Biomedical Laboratory Science

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Essentials of MEDICAL PHARMACOLOGY 7e

Medical pharmacology is a unique synthesis of basic pharmacology with clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics. The subject is highly dynamic. Developments are occurring both in defining molecular targets for drug action and finding targeted drugs, as well as in accruing credible evidence regarding the impact of different treatment modalities on therapeutic outcomes. These efforts have begun to crystallize into evidence based medicine and clear cut therapeutic guidelines. The present edition endeavours to amalgamate the developments with the core content of the subject.

While the primary theme of the book outlined in the preface to the first edition is maintained, the successive editions have become more descriptive and more comprehensive. In preparing this edition, all chapters have been revisited and extensively updated. Latest therapeutic guidelines from authoritative sources like WHO, British National Formulary, National Formulary of India, as well as from eminent professional bodies have been incorporated, especially in areas like hypertension, dyslipidaemias, acute coronary syndromes, surgical prophylaxis, tuberculosis (including MDR-TB), MAC-infection, leprosy, HIV-AIDS, malaria, kala-azar, etc. Recent innovations have been highlighted, notably in antidiabetic drugs, psychopharmacological agents, antiplatelet drugs, treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, drugs affecting renin-angiotensin system, anticoagulants, antiviral (including anti-HIV) drugs, targeted anticancer drugs, etc…

Hardcover: 1002 pages

Publisher: Jaypee Brothers Medical Pub; 7 edition (July 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9350259370

ISBN-13: 978-9350259375

Product Dimensions: 2 x 7 x 9.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds

Download here: 1, Essential of MEDICAL PHARMACOLOGY 7e;
2, Google Drive

Source: Medsouls Medical Books

Being Too Nice Can be Depressive!

There is such a thing as being too nice, too giving and too caring. To overcome depression you must stop the habit of bending over to gain people’s approval. I know, it’s easier said than done. But no one said it’d be easy.

Those who are affected by depression tend to be people-pleasers. And yet, ironically, quite often their actions are viewed by others as selfish and self-centered. For over three decades I believed in that crap myself. I believed I was selfish and self-involved. I was convinced I had nothing to offer. I also thought that it didn’t matter what I thought. That my opinion was less important than anyone else’s. It seemed as if I was always living someone else’s life.

Finally, after two major brain seizures caused by a suicide attempt, I stopped living someone else’s life and looked deep within…

Someone Else’s Life

I was the child who was “too young to understand things” and therefore to make decisions. My life was run by the grown ups, who weren’t able to see the serious damage caused by the primitive belief such as; “children should be seen but not heard.” Then later, I became an young adult, clinging to any guy who’d find anything whatsoever appealing in me.

Source: WakeupWorld

A Journal Editor's Tips to a Good Reviewer

Peer review is one of the foundations of science. To have research scrutinized, criticized, and evaluated by other experts in the field helps to make sure that a study is well-designed, appropriately analyzed, and well-documented. It helps to make sure that other scholars can readily understand, appreciate, and build upon that work.

Of course, peer review is not perfect. Flawed studies are published, and peer reviewers may miss critical problems or errors in particular studies. Reviewers often do not have the time, nor the inclination, to dig deeply into a study’s methods, or assumptions, or supporting materials, in order to find errors or flaws in a research paper.

Even though peer review is not perfect, as a journal editor I rely heavily on the evaluations and advice provided by peer reviewers. We spend a great deal of time trying to find the right reviewers for each and every paper that we put through the peer review process, and an equally large amount of time reading, evaluating, and putting into appropriate context the responses that we receive from our reviewers.

What is ironic, however, is that despite the importance of peer review in science, it’s not a skill that we typically directly address in our graduate programs, nor in our professional societies. I’m not aware of graduate seminars in “how to be a good peer reviewer”, nor are there materials easily available for scholars to reference when they are asked to undertake a particular peer review task for a journal.

Source: OUPblog

Parasitic worms help gut flora to prevent Crohn’s disease

The parasitic worms that lurk in some people’s intestines may be revolting, but they seem to forestall Crohn’s disease and other types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A new study might explain how, revealing that the worms enable beneficial microbes in the intestines to outcompete bacteria that promote inflammation. The results could lead to new ways of treating gut diseases by mimicking the effects of the parasites.

“It’s a beautifully done paper,” says immunologist Joel Weinstock of Tufts University in Boston, who wasn’t connected to the work. “It had not been previously shown that one of the mechanisms [of IBD] is through changes in the intestinal flora.”

In people with IBD, inflammation in the digestive tract results in symptoms such as diarrhea and bleeding and can sometimes lead to intestinal obstructions or other severe complications. Because parasitic worms, or helminths, can be harmful, they appear to be unlikely allies against these diseases. “They are called parasites for a reason,” says immunologist Ken Cadwell of the New York University School of Medicine in New York City, a co-author on the new study. However, IBD is rare in parts of the world where helminths are prevalent, and it is surging in more developed countries, where few people now carry the intestinal intruders. That difference suggests, researchers say, that they are protective.

Parasites like this whipworm might protect us from Crohn’s disease by altering our intestinal bacteria.

Source: CNRI/Science

Novel Genomic Analysis of Immune Cell Infiltration in Colorectal Cancer

The past several years have seen some exciting results for cancer immunotherapy. However, there remains a fundamental lack of understanding of immune system recognition in various cancers. Many large-scale sequencing efforts have added to our collective knowledge base, but too many of these studies have been deficient in comprehensive epidemiological and demographic information.

Now, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard report on their findings from a new study, which found that colorectal cancers festooned with tumor-related proteins called neoantigens were likely to be saturated with disease-fighting white blood cells, mainly lymphocytes.

