Stop pollution. Start reducing!
Picture source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_full-moon.jpg
Saturday, March 28, 2009
EARTH HOUR
It's Earth Hour. Lights in my house now is at a bare minimum. :)
Stop pollution. Start reducing!
Picture source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_full-moon.jpg
Stop pollution. Start reducing!
Picture source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_full-moon.jpg
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Respect vs Indulgence
In Malaysia, at official functions, invited / honoured guests when called upon or addressed are not only referred to by their names, but also their titles/darjah/pangkat such as 'Datuk', 'Tan Sri', 'Datin', 'Yang Berbahagia'..etc.
This appears very much in the media especially, where these titles are twice to thrice the length of the person's name himself/herself.
I wonder how the person referred to feels at that point. Does he feel as though he is being fed some ego, indulging in that title, or is it a form of respect for what he has done to deserve that title (we would temporarily not go down that road) or both?
I feel humbled by people I meet daily who have accomplished so much address themselves by their first names, or just their surnames to me. I respect this even more so.
This appears very much in the media especially, where these titles are twice to thrice the length of the person's name himself/herself.
I wonder how the person referred to feels at that point. Does he feel as though he is being fed some ego, indulging in that title, or is it a form of respect for what he has done to deserve that title (we would temporarily not go down that road) or both?
I feel humbled by people I meet daily who have accomplished so much address themselves by their first names, or just their surnames to me. I respect this even more so.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Obesity !
Today, I went for a stroll at ONE retail outlet - Believe it or not, I went all the way out to town, and only went into ONE retail outlet. I'm such a terrible shopper!
Anyway, I was flabbergasted when I saw how this outlet was promoting their new arrival collection for spring/summer. There were banners above the racks stating something like - NEW BIG DRESSES -
The collection amassed many very pretty dresses. BUT, I overheard quite a few chatters going "This is size 6. Can you believe it? It's huge for a size 6!".
What was happening is that, in this country (UK), everyone is getting large. So, there is the petite range, and the range for the 'larger' clientale. BUT..the sizes of clothes are the same.
I will, for the convenience of your idea, disclose my size - in the UK. I normally wear size 8 - 10. In these retail outlets, a size 10 in 'petite' is smaller than a size 10 in 'normal', of which is smaller than size 10 of 'big'. So, no matter which section you're going for, you can claim that you're a size '10'.
No doubt, its only fair that consumers of larger sizes have their own cuts and designs to fit them better. I do agree with that. BUT this used to be put as size say, 16 or 18! Than size '10' from a 'BIG' range.
It only comes to show how the society, size wise, is changing. And how everyone is trying to be politically correct, but with detrimental effects, as far as I am concerned. I have been aware of this, but it has now come to light how society is adapting by making it the 'norm'.. That, is WRONG.
Anyway, I was flabbergasted when I saw how this outlet was promoting their new arrival collection for spring/summer. There were banners above the racks stating something like - NEW BIG DRESSES -
The collection amassed many very pretty dresses. BUT, I overheard quite a few chatters going "This is size 6. Can you believe it? It's huge for a size 6!".
What was happening is that, in this country (UK), everyone is getting large. So, there is the petite range, and the range for the 'larger' clientale. BUT..the sizes of clothes are the same.
I will, for the convenience of your idea, disclose my size - in the UK. I normally wear size 8 - 10. In these retail outlets, a size 10 in 'petite' is smaller than a size 10 in 'normal', of which is smaller than size 10 of 'big'. So, no matter which section you're going for, you can claim that you're a size '10'.
No doubt, its only fair that consumers of larger sizes have their own cuts and designs to fit them better. I do agree with that. BUT this used to be put as size say, 16 or 18! Than size '10' from a 'BIG' range.
It only comes to show how the society, size wise, is changing. And how everyone is trying to be politically correct, but with detrimental effects, as far as I am concerned. I have been aware of this, but it has now come to light how society is adapting by making it the 'norm'.. That, is WRONG.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Diabetes!
Today, I shall post something which I think is an important aspect of diabetes, a malignant disease in the way it is spreading across the globe. Truly debilitating, troublesome and poorly managed due to many reasons.
p/s: I should really summarise these two, but I'm lazy and merely copied and paste. Next time perhaps!
This would be an entry of
Somogyi Effect vs Dawn Phenomenon
The main similarity between these two presentations is that hyperglycaemia occurs upon waking up in the morning
The main difference would be the pathophysiology behind them. One is due to hypoglycaemia at night, and the other does not occur with hypoglycaemia in the night.
Topic: Somogyi Effect
This is quite a controversial topic, and therefore not quite adequately mentioned in general clinical textbooks (i believe) due to its lack of scientific evidence despite being well-known to clinicians ( wikipedia )
A brief description from: http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/articles/Diabetes_Definitions/Somogyi_Effect
The tendency of the body to react to extremely low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) by overcompensating, resulting in high blood sugar. The Somogyi effect, also known as the "rebound" effect, was named after Michael Somogyi, the researcher who first described it.
