If you seat in a cold room for long periods, tendency is you will come out of that room coughing. If a patient with TB enters the room and remains with you in the room for 1 day, you will probably contract TB and start coughing in a few days.
Is TB important? Why?
Is it normal to contract TB?
If a person has TB, what are the possible signs and symptoms?
Can TB be cured? Yes? How?
Why is it we see people still coughing today? Dust? Cold? TB?
What are the causes of coughing?
How can we differentiate TB from normal coughing?
Some researchers worked on the TB organism and made a vaccine.
What is the TB organism? Is it a bacteria or virus? Does it make any difference?
How is the TB organism detected?
What is Acid-Fast Bacilli (AFB)?
What do you hope to see under the microscope if a sputum specimen comes from a patient with TB?
Would you expect to see bacteria or virus? Must it be one of this? Why is it neither?
What is a mycobacterium?
Say, you looked down the microscope tube and objective lens, and you saw some reddish bacterial rods like cocktail hotdogs.
Is the TB organism a bacterium? Gram -ve? Yes?
Alright, you would expect to see Gram -ve rods if the sputum comes from a patient who is diagnosed to have TB.
Have you heard of TB vaccine? Yes? No? Never heard?
What is a TB vaccine?
How is the TB vaccine prepared?
How long does it take to make a TB vaccine?
Have you heard of BCG?
Have you had your BCG? When was that?
What is the BCG?
How is the BCG vaccine prepared?
All kids who enter school for the first time get the BCG vaccination.
Is the BCG vaccination of any good?
Who made the BCG?
How effective is the BCG?
How many times must a person get the BCG?
Have you heard of the Mantoux (man-toooo) test? What is that?
What are today's drugs against TB, if any?
Why did TB make a comeback?
What is meant by MDR-TB?
How does the TB organism become resistant to the drugs we give to our patients?
Why don't patients comply with their treatment regime for TB?
Do you think we are wasting a lot of money trying to treat TB?
How much money do we need to treat TB today?
Why do we find TB among HIV patients?
Where do we find a lot of people with TB?
Where do we find a lot of people with HIV? Is there a likely TB-HIV link?
What can we do about TB and HIV today?
How does TB-HIV impact our society today?
Is air travel a sure way of spreading TB?
Are pressurised cabins a sure way of spreading TB?
Today's aeroplanes carry a lot of passengers and the seats are close together. Is this safe?
Read more about TB
Monday 30 January 2012
Stem Cells
If you cut a stem and take a close look at the cut surface, you will get to see cells! True? Yes!
What are stem cells?
Where can we get them?
Why are they called stem cells?
What is special about stem cells?
What can we do about stem cells? Are they good for anything?
Are they good for something? Yes? Yes!
Give examples for uses of stem cells.
How do we obtain them?
How do we store them?
How do we use them?
How stable are stem cells?
How safe are stem cells?
Can stem cells be killer cells?
If there is a faulty gene in a stem cell, and that gene gets replicated as we let the cells multiply, and we then administer the stem cells into a human body. What will happen?
If we create a mutation gene that can kill a particular bacteria or virus, and we insert that gene in a stem cell. What do you think will happen if we now take the stem cell with a mutation and insert it in a cancer cell? Will our stem cell be of any good?
If we have a patient with a difficult-to-cure disease and we decide to administer a stem cell with a good gene that can help the patient combat the disease and continue to live normally, will stem cells be appropriate or inappropriate?
More on stem cells
What are stem cells?
Where can we get them?
Why are they called stem cells?
What is special about stem cells?
What can we do about stem cells? Are they good for anything?
Are they good for something? Yes? Yes!
Give examples for uses of stem cells.
How do we obtain them?
How do we store them?
How do we use them?
How stable are stem cells?
How safe are stem cells?
Can stem cells be killer cells?
If there is a faulty gene in a stem cell, and that gene gets replicated as we let the cells multiply, and we then administer the stem cells into a human body. What will happen?
If we create a mutation gene that can kill a particular bacteria or virus, and we insert that gene in a stem cell. What do you think will happen if we now take the stem cell with a mutation and insert it in a cancer cell? Will our stem cell be of any good?
