My Science School

The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects the middle ear to the airway in the back of the nose (nasopharynx). This tube allows outside air to enter the middle ear (behind the eardrum). The eustachian tube, which opens when a person swallows, helps maintain equal air pressure on both sides of the eardrum and prevents fluid from accumulating in the middle ear. If air pressure is not equal, the eardrum may bulge or retract, which can be uncomfortable and distort hearing. Swallowing or voluntary "popping" of the ears can relieve pressure on the eardrum caused by sudden changes in air pressure, as often occurs when flying in an airplane. The eustachian tube's connection with the middle ear explains why upper respiratory infections (such as the common cold), which inflame and block the eustachian tube, can lead to middle ear infections or changes in middle ear pressure, resulting in pain.

The vestibular system consists of

• Two fluid-filled sacs called the saccule and the utricle
• Three fluid-filled tubes called the semicircular canals

These sacs and tubes gather information about the position and movement of the head. The brain uses this information to help maintain balance.

The saccule and utricle contain cells that sense movement of the head in a straight line, that is, back and forth or up and down.

The semicircular canals are three fluid-filled tubes at right angles to one another that sense rotation of the head. Rotation of the head causes the fluid in the canals to move. Depending on the direction the head moves, the fluid movement will be greater in one of the canals than in the others. The canals contain hair cells that respond to this movement of fluid. The hair cells initiate nerve impulses that tell the brain which way the head is moving so that appropriate action can be taken to maintain balance.

If the semicircular canals malfunction, which can occur in an upper respiratory infection or other temporary or permanent disorder, the person's sense of balance may be lost or a false sensation of moving or spinning (vertigo) may develop.

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Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to smell odors that aren’t actually present. When this happens, it’s sometimes called an olfactory hallucination.

The types of odors people smell vary from person to person. Some might notice the odor in just one nostril, while others have it in both. The odor may come and go, or it may be constant.

Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to smell odors that aren’t actually present. When this happens, it’s sometimes called an olfactory hallucination.

The types of odors people smell vary from person to person. Some might notice the odor in just one nostril, while others have it in both. The odor may come and go, or it may be constant.

Phantosmia due to a cold, sinus infection, or respiratory infection should go away on its own once the illness clears up.

Treating neurological causes of phantosmia are more complicated, and there are many options, depending on the type of condition and its location (for example, in the case of a tumor or neuroblastoma). Your doctor will help you come up with a treatment plan that works best for your condition and lifestyle.

Credit : Health Line 

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Ageusia refers to a condition wherein the tongue loses its sense of detecting different tastes, such as sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami – a pleasant tangy taste.

Ageusia can affect people of all ages, but is most common in those above the age of 50.

The recent coronavirus pandemic has also listed loss of sense of taste in some cases of patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

Ageusia is not a life-threatening condition, but once symptoms are recognized, prompt medical treatment is required, to ensure complete recovery of the patient.

Both taste and smell disorders are diagnosed by an otolaryngologist, a doctor of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck. An otolaryngologist can determine the extent of your taste disorder by measuring the lowest concentration of a taste quality that you can detect or recognize. You may also be asked to compare the tastes of different substances or to note how the intensity of a taste grows when a substance's concentration is increased.

Treating the underlying condition that causes your impaired sense of taste can help restore your taste. Bacterial sinusitis, salivary glands, and throat infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Symptoms of colds, flu, and allergic rhinitis that impact taste may be relieved with decongestants or antihistamines. Once you are feeling better, your sense of taste will most likely return quickly.

Credit : Netmeds.com 

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Hyperosmia is a heightened sense of smell. This increased ability to perceive odors usually occurs due to another condition, but may also happen on its own in some cases.

When someone has hyperosmia, they can experience smells more strongly than other people. This strong sense of smell may lead a person with hyperosmia to experience discomfort and illness from certain odors.

Hyperosmia tends to be a complication of another underlying condition. However, changes to the sense of smell may trigger an increase in headaches and nausea and vomiting.

