Know More about "Stem Cell Therapies"

Know More about Stem Cell Therapies

Stem cell therapies have still long way to go for commercialization, but scientists have made rapid progress in the last one year.

What Stem cells are

Stem cells are cells that can become any type of cell- liver, kidney or skin – in the embryos and some adult tissues, but scientists have now learned how to reprogrammed normal tissue cells into stem cells.

You could theoretically make any tissue from your own cells. But we do not know yet how to do it safely. Stem cells are beginning to be used in drug testing as well as in discovery and development of new drugs.

The Controversy

The controversy dates back to the time, before 2007, when stem cells had to be extracted from embryos. This argument is dying down slowly. Now clinics offering untested stem cell therapies are another source of controversy, especially in India.

The new excitement

The primary excitement stems from possibilities of pluripotent stem cells, those developed from adult non-embryonic cells. Tremendous progress has been made recently in labs that can be translated into safe therapies in the next 5 to 10 years.

How useful they are Regenerative medicine

The biggest advantages is that stem cells are able to make whole tissues or organs like liver, kidney, or the skin out of the patient’s own cells. They can then be used to replace diseased organ with no possibility of rejection.

Testing of drug toxicity

Companies are developing specific tissue cells like heart muscles and they can be used to test drugs for toxicity. Cardiac toxicity is very common among drugs and this method s proving to be very useful.

Discovering new drugs

Stem cells can be use to develop new drugs, like those that can make damaged organs heal. Scientists also create models of disease inside dish using stem cells and use them to investigate how best they can respond to drugs.

Recent advances

A number of companies now make human tissues from stem cells for commercial use. Pharma Companies are beginning to use them for toxicity testing and discovering drugs.

A large number of clinical trials are on at the moment for spiral cord injuries, retinal diseases, autism, neurological diseases and others. Clinical trials are planned for voice box damage, macular degeneration, treating fractures and other diseases. A few examples of very recent progress I research include a potential vaccine in the lab for cancer, making fertile mice from stem cells, discovery of stem cells in pancreas, and learning how stem cell genes are switched on and off.

The Indian Scenario

India has recently established a multidisciplinary research institute at Bangalore. It is called Stem. It is also collaborating with Christian Medical College, Vellore to translate research into therapies. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has a dedicated Centre for Stem Cell research.

Clinical trials are in their early stages in India. AIIMS has started one for multiple-sclerosis a few months ago, and the Bangalore-based Private company Stempeutics has obtained regulatory approvals for several clinical trials.

Stem Cell Bank

There are several stem cell banks of India. They store for a fee stem cells derived from amniotic fluid and cord blood. Parents of children hope that these stem cells may be useful later in the child’s life in expected ways.  

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Guarding Your Family’s Health

Guarding Your Family’s Health

Animals and diseases germs

Diseases germs may enter your home in many ways. They may be carried in on the feet and bodies of domestic animals. Mice and rats sometimes spread dangerous germs, including those that cause plague and typhus. Flies are particularly dangerous, for they carry the germs of typhoid, dysentery, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complaints. Even birds that migrate from one part of the country to another may carry germs and viruses that cause serious epidemics.

Germs are a real menace to the human race. Whenever a major emergency arises, such as an earthquake or other disaster, the first thing the public health authorities are concerned about is the preservation of a good water-supply and the proper disposal of sewage and other refuse. This is imperative if the community is to be kept free from the epidemic diseases. The same concerns affect our ordinary ways of life. We are responsible for our own health.

Disposing of waste materials

Proper disposal of body wastes is one of the first laws of health. Today many people are fortunate to have running water in their homes. Flush toilets are now replacing the more primitive types even in some rural areas. But to our dismay, in rural areas open sanitation is still a common scene. But under these circumstances what happens to the waste materials?

Some people merely run the waste water off into some nearby stream, thinking that running water purifies itself. This is only partly true. Often whole communities are ill because of drinking water that has been contaminated by other peoples farther upstream. It is not wise to use water that flows from some other town or village. Nor should a person run waste water into a nearby stream and forget about it. Someone miles away from you may suffer through your neglect. If in doubt, be sure to boil all the water you or your family drinks.

Every family living in rural areas should have a suitable way of disposing of waste materials, such as septic tank. This method was actually used in India many centuries ago. Modern engineers have made improvements, but the septic tank of today still working on the same principles as did those of ancient times.

