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Sunday, January 24, 2010

usefull medical sites

Some of the resources used for this research are listed below. These websites are very informative as well as well organized, so we hope that it will be easy to fetch information from the below mentioned links:

Taking a blood pressure

Area of Science: Biological Sciences
Meant for at least Grade 7-9 (age 11-13).
This experiment is inedible.
An adult should be present.
Overview:
Take a blood pressure.. correlate the blood pressure to the heart's pumping of blood.
Equipment:
1. Sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff).. avail from the school nurse?? A "child's cuff" should be used to allow more accurate readings for children.
2. Stethoscope.
It would be helpful if someone who knows how to take a blood pressure is present to supervise, as the technique requires some practice. Also you want to avoid keeping the cuff inflated on someone's arm for too long.
Safety:
Don't put the cuff around your friend's neck.. :).
How to do the experiment:
1. Deflate the bladder of the cuff and place it around the upper arm so it fits snugly, but not too tightly. If you're right handed, you should hold the bulb/pump in your left hand to inflate the cuff. Hold it in the palm so your fingers can easily reach the valve at the top to open/close the outlet to the air bladder wrapped around the person's arm.
2. Put the head of the stethoscope just under the edge of the cuff, a little above the crease of the person's elbow. Hold it there firmly with the thumb, or with a few fingers of your right hand. Put the ear pieces of the stethoscope in your ears.
3. Inflate the cuff with brisk squeezes of the bulb. Watch the pressure gage as you do it. For most kids, you shouldn't need to go over 150 (the markings indicate "pressure" in mm Hg or mercury).
4. At 150, slightly open the valve on the air pump (held in your left hand, as above). This part takes practice.. It's important that you don't let the air out too suddenly. Likewise, your friend will be quite irritated with you if you let it out too slowly.
5. Now, pay attention *very carefully* to what you hear through the stethoscope as the needle on the pressure gage falls. You will be listening for a slight "blrrpp" or a something that sounds like "prrpshh." The first time you hear this sound, note what the reading was on the pressure gage. This value represents the systolic blood pressure (described below).
6. The sounds should continue and become louder in intensity. Note the pressure reading when you hear the sound for the last time. This value represents the diastolic blood pressure.
7. Afterwards, open the air valve completely to release any remaining pressure.
In adults, hypertension is defined as regular BP readings > 140/90. However, kids should have BP lower than the normal values for adults.

Here's a quiz to test your knowledge: (the answers are at the bottom)

What is the life span of red blood cells?________
The main function of ________________ is to defend the body against infection.
What is the name of the process that generates new red blood cells?____________
_________ play an essential role in the blood clotting process.
How many blood cells in the human body die each second?_____________
What blood cells carry oxygen to tissues through out the body?__________

Answers:

80 to 120 days
White Blood Cells
Erythropoiesis
Platelets
2 Million
Red Blood Cells

blood cancer

lood Cancer:

The major forms of blood cancer are lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. These cancers are formed either in the bone marrow or the lymphatic tissues of the body. They have a consequence on the way your body makes blood and funds protection from other diseases.

Adults are more likely than children to get blood cancer, since the risk increases with age. In 2003, it was estimated that about 106,200 Americans will be diagnosed with one of the blood cancers and about 57,500 will die from the disease.

The authentic causes of blood cancer are still unfamiliar. Scientists are trying to identify when and why the body starts producing irregular cells and how those cells begin overrunning the body's blood system.

Click on the links below for the details of major forms of blood cancer:

Lymphoma

Leukemia

Multiple Myeloma

The ABOblood system

In the early 20th century, Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian scientist, classified blood according to the two distinct differences found within the blood. Karl Landsteiner observed the surface of the red blood cells and found two distinct chemical molecules. He labeled one molecule "A" and the other molecule "B." When a red blood cell only had “A” molecules, it was called type A. When a red blood cell with only “B” molecules, it was called type B. A red blood cell with a mixture of both molecules was called type AB. If a red blood cell had neither molecule, that blood was called type O.

It was later learned that mixing two blood types could result in clumps within the blood vessel, producing a fatal result. Therefore, it is extremely important for blood type to be matched before a blood transfusion. Every blood type can donate blood to itself. A person with type O blood can donate to all of the other blood types, while people with type A or B can donate to type AB. A person with type A blood can receive from both a person with type A or type O. A person with type B blood can receive from both a person with type B or type O. A person with type AB blood can receive from anyone. A person with type O blood can receive blood only from a person with type O. People with type O blood are known as universal donators, which people with type AB blood are known as universal receivers.

