Edublogging... An Experience!

EduBlogging.. An Experience!

Blogging… For me, this is just something that can be done by people who are really expert in writing. I never imagine myself doing such thing. When you share any experiences or learning through writing in a blog.  I rather speak it out than write.

          Third year, second semester when Mrs. Gaces told us that we need to create a blog in our fourth year clinical chemistry subject. She reminded us to choose our best template. I just ignore it that time because I don’t have really interest in creating a blog and honestly I even do not know how to start. 

          We are told to make a blog about endocrinology. To make a blog account is easy but to construct about a certain topic is what makes it kinda hard. I become more patient is researching and to make it more unique. We are told to avoid copy paste because that is plagiarism. Next is making about our toxicology lesson. I became more creative in doing the second one because I enjoyed it. 

          Edublogging is a good experience. You learn from what you do, share what you have learned to others and they also can learn from you. It is a two way process. I, as the blogger learned from what I do and I can also help my other colleges from my blog. Yes, at first it was just another requirement to pass on but it turned from a good experience. Edublogging…. An experience! A Learning! 

          Therefore, I conclude that the best teacher is an EXPERIENCE.. Thank you for reading this, how you have learned and inspire to create one! Have a great day. God bless you!

Toxicology

Toxicology is the study of poisons, the adverse effects of agents on living organisms and a toxicologist studies the nature of those effects and the probability of their occurrence.

Four Divisions of Toxicology

·         Mechanistic Toxicology concerns with the identification and characterization of cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms that are utilized by chemicals to exert toxic effects on living organisms.

·         Descriptive Toxicology uses the results of animal experiments to predict what level of exposure will cause harm in human.

·         Forensic Toxicology concerned with medicolegal consequences of toxin exposure. This area focuses in establishing and validating the analytic performance of the methods used to generate evidence in legal situations, including the cause of death.

·         Clinical Toxicology is the study of interrelationship between toxin exposure and the disease states. This area emphasizes not only diagnostic testing but also therapeutic intervention.

Routes of Exposure

      Ingestion

      Inhalation

      Transdermal absorption

Exposure to Toxins

50% of poisoning cases are intentional suicide attempts, 30% accidental exposure

And the remaining cases are a result of homicide or occupational exposure.

Suicide has the highest mortality rate. Accidental exposure occurs frequently in children and occupational exposure primarily occurs in industrial and agricultural settings.

Toxicants can be classified by system interaction. The most common classifications are:

       Hepatotoxicants -cause damage to the liver (e.g. Acetaminophen, ethyl alcohol)

      Nephrotoxicants -damage to kidneys (e.g. Cadmium, Mercury)

      Neurotoxicants –damage to the nervous system (e.g. lead)

      Immunotoxicants –damage to the immune system (e.g. toluene)

       Hematoxicants –damage to the circulatory system (e.g. Benzene)

      Dermatoxicants- damage to the skin (e.g. Magnesium Chromate)

   Pulmonotoxicants –damage to the lungs (e.g. Asbestos)

      Carcinogens –agents that increase cancer risk (e.g.  Hexavalent chronium)

 Toxicology: Common Drugs and their effects to the body

Toxicity Rating System

Toxicity Rating	Lethal Oral Dose in Average Adult
Super toxic	<5mg/kg
Extremely toxic	5-50 mg/kg
Very toxic	50-500 mg/kg
Moderately toxic	0.5-5 g/kg
Slightly toxic	5-15 g/kg
Practically nontoxic	>15 g/kg

 

Acute and Chronic Toxicity are terms used to relate the duration and frequency of exposure to observed toxic effects.

Ø  Acute Toxicity is usually associated with a single, short term exposure to a substance

Ø  Chronic Toxicity is usually associated with repeated frequent exposure for extended periods, at doses that are insufficient to cause an immediate acute response.

References:

Michael Bishop et al Clinical Chemistry Techniques, Principles, Correlations 6^th Edition

William E. Luttrell et al Toxicology Principles for the Industrial Hygienist

Endocrinology

Around age of 12, as I enter the puberty stage, I  have experienced some physical and behavioral changes. Hips begin to widen, breast develops, pimples begin to appear, mood swings and my menstruation started. I know that this changes are just normal. According  to Gerald J. Tortora this changes are because of the secretions from the endocrine glands.

According to Lauralee Sherwood, Endocrinology is the study of homeostatic chemical adjustments and other activities accomplished by hormones, which are secreted into the blood by endocrine glands.

Exocrine and endocrine are the two kinds of glands in our body. Exocrine glands, such as sweat (sudoriferous), oil (sebaceous), mucous, and digestive glands, secrete their products into ducts that carry the secretions to other parts of the body. While the endocrine (ductless) secrete their products- called hormones into the extracellular space.

Photo Credit: noblehospitalspune.com

Endocrine system releases chemical messengers called hormones (hormones which means set in motion) into the bloodstream. They bring changes in the metabolic activities of body tissues.

Some Features of hormones?

• They are produced by a specific tissue 
• They are released directly from the tissue into the bloodstream and carried to the site of action
• They act as target cells to induce certain biochemical changes

Clinical endocrinology is one of the fastest growing fields in clinical chemistry.

Thank you for reading!

"When we stop reading, we stop learning"

References:
Donald F. Calbreath, "Clinical Chemistry: A Fundamental Textbook
Gerald J. Tortora, "Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology Third Edition