If we have a patient with a difficult-to-cure disease and we decide to administer a stem cell with a good gene that can help the patient combat the disease and continue to live normally, will stem cells be appropriate or inappropriate?
More on stem cells
A Professor's Canister of Worms
I will relate to you a story about a class I had as a postgraduate in Biochemistry. It was a fun class and this is the story ...
Location: Dept of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside
Year: 1981-82
We were informed ahead of class that someone great was coming to our class. I waited anxiously to see who was this 'great person'.
I was very late for my Biochemistry Colloquium class as the previous class also finished late. I ran to my next class, panting as I reached my seat in the back of the class. I sat and waited till a little old man walked in. I didn't know who he was or whether he was supposed to be this 'great person' we were supposed to have for that session.
He was that 'great person'! What?! An old man? Yes, an old man with long green old jacket. His hair was white and he was frail with a husky voice. He spoke in a low tone and taught us, almost inaudible. He pulled out a canister of white grubs in solution and asked us what it was for. We didn't answer as nobody knew what he was aiming at.
That canister was passed around in class and I had a good look at the contents, and almost threw up! How could he pull a joke in class like that?! Why the preserved grubs? What are they for?
I wasn't paying attention in his class and he came right up to me to have a good look direct into my eyes! At once I knew I had offended him! I must have made him angry by not paying attention in class. How could I? I didn't understand much of what he said in the first place! How was I to appreciate his work with the canister of worms?
That is as much I can recall about that one and only class I had with a Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine & Physiology, Dr Sydney Brenner.
Read more about Dr Sydney Brenner at Wikipedia and MRC
A Professor's Canister of Worms: A Day with Syd
Location: Dept of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside
Year: 1981-82
We were informed ahead of class that someone great was coming to our class. I waited anxiously to see who was this 'great person'.
I was very late for my Biochemistry Colloquium class as the previous class also finished late. I ran to my next class, panting as I reached my seat in the back of the class. I sat and waited till a little old man walked in. I didn't know who he was or whether he was supposed to be this 'great person' we were supposed to have for that session.
He was that 'great person'! What?! An old man? Yes, an old man with long green old jacket. His hair was white and he was frail with a husky voice. He spoke in a low tone and taught us, almost inaudible. He pulled out a canister of white grubs in solution and asked us what it was for. We didn't answer as nobody knew what he was aiming at.
That canister was passed around in class and I had a good look at the contents, and almost threw up! How could he pull a joke in class like that?! Why the preserved grubs? What are they for?
I wasn't paying attention in his class and he came right up to me to have a good look direct into my eyes! At once I knew I had offended him! I must have made him angry by not paying attention in class. How could I? I didn't understand much of what he said in the first place! How was I to appreciate his work with the canister of worms?
That is as much I can recall about that one and only class I had with a Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine & Physiology, Dr Sydney Brenner.
Read more about Dr Sydney Brenner at Wikipedia and MRC
Ribosome
What is a ribosome (ri-bo-some)?
What does a ribosome look like?
How is the structure of ribosome determined?
What is the technology used for determining ribosome structure?
What is x-ray crystallography?
What is an x-ray crystallography machine?
Why is the structure of ribosome important?
How is ribosome activity important in biological processes?
What things (factors) affect ribosome activity?
Do antibiotics affect ribosome activity? How? Explain.
What are some examples of antibiotics that DO affect ribosome activity?
How is controlling ribosome activity important in medicine?
Can tuberculosis (TB) be controlled by drugs that affect ribosomal activity?
See more resources on ribosomes
What does a ribosome look like?
How is the structure of ribosome determined?
What is the technology used for determining ribosome structure?
What is x-ray crystallography?
What is an x-ray crystallography machine?
Why is the structure of ribosome important?
How is ribosome activity important in biological processes?
What things (factors) affect ribosome activity?
Do antibiotics affect ribosome activity? How? Explain.
What are some examples of antibiotics that DO affect ribosome activity?
How is controlling ribosome activity important in medicine?