Migraines are a type of headache that can cause recurrent attacks of moderate to severe pain. The reason why some people have migraines is currently unknown, but environmental changes, such as the weather, can trigger a migraine.

Environmental triggers can also include certain smells. As a result, people with hyperosmia may be more likely to experience migraines when they smell particular odors.

Credit : Medical News Today 

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Fats are vital to a healthy diet. Fats help carry, absorb, and store the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in your bloodstream. Fats also help regulate your body temperature. Having some body fat cushions your organs and protects them from injury. However, as your probably already know, there are good fats and bad fats for your body . . . and your brain.

The good fats, or lipids, that work so beautifully in your body-and your brain-are called fatty acids. Essential fatty acids cannot be manufactured in your body so must come from the foods you eat (or supplements you take, although food sourcing is highly preferable). As far as your body, fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury or infection.

Approximately 60 percent of your brain matter consists of fats that create all the cell membranes in your body. Let's review: The good fat in your brain matter creates all the cell membranes in your body! If your diet is loaded with bad fats, your brain can only make low-quality nerve cell membranes that don't function well; if your diet provides the essential, good fats, your brain cells can manufacture higher-quality nerve cell membranes and influence positively your nerve cells' ability to function at their peak capacity. (Magnesium also plays a critical role in nerve cell development and optimal functioning.)

Thus, it's important to choose foods that offer the essential fatty acids your body and brain need. Unfortunately, even good fats are a very concentrated source of energy, providing more than double the amount of calories in one gram of carbohydrate or protein, which is why it's important to choose the healthy fats and to eat them in moderation.

Credit : Psychology Today

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Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy meant to destroy rapidly growing cells in the body. It’s usually used to treat cancer, as cancer cells grow and divide faster than other cells.

A doctor who specializes in cancer treatment is known as an oncologist. They’ll work with you to come up with your treatment plan.

Chemotherapy has been proven to effectively attack cancer cells, but it can cause serious side effects that can severely impact your quality of life. You should weigh these side effects against the risk of going untreated when deciding if chemotherapy is right for you.

Chemotherapy is also used to prepare you for other treatments. It could be used to shrink a tumor so it can be surgically removed, or to prepare you for radiation therapy.

In the case of late-stage cancer, chemotherapy may help relieve pain.

Besides treatment for cancer, chemotherapy may be used to prepare people with bone marrow diseases for a bone marrow stem cell treatment, and it may be used for immune system disorders.

Credit : Healthline 

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In some cases, your doctor may decide that he or she needs a sample of your tissue or your cells to help diagnose an illness or identify a cancer. The removal of tissue or cells for analysis is called a biopsy.

While a biopsy may sound scary, it’s important to remember that most are entirely pain-free and low-risk procedures. Depending on your situation, a piece of skin, tissue, organ, or suspected tumor will be surgically removed and sent to a lab for testing.

If you have been experiencing symptoms normally associated with cancer, and your doctor has located an area of concern, he or she may order a biopsy to help determine if that area is cancerous.

A biopsy is the only sure way to diagnosis most cancers. Imaging tests like CT scans and X-rays can help identify areas of concerns, but they can’t differentiate between cancerous and noncancerous cells.

Biopsies are typically associated with cancer, but just because your doctor orders a biopsy, it doesn’t mean that you have cancer. Doctors use biopsies to test whether abnormalities in your body are caused by cancer or by other conditions.

For example, if a woman has a lump in her breast, an imaging test would confirm the lump, but a biopsy is the only way to determine whether it’s breast cancer or another noncancerous condition, such as polycystic fibrosis.

Credit : Healthline 

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A tumor (also called neoplasm) is an abnormal mass of cells in the body. It is caused by cells dividing more than normal or not dying when they should. Tumors can be classified as benign or malignant.

Malignant tumors have cells that grow uncontrollably and spread locally and/or to distant sites. Malignant tumors are cancerous (ie, they invade other sites). They spread to distant sites via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This spread is called metastasis. Metastasis can occur anywhere in the body and most commonly is found in the liver, lungs, brain, and bone.

