Neurology is an important facet of science that leaves many confused, and often scared. If you’ve hurt your head, or you’re worried about disease, neurology may be the answer. However, because it is so complex, many are afraid to delve into the science of what may be ailing them.

Patient care is extremely important in neurological care. Patients are often scared, confused, upset, and worried. It is important to take the time to explain all procedures, diagnoses, and treatment options. As a patient, it is important to ask questions, so the doctors can properly evaluate your level of care and knowledge of your treatment. Don’t feel rushed – take your time and make sure you understand everything that is going on. Neurology services are wide-ranging, and can be as simple as an MRI scan of your brain, or as complex as major surgery. No matter what level of care, rest assured your licensed, experience, and highly trained neurologist will make you feel at ease, and properly perform all procedures. Rehab therapy is also a big section under the neurological services umbrella. Rehab therapy can be physical, and involve a series of exercises repeated, or occupational in nature, and involve helping you prepare for your journey home and eventually back to work. Research trials are also important to the study of neurology, and its range of services. Trials allow doctors and scientists see real-time results for actual services studied for overall improvement of the neurological facility.

If you require neurological services, rest assured that patient care is a high priority. You won’t be treated like a number, but will be treated with respect and dignity. No matter how extensive the need of your neurological services, trained doctors and nurses are on site to alleviate your illness, as well as any worry and discomfort you may be experiencing.

Finding good neurological services isn’t always as easy as one would like. However, if you take a look at all that is available at your local neurology clinic to see that they have a MRI facility and an on location rehabilitation program then you know they will have everything you need to make a good diagnosis as well as maintaining good health.

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What is Neurology? A Neurologist is a physician trained to diagnose and treat diseases infecting the Autonomic, Central, and Peripheral nervous systems. As a Neurologist you could specialize in pain medication for those experiencing chronic, acute, or cancer pains as either a consultant or as the primary physician. Another specialized branch of Neurology is Child Neurology. In Child Neurology you would be diagnosing and treating neurological disorders in children. When a Neurologist is performing a neurological exam they typically test your strength, reflexes, sensations, cranial nerves, and coordination. The information gathered from these various tests helps the physician to properly form a more accurate diagnosis. When a Neurologist forms his diagnosis and determines that some form of surgery is required he refers the patient to what is known as a Neurosurgen.

Neurology is considered to be one of the more intricate of specialized practices of medicine. With that being said, the pay rate and high demand in neurology jobs has increased over time. There are two primary forms of neurology, adult and child neurology. The majority of practicing neurologists consider themselves to be adult neurologists. A neurologists income can vary from $150,000 a year to $350,000 dollars a year. Of course these numbers can range depending on a variety of factors such as the size of the company you work for, your previous credentials, and how many years of experience you may have gathered. Another factor to consider is whether or not you will be involved in clinical research or clinical practice. Nearly 90% of practicing Neurologists are involved in clinical practice and approximately 50% are involved in clinical research. The benefits acquired when you land a Neurology job are usually more than satisfactory.

At this point you may be wondering just how does one go about acquiring a Neurology job, right? Well to begin with you need to spend four years in an accredited university or college gaining your premedical education. The next step would be to locate an accredited medical school and commit the required four years in order to gain either your DO or MD degree. Even after you have gained your degree the work is not yet over. You still need to spend one year in an internship in either surgery/medicine or internal medicine. After you have completed your internship you still need to spend three years in an accredited specialized neurology residency program. All this may seem like a lot of work to some. To some this communicates high rate of pay and job security. The ratio for demand and supply is expected to remain in balance for the next ten years. As the population increases the need for neurologists does as well. In a time where many jobs are in less demand there is hope for those that are not afraid to put in some hard work for a high rate of pay and job security.

To learn more about careers in Neurology, visit the Neurology Jobs page for more information and how to apply for a job.

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The study of neurology can be important in the sports world due to the fact that so many people get injured or lose some of their neurological function. Neurological sciences can be about balance and whether or not people are heavily dependent upon things like balance and agility. Balance and agility are certainly crucial for sports to be able to perform their daily work tasks and in order to make significant amount of money through the sports that they play.

Some people in the field of neurology however simply feel that neurologists simply do not the time to deal with professional athletes. Depending upon which source you read, there are certainly sources that bring quality time to the craft of rehabbing an athlete’s neurological issues. However other sources sometimes say that neurological groups simply can not solve some seventy percent of their cases, this is due to the fact that in many situations some people are too far gone to have their neurological issues dealt with. So many of these studies cite issues involving both college and professional athletes. Neurological disorders can cause people such as NFL stars like Craig Miller or NBA star Qyntel Woods to retire early. These are situations where despite a great effort these two men were not able to return to their credible playing levels that they were at previously. One NBA player was able to become a pinball champion after retiring from the NBA due to neurological disorders.

