What I have learned in blogging and what you could learn too. ;)

I am not a writer and I don't think I will be in the near future, however, with my edublog I still try to make something worthy of a reader's time. 

Education plus blogging = EDUBLOG. A blog whose main purpose is to impart knowledge and share what we have learned for the benefit of others.

 So what did I learn in writing my blog?

1. Writing is CHALLENGING (for some)
        Maybe for some, especially those that have the "natural" talent in writing would not have a hard time thinking of what to write, what appropriate things to say, and how to apply metaphors for further understanding of a certain topic.

2. Writing is NOT JUST COPY PASTE, then PUBLISH
     Nope, we could not do this, ever heard of Plagiarism? It's illegal and there are sanctions we need to face if ever proven that we have plagiarized. What should you do? Quote the author, paraphrase the statement or better yet, CREATE your own statement. Create something original but still make sure that they are facts and not just something you made up. Cite your references, give credit to the owner and NEVER EVER take credit for something another person did.

3. MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WRITE.
    What you write should not just be understood by your readers, you too should understand what you wrote. Writing something you don't understand could mean that potential future readers could also not understand anything and will be a completely waste of time.Write as if you are also a person looking for facts and a better explanation of the subject he or she wishes to learn more about

4. CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS
    You may not know who your readers are but still make sure that they could easily comprehend and understand what you wrote. Connect to your readers in such a way that you think of possible common experiences among you and your readers that are still related to the subject of your post

5. NEVER WRITE SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU NEED TO instead...
    Write something because you want to, wanting to write about a subject often yields more interesting facts about the subject of your post

6. IT REQUIRES PERSEVERANCE
    Reading tons of books about the subject you are about to write requires time, patience and understanding.  It could take a lot of your time especially when you are in the constructing process.

7. YOU ARE ABLE TO LEARN MORE AND UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT OF YOUR POST

8. THERE IS NOTHING  BETTER IN BEING ABLE TO SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW TO OTHERS THAT NEEDS THE INFORMATION AS WELL.
   Enough said! ;)

9. THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED YOU IN CONSTRUCTING YOUR BLOG OR CONVINCED YOU TO CREATE A BLOG
    With this said, I would like to thank the different authors of the book, and the websites that have been used in the edublog and of course, our professor, MRS. VIRGINIA GACES who convinced us to create our own blog, as this will benefit us and not just other students.


"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire" - William Butler Yeats



     

Toxicology

Toxic
*credits to owner 

In our society today, there is no one who wouldn't know what 
drugs (illegal drugs and medicine) and alcohol are. People may already be addicted and still doesn't know it. In this post, I would focus on Toxicology and the things that fall under it. 


Toxicology. It is defined as the branch of science that deals with the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. It includes the study of the symptoms, the mechanisms involved, the treatment and the methods involve in detecting the toxic substance.  

Toxic Substances are substances that are usually not present in the body like DRUGS, which could be classified as Therapeutic Drugs or Drugs of Abuse. ALCOHOL and CIGARETTE are also toxic substances and they are the most abused substances.


***For more information regarding toxicology click Understanding Toxicology: Video : Gary Ginsberg (Toxicologist) gives expert video advice on: What is 'toxicology'?; How are toxicology studies conducted?; What is 'epidemiology'? and more. Toxicology.


***Before dealing with the classification of drugs we must first know the branches of toxicology and the different  routes of administration.***


Branches of Toxicology

a. Clinical Toxicology or Emergency Toxicology
     - deals with the effects of toxins on human patients
     - deals with emergencies such as overdoses, poisonings and attempted   suicides

b.  Forensic Toxicology    
     - deals with detecting the criminal use of toxic agents
     - Medico- legal cases
     - also deals with determining if drugs contributed to the death of a person

c. Environmental Toxicology
    - deals with the effects of industrial and agricultural toxins on human health and the environment

d. Regulatory Toxicology
   - deals with risk assessment and emphasis on public policy

e. Occupational Toxicology
   - deals with the toxic exposure in the workplace



Routes of Administration

Routes of Administration

a. Oral Ingestion
    - chemicals enter the mouth in pure form and is absorbed rapidly into the blood stream
    - most prevalent technique used because it is convenient and safe for the patient
    - may be in liquid or solid (drug)

b. Inhalation or Respiratory route
   - principal mode of entry for chemicals in the form of vapors and gases

c. Intravenous 
   - direct means of introducing a drug into the system

d. Intramuscular
   - not as direct as the intravenous administration
   - advantage includes the decreased early conversion of the drug before reaching the circulation



**A therapeutic drug is considered to be a drug of abuse if it is misused. Usually, therapeutic drugs are those that are used to treat a disease or a symptom of disease.

