HCG POSITIVE!!! =)

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.....That's what you call it! This is a glycoprotrein hormone produced in pregnant women....Amazing how it is produced right after conception by the embryo, huh??? Without even feeling a thing. HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is produced by cells which form the placenta...hmmm... You do know where we are going, with this, right???? The doctor asking the lady in a worried way while she sits down, all confused and scared - what this all means and what the doctor may say.....But! To her surprise, she was congratulated with a friendly hug from the doctor while he says "You are now a mother...Congratulations!" The lady who just came in for a regular check up, went home with mixed emotions of happines, nervousness and excitement...

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin

  On her way home, she thought of ways on how to announce the great news to her family, friends and of course the future father of her baby. As she entered their front door with a big smile on her face, she immediately called for her husband and found him sitting on the couch with a can of coke in his right hand and a bag of chips on his lap while he watches the basketball game.... She then sits on his lap, giving him funny smiles as her husband looks at her with confusion... She says "It's the hCG love!" The husband still stuck in confusion, wondered....what in the world is hCG???? Is it a prize she won or something??? But then he figured, if she went out to play binggo or something, she would have taken him along.......

 http://www.simplyweddings.com/images/content/happy%20couples.jpg

  She then says wearing that big smile of hers, "We're having a baby!" The husband so speechless and filled with joy just said "WHAT???! Why didn't you just say that! instead of all that hCG thingy...." The wife stuttering because of so much excitement and joy just laughed at him and pulled out the pregnancy test kit with the positive results.... This is the hCG thingy I was saying... Hmmm, well not the exact thing but this is it! It's all in here!
  
  "HCG was detected through my urine.... It is actually detectable around the 11th day after conception and increases untill the 8th to 12th week of pregnancy. That is actually its peak and it will really show strong results....So with the color of the results, our baby may actually be around its 11th week right now...... well... thats what the doctor said.... =)" says the wife..

   "It's so amazing how they made these test kits to work with this hCG stuff just to find out if I have someone living so far down, deep into my own Atlantic ocean.... my tummy.... hehe.... Imagine how this test makes the colored anti-hCG-colloidal conjugate complexes to the hCG found in my urine.... Wherein if I am found to be a mommy, the color would appear as pink.... Like this one! So simple and complex the same time..... =)"

    Since that very day, the couples took regular check ups to make sure it is not another one of those false alarms because it was also known that hCG may also be found in the presence of hydatidiform moles, miscarriages, even ectopic pregnancies which may also give the same result.....positive.....

http://upload.ecvv.com/upload/Product/20084/China_one_step_pregnancy_test20084221753034.jpg

MY BABY PORKCHOP......& HORMONES????

  Porkchop!! My baby puppy. =) These past few days, I've been spoiling him with so many treats, wondering what my little Porkchop would enjoy playing with and of course, what food suites best for him. I've even been trying different flavors of dog food. If Porkchop gives me an ugly feedback, its obvious that he doesn't like it.... I guess its a trial and error type of thing. And for sure, there will be adjustments to keep things balanced....... just like hormones, keeping the body balanced - adapting to the changes of the environment (what we call homeostasis). Hehe...

  Although Porkchop is still new to me, I already notice if he would feel hunger or would like to play. One time, while I was wiping the drops of water as I was washing the dishes - Porkchop chased the rag i was using to wipe the floor. That gave me a sign that baby Porkchop wanted to play. =) After I cleaned up the mess, I, right away, grabbed the time to play with my cuddly puppy which gave him a positive feedback for baby Porkchop. 

  Soon, I noticed Porkchop got tired and just laid down, flat on the floor like those rugs rich people put on the center of their living room. I figured he got hungry because of the playing and chasing around. Just imagine, chasing a ball back and forth my apartment for maybe an hour or even more.... Who wouldn't get tired doing that?? hehe... I then took his bowl and made noise with it. To serve as signal to Porkchop and if he reacts to the noise and comes up to his bowl, for sure it means he's hungry. Without surprise, he was hungry! Haha.. 

  Here, I realized that the tapping of the bowl on the floor or the signaling of food for Porkchop represents the hormones in our body. I was sending a message to Porkchop and Porkchop actually understood. =) Going back to hormones, we all know their found in the body. And understanding this, they are chemical signals or messengers in the body which involves positive and negative feedbacks. And if you think of it, it is so much familiar with the activities I've been doing with Porkchop for communication. In comparison, hormones are transported to one cell on to another cell while with me and Porkchop, i try making sounds (signals) to Porkchop vice versa. Together with these feedbacks, I can see and understand whether Porkchop or the body is able to adapt to the changes properly or not. 

   

http://thisnewplace.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/hormones-suck/

These hormones function as signals or messengers and of course with the involvement of receptors for proper communication in the circulation. The two mechanisms which involves steriods and nonsteroid hormones provide the feedbacks if the functioning of the cells to the signals respond properly. If not, as to my understandings with the nonsteroid hormone, other cells are activated by other kinds of messengers to achieve its target response. That is how it works throughout the body. Well, it may be complicating for others to understand the functions of hormones in the living body but understanding its mechanisms and just relating it with daily activities, you surely will be able to realize how simple some explanations may be. =)

ENDOCRINOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY & DRUG TESTING

ENDOCRINOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY & DRUG TESTING

  Endocrinology, as i understand its definition, is the study of the body's hormones and their disorders in the body as they produce signals and help in regulation. This study involves and deals with the glands responsible for secreting certain hormones to be released in the circulatory system of the blood. The study deals with the explanation of the glands responsible in producing hormones in the endocrine system. These physicians studying this type of science are called Endocrinologists.

  During our brief discussion in our first day of class in Clinical Chemistry 3, Toxicology is the study of certain chemicals which are poisonous or dangerous to the human body. These chemicals may bring harm to the body and may lead to death. Toxicology deals with different types of chemicals, reagents, solutions which may put a human's life in danger. It involves knowledge with different types of hazardous chemicals we may encounter, not only in the laboratory but may be encountered anywhere.

  Drug testing, as the name implies, it deals with the testing of different types of drugs. This involves the study of chemicals present in these drugs which gives different effects to the body. In drug testing, we find out how the drug may react once taken, whether the body may benefit from the drug or if it may be toxic to the body instead. In the study of drug testing, it provides explanations on whether the drug shows therapeutic reactions or not.