Other methods of sewage disposal

If you have no running water facility at your home, you must use some other method of disposing of body wastes. Modern chemical toilets are excellent, but rather expensive. Many families, especially in rural areas, still depend on bore-well latrines or pit privies. This arrangement usually consists of a small shed that stands over a pit or hole in the ground. The pit should e at least six feet deep, located at least 75 feet away from any wells or sources of drinking water. The privy or outhouse should be well ventilated and carefully screened so as to prevent the entrance of files. The squat place over the pit should have a removable cover to keep out flies. Every few days the waste materials should be covered with chloride or lime to keep down odours and reduce the number of flies. Never permit peoples or animals to contaminate the ground around your home.

Importance of clean living

Clean living is the first and most important step in the prevention of disease. When this principle is followed, the health and vitality of the family and of the nation improves. Each family must protect itself against disease. We should see to it that our neighbours also understand the importance of clean living, so that all our homes will be safe and happy places.   

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10 Important Questions That Test ‘How Good Are You At Elementary Astronomy’?

10 Important Questions That Test ‘How Good Are You At Elementary Astronomy’?

1. At some time in the night a person saw a half moon setting in the west. What time is likely to be?

(a)Midnight                                                                                   (b)Before sunrise

(c)Approximately 3 am                                                            (d)The time depends on the month

2. When a crescent moon is seen to be setting, will the convex edge or the concave edge be downwards?

(a)Always the concave edge

(b)Always the convex edge

(c)Concave edge if before sunset

(d)Concave edge if after sunset

3.Some planets when seen through a telescope show phases like the moon does. Of the following, which is one of them?

(a)Jupiter

(b)Saturn

(c)Mars

(d)Venus

4.The biggest units that are the first subunits constituting the universe are

(a)Planets

(b)Stars

(c)Galaxies

(d)Objects bigger than galaxies called clusters of galaxies

5.We know that during a total solar eclipse, there is a brief nightfall for about two to three minutes in the region it occurs. The sky becomes star-studded, so much so that birds start returning to their nests! The stars that are seen during this eclipse time

(a)will all again be seen on the night that follows

(b)will be seen again on the night that follows, only if they were to the east of the sun

(c)will be seen again on the night that follows, only if they were to the west of the sun

(d)will not be seen on the night that follows

6.Why do planets closer to the sun lack moons?

(a)They are too small to harbour a satellite

(b)The tidal effect of the sun's gravitational does not allow moons

(c)The giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn have captured all their moons

(d)Comets passing close by have knocked off their moons

7. Suppose today evening, the star Sirius is rising in the east. After 3 months, in the evening,

(a)It will not be seen in the sky

(b)It will be seen in between the zenith and the eastern horizon

(c)It will again be seen rising

(d)It will be seen in between the zenith and the western horizon

8. Suppose it is daytime at a place on the moon. How many heavenly objects are seen in the lunar sky?

(a)Exactly one: the sun

(b)Exactly two: the sun and the Earth

(c)Almost as many as you can see at night from the Earth

(d)One or two depending upon the location

9. In a total solar eclipse and an annular solar eclipse

(a)In the latter the sun is farther from the earth than in the former

(b)In the former the sun is farther from the earth than in the latter

(c)In the latter the moon is farther from the earth than in the former

(d)In the former the moon is farther from the earth than in the latter

10. If conditions are favourable for an annular solar eclipse to occur, in which season of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is it likely to occur?

(a)Winter

(b)Summer

(c)Fall

(d)Spring

For Answers of the above questions, Click Here.

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Know More About Whole Grain And It’s Importance For Good Health.

Know More About Whole Grain And It’s Importance For Good Health.

With the increasing trends of vegetarianism and healthful nutritious diet, whole grain foods are on the rise. Companies are working with dieticians to make wholesome foods offering wider variety, quicker meals and richer taste.

What are unrefined grains?

In traditional Indian diets, grains were consumed either in whole form, or as coarse flours made from stone grinding. Today, however, much of the grain is milled and refined and this process removes most of the bran and the germ, and leaves only endosperm.

Whole grains are not processed or refined but used as whole, retaining the germ, endosperm and the outer shell (bran) intact.

What is the use of germ?

The germ of any grain has high nutrition value (vitamin B, vitamin E, antioxidants and unsaturated fats) while the outer shell is rich in fibre, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and vitamin B. The endosperm is the storehouse rich in carbohydrates and protein to provide energy. They are better sources of fibre and other important nutrients, such as selenium, potassium and magnesium.

Whole grains are either single foods, such as brown rice and popcorn, or ingredients in products, such as buckwheat in pancakes or wholewheat in bread. Refined foods include white flour, white rice and white bread. Many breads, cereals, crackers, desserts and pastries are made with refined grains, too.

Nutritionists advise to include whole grains in your diet rather than refined grains to maintain the healthy lifestyle one needs to follow.