Rh status is another factor in blood donation. Your Rh status can be either positive (+) or negative (-). There is a chance, if you have Rh- blood, that your body may form antibodies against Rh+ blood. This can result in the destruction of the Rh+ blood. When this happens, you must have first been exposed to Rh+ blood. This can happen through a blood transfusion or when you carry an Rh+ fetus. If you have antibodies against Rh+ blood and are pregnant with an Rh+ fetus, it is a problem. This problem can be solved with the new medication for preventing this reaction. This medicine must be given immediately after you are exposed to Rh+ blood. Children won’t always have the same blood type or Rh status as their parents.

If your blood type is....

Type	You Can Give Blood To	You Can Receive Blood From
A+	A+ AB+	A+ A- O+ O-
O+	O+ A+ B+ AB+	O+ O-
B+	B+ AB+	B+ B- O+ O-
AB+	AB+	Everyone
A-	A+ A- AB+ AB-	A- O-
O-	Everyone	O-
B-	B+ B- AB+ AB-	B- O-
AB-	AB+ AB-	AB- A- B- O-

blood banking

Blood Banking

We have known for some time that blood can be transfused to those who need it. The blood must be collected from healthy donors and stored with great care. It is tested for the presence of any infectious diseases, and typed to determine its immune character so that it can be properly matched with a recipient. Once a call comes for a particular type of blood it is swiftly transported to the place of use.

Modern techniques allow us to separate some of the blood into its parts, such as red cells, platelets, plasma and clotting factors. We can deliver just the parts that the patient may need. In this way, a single donor may help more than one recipient. More recently we have learned to collect only certain portions of the blood such as the plasma, the white cells or the platelets from special donors through a process called apheresis. Finally, we have learned to replace the entire blood-making mechanism within the bone marrow through bone marrow or stem cell transplantation for those with particularly life-threatening diseases.

blood dissease

Introduction to Hematology

Diseases of White Blood Cells
As you might suspect from the number of types of white blood cells (also known as leukocytes), and the number of functions, there are many diseases that involve these cells. The term leukemia refers to a great number of these diseases and generally describes cancerous conditions where there are too many leukocytes in the blood.

There are many leukemias. In all of them, one cell line (sometimes lymphocytes, sometimes monocytes, sometimes one of the other cell lines) begins uncontrolled growth. The cells begin to fill the marrow (as shown here) crowding out other cell lines and pouring into the bloodstream.

Other, non-cancerous events may trigger higher than normal numbers of white cells. They may be made in response to infection, as shown here on the left. Compare the concentration of neutrophils to the normal smear on the right.

blood cells

Introduction to Hematology
White Blood Cells
There are five distinctly different kinds of white blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils. Some have the ability to change with needs and situations in the body. So, for example, there are different monocytes found in different tissues, and different types of lymphocytes with different roles in fighting infections. These cells can leave the bloodstream, sliding out through the vessel walls and attacking invaders at the site of an infection.

Neutrophil

Monocyte

Lymphocyte

Eosinophil

Basophil

blood type



	Blood is thicker than water and has a little bit salty taste. In an adults body there is 10.6 pints of blood circulating around. In their blood there is billions of living blood cells floating in a liquid called plasma. If you took a small sample of this blood and poured it into a test tube and then put it in a machine called a centrifuge, you would be able to see the layers of this blood. This machine spins the blood around so fast that it separates the red blood cells, from the white blood cells, from the platelets. The red blood cells sink to the bottom because they are the heavier, more solid parts, but the plasma remains at the top because it is lighter. The plasma is 95% water and the other 5% is made up of dissolved substances including salts.

http://library.thinkquest.org/5777/images/bloodd.gif

http://library.thinkquest.org/5777/images/horn.gif

Horned toads are small lizards with toad-like faces. When cornered the horned toad will shoot small jets of blood from its eyes.

Urinary System

Getting Rid of Waste

http://library.thinkquest.org/5777/images/lizcont2.gif


The urinary system includes the kidneys, bladder and tubes. These organs control the amount of water and salts that are absorbed back into the blood and what is taken out as waste. This system also acts as a filtering mechanism for the blood.

what is blood pressure?

What is Blood Pressure?
Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of your body in vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.

Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. Both are important. Usually they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is the systolic and the bottom the diastolic. When the two measurements are written down, the systolic pressure is the first or top number, and the diastolic pressure is the second or bottom number (for example, 120/80). If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say that it is "120 over 80."

Blood pressure changes during the day. It is lowest as you sleep and rises when you get up. It also can rise when you are excited, nervous, or active.

Still, for most of your waking hours, your blood pressure stays pretty much the same when you are sitting or standing still. That level should be lower than 120/80. When the level stays high, 140/90 or higher, you have high blood pressure. With high blood pressure, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are greater.
What causes it?
In many people with high blood pressure, a single specific cause is not known. This is called essential or primary high blood pressure. Research is continuing to find causes.