Can tuberculosis (TB) be controlled by drugs that affect ribosomal activity?
See more resources on ribosomes
Iron and Anaemia
I want you to place a mirror in front and watch your own eyelids, lips and tongue. Are they pale or red. Why are they pale? Do you think you can make them more red? How?
How do you make your eyelids, lips and tongue look more red?
Yes, you take iron tablets.
Which and what type of iron tablets?
How do you know which iron tablet is good for you?
How do you know they are safe to take?
How will you find out?
Are there people who have little iron in their blood?
How do you tell people have little iron in their blood?
Can you tell if a person suffers from iron deficiency? How?
What are some of the effects of iron deficiency?
Is iron deficiency a bad thing or a good thing? Explain.
What would you do if you suspect a case of iron deficiency?
Is dietary change important in overcoming iron deficiency? Explain.
What are food sources rich in iron?
Read here for some hints
How do you make your eyelids, lips and tongue look more red?
Yes, you take iron tablets.
Which and what type of iron tablets?
How do you know which iron tablet is good for you?
How do you know they are safe to take?
How will you find out?
Are there people who have little iron in their blood?
How do you tell people have little iron in their blood?
Can you tell if a person suffers from iron deficiency? How?
What are some of the effects of iron deficiency?
Is iron deficiency a bad thing or a good thing? Explain.
What would you do if you suspect a case of iron deficiency?
Is dietary change important in overcoming iron deficiency? Explain.
What are food sources rich in iron?
Read here for some hints
Musculoskeletal resources
This is a website for free-to-download resource material
on musculoskeletal problems and general health and work related issues,
in PDF format.
Sample downloads from 'Tackling Musculoskeletal Problems: A Guide for Clinic and Workplace'
Free Download Resources
Sample downloads from 'Tackling Musculoskeletal Problems: A Guide for Clinic and Workplace'
Free Download Resources
Saturday 28 January 2012
Where is e-learning today? Can Open PhD work?
This is me in somebody else blog: open-academic-education-people and she said: "So I procrastinated by surfing through cloudscapes that were focusing on mobile learning. As I went through them I found Faridah Abdul Rashid, who teaches chemical pathology at the Universiti Sains in Malaysia
and she mentioned she was into problem-based learning, using Moodle ...
but what captured my eyes was her mentioning 'open PhD'. It certainly
sounds very contemporary and attractive as a term."
My comments:
What are the terms she used? Try and define them ...
Mobile learning - that form of learning that follows you around on your mobile devices such as smartphone.
Chemical Pathology - a field after medical biochemistry that deals with patients body fluid chemistries (blood, urine, CSF) and stool chemistries in pathological conditions.
Universiti Sains Malaysia - that's the long form of USM
Problem-Based Learning - that's the long form of PBL, a form of teaching methodology used in Year 2 & Year 3 Medicine in our medical school.
MOODLE - An acronym for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It simply means most of what students need for learning is hosted online and students can pick and choose what they wish to learn. There is no time limit and everything is self-paced, follow your mood and do as you please. It also means students are now responsible for their own learning. There are advantages and disadvantages but it is better to have an e-learning portal (MedLearn) rather than not have one. Else, everything needs to go on YouTube, EduTube or Scribd and choosing what to learn in difficult as there will be too much trash too.
Open PhD - this simply means you propose a PhD topic, do the PhD and submit online where you wish to submit and get your PhD. No need to attend this class and that class. It means you are mature enough to be responsible for your own PhD program. If something is not going right in your PhD program (eg your PhD Supervisor is creating unnecessary problems for you, you run out of money but wish to stay on in a PhD program), then you have a place online to voice out for assistance. Then the entire academic people in your area are alerted and learn of your problem and can come and save you. This saves you headache and heartache, which is commonplace in any PhD program. I hope you will like this idea and agree with me. We have a more understanding Internet committee of academics than a PhD supervisor who is assigned to a PhD candidate. The whole world is willing to help, so why waste time pleasing one professor or supervisor? This is a new Age and we need not stick to old ways of learning.
My comments:
What are the terms she used? Try and define them ...
Mobile learning - that form of learning that follows you around on your mobile devices such as smartphone.