Advantages of whole grain diet

A slice of commercially prepared white bread has 66 calories, 1.9 grams protein and 0.6 grams fibre. A slice of wholewheat bread has 69 calories and provides 3.6g protein and 1.9g fibre. Studies show that eating whole grains, instead of refined grains, lowers the risk of many chronic diseases. Epidemiological studies conducted till date have revealed that people who consume three servings of whole grains on a daily basis are at a lower risk of being affected by hormone-related cancers by 10-40 per cent, digestive system cancers by 21-43 per cent and stroke by 37 per cent.

Those who consume whole grain products on a regular basis are less likely to gain weight. Whole grain products have been found to have beneficial effects on those suffering from hypertension. Including whole grain products in the diet can help one prevent osteoporosis and many other bone-related ailments. The consumption of whole grains has been linked to reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Whole grains have a slow digestibility, making them contribute positively to the glucose and insulin responses. This in turn, has been found to lower the risk of diabetes. Every whole grain item in your diet helps. They are full of nutrients; including fibre, B vitamins, and magnesium. The dietary fibre (the indigestible part of the plant that is also found in fruits and vegetables) present in whole grains consists of soluble and insoluble fibre. The insoluble dietary fibre prevents constipation. It also lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases by reducing total and LDL cholesterol levels. Soluble dietary fibre (found in oats and barley) is associated with lowering cholesterol levels and offers a protection against cardiovascular abnormalities.

Management of Diabetes Mellitus:

Whole grains may play a role both in prevention and management of diabetes mellitus. In diabetics, soluble fibre in whole grains causes a slower rise in glucose levels; what is generally referred to as an improved glucose response. This is also because they are more slowly digested than the cereals and thus permit a slower increase in blood sugar levels.

The best way to consume whole grain products is to flake them, grind or eat them whole, cracked or split.

How To Make Your Meal Palatable

Eating a variety of whole grains not only ensures that you get more health-promoting nutrients but also helps make your meals and snacks more palatable. Enjoy breakfasts that include whole grains cereals, such as bran flakes, shredded wheat or oatmeal. Substitute whole wheat toast or whole grain bagels for plain bagels. Substitute low-fat bran muffins for pastries. Make sandwiches using wholegrain breads or roll. Replace with rice with brown rice. Add whole grains, such as cooked brown rice or whole grain bread crumbs, to ground meat and poultry. Try and incorporate whole grains in your chappaties. Prepare them with whole wheat, bajra, jowar, and ragi for maximum health benefits instead of flours. Whole wheat breads, oats, wheat flakes and cornflakes can be used as healthful breakfast cereals. Breads made of rye are also available. Whole wheat pitas and pizza bases are also available now-a-days.

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How To Overcome Feeling Of Worry

How To Overcome Feeling Of Worry

Here are few practical steps.

Change your self-image. You must begin by asking yourself, “what sort of person I am?” How would you describe yourself? A person who is afraid of life, uneasy in many situations and prone to worry?

The way to overcome fear and worry is to change your response to the situations around you. The secret is in ourselves. It is not what happens to us but the way we react to what happens that counts.

Make a positive approach to life. To change tour self-image you must change your reaction to the experiences of life. Begin by counting your blessings and being thankful for your possessions.

Is your mind able to think and plan? Are you able to see the beauty of the countryside, hear and enjoy melodious music, appreciate tasty and healthy food? These are real blessings.

Every day stop a few minutes to appreciate what you have. Begin the day with a positive affirmation “I am going to live this day enjoying good health and happiness”.

Resolve to face life as it really is. If you have problems face them squarely- don’t run away from them or leave them in the back of your mind.

When some misfortune threatens, consider seriously and deliberately what is the worst that could possibly happen. Then be prepared to face it bravely while hoping for the best. You will find that you worry disappears to a great extent. If you have not shirked in facing the worst possible situation, you will find that your worry dissolves altogether.

Remember you have at your disposal your personal gifts and the strength that comes from the heart of the Universe. Accept the situation in which you find yourself. If there is nothing that can be done to change it, realize that you will have to live with it and accept it. Many people become tense because they struggle against something that cannot be changed. The great secret of happy and peaceful living is in the phrase “one day at a time”. It means: “Live one day at a time”.

Realize how much time you have wasted by worrying about the future and regretting about the past. Today is yours to use it to the full.

When you get up in the morning resolve to think of matters concerned with that one day and leave everything else until the next day comes. Do your best to handle these subjects with faith and perseverance.

Plan your day. It is a good thing to make a plan for the day. Just as you budget your money, you should also budget your time.

Do your best and leave the rest. Resolve to do your best at each task and then leave it. It is good to remember that “Even this will pass away”.