In some people, high blood pressure is the result of another medical problem or medication. When the cause is known, this is called secondary high blood pressure.
This section � National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
What is high blood pressure?
A blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is considered high blood pressure. Both numbers are important. If one or both numbers are usually high, you have high blood pressure. If you are being treated for high blood pressure, you still have high blood pressure even if you have repeated readings in the normal range.

There are two levels of high blood pressure: Stage 1 and Stage 2 (see the chart below).

Categories for Blood Pressure Levels in Adults*
(In mmHg, millimeters of mercury)

Category	Systolic (Top number)	Diastolic (Bottom number)
Normal	Less than 120	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120-139	80-89

High Blood Pressure	Systolic	Diastolic
Stage 1	140-159	90-99
Stage 2	160 or higher	100 or higher

* For adults 18 and older who:

Are not on medicine for high blood pressure
Are not having a short-term serious illness
Do not have other conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease

Note: When systolic and diastolic blood pressures fall into different categories, the higher category should be used to classify blood pressure level. For example, 160/80 would be stage 2 high blood pressure.
There is an exception to the above definition of high blood pressure. A blood pressure of 130/80 or higher is considered high blood pressure in persons with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Hypertension & Women

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Headaches & High Blood Pressure

Measuring High Blood Pressure

Stress & High Blood Pressure

Miscellaneous

Related Diseases

what is blood made of ?

Blood is a mixture of cells and a watery liquid, called plasma, that the cells float in. It also contains other things like nutrients (such as sugar), hormones, clotting agents, and waste products to be flushed out of the body.

Blood cell drawing

There are three kinds of cells in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body, white blood cells help fight infection, and platelets help in clotting.

Red blood cells (also called erythrocytes) are the most numerous, making up 40-45 percent of one's blood, and they give blood its characteristic color. Red blood cells are shaped like tiny doughnuts, with an indentation in the center instead of a hole. They contain a special molecule called hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen. In the lungs, where there is a lot of oxygen, the hemoglobin molecules loosely bind with oxygen. Each molecule of hemoglobin contains four iron atoms, and each iron atom can bind with one molecule of oxygen, allowing each hemoglobin molecule to carry four molecules of oxygen. In the capillaries, where there is little oxygen, the hemoglobin readily sheds the oxygen it is carrying and allows it to be absorbed by the body's cells. The iron in hemoglobin is what makes blood red.

White blood cells (leukocytes) are the body's mobile warriors in the battle against infection and invasion. There are three types of white blood cell: granulocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes. There are, in turn, three kinds of granulocyte: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. (Granulocytes are called that because they contain granules that hold digestive enzymes.) Neutrophils kill invading bacteria by ingesting and then digesting them. Eosinophils kill parasites, and are involved in allergic reactions. Basophils also function in allergic reactions, but are not well understood. Lymphocytes are key parts of the body's immune system. There are two kinds of lymphocyte: T cells and B lymphocytes. T cells direct the activity of the immune system. B lymphocytes produce antibodies, which destroy foreign bodies. Monocytes, the largest kind of white blood cells, enter the tissues of the body and turn into even larger cells called macrophages. These eat foreign bacteria and destroy damaged, old, and dead cells of the body itself.

The blood cells called platelets (thrombocytes) help blood to clot, in several different ways. When bleeding occurs, platelets clump together to help form a clot. Also, when they are exposed to air (as they would be by a wound), platelets start breaking down and release a substance into the bloodstream. This substance starts a chain of chemical events that eventually causes a protein in the blood, fibrinogen, to turn into a different substance, fibrin, which forms long threads. These threads tangle up red blood cells to help form a clot, or scab, over the wound.

In their "resting" state, platelets look like two plates stuck together (hence the name). When "activated" and helping to form a clot, they change shape and look like tiny roundish blobs with tentacles. At only two to three microns, they are the smallest kind of blood cell. Plasma is a clear, straw-colored liquid that carries the blood cells and various hormones, nutrients, and so on through the body. It makes up a little more than half of the total blood volume.

Plasma is about 90 percent water. Much of the other ten percent comprises various kinds of protein molecules, including enzymes, clotting agents, immunoglobulins (part of the immune system), and proteins that carry hormones, vitamins, cholesterol, and other things the body needs. Plasma also contains sugar (glucose) and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium, as well as other things like the aforementioned hormones, vitamins, and cholesterol.

blood information



	Blood is thicker than water and has a little bit salty taste. In an adults body there is 10.6 pints of blood circulating around. In their blood there is billions of living blood cells floating in a liquid called plasma. If you took a small sample of this blood and poured it into a test tube and then put it in a machine called a centrifuge, you would be able to see the layers of this blood. This machine spins the blood around so fast that it separates the red blood cells, from the white blood cells, from the platelets. The red blood cells sink to the bottom because they are the heavier, more solid parts, but the plasma remains at the top because it is lighter. The plasma is 95% water and the other 5% is made up of dissolved substances including salts.