Classification	Examples
Analgesics	Aspirin, acetaminophen, codeine
Antiarrythmias	Lidocaine, quinidine,procrainamide
Antibiotics	Gentamicin, peniciliin, sulfa
Anticoagulants	Heparin
Anticonvulsants	Dilantin, phenobarbital. Valproic acid
Antidepressants	Nortriptyline, doxepin
Antineoplastics	Methotrexate
Bronchodilators	Theophylline
Cardiac Stimulants	Digoxin, disopyramide
Diuretics	Thiazides
Immunosuppresives	Cyclosporin
Tranquilizers	Phenothiazines, haloperidol

**Drugs of Abuse, generally are not available without physician's prescription. Are mistreated because of their psychotropic or mood altering effect

Classification	Examples
Hallucinogens	LSD,phencyclidine, marijuana
CNS stimulants	Amphetamines, cocaine
CNS depressants	Opiates, barbiturates, alcohol
Anticholinergics	Atropine, belladonna

** Poison, substances not normally given to a person. Administration is accidental or purposeful

                                        

Arsenic

Carbon Monoxide

Halogenated hydrocarbons

Heavy metals

Oxidizing agents

Pesticides/ Weedkillers

Strychnine

Below is a video that talks about Addiction and its effects to the brain

What is Addiction? How does one know if he or she is suffering from addiction? 

Addiction. It happens when one person becomes dependent on a substance. They are serious chronic brain diseases which have a biological, psychological and social implications.

Signs and Symptoms of Addiction (*from http://addictions.about.com/od/howaddictionhappens/a/symptomslist.htm)

SYMPTOMS

• Tolerance
• Withdrawal
• Difficulty cutting down or controlling the addictive behavior
• Social and occupational roles being jeopardized

SIGNS

• Extreme mood changes 
• Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night
• Changes in energy
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Unexpected and persistent coughs or sniffles
• Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times
• Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual
• Secretiveness
• Lying
• Stealing
• Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times
• Changes in social groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations
• Repeated unexplained outings, often with a sense of urgency
• Drug paraphernalia such as unusual pipes, cigarette papers, small weighing scales, etc

TREATMENT

• Medication
• Rehabilitation

*For more information regarding treatment, click the word treatment. :)

References:

Alba's Medical Technology Volume 1
http://www.drugabuse.gov/
Addictionsabout.com




Photocredits:
About.com
dacts.com
businessgrowers.com
http://browse.deviantart.com/?order=9&q=addiction&offset=48#/d8xjo9 

Videocredits:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TimBrunsonHypnosis

Introduction to Endocrinology

Endocrinology. A word that could easily be understood if one remembers his lessons in biology or in his anatomy and physiology class. This does not mean that the person will readily fully understand Endocrinology, it means that he would have an idea on what Endocrinology is about.

Fig.1. Hormones

photo credit: www. shuttershock.com

Ask one person, "What comes first in your mind when you hear the word Endocrinology?" Most likely, the answer of that person will be the Endocrine system.  For some who may not know, the Endocrine System is responsible for the production of "chemical messengers" otherwise known as hormones which aids in regulating the body's development and the body's metabolic processes.


The Endocrine System is often being compared with the Nervous System because both transmits "messages" to the different parts of the body. The main difference between the two is that, the nervous system uses electric impulses to transmit the message while the Endocrine System uses hormones which are produced by the different ductless glands and organs such as the thyroid gland, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland etc. and they are produced far from their target tissue and once they reach their destination by travelling through the bloodstream,  they interact with specific receptors found in the target tissue therefore employing the Lock and Key Theory.

Fig. 2. Lock and Key Theory

photocredit: http://www.hcc.bcu.ac.uk/physiology/EndocrineSystem.htm

Believe it or not, Hormones also contribute to some of our moods and emotions like the feeling of being inlove, the anxiety and depression we may feel and a person who has complications or problems with his Endocrine System could have Hormonal Imbalance, and therefore could be the cause of different abnormalities or disorders in the body such as diabetes, Grave's disease and hypothyroidism . For more information regarding hormonal imbalance, you could visit this site: hormonal imbalance information

With all this in mind, we could simply conclude that Endocrinology is the study of the production of hormones by the different ductless glands and the disorders associated with it. 


Below is a video that talks about the glands and organs that make up the Endocrine System

Video credit: docaussie81, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2MxmrOUl0w

*You could visit his youtube page by clicking on docaussie81. :)


Click this link for a pdf copy of the summary of the Endocrine System :)
*Credits to owner


References:


Negi, Chandra S. Introduction to Endocrinology, PHI Learning Private Limited, 2009 Chapter 1
Conn, Michael phD. Endocrinology: Basic Principles and Clinical Practices, Humana Press, 2005 Chapter 1
Alba's Medical Technology Volume 1, Berkeley Scientific Publication, 1996 Section V, Part X