The biggest neurological statistic that is out there which probably concerns we non athletes may be worried about the most is the number of people who are now suffering from Alzheimer’s. The American Association of neurological surgeons estimates that around four point six million people suffer from Alzheimer’s here in America. These surgeons have a lot of good information regarding the neurological sciences so I trust their statistics. Alzheimer’s is something that worries us all as we have someone in our family or friends who has been impacted by Alzheimer’s in a very negative way. Many human beings worry about neurological issues like this all the time. We worry about contracting some of these neurological disorders ourselves.

The fact is that just because you may be looking for Neurology Jobs does not mean that you have to be an actual clinician. The truth is that you can manufacture devices that help people learn how to deal with and actually cure their neurological disorders in certain areas. The manufacturing of such devices can be quite profitable particularly if you invent one of these items and tend to get a patent behind them to protect their intellectual property rights. You may be able to see your device to companies like Walgreens or Drug USA as they seek something that will continue to make their stores successful. If you are able to strike a deal with Pfizer or Glaxo Smith Kline you can become a millionaire in this situation.

To learn more about careers in Neurology, visit the Neurology Jobs page for more information and how to apply for a job.

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Microbiology is termed as the study of microorganisms or simply organisms which happen to be too little be seen with the naked eye. Fungus, protists, and prokaryotes are samples of microorganisms. Viruses typically are not stringently deemed as living organisms, nonetheless they are usually examined when it comes to microbiology anyway. Truth be told, microbiology is really a broad encompassing virology, parasitology, bacteriology, in addition to generally may include the research into the body’s defense mechanisms or simply immunology.

The microbiology lab stands out as the predominant work place of any microbiologist that is not within the field. It’s a very neat and sterile environment where supplies as well as equipment for testing and culturing of microorganism samples are carried out and studied. Several labs tend to be specialized, which usually means, they are focused on a specific sub-discipline of microbiology. This could be related to medicinal, veterinary, environmental, industrial, food, pharmaceutical or farming applications of microbiology.

Medical microbiology could very well be the most well-known branch of microbiology. Hospital laboratories will often have a clinical microbiology unit, which often gets any kind of clinical specimen (just like swabs, feces, urine, blood, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, and contaminated tissues). The procedure here is mainly hunting for suspected pathogens and determining them, along with evaluating to discover if your recognized pathogen is definitely very sensitive or resistant against a highly recommended medication. The output is a statement diagnosing the disease-causing organism along with the sort and also dosage of medications that ought to be given to the affected person.

Each hospital microbiology lab may possibly also encounter parasitic organisms as well as viruses. Blood work is usually additionally carried out in the lab, where, employing whole blood specimens, complete blood counts as well as blood assessments are finished and the outcomes looked into. On occasion, blood samples tend to be citrated to evaluate blood clotting times as well as coagulation aspects.

Microbiology has several valuable functions, not just in hospitals and also clinics. You can also find organizations that provide microbiological testing regarding medical devices to make certain that the product complies with united states government prerequisites along with verify product or service promises. Tests cover facility validation, raw materials testing, sterilization and packaging validations, biocompatibility, reusable device studies as well as scheduled quality control assessments. These kinds of exams will help manufacturers of medical devices manage to get their products to sell sooner and cut down risk.

Many microbiologists are employed in the pharmaceutical drug business. Medications, drugs and also health supplements are designed and screened thoroughly in the microbiology lab. Testing include container integrity research, disinfectant scientific studies, preservative usefulness reports, antibiotic effectiveness assays, sterilization and packaging validations as well as standard quality control tests. Third party testers are able to do more exams such as filter validations, facility validations and clean room, and isolator facilities validation.

The food industry employs microbiologists in product development and also quality control. When creating a food product, shelf life is an important feature. Foodstuff that will spoil quickly can be challenging to promote, and so microbiologists are generally on hand to assist you to develop production and also packaging methods to decrease spoilage and also increase freshness. Several microorganisms are utilized to produce foods such as those that cause fermentation, and the presence of a microbiologist helps with sustaining food quality through the entire manufacturing process.

Microbiologists make significant positive effects to human contemporary society daily. For example, their work is the foundation of much information regarding the wellness of the individual, pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, comes from. The microbiological studies have additionally resulted in many medical and scientific breakthroughs that will assist improve living conditions. A microbiology lab may seem like any other biology or chemistry lab, but the work accomplished here has a major impact on our life.