Chemical Pathology - a field after medical biochemistry that deals with patients body fluid chemistries (blood, urine, CSF) and stool chemistries in pathological conditions.
Universiti Sains Malaysia - that's the long form of USM
Problem-Based Learning - that's the long form of PBL, a form of teaching methodology used in Year 2 & Year 3 Medicine in our medical school.
MOODLE - An acronym for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It simply means most of what students need for learning is hosted online and students can pick and choose what they wish to learn. There is no time limit and everything is self-paced, follow your mood and do as you please. It also means students are now responsible for their own learning. There are advantages and disadvantages but it is better to have an e-learning portal (MedLearn) rather than not have one. Else, everything needs to go on YouTube, EduTube or Scribd and choosing what to learn in difficult as there will be too much trash too.
Open PhD - this simply means you propose a PhD topic, do the PhD and submit online where you wish to submit and get your PhD. No need to attend this class and that class. It means you are mature enough to be responsible for your own PhD program. If something is not going right in your PhD program (eg your PhD Supervisor is creating unnecessary problems for you, you run out of money but wish to stay on in a PhD program), then you have a place online to voice out for assistance. Then the entire academic people in your area are alerted and learn of your problem and can come and save you. This saves you headache and heartache, which is commonplace in any PhD program. I hope you will like this idea and agree with me. We have a more understanding Internet committee of academics than a PhD supervisor who is assigned to a PhD candidate. The whole world is willing to help, so why waste time pleasing one professor or supervisor? This is a new Age and we need not stick to old ways of learning.
Books vs e-Books
We have a decision to make re books. Now that we have to stop cutting down trees for human consumption (make furniture, houses, paper, newspaper, book, etc), we cannot keep on printing books on paper, i.e., no more hardcover or softcover textbooks. What is left is e-books. Are we happy with e-books?
E-books will be the in-thing of the future and paper printed books will be something nobody would want to do anymore (which is sad).
Are we familiar with e-books? Can we cope?
What does it take to create e-books? Practically nothing except the usual copyright licensing, ISBN, hosting and online marketing. Students just need a PDF Reader program.
But we have a problem when things are made available electronically. And that is, only one medical student needs to purchase an e-book and that can be shared with 200-300 students in a class.
So, what is the point of publishing then? Even if publishers try to enforce a code on e-books (download and upload or further re-hosting), there are means and ways of hacking and getting past the problem.
Students stand to benefit from e-books but lecturers suffer since they cannot earn royalty from illegal replication of their e-books.
Any comments from students?
E-books will be the in-thing of the future and paper printed books will be something nobody would want to do anymore (which is sad).
Are we familiar with e-books? Can we cope?
What does it take to create e-books? Practically nothing except the usual copyright licensing, ISBN, hosting and online marketing. Students just need a PDF Reader program.
But we have a problem when things are made available electronically. And that is, only one medical student needs to purchase an e-book and that can be shared with 200-300 students in a class.
So, what is the point of publishing then? Even if publishers try to enforce a code on e-books (download and upload or further re-hosting), there are means and ways of hacking and getting past the problem.
Students stand to benefit from e-books but lecturers suffer since they cannot earn royalty from illegal replication of their e-books.
Any comments from students?
Herbs in daily life - Indian nettle
Source: A CAP Guide by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP)
Indian nettle
Scientific name: Acalypha indica
Tamil name: Kuppaimeni / punai vananggi
Malay name: Kucing galak
Chinese name: Yin du tie jian cai
Herbal and medicinal uses:
Cures phlegm
Cures skin disorders
Cures body ache
Cures bed sores
Cures worms in breastfed infants
My comments:
This is a light green plant that grows well in the open with lots of sunshine. It is hard to grow from seedling but grows well once it takes root. It spreads by wind-blown seeds. Spreads and grows fast even if left unattended. No need to take care. Can overgrow and fill an entire garden. Easy to pluck and remove but young plants may have started growing around the old plants. Can be terrible to have to pluck the small plants, and becomes a nuisance.
