralabial scales have thermoreceptive pits

This creature is found in New Guinea, various islands of Indonesia and Cape York Peninsula in Australia. This python is frequently inhabitant in rain forests, shrubs, and bushes.

These creatures are completely arboreal and are well known for a particular way of resting on the trees. As these pythons have prehensile tails they latch onto a branch and loop a coil or two over the branches like a saddle and then place their head right in the middle of it.

These pythons are a vivid green colour with a broken vertebral stripe of white or dull yellow. Some are flaked with blue, white and yellow, giving them excellent camouflage in their natural habitats.

Green pythons attract their prey to within grabbing distance using a fascinating ploy. They dangle their prehensile tail over the end of a branch and wiggle the end, attracting curious animals to their death. Their pray include small mammals like rodents, and also reptile. Some believe that they catch birds as well, but many researches do not agree with this.