Universal Medicine

Keeping blood glucose concentration constant in the body relies in the interaction between glucagon and insulin. Sadly for over 300 million people in the world this system of control fails to work properly. Diabetes Mellitus is caused by bodies inability to metabolise carbohydrates; in particularly glucose.  Types of diabetes  Hyperglycemia(abnormally raised blood glucose concentration) is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes. It is caused by the bodies inability to produce insulin or respond effectively to the insulin produced. Over long periods of time, high blood glucose concentrations can lead to serious damage of body systems; including nerves and blood vessels. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as "Insulin Dependent diabetes" or "Childhood onset diabetes", is caused by our bodies inability to produce insulin. Within our pancreas, inside the exocrine glandular tissue is a small region of endocrine glandular tissue known as Islets of Lang...

Since being established in 1948 the NHS has always incurred the problem of the length of time which patients have to wait for treatment, but in recent years there has been a tremendous increase. Delays are currently occurring for check-ups, consultations and even operations for patients. Figures from several sources suggest on average there are 4 million people waiting for surgery on the NHS and this is still growing. There are many possible reasons to why the waiting times are so long. One being the over subscription of the NHS. The UK’s population is only growing and with it being an aging population, there is likely to be an increase in the number of people needing healthcare. However, with the growing number of people needing treatment there has not been a sufficient increase in funding to accommodate for this. Resulting in some treatment being postponed or even refused. The funding of the NHS is a fundamental problem, as overspending has risen over the years. Moreover, disag...

Some of you may have wondered in the past as to what the strongest fibre in the world is, and the short answer is 'carbon nanotube' fibres. However when I had the same query I was amazed not only by the pure display of strength of these nanotubes, but at the sheer versatility of what the fibres could do and, in turn, what this spells for the future. For instance, researchers at the University of Texas have woven artificial muscles from CNT's and filled the structures with paraffin wax; these muscles have been shown to lift 100,000 times their weight and weights 200 times heavier than any natural muscle of the same size. That in and of itself is amazing, but couple that with the fact that it is also extremely light, and you have a winning combination. Let's delve into the technical side of it all. What you see with CNT's is essentially what you get. They are phenomenally small tubes made from carbon atoms that are arranged in a hexagonal mesh that ar...

Heart Attack Breakthrough   A myocardial infarction, or otherwise known as a heart attack, occurs when the supply of blood to the heart is blocked, the main cause of this usually being blood clots. Coronary heart disease is the prominent cause of heart attacks each year, with approximately 73,000 losing their lives due to the disease. Heart and circulatory diseases are life threatening, but research from US scientists regarding unchecked inflammation has uncovered new information which is being hailed as the ‘biggest breakthrough since statins’.   Individuals who had suffered from a heart attack were injected with an anti-inflammatory  drug known as canakinumab, and follow up research found that not only did they experience fewer heart attacks in the future but also the risk of cancer was reduced by 50%. Why was there a need for further research into heart diseases? Statins are currently integral to the treatment of people who have heart diseases. Statins ...

Guardian of Our Genome - P53 To understand the brilliantly engineered strategies of the gene P53, we first need to consider the cell cycle in which the cell prepares checks and divides itself, to allow cell growth and repair. Interphase consisting of: G1, S Phase, and G2 (in addition to G1 and G2 checkpoints), followed by Mitosis which includes Prophase Metaphase Anaphase and Telophase, enables the cell to successfully divide and replicate. Between the start of G1 and G1 checkpoint, S-Phase-and-G2 checkpoint, G2 checkpoint and Metaphase is a mechanism that enables the cell to move along the cell cycle. Consisting of CDK’s (Cyclin Dependent Kinase) and Cyclin (cyclin partners), CDK's are protein molecules – dependent on cyclin. When cyclin bonds to CDK forming a "cyclin -CDK complex", phosphorylation of the complex takes place allowing the cell to continual move throughout cycle. P53; also referred to as the guardian of the genome is by far on the most import...

Placebo is defined as a medically inert substance or technique, which is administered like a drug that results in a psychological response such as relief. The use of placebos has been around for many years. Medical trials used to widely use a placebo as a control to test whether a drug was efficient in its function by seeing if the drug worked any better on a patient than the placebo. However, the use of placebos has decreased over time. There is no sufficient explanation for the placebo effect, thus there are many conflicting views on whether it is a real or just an illusion, as well as how it works. From research of the placebo effect, some studies have found that a placebo can cause psychological effects, via changes in neurobiological signalling pathways. One of the ways this supposedly works is down to the expectations of the placebo, such as a fake pill thought to reduce stress, causing a release of endorphins activating the reward pathway in our brain. Endorphins bind ...

Every single day we ingest a group of chemical pigments known as "flav o noids" via a myriad of different plants and fruits. Lucky for us, it seems that along with the variety of colours that these chemicals express, they also provide us with several significant health benefits that otherwise would put our lives at increased risk. For instance, studies have shown that a daily intake of 50-800mg of flavonoids can have a huge impact in reducing the threat of both heart disease and heart attacks. How do flavonoids protect us from various dangers such as those listed above? Well, nigh-on all the mechanisms by which favonoids operate are a mystery to scientists. However, one well-documented and researched method of action is their role as antioxidants, particularly the flavonoid quercetin. Quercetin is the most structurally optimised of the flavonoids to combat free-radical oxygen molecules/atoms that occur around the body. Because of the ability to expunge these free radicals ...

CRISPR: Modernising Medicine   Sci-fi films often depict a boundless view of medicine, whereby one can step into a futuristic pod-like machine, several buttons can be pressed and an individual is almost instantly cured of any bodily ailment. Although medicine is most definitely not there yet, something has entered the forefront of scientific research for its ground-breaking possibilities. Crispr stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, and it is the crux of genome editing technology.   Crispr is used to make reference to CRISPR-Cas9 and other systems which can be employed to target specific sections of DNA along a selected portion of genetic code in order to alter them, and often lead to permanent modification within living cells. When mutations take place in a human genome that lead to disease, Crispr can be used to make the necessary changes so the disease does not take full effect. So, how does Crispr work? A Crisper ‘spacer’ s...

“I will use treatment for the benefit of the ill in accordance with my ability and judgement, but from what is their harm and injustice i will keep from them” - Your Doctor ( Hippocratic Oath) Putting aside the long hours of hard work and years of continual study; patients   putting their total lives and trust within a physician's hand imposes unbelievable responsibility and a pressure. In addition, the process individual coming to one another and sharing personal information they wouldn't disclose with a priest nor rabbi, and then more importantly disrobing and allowing touch begins a ritual of exceeding importance between patient and physician, providing   a career of physical emotional and moral challenges. In this week's blog post we explore how   the most recent ethical issue within the NHS- The Charlie Gard controversy,   and the doctors response to the a morally troublesome situation acted upon the best interest of the patient. The recent case of...

For numerous people waking up to an aromatic cup of coffee is part of their daily routine. Over the years the consumption of coffee has increased, despite it’s relatively negative image. Copious amounts of research has been carried out to find the health effects coffee has on the body, with most on how it’s effects are negative. However, more studies are beginning to allude to how coffee can have health benefits. Caffeine is the controversial drug within coffee. It is a stimulant, which causes an increase in heart rate and breathing rate as well as speeding up reaction times. It does this by causing more neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) to be produced at the synapse (a junction between to neurones), causing an increase in the speed of reaction times. As well as that,  caffeine causes binding to adenosine receptors in our brain, adenosine is a chemical which increases in quantity overtime to make us feel sleepy. Therefore by binding to the receptors it prevents adenosine...