Sooooo many acronyms in that title. But they shall be explained!
PML means Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy. UMDSOM means University of Maryland School of Medicine. And SNMA means Student National Medical Association.
I was invited to a dinner with this group this past Friday evening. It was a get together for some of the minority students that attend the school of medicine. There were some awesome people there!
The person I was talking to what describing one of her unique experiences. She described an HIV positive patient that was not taking their medication. As a result, the patient developed PML. My eyes opened so wide, I bet they were going to pop out. PML is such an interesting disease to me. So to hear that she actually saw it in person there at the SOM was amazing!
This honestly felt like one little push by God saying that this place was the place for me. And I couldn't be more thrilled!
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Almost There!
Only 2 weeks of classes left. And then finals week. And then graduation. My undergraduate career is almost over! It felt like I just entered college, though. Goodness doesn't time pass?
I need to get back on par with my work so I don't fail! Luckily I've been having a bit more motivation to complete my work. My labs are up to date and I'm performing better on exams.
What I need to do now is finish Project 3, making up that last quiz I missed, and do my case studies. I could possibly finish the class with an A if I would hard enough. Since I'm not so focused on earning a very good grade, I'm finding that I am enjoying the material we are learning. While it isn't my favorite subject in terms of intricacies, it is still rather intriguing. Hopefully we get to make it to the cancer chapter before finals!
I'm excited for these next two weeks. The class is great, the people are great, and the material is just awesome to absorb. It will be bittersweet when it is over.
What I need to do now is finish Project 3, making up that last quiz I missed, and do my case studies. I could possibly finish the class with an A if I would hard enough. Since I'm not so focused on earning a very good grade, I'm finding that I am enjoying the material we are learning. While it isn't my favorite subject in terms of intricacies, it is still rather intriguing. Hopefully we get to make it to the cancer chapter before finals!
I'm excited for these next two weeks. The class is great, the people are great, and the material is just awesome to absorb. It will be bittersweet when it is over.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Calcium and its Effect on Red Blood Cells
So this past Wednesday, Lydia, Christina, and I managed to make our way to NIH to attend a seminar. It was titled Calcium-driven signalling in Red Blood Cells in Health and Disease. It was a fairly small seminar with about 10-15 people in attendance. Regardless, it was still very good.
It was completely awesome to see all of the information learned in Cell Biology, Animal Physiology, Genetics, Histology, and Biochemistry combined in this cool research! The most interesting park of the presentation was the researchers discovered that calcium actually binds to hemoglobin to allow the release of oxygen. The question is where calcium binds to hemoglobin.
I can't wait to attend another seminar at NIH! It feels so great to understand about 95% of what presenters are discussing in seminars. WAU Biology and Chemistry Department has really prepared us well. :D
It was completely awesome to see all of the information learned in Cell Biology, Animal Physiology, Genetics, Histology, and Biochemistry combined in this cool research! The most interesting park of the presentation was the researchers discovered that calcium actually binds to hemoglobin to allow the release of oxygen. The question is where calcium binds to hemoglobin.
I can't wait to attend another seminar at NIH! It feels so great to understand about 95% of what presenters are discussing in seminars. WAU Biology and Chemistry Department has really prepared us well. :D
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Cell Junctions
Zonula adherens - These are anchoring junctions that hold epithelial cells together and provide mechanical resistance. They lie right below tight junctions. They involve the use of cadherins
Zonula occludens - These are tight junctions. It seals the borders of two adjacent cells to create an impermeable membrane. It can be selectively permeable.
Desmosomes - Also known as macula adherens. This is another anchoring junction. It forms a sort of zipper through the use of desmogleins on the outside and intermediate filaments in the cytoskeleton. They form spot welds.
Hemidesmosomes - These look like desmosomes, but are different. Through the use of integrins, they connect the epithelial cells to the basement membrane.
Fascia adherens - Is found in cardiac tissue, particularly intercalated discs. It is a site that anchors actin filaments.
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References:
- http://www.ulysse.u-bordeaux.fr/atelier/ikramer/biocell_diffusion/gbb.cel.fa.106.b3/content/images/fig12.jpg
- http://www.histology.leeds.ac.uk/tissue_types/epithelia/epi_cell_junctions.php
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Cellular_tight_junction-en.svg/2000px-Cellular_tight_junction-en.svg.png
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Desmosome_cell_junction_en.svg/1000px-Desmosome_cell_junction_en.svg.png
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVtNDefvxm585y-STKvVPqL4KedhBezmqKGTzXv1A0-wtiqVsxBJkw__oQRu_rttG5Y6LOJlpOrD4owniRGqZL2XFdnbKHM6KtNhMkR84vXZQo8JM8kwkz4At89lwjUROBsUQFtqAJsE/?imgmax=800
- http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/content/cardiovascres/80/1/9/F3.large.jpg
Friday, March 20, 2015
Cytochrome C
Cytochrome C oxidase is a protein that is found in the inner membrane of the mitochondria as an integral transmembrane protein. It is the final unit in the electron transport chain. Its structure contains 14 subunits and two hemes. The second photo below shows the structure.