The plant is effective against the worst skin disorder - especially if due to itchiness (severe scratching, gatal sangat).
To use the plant for skin disorders, wash and clean and boil the entire plant including its roots. Let the water cool and then drink when it is lukewarm. it looks light brown like normal tea. Can add a bit of sugar since it has no taste.
Drink a glass in the morning and a glass in the evening. Drink daily till the itchiness subsides. Cures any skin disorder within a week, even the worst type or chronic whole body itchiness and skin disease. It does work and works well.
Indian nettle
Scientific name: Acalypha indica
Tamil name: Kuppaimeni / punai vananggi
Malay name: Kucing galak
Chinese name: Yin du tie jian cai
Herbal and medicinal uses:
Cures phlegm
Cures skin disorders
Cures body ache
Cures bed sores
Cures worms in breastfed infants
My comments:
This is a light green plant that grows well in the open with lots of sunshine. It is hard to grow from seedling but grows well once it takes root. It spreads by wind-blown seeds. Spreads and grows fast even if left unattended. No need to take care. Can overgrow and fill an entire garden. Easy to pluck and remove but young plants may have started growing around the old plants. Can be terrible to have to pluck the small plants, and becomes a nuisance.
The plant is effective against the worst skin disorder - especially if due to itchiness (severe scratching, gatal sangat).
To use the plant for skin disorders, wash and clean and boil the entire plant including its roots. Let the water cool and then drink when it is lukewarm. it looks light brown like normal tea. Can add a bit of sugar since it has no taste.
Drink a glass in the morning and a glass in the evening. Drink daily till the itchiness subsides. Cures any skin disorder within a week, even the worst type or chronic whole body itchiness and skin disease. It does work and works well.
 |
| Indian nettle / Kucing galak |
 |
| It is called Kucing galak as cats like to chew on the roots. This increases their prowess (miang). The Kucing galak plant is good for the general health of cats, male and female. |
Herbs in daily life - serai
This is from CAP Guide produced by the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP).
Serai
Scientific name: Cymbopogon nardus
English name: Lemon grass, citronella
Tamil name: Karpurapul
Chinese name: Ning meng cao
Uses: for lemon fragrance in tea, cooking soup, curry, sambal, rice
It is sliced to make nasi kerabu Kelantan
It is sliced for making kuah singgam
The fresh stalk is used in curry and sambal
Herbal and medicinal uses:
Antibactericidal, antifungal
Helps to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, digestive tract
Reduces uric acid and cholesterol
Improves blood circulation
Helps in digestion
Relieves flatulence and colic
My comments:
How do we demonstrate its bactericidal effects?
How do we demonstrate its antifungal effects?
How effective is it in detoxifying the liver? What sort of conditions result in toxic liver?
What results in toxic pancreas?
What causes kidney toxicity? Toxic bladder?
What causes toxic digestive tract?
How effective is it in reducing uric acid and cholesterol?
How does it improve blood circulation?
How does it help in digestion?
How does it relieve flatulence and colic? What is its mode of action?
Serai
Scientific name: Cymbopogon nardus
English name: Lemon grass, citronella
Tamil name: Karpurapul
Chinese name: Ning meng cao
Uses: for lemon fragrance in tea, cooking soup, curry, sambal, rice
It is sliced to make nasi kerabu Kelantan
It is sliced for making kuah singgam
The fresh stalk is used in curry and sambal
Herbal and medicinal uses:
Antibactericidal, antifungal
Helps to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, digestive tract
Reduces uric acid and cholesterol
Improves blood circulation
Helps in digestion
Relieves flatulence and colic
My comments:
How do we demonstrate its bactericidal effects?
How do we demonstrate its antifungal effects?
How effective is it in detoxifying the liver? What sort of conditions result in toxic liver?
What results in toxic pancreas?
What causes kidney toxicity? Toxic bladder?
What causes toxic digestive tract?
How effective is it in reducing uric acid and cholesterol?
How does it improve blood circulation?
How does it help in digestion?
How does it relieve flatulence and colic? What is its mode of action?
 |
| Serai / Lemon grass / Citronella / Karpurapul / Ning meng cao |
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