Inside a microbiology lab you see testing performed on medical devices, pharmaceuticals and more. The microbiology laboratory provides results for cleaner and superior health care experience.

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Microbiology is a field of study and research on several microorganisms and is one of the most important parts of biotechnology. As, microorganisms causes various diseases, the role of the microbiologist is search the root of the disease through the research and laboratory testing. Students interested in this sector can enjoy a wide variety of career opportunities.

Microbiology is a vast term covering many areas, such as mycology, virology, bacteriology and parasitology. Medical microbiology is a common branch of microbiology. Many hospitals have clinical microbiology research and testing units for testing various specimens, including blood, feces, sputum, contaminated tissues and cerebrospinal fluid. There are organizations providing microbiological testing for verifying the quality of manufactured products. Interested candidates can apply in these organizations for microbiology jobs.

The scope of microbiology is vast with which arises huge career prospects in this sector. As the prospect of microbiology jobs is growing leaps and bounds, many colleges and institutes are offering various courses as well as programs in microbiology. There are lots of microbiology jobs as well as career options obtainable for the experienced and qualified professionals as well the students who just have completed graduate degree in the subject microbiology.

The positions or designation are of various types, including bio informatics scientists, clinical immunologist, researcher, lab assistant and even professor. A student after completion of the bachelor’s or master’s degree in microbiology can start career as microbiologist in government research centers or private clinics. They are also in huge demand by different reputed food processing companies to measure the quality of the food products offered in their food research labs and centers. The pharmaceutical drug companies also employ microbiologists. They screened as well as designed thoroughly various drugs and medicine supplements in the microbiology lab.

Testing services included are of various types, such as disinfectant effectiveness of antibiotic examination, sterilization and quality control testing. Another career option in microbiology is the bio informatics jobs. The bio informatics jobs in both government and private sectors are hugely available in the recent market. The role of the bio informatics scientist is to invent the ways of biological problems based on research, experiment as well a lab testing.

Many pharmaceutical companies, research and developments centers require skilled person with a degree in microbiology for various biotechnology jobs. Companies and firms manufacturing mineral water and cold beverages also need microbiologist for various types of microbiology jobs related within the field.

Know more about Jobs India and microbiology jobs.

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Microbiology refers to the study of micro-organisms which can either be unicellular or cell cluster based microscopic organisms. Prime examples of these are eukaryotes like fungi, prokaryotes and protists. Viruses are studied as well. For a common man, microbiology refers to the study of life and organisms which are too small to be studied by our naked eyes. It also includes immunology which is the study of immune system.

The word microbiology has its origin from the combination of the Greek words ‘mikros’ which means small and ‘bios’ which means life. The immune system is known to interact with microbes (pathogenic). Microbiology and immunology are often paired as these disciplines frequently intersect each other.

The ever advancing field of microbiology was first discovered around the start of 17 th century but is relatively new as compared to other disciplines of biology.

Pioneers of the Field:

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Robert Hooke were the earliest known microbiologists to observe bacteria and other related microorganisms. However, Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch are considered the pioneers of modern microbiology.

Sub-divisions of Microbiology:

Microbiology is divided into many sub-disciplines as follows.

• Cellular microbiology (combination of microbiology and cell biology)

• Medical microbiology (study of pathogenic microbes related to diseases)

• Environmental microbiology (study of function of microbes in natural environments)

• Veterinary microbiology (study of microbes in veterinary medicines)

• Evolutionary microbiology (study of evolution of microbes)

• Industrial microbiology ( usage of microbes for industrial purposes)

Apart from these there are many other fields like microbial physiology, aero microbiology, microbial genetics, food microbiology, agricultural microbiology and many sub-disciplines as well.

Benefits of Microbiology:

No doubt microbes are related to human illnesses, but there are many microbes which are advantageous to human beings. Industrial fermentation which involves the production of alcohol, dairy products and vinegar is one of the most popular ways wherein microbes are utilized. Antibiotic production also involves microbes.

Scientists and researchers have been able to produce enzymes for their usage in genetic systems. Enzymes which are biotechnologically important include Taq polymerase and even reporter genes. Bacteria are used for the production of amino acids. Microorganisms produce biopolymers which are extensively used. Microorganisms are also used for biosynthesis and microbial biodegradation.

With only 1 percent of all microbes’ related species being studied, the scope of microbiology is huge and its study and research is leading the field to new horizons.

