Pulmonary function....

...is simple.

The major work of breathing is INSPIRATION.
The way the lungs works on EXPIRATION, though, measures their true health.
Significant decreases in pulmonary capacity occur BEFORE they become symptomatic.
Smokers should get pulmonary function tests (PFTs)--
maybe the results will convince them to STOP NOW!
To borrow a phase, maybe this truth can set them free!
It's never too late to stop killing yourself!

Irrational fears?

To a degree.

As this chart shows, the majority (82%) of our ionizing (and therefore potentially mutagenic) radiation exposure is natural, i.e. unavoidable.
Nuclear reactor "accidents"--there is no such things as accidents, just events that are more or less probable in given circumstances--aren't even on the map.
We are still our own worst enemy; even the danger radon exposure (higher risk of lung cancer) is vastly potentiated by cigarette smoking.
Does this mean we all want a nuclear reactor in our back yards? No, but it does mean we need to focus on the more important risks that we can control--like smoking, drinking, and risky behaviors.
And that warm glow we all have? Natural!

Another bodily function...

...we take for granted--breathing.
Spirometry is s simple way to evaluate a person's lung function.
The biggest enemy, of course, to healthy respiration is smoking.
If in doubt, have it checked out!
It's never too late to quit!

Turkeys...

...have muscles (our first unit in A&P II), too!

Enjoy the holiday!

Ode to Carbon

Oh, Carbon, thou art lovely,
With thy magic valence four.
From that com'st all we are
And will be evermore.

With H and O you marry
To craft the ties that bind,
Thou makest oh so many things
With others of your kind.

Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes,
Benzene rings thou makest, too,
Alcohols and ethers come from thee,
And proteins ne'er a few.

And when I lay me down to rest,
Thy cycle it doth run,
Return to earth my solid parts-
My soul aims for the sun!

What's wrong with smoking?

You tell me!

Assessment!

"Hands on" assessments in science are called "practical exams". In Anatomy & Physiology this is the opportunity for the students to demonstrate mastery over the "stuff"--histology, models, and similar artifacts. The major obstacles to success are overconfidence and "underconfidence"!

Under the first, a student thinks that having "looked at" something once is sufficient. One of the reasons I require students to "draw what they see" when doing histology is so that they can utilize a different learning modality--kinesthetic--to assimilate the visual knowledge that they (unwittingly) think is easier to acquire than it is. Another source of overconfidence is forgetting that we are working on anatomy AND physiology--one needs to know not only what something looks like but what it does!

Underconfidence is manifested by "second guessing" one's self. We all have experience with this. I learned years ago that my first answer is usually my best--not always "right" but as right as I am going to get!

Between these two extremes lies--SUCCESS!

When it's good to be a bad-ass!

Killer T-cells! Whoa!

Thanks for the complement!

One of the more elegant non-specific immune defense mechanisms is the COMPLEMENT CASCADE.
Others include the skin, granulocytes, inflammation, macrophages...a whole host of protein-based (and therefore GENETIC) processes.
Evolution has resulted in our ability to rapidly respond to any and all "invaders", and through sexual reproduction to "keep up with the parasites" (the theory of the Red Queen) .
Fearfully and wonderfully made!

Thank gases...

...and the people who loved them!

Much of what we know about chemistry, and a lot of the conventions in its language and practice, started with the investigators in the 18th century who were fascinated with gases. Priestley, Davy, Avogadro studied and described them and, along with the much maligned alchemists like Newton himself, discovered much of what we know as the laws of chemistry through their empiric observations.
Their studies ended up laying the groundwork for our understanding of physics and biology and became the connection between as well as the foundation for much of our modern world, including our ability to feed 7 billion people. A great book to start exploring chemistry is NAPOLEON'S BUTTONS, which tells the fascinating tales of seventeen molecules that changed the world.
Love your molecules today!

The proverbial two edged sword

Inflammation!
We are a Goldilocks organism--things can't be too hot or too cold.
Such is the case with the processes that attack and work to eliminate invaders.
When they work "just right" we are protected; if they are too slow, weak, or "cold" we suffer from invasion, usually infections. However, when they are too "hot" we can suffer irreparable damage to our tissues.
Chronic inflammation is one of the mechanisms leading to autoimmune disorders, coronary artery disease, kidney failure, and a host of other conditions associated with the aging process, including cancer.
How to help? There are no magic cures or quick remedies.
Do those things that are DOCUMENTED to assist the immune system: eat right and in moderation(not based on fads); ESchew tobacco; get enough sleep; avoid chronic stress (acute stress is actually beneficial--such episodes keep our system on its physiologic toes!); wash your hands (and body) often; get sufficient exercise; take an aspirin a day if you are over 40 and non-allergic; and maintain your preventive care cycle.
What does not help?
Anti-oxidants (they can actually increase the damage); excessive intake of vitamins; immoderate alcohol consumption; a sedentary lifestyle; using the Internet as your doctor; relying on anecdotes and pseudoscience (like the anti-vaccine nuts); and wishful thinking.
You can do a lot to make things just right with your immune system.
And if you do, like Goldilocks, your sleep will be peaceful!

Beautiful....

...in form and function.
The eosinophil!

Genetics as fairy tale?

The "theory of the Red Queen" holds that our immune system has to evolve rapidly just to "stay in place" (like the Red Queen had to run to do so)--to continue to defeat the parasites who are also rapidly evolving in their ability to invade us.
Recent evidence also suggests that a key aspect of sexual reproduction is female choice influenced by a genetic predisposition based on immune compatibility. Women can "smell" the male's immunity!
Some people say to "reduce" sexual behavior to this level is dehumanizing--I think it makes our success as a species all that much more beautiful. Fearfully and wonderfully made, indeed! And, unlike a fairy tale, true!

Take a deep breath....

...and remember this simple equation.
Molarity scares people, but should not. It's simply a standard measure of concentration. A mole is a standard number of atoms or molecules. There is no "WHY"--it just is!

Blood....

...is beautiful!

Come to papa!

One of the most elegant mechanisms that the body has evolved to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of its processes is the RECEPTOR.
Effective homeostasis requires cell differentiation on many levels. By using the same basic equipment, cells with identical DNA can develop a vast array of specialized functions in part due to receptors that are specific to very defined signal proteins, and in addition can be turned off and on in a myriad of ways.
The result is essentially an infinite number of "lock and key" arrangements that allow specialization based on "generic" structures.
This principle, that the body has a few basic features that are maximally variable, determined by the DNA code, which is itself universal, is one of the most subtle yet powerful arguments, in my view, for the existence of rational order--design--in the universe.

There is no "why"....

...this is just how it is.
Atomic structure is logical and determines everything else about physics, chemistry, and biology.

A love/hate relationship....

...the cell membrane lipid (fatty acid + carbohydrate) bilayer!
The hydrophobic (water hating, fatty acid) inner layer keeps the cell impervious to inappropriate invasions, the hydrophilic (water loving, glycerol) layer lets the cell fit into its tissue.

One of the many exquisitely evolved features of the cell, the membrane is not just a bag!
It is an active, critical player in cellular metabolism (and therefore in dysfunction).
It is one of the major reasons we must ingest lipids (fats), which, despite what the foodies say, is not poison.
Some tissues are so dependent on membrane anabolism and catabolism that they are more fat than protein; neuronal and brain tissue (neurons and particularly neuroglia, which forge the connections and conductivity between neurons) is 70% fat.
We are, therefore, all literally fatheads!
Love it, hate it--gotta have it!

Science "humor"....

...tries for New Yorker quality and sometimes gets partway there.
But not very often.