Malignant tumors can spread rapidly and require treatment to avoid spread. If they are caught early, treatment is likely to be surgery with possible chemotherapy or radiotherapy. If the cancer has spread, the treatment is likely to be systemic, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

The cancer cells that move to other parts of the body are the same as the original ones, but they have the ability to invade other organs. If lung cancer spreads to the liver, for example, the cancer cells in the liver are still lung cancer cells.

Credit : JAMA Network 

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Your heart beats over 100,000 times in one day. If you take an average of 80 beats per minute, your heart beats about 4,800 times per hour. That's 115,200 times per day, and 42 million times a year! In an average lifetime, your heart will beat more than 3 billion times!

High blood pressure (a reading greater than 120/80) is quite common, affecting more than 30% of the US population! Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack or stroke.  While there are certain factors that increase high blood pressure, such as smoking and a poor diet, there are plenty of things that you can do to normalize your blood pressure as well, such as reducing stress, eating better and working out.

Since we know that stress is a major factor leading to multiple heart conditions and issues, one major step that you can take to improve your heart's condition in the long-term is to reduce stress in your life.

Unfortunately, there are stressful aspects of our lives that we cannot eliminate entirely, such as traffic on your commute home.  Instead, we can alter our reactions to those stressors, helping to normalize our blood pressure over time.

In addition to the lifestyle changes and possible medications suggested by your physician, you may want to consider adding medical hypnosis into your health journey.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo officially declared on December 16, 2021 the end of the 13th outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease which had resurfaced on October 8, 2021, in Beni in North Kivu province. What is Ebola Virus Disease? What causes it? Let's find out.

Deadly viral fever

Ebola is a life-threatening disease caused by a virus belonging to the family Filoviridae The viral haemorrhagic fever was first identified in central Africa in 1976. The 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak ever since the virus was discovered, leading to over 11,000 deaths. The disease was named after the Ebola River in Congo, formerly Zaire, where it was originally identified.

Ebola is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads from animals to humans. The virus which badly affects the immune system as it spreads through the body is transmitted to people from animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys. It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. It spreads among humans through contact with the bodily fluids (blood, faeces, urine, vomit, or semen) of infected people. Ebola is called a haemorrhagic fever virus as it causes problems with how our blood dots leading to internal bleeding.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of Ebola Viral Disease include fever fatigue, sore throat severe headache, muscle and joint pain loss of appetite, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea. The virus can be detected in blood within a few days of the manifestation of symptoms. Immediate medical attention, early intervention with rehydration, and symptomatic treatment are said to improve chances of survival.

There are vaccines for protection against Ebola. These anti-Ebola jabs have been administered to help control the spread of Ebola outbreaks in Congo.

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People who have recovered from mild corona virus infections produce antibodies that target three different parts of the virus's spike protein that it uses to latch on to human cells

• A National Institutes of Health-funded study, published recently in the journal Science, offers the most detailed picture yet of the array of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 found in people who've fully recovered from mild cases of corona virus.
• Most studies of natural antibodies that block corona virus have focussed on those that target a specific portion of the spike protein known as the receptor-binding domain (RBD). The RBD is the portion of the spike that attaches directly to human cells. As a result, antibodies explicitly targeting the RBD are an excellent place to begin searching for antibodies capable of fighting the virus.
• However, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin found that most antibodies target other portions of the spike protein than the RBD. The study led by Gregory Ippolito and Jason Lavinder, likens the spike protein to an umbrella, with the RBD at the tip of the "canopy." While some antibodies bind to the RBD, many others target the protein's canopy, known as the N-terminal domain (NTD).
• The team also found that about 40 % of antibodies target yet another portion of the spike called the S2 subunit. Additionally, the S2 subunit could make an ideal target for a possible pan-corona virus vaccine since fewer mutations exist at this portion of the spike.
• The study will prove helpful in designing vaccine booster shots or future vaccines tailored to fight coronavirus variants of concern.

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