If you are looking for websites related to study and use of microorganisms, you can search them easily at Jrank.org. The health category at Jrank.org offers convenient website search to access detailed articles about microbiology and related fields.

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Fertility treatment is a unique opportunity to detect and prevent the transmission of genetic diseases to future children. In addition to genetic screening, embryo testing can be performed during in vitro fertilization-IVF to detect those that do not carry the disease and exclude unhealthy ones. This process is called PGD-preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Genetic concerns arise because of prior genetic or family histories or encountered during routine screening prior to fertility treatments. As technology advances, the main challenge remains identification of carriers of genetic diseases employing thorough history and screening tests by a reproductive endocrinologist and possibly genetic counseling. Be prepared, you and your partner, to tell your reproductive endocrinologist about disease history of you and other family members.

GINA-The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 that took full effect in 2010, prohibits the discrimination in health coverage or employment based on genetic information

Genetic screening, who is at risk?

Routine genetic screening for each individual or couple desiring pregnancy. Screening is based on common genetic issues based on ancestry-ethnic group. Initially only one partner need to be screened and if the test is positive the other partner needs to be screened.

Everybody should be screened for Cystic fibrosis-CF and possibly Spinal muscular atrophy-SMA1.

Ashkenazi jewish ancestry should be screened to Canavan disease, CF, Tay Sch disease, familial dysautonomia. Some extend this screening to Fanconi Anemia, Bloom,Gaucher, Neiman Pick, Mucolipoidosis IV, Glycogen storage disease Ia, Maple serup urine disease and familial hyperinsulinism, Nemaline myopathy, DLD defeciency, Joubert and Usher syndromes.

Sephardic jewish ancestry should be screened for CF and Tay Sach disease. Some add Familial Mediterranean Fever, Ataxia Telangiectasia, Fanconi anemia, 11B hydroxylase defeciency, glycogen storage disease IIIa, Factor VII defeciency and other diseases.

French Canadian ancestry should be screened to Tay Sach’s disease

Mediterranean ancestry (Greek, italian, arabic..) Should be screened for Thalassemia B,

Asian descent (Japanese, pakistani, chinese..) Thalassemia a,

African Americans should be screened for Sickle cell disease

Diminished ovarian reserve. Screening of young women with diminished ovarian reserve should be considered for Fragile X syndrome pre-mutation and also for Chromosomal abnormalities e.g. mosaic Turner syndrome, using a karyotype-a test to detect the number and shape of chromosomes.

Male factor infertility. Men with very low counts less than 5 to million per mL or with no sperm in the ejaculate should be screened for CF and its variants, Kleinfelter syndrome and microdeletions of Y chromosome.

Recurrent pregnancy loss. Sometimes in couple reporting two or more losses especially early in the first trimester, one partner may carry a hidden chromosomal abnormality. One chromosome is carried on top of another, they are transmitted to the baby together increasing the risk that the newborn would have an extra chromosome-trisomy.

One parent, a prior child or family member affected with a genetic disease. If the disease is well defined, the affected individual should be tested first for the exact alteration of the DNA causing the disease-the mutation. The couple are then tested for the same mutation.

One parent or a child affected with chromosomal abnormalities. If a prior baby carried a chromosomal abnormality, both patent karyotype should be obtained to exclude that one of them carry an abnormality and to prevent its recurrence to future babies.

One parent or family members carrying an inherited predisposition to cancer. Some individuals carry an inherited predisposition for cancer due to inheriting certain mutations. Commonly multiple family members across several generations were diagnosed with specific cancers at an earlier age e.g. <50 years. Examples of these are BRCA 1 and 2 for breast and ovarian cancers, FAP gene for colon cancer…These mutations carry very high lifetime risk of cancer and can be detected. Its transmission to future children can be prevented.

Prior child diagnosed with certain cancers. Families that had a child diagnosed with cancer can consider genetic testing for Two reasons. Diagnosing a specific mutation in the child diagnosed with cancer e.g. retinoblastoma, can prevent transmission of cancer to future children. On the other hand some children diagnosed with cancer e.g. leukemia, require bone marrow transplantation from a genetically close donor. Some families select to conceive with a child that is genetically compatible with his diagnosed sibling so that the child umbilical cord blood would be used for bone marrow donor for his brother or sister.

Methods of assessment of genetic risks.

Blood tests for genetic screening. The cells in the blood are analyzed to detect the carrier status of the individual. This test can identify if the individual carry a defective gene for the disease in question. If screening tests are positive couple are better served with genetic counseling. This will often inform them of the risk of transmission to offspring so that they can make an informed decision about further testing or treatments.