You cannot do anything properly if you worry about something you are going to do next. Give all your attention to the matter on hand.

Relax. This is perhaps the greatest word of all. Take time to relax and live in relaxed way.

Make up your mind that you will never rush up. Get up a little early so that you don’t have a rush out for work. Take things quietly and calmly. Get into the habit of taking ”one minute rest” off and on several times in a day.

Fix some time during the day when, for ten minutes or so, you can sit down and relax yourself completely.

Remember that you need to relax your mind as well as your body. Prepare a quiet room for yourself. Let your mind dwell upon the beautiful pictures around you in the room and the beauty you can see from the windows.

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Know More About The Most Melodious Bird Nightingale

No bird has been written so much by poets as the nightingale. Its song is supposed to be the most beautiful of all and nobody has been quite able to describe it. As a matter of fact, this attempt at describing it goes back to Aristophanes, the ancient Greek writer!

According to the poets, the nightingale sings only at night and at almost any season of the year. But this isn't true. The nightingale is a migratory bird and in England, for example, can only be heard between the middle of April and the middle of June. The nightingale does not visit Ireland, Wales or Scotland. On the continent of Europe it is quite abundant in the South, and even goes as far as Iran, Arabia, Abyssinia, Algeria, and the Gold Coast of Africa.

Only the male nightingale sings. His melody is the song of courtship to his mate, which remains silent in a neighbouring bush or tree. He sings during the day as well as at night, but because of other birds, his song is not noticed so much then.

The male keeps singing until the female has hatched out her brood. Then he remains quiet so as not to attract enemies to the nest. He stays on guard, and his notes are short calls to tell his mate that all is well, or to warn her of some danger.

While the nightingale sings one of the most beautiful songs of all birds, its plumage is very inconspicuous. Male and female are very much alike- a reddish-brown above and dull grayish-white beneath.

The nest the nightingales build is somewhat unusual. It is placed on or near the ground. The outside of the nest consists mostly of dead leaves set up vertically. In the midst of this is a deep cuplike hollow, neatly lined with fibres from roots. It is very loosely constructed and a very slight touch can disturb it. There are from four to six eggs of a deep olive colour.

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Know More About Cement And Concrete

Cement is one of the most important raw materials used in construction work because it is the essential ingredient in concrete. Millions upon millions of tones of concrete are used every year in building roads, bridges, dams, and so on. It is cheap, easy to make, and is waterproof and fireproof. It can also be used under water. When concrete is first mixed, it forms a pasty mass that can be cast into any shape. But it quickly sets rock-hard.

Cement Manufacturing Plant

How concrete is made

Concrete is made by adding water to a mixture of cement, sand, and gravel or stone. The sand is called fine aggregate and the stones are called coarse aggregate. The sand fills in the gaps between the larger stones so that there will no air trapped between them. The presence of air would weaken the concrete. The most common type of cement is Portland cement, which is a fine, grey powder made by roasting a crushed mixture of limestone, clay, and other materials. Large lumps of chalk or limestone rock from a quarry are broken down into smaller lumps by powerful mechanical crushers. Then they are mixed with the other materials and water to form slurry. The slurry enters a ball mill where tumbling steel balls grind it finely. From there it passes into a long, cylindrical kiln that slopes slightly downwards and rotates so that the materials gradually move along it. In this kiln the materials are first dried and then heated while-hot to form a hard, coak-like mass, called clinker. After cooling, this clinker is finely crushed into the familiar fine powdery form of cement. A certain amount of gypsum is added to control the rate at which the cement will eventually set.

Concrete Mixer

Concrete is usually mixed on the site where it is to be used in machines called concrete mixers. They have a rotating drum which mixes the ingredients thoroughly together. The wet concrete may be taken to where it is needed in huge buckets, or skips carried by cranes, or it may be pumped into place through a pipeline. Sometimes concrete is supplied ready-mixed in huge mixer trucks, which pour it directly into place.

Concrete may be cast in its final position in moulds made of wood. Or it may be precast into shape and then taken to the site to be assembled.

Reinforced concrete

Ordinary concrete is strong when it is being squeezed, or under compression. But it is weak when it is being stretched, or under tension. If, say a concrete beam is supported only at its ends, this weakness may cause it to crack and collapse. To prevent this weakness, steel wires or rods are cast into concrete. It is then known as reinforced concrete. The strength can be increased further by stretching the wires or rods either before or after they are forced in the concrete.

In pretensioning, the concrete is cast around rods that are being stretched. When the concrete sets, the rods are released and compress the concrete, making it stronger. In post-tensioning, the concrete beam is cast with holes, pulled out, and then anchored so that the beam is under compression. This again strengthens the beam. 

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