Today I went to MoMA PS1! Yay! I was in a very reflective mood, with all the modern art around me (aka I was very confused). I couldn’t take pics inside the museum, so here are some pics of me walking around the museum area! Yay!!!
Today is also a day of thankfulness for those who’ve served our nation. For their lives, their time, their hearts. . . The Meaning of Memorial Day: Veterans Reflect
Cathay Bank’s offering a promotion this year to college students… I just want a 4 GB USB flash drive! And I just have to deposit $10 to have it. Yay me!
Remember RhoGAM from one of my previous posts? Turns out it’s also used to raise the platelet count in patients with ITP, idiopathic thromocytopenic purpura. ITP is a bleeding condition in which the patient’s blood doesn’t clot as it should, due to, you guessed it, a lower-than-normal platelet count. A simple blood test can ascertain this. To break down the name: idiopathic = cause unknown, thrombocyte = platelet, -penia = lower-than-normal, purpura = purple bruises.
There’s acute ITP and chronic ITP.
Acute ITP generally lasts less than 6 months. It mainly occurs in children, both boys and girls, and is the most common type of ITP. Acute ITP often occurs after an infection caused by a virus.
Chronic ITP is long-lasting (6 months or longer) and mostly affects adults. However, some teenagers and children can get this type of ITP. Chronic ITP affects women 2 to 3 times more often than men.
Treatment depends on how severe the bleeding symptoms are and the platelet count. In mild cases, treatment may not be needed. — NHLBI
There are other treatments for ITP, including RhoGAM.
I’m tired; wanna go back to watching funny videos!!
This is to makin’ it for another day! Cheers!
EDIT: I wanted to add something inspirational… something that inspired me and I hope will inspire you. Because moving past hurdles in life gives a sense of renewal, I felt renewed today and I hope for the same for you.
In Rubin’s Pathology: Clinicopathologic Foundations of Medicine, a textbook of massive proportions, a heading appears:
Erythroblastosis Fetalis is a Hemolytic Disease Caused by Mathernal Antibodies Against Fetal Erythrocytes
What does this mean? Well, in simpler terms courtesy of PubMed Health, erythroblastosis fetalis is a potentially life-threatening blood disorder in a fetus or newborn infant. There are two cases: ABO incompatibility, which is more common and varies in seriousness, and Rh incompatibility, which is less common. The incompatibility occurs between the blood of mother and baby while the babe is still in the womb.
I think many people are familiar with ABO blood types, in which a person may be A, B, AB, or O. But remember there can be a + or – after the ABO designation? That’s the Rh antigen typing. A little trivia:
The distribution of Rh antigens among ethnic groups varies. In American whites, 15% are Rh-negative (Rh D-), whereas only 8% of blacks are Rh D-. Japaneses, Chinese, and Native American Indian populations contain essentially no Rh D- persons. By contrast, in the Basque population, among whom the mutation that causes the Rh D- phenotype may have arisen, the prevalence of Rh D- persons is 35%. —– Rubin’s Pathology
For Rh incompatibile erythroblastosis fetalis, an Rh-negative mother may carry the first Rh-positive child without incident. However, during this pregnancy, the mother develops antibodies that are sensitive to, and would attack, Rh-positive red blood cells (RBCs) if she has a second Rh-positive child. A graphic depiction would be:
Thankfully, with RhoGAMÂŽ, administered within 72 hours of delivery, the incidents of Rh incompatible erythroblastosis fetalis have fallen.
As for ABO incompatible erythroblastosis fetalis, although it’s now more common than Rh incompatible erythroblastosis fetalis, rest assured, for prevention is possible with exchange transfusions and phototherapy.
So, ladies, talk to your doctor about the possibilities of this not-so-complicated-anymore-complication if you are planning on having a baby. Remember: you can always dump the blame on your husband đ because we all know it’s always the guy’s fault :-D.
Arsenic has an interesting history and present:
Arsenic is an element found in nature in rocks, soils, water and airâin fact, it is one of the most common elements on earth. While arsenic has been used historically in industry in fertilizers and preservatives, it is probably best known as a poison, toxic to humans who ingest it.
One of the most famous series of poisonings was by the Borgia family, specifically Pope Alexander VI (Pope from 1492-1503), his son Cesare, and perhaps his daughter Lucretia. During their lifetime an interesting church law allowed for confiscation of property following a victimâs untimely death.
The Pope encouraged cardinals to increase their personal wealth, then invited wealthy cardinals to the Borgia’s home where they were served a meal with arsenic laced wine. Upon death, the vic-tim’s property was seized, so that soon the Borgias were one of the wealthiest families in Italy.
As karma would have it, the Pope and his son were poisoned by the same arsenic-laced wine, perhaps accidentally, who’s to say?
Another famous arsenic poisoner was Mary Ann Cotton (1832-1873). She is reportedly to have killed more than 20 people between 1852 and 1872, including her husbands and her children. Her motives  appeared to be… who can take a guess? … financial, you guessed it!
Again, the ending is fitting… Mrs. Cotton was hanged in 1873 upon proof of arsenic poisoning of one of her victims.
However, arsenic has another face to it. Â Throughout history arsenic has been used in various medicines. Most had limited to no real benefit. In the mid 20th century some drugs containing arsenic, known as arsenicals, showed some effectiveness on human trypanosomiasis (a parasitic protozoan). However, arsenicals are toxic and caused death in 5 to 10% of the patients. Despite the danger, these drugs are still used in Africa today. (American Cancer Society 2009) A recent medicine, arsenic trioxide, has shown effectiveness on acute promyelocytic leukemia, APL. It received FDA approval in 2001. (see MedlinePlus: Arsenic Trioxide Injection)
In a January 2005 article, Retinoic Acid and Arsenic for Treating Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, presents research on using a combination of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a derivative of Vitamin A, to treat APL.
Pretty amazing, huh?
A New York Times article features the headline: At Brooklyn Drugstores, This Robber Wants Pills. Written on April 29, 2011 by Karen Zraick, the article states,
Since March 3, the robber has struck mom-and-pop pharmacies in Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay five times, demanding powerful painkillers like OxyContin.
PubMed Health lists Oxycontin (oxycodone HCl ER) as one of the brand name drugs of oxycodone, which is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lists some street names for this drug:Â Kicker, OC, Oxy, OX, Blue, Oxycotton, Hillybilly Heroin.
Beware of cottoning to Oxycontin!
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