Embryo biopsy and DNA testing. One or two cells of a day 3-cleavage stage embryo is removed and its DNA analyzed for one or more specific mutation. The affected embryos are excluded from uterine replacement while heathy ones are used for transfer. Results are obtained in 1-2 days and healthy embryos are transferred to the uterus.

Because the amount of genetic material available for testing is small these are considered screening not diagnostic methods. Prenatal diagnosis during the first or early second trimester of pregnancy is commonly recommended. This usually entails blood tests for the mother, amniocentesis or chorion villous sampling-CVS to test genetic material from the fetus.

Management of genetic risk during fertility treatment

Genetic abnormalities that does not require change in infertility treatment plan. If 1. Only one parent carry the genetic mutation and the other does not carry the mutation for an autosomal recessive disease (disease that require two abnormal copies to manifest) or 2. The couple do not wish to undergo any genetic tests or PGD or 3. prefer to perform these tests after establishing pregnancy, then the treatment plan does not need to be altered for a well informed couple.

Genetic abnormalities requiring change of the infertility treatment plan. For couple carrying a genetic mutation with significant risk of transmission to children and desiring to avoid or minimize this risk, the plan need to be changed. Fertility treatment should be switched to IVF to allow for testing of the embryos. After ovarian stimulation, the eggs via polar body biopsy or the embryos via embryo biopsy are tested. When the results are obtained, healthy embryos are transferred to the uterus. In some genetic diseases that preferentially manifest in certain sex as in case of Hemophilia or Duchenne myopathy that affect boys more than girls, avoiding the disease can be accomplished by transferring embryos of the opposite sex.

Routine evaluation of genetic risk starting with a thorough genetic and family history by a reproductive endocrinologist-infertility specialist or a genetic counselor can avoid transmission of genetic disease to future children and can contribute significantly to their health and well-being. Many ethical and social issues in addition entangle the application of genetic testing and PGD programs and were not discussed here. This a general overview and does not replace consultation with a qualified physician-counselor.

Amr Azim is a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist with New York City IVF and author of many scientific publication in the area of fertility treatment and fertility preservation. I specialize in simple and complex fertility issues including fertility counseling & testing, male factor infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, IUI, IVF and ICSI.
I am very passionate about helping women, men and children diagnosed with cancer and other diseases understand the impact of disease and its treatment on future fertility and assist them in conceiving biological children.
I write regularly at http://nycivf.org and http://preservationoffertility.org

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Genetically modified foods are those foods that have been altered at the genetic level in order to produce a form that has some new function or trait that food producers find desirable. Also referred to as GMO’s, these foods have been the subject of a great deal of controversy. There is no doubt that as the science of genetic engineering advances, the debate will become more heated.

These modified foods may come from two categories.

Selective breeding occurs when genes from two varieties of the same species are combined to produce a third variety with the favored characteristics. This practice has been carried on for thousands of years to produce new versions of crops with higher yields and hardier plants, and livestock that provides more meat.

Genetic engineering is a newer way to modify foods and involves the transfer of a single gene between two varieties of the same species or between two different species to produce a plant or animal that has characteristics that are more desirable to food producers. These transferred genes may come from plants, animals-including humans-bacteria, insects, or even viruses.

Another form of genetic engineering is cloning, where an animal is created through laboratory methods rather than by breeding two animals. At this time, in the U.S., cloned animals are not allowed to be marketed as food, but their offspring may be sent to market with no distinction from their conventionally produced cousins. The FDA does not consider meat from animal produced by cloning to be any different from naturally produced meat.

There are a number of reasons why food producers have introduced genetically modified foods into our food supply.

*Higher yield due to genetically engineered resistance to crop destruction by disease, pests and bad weather;

*Longer shelf life for foods that would normally spoil, but can be engineered to replace the genes that contribute to shorter shelf life;

*Higher profits for food producers since higher yields and longer shelf life mean more money and less waste;

*Improved nutrition since foods can be genetically altered to contain higher nutrient content;

*Feeding the hungry is more likely with higher yields and improved nutrition;

*Foods can be used for delivery of drugs when genetically modified to contain a certain drug for a specific population.

Genetic engineering produces GM foods.

Although selective breeding has been going on for many years, the introduction of genetically engineered foods and cloning has added a whole new dimension to the issue of genetically modified foods. It is one thing to transfer genes within a species, but the genetic transfer between species has given rise to a heated controversy that ranges from the ethical considerations, to environmental concerns to its long-term impact on health.

