Myelin was first discovered by the French Histologist Louis-Antoine Ranvier in 1878. This discovery was the foundation of understanding how the process of myelination occurs and its importance in the nervous system. Myelination is the term used to describe the coating of neurones and dendrites with myelin to form a myelin sheath. This process starts at the cranial nerves during the fifth month of pregnancy and continues throughout a person’s life (Barkovich 2000).
Read the rest of this entry »
The haemophilias are disorders that affect the blood clotting system. Roughly 85% of haemophilia sufferers are affected by haemophilia A this translates into roughly 1 in 5000 males. Haemophilia B affects roughly 1 in 30,000 male. Haemophilia is a disease which has been in the spotlight in recent years due to it being an ideal candidate for gene therapy. Some have stated that if gene therapy cannot be implemented with haemophilia it is unlikely to work in other diseases.
Research into a number of future therapies to aid treatment of haemophilia suffers has yielded good results. Certain future treatments such as gene therapy if successful in haemophilia could pave the way for treatment of other diseases.
Read the rest of this entry »
Thomas Edison once stated that sleep was a waste of time. In addition some of the greatest minds only slept for 4 hours each night. So what is sleep, why do we need it and why does the media continuously talk about how important it is.
Sleep is a state of rest observed in many organisms which include mammal’s amphibian’s, birds and reptiles. It is a mechanism which is needed for survival and maintenance of ones health. It allows us to remain sane and keep normal levels of human cognition.
During sleep there is a decreased reaction to any external stimuli, a loss in consciousness, an increase in anabolism and a decrease rate of catabolism. Read the rest of this entry »
Roughly 6 months ago I experienced a painful rotator cuff injury from playing sports and this literally took me out of action for 4 months. I sourced the internet, books and journals for information and as a result I have collated information from various sources and would like to pass on this knowledge to my readers.
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that surround the shoulder joint. There are four muscles associated with the rotator cuff. Read the rest of this entry »
I have just finished reading an article in the Nature news blog regarding Spain’s plans to offer legal rights to apes? Yes it sounds crazy but this is something which has been a hot topic for a long time especially in the ethics arena.
The Spanish government are planning on putting their weight behind the long established great ape project. This project aims to give the same rights to apes, similar to human rights.
Read the rest of this entry »
Psychodynamics is a branch of psychology which attempts to explain human behavioural patterns in regards to motivation and emotional drive. Neurology and Neuroscience along with the basic principles of thermodynamics underpin the transient function associated with psychodynamics. Sigmund Freud initially developed the theory of Psychodynamics in the 1870’s. Read the rest of this entry »
During exercise there is an increased demand for oxygen. This can increase by a factor of 10 to 15. The job of the cardiovascular system and the pulmonary system is to supply blood back to these muscles and remove waste substances from body tissues. The respiratory system and the circulatory system also have important roles during exercise. Read the rest of this entry »
Diabetes mellitus is a condition that causes chronically raised levels of glucose in the body due to either a lack of insulin in the body or either to a fault in the mechanism of insulin action. This decreases the overall life expectancy by 25%, it affects roughly 2% of the population and this figure is set to double over the next 10 years. There are various effects diabetes can have on an individual. Read the rest of this entry »
A lot of people when starting a new fitness and diet regime immediately think of cardio as their main source to losing weight, but losing weight using straight cardio and diet is a slow process, plus if you go back to your old ways you will eventually put the weight back on.
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is through WEIGHT TRAINING and DIET. Read the rest of this entry »
During my time at university one of the biggest shocks I received was when I realised the amount of essay writing required for a scientific degree and considering English was not my speciality, this looked like the perfect recipe for disaster. Thankfully over the course of my degree I gained much practice and eventually was achieving the top grades for all of my essays. I have learnt a great deal and below are some of my top tips for scientific essay writing.
Read the rest of this entry »
