Today’s post is about a type of bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). It can be ingested in childhood and reside in the stomach. In industrialised countries, about 20-50% of people will have this bacteria, and some of these people (not all) will get stomach inflammation and or peptic ulcers because of it. How is this bacteria able to survive in the stomach, and why do only some people develop further health conditions because of it? Continue reading
Tay-Sachs disease is a genetic disease that causes progressive deterioration of nerve cells, mental and physical abilities. It is an autosomal recessive genetic disease which means that an affected child would need to have inherited a mutated gene from both parents. The mutation is in the α-subunit locus on chromosome 15 which results in a deficiency of the enzyme hexosaminidase A. This enzyme is required to catabolize GM2 gangliosides. If a substance is not properly broken down, Continue reading
Blood is one of those under-appreciated things. It continuously circulates the body delivering oxygen and nutrients to where they need to be, and removing things that shouldn’t be there. The heart pumps it around and has been doing so without fail, since you were about minus 34 weeks old (ie. a very young fetus). Haemostasis is the balanced interaction of blood cells, blood vessels and plasma proteins. This post will look at how the body reacts in response to injury to the endothelium of a blood vessel and what are some potential consequences of this.
Gain for the Brain 