There are some questions asked by opponents of genetic engineering.

*Should we play God by interfering with the natural creation and, if we do, what will be the consequences?

*If human genes are inserted in another species as part of genetic engineering, when does that species become human?

*What will happen to our delicately balanced ecosystem when these genetically altered organisms, which have no natural place, become part of it?

*Will viruses and bacteria that are created for genetic engineering purposes, mutate and create a dangerous health risk or be used to produce biological weapons?

*Will there be other unintended consequences of genetic engineering such as the creation of new allergens or environmental toxins?

*What is the long-term effect on our health of consuming genetically modified foods, and are we willing to be the guinea pigs?

*When pesticides and herbicides become part of a plant through genetic engineering, does that mean we will be consuming more of them, rather than having the opportunity to wash them off?

*Should we use genetic engineering to produce a longer shelf life for fresh produce when it will still lose nutritional value even though it looks fresh?

*By the time we know some of the effects of genetic engineering, will it be too late to rein it in, since it will be so widespread and integrated into the food supply?

There is another viewpoint.

Proponents of genetic engineering do not view these issues as problems, and generally believe that the benefits far outweigh what they consider the minimal or non-existent risks. In addition, they often characterize opponents of genetic engineering as elitists who have never experienced the hunger and disease that abound in less developed parts of the world, and which genetically modified foods may well address.

What about public opinion?

Still, most people have an unfavorable view of genetically modified foods, particularly those that have been genetically engineered or cloned. When asked, most would prefer that all genetically engineered foods be labeled as such.

What does the FDA say about GM foods?

Most foods that have been genetically modified, either by selective breeding, genetic engineering or cloning, are not identified in the U.S. food supply, since the FDA does not consider them to be different from their original source. On the other hand, if a food has been substantially changed, such as in nutrient content or by the addition of a potential allergen, then the FDA requires that it be labeled accordingly.

What can you do to avoid GM foods?

Of course, it is almost impossible for the average consumer to avoid all foods that have been modified through selective breeding, since it has been going on for a very long time. However, if you wish to consume a minimum of GM foods, and particularly genetically engineered foods, here are some tips:

*Buy organic. Foods that are labeled as 100% organic may not be produced using genetically modified organisms. Don’t be fooled by products made with some organic ingredients, since they could also have some genetically modified ingredients.

*Buy locally from sources you know. The farmers’ market is a great place to buy foods that have been grown locally. Talk to the vendors about their growing practices. Sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with a local farm, where you can share in the crops, which are often produced organically with non-GMO seed.

*Grow some of your own food. Even a container garden on your patio will decrease the amount of GM food that you are consuming. There are even some suburbanites that are keeping a few chickens to meet their need for fresh, organic eggs and poultry.

*Buy foods from companies that label their products as Non-GMO. Labeling is voluntary, so any company that is willing to label their food is a better bet. The health foods section of your local grocery store will generally have brands such as Amy’s, Organic Valley, Stonyfield Farm, Eden, Bob’s Red Mill, Health Valley Organic, Cascadian Farms, Hain, Muir Glen Organic.

*Limit consumption of corn products, since it is the most ubiquitous GM ingredient in foods. Products, besides corn itself, that are made from corn include, corn syrup and other corn sweeteners such as fructose and cornstarch-often listed as “starch” or modified food starch on food labels.

*Other foods that are usually GM that you can limit or avoid are non-organic soy products, canola oil, cottonseed/rapeseed oil and sugar made from sugar beets rather than sugar cane.

Keep informed about the changes in your food supply

It is important that you stay informed about what is happening to the foods you eat. As science advances, you can expect that more GM foods will appear on grocery shelves. It is up to you to decide what, if anything, that means to you.

I am convinced that what we eat and how we eat plays a major role in how we feel and particularly, how well we are. For this reason, I would like as many people as possible to become more aware of what healthy eating involves, and of the extreme benefits that can be found in being conscious of what and how we eat.

Eat and be healthy with my warmest regards,

Suzy Staywell

http://healthy-eating-support.org

http://www.healthy-eating-support.org/food-supply.html

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Genetic engineering today is no longer a new term for the world. Every day in the newspapers, televisions, magazines the new inventions of genetic engineering are noticed. Genetic engineering may be described as the practice that manipulates organism’s genes in order to produce a desired outcome. Other techniques that fall under this category are: recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification (GM) and gene splicing.

