You can hold down Alt while typing 136 into the number pad on the right hand side of the keyboard: ê.
ê is Alt + 136
° is Alt = 248....
é = 130
à = 133
è = 138
ç = 135
ã = 0227
ô = 147
õ = 0245
â = 0226
ñ = 0241
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Microchimerism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchimerism
This fascinated me...
Relationship with autoimmune diseases and breast cancer
Microchimerism has been implicated in autoimmune diseases. Independent studies repeatedly suggested that microchimeric cells of fetal origin may be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.[1][4] Moreover, microchimeric cells of maternal origin may be involved in the pathogenesis of a group of autoimmune diseases found in children, i.e. juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (one example would be juvenile dermatomyositis).[5] Microchimerism has now been further implicated in other autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus.[6] Contrarily, an alternative hypothesis on the role of microchimeric cells in lesions is that they may be facilitating tissue repair of the damaged organ.[7]
Moreover, fetal immune cells have also been frequently found in breast cancer stroma as compared to samples taken from healthy women. It is not clear, however, whether fetal cell lines promote the dvelopment of tumors or, contrarily, protect women from developing breast carcinoma.
This fascinated me...
Relationship with autoimmune diseases and breast cancer
Microchimerism has been implicated in autoimmune diseases. Independent studies repeatedly suggested that microchimeric cells of fetal origin may be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.[1][4] Moreover, microchimeric cells of maternal origin may be involved in the pathogenesis of a group of autoimmune diseases found in children, i.e. juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (one example would be juvenile dermatomyositis).[5] Microchimerism has now been further implicated in other autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus.[6] Contrarily, an alternative hypothesis on the role of microchimeric cells in lesions is that they may be facilitating tissue repair of the damaged organ.[7]
Moreover, fetal immune cells have also been frequently found in breast cancer stroma as compared to samples taken from healthy women. It is not clear, however, whether fetal cell lines promote the dvelopment of tumors or, contrarily, protect women from developing breast carcinoma.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Interpreting ANA values of the Lupus test
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ytAndXMDXiUJ:www.uklupus.co.uk/ana.html+ana+test+lupus&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
ANA stands for Antinuclear Antibody. This literally means 'substance against the cell nucleus'. The nucleus is the 'headquarters' of the living cell, therefore the ANA can damage or destroy cells & tissues.
95%-98% of patients with SLE will have a positive ANA test, but the majority of people with a positive ANA test do not have SLE. A positive ANA test can be found in many conditions, including Sjogren's Syndrome, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, & mixed connective tissue disease. Many normal healthy people will also have a positive ANA test. Therefore a positive ANA test, on it's own, does not mean that person has lupus.
Because of this, the physician has to look very carefully at the titer (number) & pattern of the ANA test. The titer shows how many times the technician had to mix fluid from the patient's blood to get a sample free of ANAs. Thus a titer of 1:640 shows a greater concentration of ANA than 1:320 or 1:160, since it took 640 dilutions of the plasma before ANA was no longer detected. The apparent great difference between various titers can be misleading. Since each dilution involves doubling the amount of test fluid, it is not surprising that titers increase rapidly. In fact, the difference between titers of 1:160 & 1:320 is only a single dilution. And it doesn't necessarily represent a major difference in disease activity.
ANA titers go up & down during the course of the disease, & may or may not reflect disease activity. Therefore it is not always possible to tell from the titer how severe a person's lupus is.
A titer of 1:80 or lower is usually considered negative.
The pattern of the ANA is studied by microscope. The technician examines a specially prepared slide that shows where antibodies attack the nucleus. Certain antibodies attack certain areas of the nucleus, producing four specific patterns.
The rim (peripheral) pattern is the most specific pattern for lupus, while the homogeneous (diffuse) pattern is the most common pattern seen. The remaining patterns are the speckled and nucleolar patterns. In some cases the pattern helps the doctor decide which of the autoimmune diseases is causing the problem and which treatment program is appropriate.
Because a positive ANA test can be found in other diseases as well as SLE, the physician will use a positive ANA test as only one factor in determining whether or not a patient has lupus. A positive ANA test does not mean that a person has lupus. The physician needs to find other clinical features such as butterfly rashes, arthritis, pleurisy, blood abnormalities, kidney disease, etc., in addition to a positive ANA test before making a diagnosis of SLE.
The reliability of the ANA test depends upon the laboratory. Many variables can interfere with the test & give false numbers. The accuracy of the test can also vary, depending on many factors, such as the strength of the fluorescent antibody, or even the quality of the microscope used.