Using several data sets from patients in two large health-tracking studies, the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, investigators performed whole-exome sequencing on colorectal tumor samples from 619 patients—itemizing each DNA base that specifies how cell proteins are to be constructed. This information was merged with data from tests of the immune system's response to the tumors and with patient clinical data, including length of survival.

Through whole-exome sequencing of colorectal tumors, researchers were able to identify additional driver

genes that correlate high neoantigen load with increased lymphocytic infiltration and improved survival.

Source: Giannakis et al., 2016, Cell Reports 15, 1–9

Friday, April 15, 2016

Immune cells self-healing brain after stroke

After a stroke, there is inflammation in the damaged part of the brain. Until now, the inflammation has been seen as a negative consequence that needs to be abolished as soon as possible. But, as it turns out, there are also some positive sides to the inflammation, and it can actually help the brain to self-repair.

"This is in total contrast to our previous beliefs", says Professor Zaal Kokaia from Lund University in Sweden.

Zaal Kokaia, together with Professor of Neurology Olle Lindvall, runs a research group at the Lund Stem Cell Center that, in collaboration with colleagues at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, is responsible for these findings. Hopefully, these new data will lead to new ways of treating stroke in the future. The study was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

When stroke occurs, the nerve cells in the damaged area of the brain die, causing an inflammation that attracts cells from the immune system. Among them you find monocytes—a type of white blood cells produced in the bone marrow.

False-colored scanning electron micrograph of a blood clot. There are many red blood cells and

a single white blood cell held together in a meshwork of fibrin (brown).

Source: Anne Weston, LRI, CRUK, Wellcome Images

Lymphoma

Overview

Lymphoma is cancer that begins in cells of the lymph system. The lymph system is part of the immune system, which helps the body fight infection and disease. Because lymph tissue is found all through the body, lymphoma can begin almost anywhere.

The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). These can occur in both children and adults.

Most people with Hodgkin lymphoma have the classic type. With this type, there are large, abnormal lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the lymph nodes called Reed-Sternberg cells. Hodgkin lymphoma can usually be cured.

There are many different types of NHL that form from different types of white blood cells (B-cells, T-cells, NK cells). Most types of NHL form from B-cells. NHL may be indolent (slow-growing) or aggressive (fast-growing). The most common types of NHL in adults are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is usually aggressive, and follicular lymphoma, which is usually indolent.

Free eBook - Teitz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry

A condensed, student-friendly version of Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry, this text uses a laboratory perspective to provide you with the chemistry fundamentals you need to work in a real-world, biomedical laboratory. Accurate chemical structures are included to explain the key chemical features of relevant molecules. Offering complete, accurate coverage of key topics in the field, it's everything that you expect from the Tietz name!

Key Features:

More than 500 illustrations and easy-to-read tables help you understand and remember key concepts.
Key words, learning objectives, and other student-friendly features reinforce important material.
Chapter review questions are included in an appendix to test your knowledge.
A two-color design makes it easier to read and easy to find important topics.
In-depth, reader-friendly content is appropriate for MT/CLS and MLT/CLT students and may also be used by laboratory practitioners, pathology residents, and others.

Series: Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry

Hardcover: 976 pages

Publisher: Saunders; 6 edition (November 20, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0721638651

ISBN-13: 978-0721638652

This eBook has been published by Comanche County Memorial Hospital School of Medical Technology

Download here: Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry

Source: Comanche County Memorial Hospital School of Medical Technology

Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Career: Salary, Requirements and Overview

Medical laboratory scientists require a significant amount of formal education. Learn about the degree, job duties, and certification to see if this is the right career for you.

Essential Information

Medical laboratory scientists, also known as medical laboratory technologists, conduct lab tests related to the detection and cure of diseases. They use complex medical equipment to analyze body fluids or tissue samples for bacterial infection, hormone levels, and other chemical components affecting human health. A bachelor's degree with a major in one of the life sciences can open the door to this career.

Required Education	Bachelor's degree
Other Requirements	Certification or licensure required in some states
Projected Job Growth (2012-2022)	22% for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians*
Mean Annual Wage (2014)	$60,560 for medical and clinical laboratory technologists*

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Salary of a Medical Laboratory Scientist

Wages for medical laboratory scientists vary based upon experience and job location. The mean annual salary earned by medical and clinical laboratory technologists was $60,560 as of May 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov). Hospitals are the largest employer of medical and clinical laboratory technologists; those working in this environment earned an average salary of $61,600 annually in 2014. However, the highest paying industry, according to the BLS, is pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, paying an average salary of $71,910 as of May 2014. The BLS also states that the projected job outlook for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians is 22% for the years 2012-2022.

Source: bls.gov

Can diabetes be cured?

What Causes Diabetes?

Scientists don’t know exactly what causes diabetes. They think that type 1 diabetes is a disease in which your immune system attacks your own cells as if they were foreign invaders. This is called an autoimmune disease. In type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks your pancreas cells and destroys their ability to make insulin. Most scientists believe that an environmental factor, such as a virus, triggers this process in your body. Your genes play a role as well. Certain people are more prone to develop diabetes.

Likewise, health experts don’t fully understand what causes type 2 diabetes. They do know that it is closely linked to obesity and it tends to run in families. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes but you can prevent it in many cases. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to reverse or control high blood sugar through diet and exercise. However, you will always have diabetes and you will always need to manage it to prevent serious health problems.

Is There a Cure for Diabetes?

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. Currently, there is no permanent cure for either type. However, there is hope in research for a cure and in prevention. While you can’t prevent type 1 diabetes, you may be able to prevent type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly are all ways you can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Biomedical Laboratory Science