The Cytochrome C oxidase functions in many ways. First, it transfers 4 protons at a time into the inner membrane space to establish the proton gradient. It then takes the electrons and transfers them to the oxygen molecule to start the formation molecular oxygen. It also binds the protons that travel through the ATP synthase to that oxygen molecule to make 2 complete molecular oxygens.
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References:
The Cytochrome C oxidase functions in many ways. First, it transfers 4 protons at a time into the inner membrane space to establish the proton gradient. It then takes the electrons and transfers them to the oxygen molecule to start the formation molecular oxygen. It also binds the protons that travel through the ATP synthase to that oxygen molecule to make 2 complete molecular oxygens.
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References:
- http://www.sciencemag.org/content/280/5370/1712/F1.medium.gif
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Cmplx4.PNG/300px-Cmplx4.PNG
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Prostate Removal
This is my post for March 6, 2015.
This was the week of my interview! It was a long but enjoyable day. The most surprising part about the interview day was that we all had the chance to observe a surgical procedure. That's quite unique!
Due to HIPAA, I can't reveal much details. I can say that it was a patient with prostate cancer that was getting the whole structure removed. It was clear to see which part of the prostate had the cancer. It looked blackish (not from the cauterizing) and necrotic. Honestly, it looked quite bad. Hopefully the cancer didn't metastasize and that the pathologist reports negative margins.
One other aspect that was awesome was the use of robotic technology to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries! The surgeons perform the procedure outside of the operating room by controlling robotic arms that fit through the small incisions made. Below is a picture of the exact instruments.
This was the week of my interview! It was a long but enjoyable day. The most surprising part about the interview day was that we all had the chance to observe a surgical procedure. That's quite unique!
Due to HIPAA, I can't reveal much details. I can say that it was a patient with prostate cancer that was getting the whole structure removed. It was clear to see which part of the prostate had the cancer. It looked blackish (not from the cauterizing) and necrotic. Honestly, it looked quite bad. Hopefully the cancer didn't metastasize and that the pathologist reports negative margins.
One other aspect that was awesome was the use of robotic technology to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries! The surgeons perform the procedure outside of the operating room by controlling robotic arms that fit through the small incisions made. Below is a picture of the exact instruments.
We had the chance to test out the first machine! They brought us into the simulation lab to use the machines. There were tasks to complete such as picking up objects and sorting them accordingly, placing rings on a hook after exchanging hands, and other ones. It was certainly a lot harder than it looked. Oddly enough, I caught on really quickly and got a fairly good hang of it for my first time. Maybe I should consider surgery lol.
Reflection at Midterm Time
This is my blog for February 27, 2015.
Frankly, I need to do better. This kind of work ethic is unacceptable. I'm not submitting papers on time and missing assignments, which is out of the ordinary. Maybe it is the senioritis? I think so. And also that God has been blessing me so much with many pathways to the next step in my life, that I've probably already closed this chapter academically. Too bad for me, I need to back-peddle and still work hard!
Learning wise, there are certain subjects about Cell that I don't like. Membrane channels and communication are a cringe-worthy topic for me. It's something that requires a lot more time and effort to learn. But so it goes! Overall, I'm quite pleased with my learning. At times I didn't understand the subject matter, but my classmates and friends have been some of the biggest help!
My goal for the rest of this semester is to finish off strong!
Frankly, I need to do better. This kind of work ethic is unacceptable. I'm not submitting papers on time and missing assignments, which is out of the ordinary. Maybe it is the senioritis? I think so. And also that God has been blessing me so much with many pathways to the next step in my life, that I've probably already closed this chapter academically. Too bad for me, I need to back-peddle and still work hard!
Learning wise, there are certain subjects about Cell that I don't like. Membrane channels and communication are a cringe-worthy topic for me. It's something that requires a lot more time and effort to learn. But so it goes! Overall, I'm quite pleased with my learning. At times I didn't understand the subject matter, but my classmates and friends have been some of the biggest help!
My goal for the rest of this semester is to finish off strong!
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