Once a patient is found to be ANA positive, the physician may want to further investigate which antigen in the nucleus is responsible for the positive ANA test. The knowledge of which antigen is responsible for the positive ANA test can sometimes be helpful in determining which disease is present. For instance, antibodies to DNA (the protein that makes up the body's genetic code) are found primarily in SLE. Levels of these antibodies in the blood can be useful to the physician in following the course of lupus, especially in patients with kidney disease. Anti-DNA levels, however, do not always perfectly match the clinical course of lupus kidney disease. Antibodies to histones (DNA packaging proteins) may be very helpful in determining whether a patient has drug-induced lupus. These antibodies may be found in SLE as well. Antibodies to Sm antigen are found almost exclusively in lupus, & when present, help to clinch the diagnosis of SLE. Antibodies to RNP (ribonucleoprotein) are found in a variety of connective tissue diseases. When present in very high levels, they are indicative of mixed connective tissue disease, a condition with features of SLE, polymyositis, and scleroderma. Antibodies to SS-A are found in both lupus and Sjogren's syndrome and are sometimes associated with babies who are born with neonatal lupus.
ANA stands for Antinuclear Antibody. This literally means 'substance against the cell nucleus'. The nucleus is the 'headquarters' of the living cell, therefore the ANA can damage or destroy cells & tissues.
95%-98% of patients with SLE will have a positive ANA test, but the majority of people with a positive ANA test do not have SLE. A positive ANA test can be found in many conditions, including Sjogren's Syndrome, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, & mixed connective tissue disease. Many normal healthy people will also have a positive ANA test. Therefore a positive ANA test, on it's own, does not mean that person has lupus.
Because of this, the physician has to look very carefully at the titer (number) & pattern of the ANA test. The titer shows how many times the technician had to mix fluid from the patient's blood to get a sample free of ANAs. Thus a titer of 1:640 shows a greater concentration of ANA than 1:320 or 1:160, since it took 640 dilutions of the plasma before ANA was no longer detected. The apparent great difference between various titers can be misleading. Since each dilution involves doubling the amount of test fluid, it is not surprising that titers increase rapidly. In fact, the difference between titers of 1:160 & 1:320 is only a single dilution. And it doesn't necessarily represent a major difference in disease activity.
ANA titers go up & down during the course of the disease, & may or may not reflect disease activity. Therefore it is not always possible to tell from the titer how severe a person's lupus is.
A titer of 1:80 or lower is usually considered negative.
The pattern of the ANA is studied by microscope. The technician examines a specially prepared slide that shows where antibodies attack the nucleus. Certain antibodies attack certain areas of the nucleus, producing four specific patterns.
The rim (peripheral) pattern is the most specific pattern for lupus, while the homogeneous (diffuse) pattern is the most common pattern seen. The remaining patterns are the speckled and nucleolar patterns. In some cases the pattern helps the doctor decide which of the autoimmune diseases is causing the problem and which treatment program is appropriate.
Because a positive ANA test can be found in other diseases as well as SLE, the physician will use a positive ANA test as only one factor in determining whether or not a patient has lupus. A positive ANA test does not mean that a person has lupus. The physician needs to find other clinical features such as butterfly rashes, arthritis, pleurisy, blood abnormalities, kidney disease, etc., in addition to a positive ANA test before making a diagnosis of SLE.
The reliability of the ANA test depends upon the laboratory. Many variables can interfere with the test & give false numbers. The accuracy of the test can also vary, depending on many factors, such as the strength of the fluorescent antibody, or even the quality of the microscope used.
Once a patient is found to be ANA positive, the physician may want to further investigate which antigen in the nucleus is responsible for the positive ANA test. The knowledge of which antigen is responsible for the positive ANA test can sometimes be helpful in determining which disease is present. For instance, antibodies to DNA (the protein that makes up the body's genetic code) are found primarily in SLE. Levels of these antibodies in the blood can be useful to the physician in following the course of lupus, especially in patients with kidney disease. Anti-DNA levels, however, do not always perfectly match the clinical course of lupus kidney disease. Antibodies to histones (DNA packaging proteins) may be very helpful in determining whether a patient has drug-induced lupus. These antibodies may be found in SLE as well. Antibodies to Sm antigen are found almost exclusively in lupus, & when present, help to clinch the diagnosis of SLE. Antibodies to RNP (ribonucleoprotein) are found in a variety of connective tissue diseases. When present in very high levels, they are indicative of mixed connective tissue disease, a condition with features of SLE, polymyositis, and scleroderma. Antibodies to SS-A are found in both lupus and Sjogren's syndrome and are sometimes associated with babies who are born with neonatal lupus.