HISTORY

The roots of genetic engineering are connected to the ancient times. The Bible also throws some light on genetic engineering where selective breeding has been mentioned. Modern genetic engineering began in 1973 when Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen used enzymes to cut a bacteria plasmid and inserted another strand of DNA in the gap created. Both bits of DNA were taken from the same type of bacteria. This step became the milestone in the history of genetic engineering. Recently in 1990, a young child with an extremely poor immune system received genetic therapy in which some of her white blood cells were genetically manipulated and re-introduced into her bloodstream so that her immune system may work properly.

PROMISE

Genetic engineers hope that with enough knowledge and experimentation, it will be possible in the future to create “made-to-order” organisms. This will lead to new innovations, possibly including custom bacteria to clean up chemical spills, or fruit trees that bear different kinds of fruit in different seasons. In this way new type of organisms as well as plants can be developed.

PROCEDURE

Genetic engineering requires three elements: the gene to be transferred, a host cell into which the gene is inserted, and a vector to bring about the transfer. First of all, the necessary genes to be manipulated have to be ‘isolated’ from the main DNA helix. Then, the genes are ‘inserted’ into a transfer medium such as the plasmid. Third, the transfer medium (i.e., plasmid) is inserted into the organism intended to be modified. Next step is the element transformation whereby several different methods including DNA guns, bacterial transformation, and viral insertion can be used to apply the transfer medium to the new organism. Finally, a stage of separation occurs, where the genetically modified organism (GMO) is isolated from other organisms which have not been successfully modified.

APPLICATIONS

Genetic engineering has affected every field of life whether it is agriculture, food and processing industry, other commercial industries etc. we will discuss them one by one.

1. Agriculture Applications

With the help of genetic engineering it would be possible to prepare clones of genetically manipulated plants and animals of agricultural importance having desirable characteristics. This would increase the nutritive value of plant and animal food. Genetic engineering could lead to the development of plants that would fix nitrogen directly from the atmosphere, rather than from fertilizers which are expensive. Creation of nitrogen fixing bacteria which can live in the roots of crop plants would make fertilization of fields unnecessary. Production of such self fertilizing food crops could bring about a new green revolution. Genetic engineering could create microorganisms which could be used for biological control of harmful pathogens, insect pests, etc.

2. Environmental Applications

Genetically modified microorganisms could be used for degradation of wastes, in sewage, oil spills, etc. Scientists of the General Electric Laboratories of New York have added plasmids to create strains of Pseudomonas that can break down a variety of hydrocarbons and is now used to clear oil spills. It can degrade 60% of the crude oil, while the four parents from which it was derived break down only a few compounds.

3. Industrial Applications

The industrial applications of recombinant DNA technology include the synthesis of substances of commercial importance in industry and pharmacy, improvement of existing fermentation processes, and the production of proteins from wastes.

4. Medicinal Applications

Among the medical applications of genetic engineering are the production of hormones, vaccines, interferon; enzymes, antibodies, antibiotics and vitamins, and in gene therapy for some hereditary diseases.

Hormones

The hormone insulin is currently produced commercially by extraction from the pancreas of cows and pigs. About 5% of the patients, however, suffer from allergic reactions to animal-produced insulin because of its slight difference in structure from human insulin. Human insulin genes have been implanted in bacteria which, therefore, become capable of synthesizing insulin. Bacterial insulin is identical to human insulin, since it is coded by human genes.

Vaccines

Injecting an animal with an inactivated virus stimulates it into making antibodies against viral proteins. These antibodies protect the animal against infection by the same virus by binding to the virus. Phagocytic cells then remove the virus. Vaccines are manufactured by growing the disease-producing organism in large amounts. This process is often dangerous or impossible. Moreover, there are difficulties in making the vaccine harmless.

Interferon

Interferons are virus induced proteins produced by cells infected with viruses. They appear to be the body’s first line of defence against viruses. The interferon response is much quicker than the antibody response. Interferons are anti-viral in action. One type of interferon can act. Against many different viruses, i.e. it is not virus specific. It is, however, species specific. Interferon from one organism does not give protection against viruses to cells of another organism. Interferon provides natural defence against such viral diseases as hepatitis and influenza. It also appears to be effective against certain types of cancer, especially cancer of the breast and lymph nodes. Natural interferon is collected from human blood cells and other tissues. It is produced in very small quantities.

Enzymes

The enzyme urokinase, which is used to dissolve blood clots, has been produced by genetically engineered microorganisms.

Antibodies

One of the aims of genetic engineering is the production of hybridomas. These are long lived cells that can produce antibodies for use against disease.

5. Gene therapy for treating hereditary diseases

The earlier gene transplantation experiments were concerned with trans¬planting genes in vitro into isolated cells or into bacteria. Gene transplantation experiments have now been extended to living animals.

