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Showing posts from June, 2020

Homeostatic Imbalances with the Heart

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Homeostatic Imbalances with the Heart Heart disease refers to diseases that interfere with the proper functioning or supply of blood to the heart. Genetic predispositions, lack of physical activity, and certain foods are few of the many factors that can lead to heart disease. However,  lifestyle changes can reduce  its risk. Exercise improves blood circulation to cells, tissues, and organs, enhancing their function. If organs are deprived of blood, they do not receive an ample supp ly of oxygen, which could have severe consequences including death.  A blood clot, known as a thrombus, and a cholesterol deposit, known as a plaque, can obstruct arteries, which prevents blood flow. If a thrombus and a plaque obstruct the coronary arteries, the myocardium of the heart will not receive enough blood to contract, resulting in a heart attack . During physical activity, the high velocity by which blood moves through arteries removes thrombi and plaques, lowering the risk of heart disea

DNA: The Molecule That Defines Us

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DNA: The Molecule That Defines Us You, your parents, and your siblings have similar traits. But why do you still not closely resemble each other? The answer lies in a tiny, but long molecule that is unique to every living organism (except for identical twins)* on this planet : DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid.  DNA serves as a template for the production of proteins, affecting our traits and carrying out functions in the body.  The Nucleotide       DNA consists of repeating subunits called nucleotides. A nucleotide consists of a pentose (five carbon) sugar, phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. The sugar is known as deoxyribose, and it forms a covalent bond with the phosphate group. This covalent bond is called a phosphodiester linkage . The repeating bonds between deoxyribose and the phosphate group form the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA. A hydrogen bond joins the nitrogenous base pairs. This hydrogen bond is weak so that it can easily be broken for DNA replication.  

Journey of Blood Through the Heart

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"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart"   - Hellen Keller            We often treat the heart as an emotional object inside us, but there's way more to the heart than that! It is one of the primary organs in the body that keeps us alive. The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood to the other organs of the body every nanosecond of your life. This allows every cell, tissue and organ to get a fresh supply of blood and oxygen. It enhances their respective functions, keeping you alive.              The heart pumps oxygenated blood in the body. The organs of the body use the oxygen from the blood.  There are two ways in which blood circulates throughout the body - p ulmonary circulation   and systematic circulation . Pulmonary circulation refers to blood going from the heart to the lungs to get oxygenated before being sent to the rest of the body. Systematic circulation refers to  fresh, oxy