Monday, October 4, 2010
4 Foods You Should Never Eat
http://virgilaponte.com/2010/01/23/4-foods-you-should-never-eat/
I couldn't find an author listed, but I assume it's Virgil Aponte.
4 Foods You Should Never Eat
Brought to you by The Truth About Six Pack Abs
4 Foods to NEVER eat by Mike Geary
Two of these foods (or drink) below, I would NEVER eat all, and the other 2, I would only eat in very small quantities.
If you want to stop struggling with bodyfat, and also have superior health, these foods should be minimized or eliminated.
I’ll explain more…
1. Soy
Despite being heavily marketed and promoted as a “health food” by the multi billion dollar soy industry, this food has more drawbacks than it does benefits. In fact, I would label soymilk, isolated soy protein, and tofu as junk foods.
And don’t even get me started on the excess estrogenic compounds in processed soy…
if you want to increase your belly fat, keep pounding down that soymilk and tofu! A small amount unprocessed soy, such as edamame, is not a big deal… especially if it’s organic.
And small amounts of fermented soy such as tempe and miso are ok too (because the fermentation reduces anti-nutrients in soy)…
but try to minimize/eliminate most other forms of soy…
and that includes soybean oil, which is in almost ALL processed foods, commercial salad dressings, etc.
My comments: I personally use soy milk, almond milk & hemp milk from time to time.
I do this sometimes at smoothie bars because no one offers Raw Milk which is my milk of choice.
If it’s at home Raw Milk is the best base for my Protein Shakes.
Best of all is that it’s not processed at all and only has 1 simple ingredient: Milk!
While Soy, Hemp, Almond Milk etc… is touted as healthy it does have questionable ingredients unless you make it yourself (which some people do by the way).
2. Wheat
Most people don’t realize this, but a large % of the total population has at least some degree of intolerance to digesting wheat… particularly the high gluten content of wheat.
Most people are not full blown Celiacs (who need to avoid wheat entirely), but the majority of people would find improvements to their health and bodyfat by testing eliminating wheat for several weeks, and taking note of how they feel, look, and their measurements.
I know it’s a hard thing to do since a HUGE portion of the modern western diet is made from wheat products, but I’ve found it’s quite easy to do at home once you get used to it.
Dining out is a different story.
Personally, I choose to almost entirely avoid wheat in all of my meals at home.
I only dine out occasionally, or on vacations, so that’s the only time when I eat wheat.
My comments: I fall smack right into this this club and need to avoid wheat as much as I can. Too bad for me that I love bread and I also love penne pasta with pesto sauce! I also love a good steak so I guess things balance out
Most tests I’ve taken show that I am gluten intolerant which is why I have to avoid wheat as much as possible.
I found this out using the ALCAT TEST
You can also simply avoid wheat for a few weeks and see how you feel.
3. Soda or sweetened drinks (including commercial juices)
This is one that I personally choose to NEVER consume!
Even on cheat days, vacations, or dining out, I think this stuff is pure evil enough to never even touch.
If you care about your body at all, there’s just no reason to consume soda in any amount.
It’s pure sugar (or worse, high fructose corn syrup), has ZERO nutrition, and has many other issues related to the additives, acids, etc.
In addition, the consumption of this calorically-dense but nutritionally-absent liquid actually makes your body crave more food, because you consumed calories without consuming any nutrients.
It also spikes your blood sugar out of whack causing wild blood sugar swings and additional cravings.
I’m always amazed how many people tell me that they are desperately trying to lose wt, but yet I see them drinking a soda.
I don’t get it.
4. Anything deep fried (or anything with trans fats)
You would think the entire population should know by now how dangerous consuming trans fats really is… yet people ignore these dangers and scarf down deep fried foods like french fries, corn chips, and donuts every day.
If you study some of the biochemical reactions that take place in the body of humans after consuming trans fats, you would realize this is essentially a poison.
It’s not a poison that’s going to kill you immediately, but it’s a poison that causes inflammation throughout the body, and even detrimentally affects all of your cell membranes (remember from bio101 that your cell membranes need fats for their composition, and trans fats disrupt healthy cell membranes).