6. In Understanding of Biological Processes

Genetic engineering techniques have been used for acquiring basic knowledge about – biological processes like gene structure and expression, chromosome mapping, cell differentiation and the integration of viral genomes. This could lead to a better under¬standing of the genetics of plants and animals, and ultimately of humans.

7. Human Applications

One of the most exciting potential applications of genetic engineering involves the treatment of genetic disorders. Medical scientists now know of about 3,000 disorders that arise because of errors in an individual’s DNA. Conditions such as sickle-cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s chorea, cystic fibrosis, and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome are the result of the loss, mistaken insertion, or change of a single nitrogen base in a DNA molecule. Genetic engineering makes it possible for scientists to provide individuals who lack a certain gene with correct copies of that gene. The proposal for human cloning are still waiting to come on floor. Genetic engineering has benefited the couples who are infertile.

Safe guards of genetic engineering

The general safeguards for recombinant DNA research are outlined below:

1. Genes coding for the synthesis of toxins or antibiotics should not be introduced into bacteria without proper precautions
2. Genes of animals, animal viruses or tumour viruses should also not be introduced into bacteria without proper precautions.

3. Laboratory facilities should be equipped to reduce the’ possibility’ of escape of pathogenic microorganism by using microbial safety cabinets, hoods, negative pressure laboratories, special traps on drains lines and vacuum lines.
4. Use of microorganisms occupying special ecological niches such as hot springs and salt water should be encourage If such organisms escape they will not be able to survive.
5. Use of non-conjugative plasmids as plasmid cloning vectors is recommended as such plasmids are unable, to, promote their own transfer by conjugation.

Dangers of genetic engineering

Recombinant DNA research involves potential dangers. Genetic engineering could create dangerous new forms of life, either accidentally or deliberately. A host microorganism may acquire harmful characteristics as a result of insertion of foreign genes. If disease-carrying microorganisms formed as a result of genetic manipulation escaped from laboratories, they could cause a variety of diseases. For example, Streptococcus, a bacterium causing rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, strep throat and kidney disease, never acquired penicillin resistance in nature. If a plasmid carrying a gene for penicillin resistance is introduced into Streptococcus it would confer penicillin resistance on the bacterium. Penicillin would now become ineffective against the resistant organism.

Navodita Maurice

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Endocrinology is the study of the endocrine system, which focuses on the complex system of glands in the body. These glands consist of the adrenal, hypothalamus, thyroid, ovaries, pancreas, parathyroid, pituitary and testes. Their primary function is to secrete hormones into the bloodstream in order to regulate the body properly. Hormones are substances which help to control various activities in the body and serve many purposes. They regulate several different functions of the body including growth and development, metabolism, mood and behavior and reproduction. They also help to provide an adequate amount of nutrition and energy which the body needs to function.

What is an Endocrinologist?
An endocrinologist is a physician who specializes in the endocrine system and its disorders. They are specially trained to diagnose and treat hormone imbalances by aiming to restore and maintain a functional balance of hormones in the body’s system. They are also involved in conducting research aimed at learning the ways in which the glands function, as well as clinical research aimed at learning the best ways to treat patients with hormone imbalances. Through this research, endocrinologists are able to develop new medications and various methods of treatment for hormone disorders.

What Type of Medical Training Does an Endocrinologist Require?
Endocrinologists need to complete four years of medical school and then spend between three and four years in a residency and internship program. These programs cover specialty areas such as internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. They spend two to three additional years training to diagnose and treat hormone conditions. In total, an endocrinologist will train for more than 10 years.

The Types of Disorders an Endocrinologist Treats:

- Cancer of the endocrine glands
- Cholesterol disorders
- Diabetes
- Growth disorders
- Hormonal production disorders
- Hypertension
- Infertility
- Menopause
- Metabolic disorders
- Osteoporosis
- Thyroid disorders

Finding an Alabama Endocrinologist
There are many skilled and qualified specialists, and finding the right Alabama endocrinologist to treat a disorder of this nature is very important. It would be wise to obtain a referral from a reliable source. Likely a patient will be referred to an endocrinologist by another medical provider, such as their family physician. The patient may also know friends or family who have seen this type of specialist and can make a recommendation. If unable to obtain a referral, a patient will want to conduct some background research on multiple specialists in this field. There are several Alabama endocrinology clinics, including those which specialize in pediatric endocrinology.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about Alabama endocrinology, please visit http://www.lifescript.com/doctor-directory/index.aspx.

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