I’ve found that if I can get people to view trans fats as the true POISON that they really are, they finally realize the importance of avoiding them ENTIRELY… and to stop poisoning their kids too by allowing them to eat deep fried foods (especially important for kids to avoid trans fats since it can impair development
I couldn't find an author listed, but I assume it's Virgil Aponte.
4 Foods You Should Never Eat
Brought to you by The Truth About Six Pack Abs
4 Foods to NEVER eat by Mike Geary
Two of these foods (or drink) below, I would NEVER eat all, and the other 2, I would only eat in very small quantities.
If you want to stop struggling with bodyfat, and also have superior health, these foods should be minimized or eliminated.
I’ll explain more…
1. Soy
Despite being heavily marketed and promoted as a “health food” by the multi billion dollar soy industry, this food has more drawbacks than it does benefits. In fact, I would label soymilk, isolated soy protein, and tofu as junk foods.
And don’t even get me started on the excess estrogenic compounds in processed soy…
if you want to increase your belly fat, keep pounding down that soymilk and tofu! A small amount unprocessed soy, such as edamame, is not a big deal… especially if it’s organic.
And small amounts of fermented soy such as tempe and miso are ok too (because the fermentation reduces anti-nutrients in soy)…
but try to minimize/eliminate most other forms of soy…
and that includes soybean oil, which is in almost ALL processed foods, commercial salad dressings, etc.
My comments: I personally use soy milk, almond milk & hemp milk from time to time.
I do this sometimes at smoothie bars because no one offers Raw Milk which is my milk of choice.
If it’s at home Raw Milk is the best base for my Protein Shakes.
Best of all is that it’s not processed at all and only has 1 simple ingredient: Milk!
While Soy, Hemp, Almond Milk etc… is touted as healthy it does have questionable ingredients unless you make it yourself (which some people do by the way).
2. Wheat
Most people don’t realize this, but a large % of the total population has at least some degree of intolerance to digesting wheat… particularly the high gluten content of wheat.
Most people are not full blown Celiacs (who need to avoid wheat entirely), but the majority of people would find improvements to their health and bodyfat by testing eliminating wheat for several weeks, and taking note of how they feel, look, and their measurements.
I know it’s a hard thing to do since a HUGE portion of the modern western diet is made from wheat products, but I’ve found it’s quite easy to do at home once you get used to it.
Dining out is a different story.
Personally, I choose to almost entirely avoid wheat in all of my meals at home.
I only dine out occasionally, or on vacations, so that’s the only time when I eat wheat.
My comments: I fall smack right into this this club and need to avoid wheat as much as I can. Too bad for me that I love bread and I also love penne pasta with pesto sauce! I also love a good steak so I guess things balance out
Most tests I’ve taken show that I am gluten intolerant which is why I have to avoid wheat as much as possible.
I found this out using the ALCAT TEST
You can also simply avoid wheat for a few weeks and see how you feel.
3. Soda or sweetened drinks (including commercial juices)
This is one that I personally choose to NEVER consume!
Even on cheat days, vacations, or dining out, I think this stuff is pure evil enough to never even touch.
If you care about your body at all, there’s just no reason to consume soda in any amount.
It’s pure sugar (or worse, high fructose corn syrup), has ZERO nutrition, and has many other issues related to the additives, acids, etc.
In addition, the consumption of this calorically-dense but nutritionally-absent liquid actually makes your body crave more food, because you consumed calories without consuming any nutrients.
It also spikes your blood sugar out of whack causing wild blood sugar swings and additional cravings.
I’m always amazed how many people tell me that they are desperately trying to lose wt, but yet I see them drinking a soda.
I don’t get it.
4. Anything deep fried (or anything with trans fats)
You would think the entire population should know by now how dangerous consuming trans fats really is… yet people ignore these dangers and scarf down deep fried foods like french fries, corn chips, and donuts every day.
If you study some of the biochemical reactions that take place in the body of humans after consuming trans fats, you would realize this is essentially a poison.
It’s not a poison that’s going to kill you immediately, but it’s a poison that causes inflammation throughout the body, and even detrimentally affects all of your cell membranes (remember from bio101 that your cell membranes need fats for their composition, and trans fats disrupt healthy cell membranes).
I’ve found that if I can get people to view trans fats as the true POISON that they really are, they finally realize the importance of avoiding them ENTIRELY… and to stop poisoning their kids too by allowing them to eat deep fried foods (especially important for kids to avoid trans fats since it can impair development
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Mississippi Online Services
http://www.mississippi.gov/online_services_sub_sub_all.jsp?Category_ID=52
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