When blood glucose levels drop too low, the body sometimes reacts by releasing counterregulatory hormones such as glucagon and epinephrine. These hormones spur the liver to convert its stores of glycogen into glucose, raising blood glucose levels. This can cause a period of high blood sugar following an episode of hypoglycemia.
The Somogyi effect is most likely to occur following an episode of untreated nighttime hypoglycemia, resulting in high blood sugar levels in the morning. People who wake up with high blood sugar may need to test their blood glucose levels in the middle of the night (for example, around 3 AM). If their blood sugar level is falling or low at that time, they should speak with their health-care team about increasing their food intake or lowering their insulin dose in the evening. The only way to prevent the Somogyi effect is to avoid developing hypoglycemia in the first place.
____________________________________________________________________________
Dawn Phenomenon - also hyperglycaemia presentation in the morning
Difference with Somogyi Effect is that this is NOT due to hypoglycaemia in the night.
Dawn Phenomenon - source: http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/articles/Diabetes_Definitions/Dawn_Phenomenon
Very high blood glucose in the early morning due to the release of certain hormones in the middle of the night. The body makes certain hormones called counterregulatory hormones, which work against the action of insulin. These hormones, which include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol, raise blood glucose levels, when needed, by signaling the liver to release more glucose and by inhibiting glucose utilization throughout the body.
In the middle of the night, there is a surge in the amount of growth hormone the body releases, followed by a surge in cortisol, which effectively cranks up glucose production in the liver, presumably to prepare the body for daytime activity after a period of fasting. In people who don't have diabetes, these processes are offset by increased insulin secretion by the pancreas, so blood glucose levels remain relatively stable. However, in people with Type 1 diabetes, whose pancreases don't make insulin, and in people with Type 2 diabetes, whose livers may not respond to insulin well enough to stop glucose production, changes in glucose metabolism during sleep can have a profound effect on morning blood glucose levels. Typically, the blood glucose level rises between 4 AM and 8 AM.
It is important to realize that high morning blood sugar may be caused by something else: the body's rebound from low blood glucose levels at night. Rebound hyperglycemia, also caused by the release of counterregulatory hormones, represents the body's defense mechanism against low blood sugar. The only way to tell the two phenomena apart is to check your blood glucose level in the middle of the night (around 3 AM). If your blood sugar is high, you are probably experiencing the dawn phenomenon; if it is low, rebound hyperglycemia is probably at work.
p/s: I should really summarise these two, but I'm lazy and merely copied and paste. Next time perhaps!
This would be an entry of
Somogyi Effect vs Dawn Phenomenon
The main similarity between these two presentations is that hyperglycaemia occurs upon waking up in the morning
The main difference would be the pathophysiology behind them. One is due to hypoglycaemia at night, and the other does not occur with hypoglycaemia in the night.
Topic: Somogyi Effect
This is quite a controversial topic, and therefore not quite adequately mentioned in general clinical textbooks (i believe) due to its lack of scientific evidence despite being well-known to clinicians ( wikipedia )
A brief description from: http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/articles/Diabetes_Definitions/Somogyi_Effect
The tendency of the body to react to extremely low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) by overcompensating, resulting in high blood sugar. The Somogyi effect, also known as the "rebound" effect, was named after Michael Somogyi, the researcher who first described it.
When blood glucose levels drop too low, the body sometimes reacts by releasing counterregulatory hormones such as glucagon and epinephrine. These hormones spur the liver to convert its stores of glycogen into glucose, raising blood glucose levels. This can cause a period of high blood sugar following an episode of hypoglycemia.
The Somogyi effect is most likely to occur following an episode of untreated nighttime hypoglycemia, resulting in high blood sugar levels in the morning. People who wake up with high blood sugar may need to test their blood glucose levels in the middle of the night (for example, around 3 AM). If their blood sugar level is falling or low at that time, they should speak with their health-care team about increasing their food intake or lowering their insulin dose in the evening. The only way to prevent the Somogyi effect is to avoid developing hypoglycemia in the first place.
____________________________________________________________________________
Dawn Phenomenon - also hyperglycaemia presentation in the morning
Difference with Somogyi Effect is that this is NOT due to hypoglycaemia in the night.
Dawn Phenomenon - source: http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/articles/Diabetes_Definitions/Dawn_Phenomenon
Very high blood glucose in the early morning due to the release of certain hormones in the middle of the night. The body makes certain hormones called counterregulatory hormones, which work against the action of insulin. These hormones, which include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol, raise blood glucose levels, when needed, by signaling the liver to release more glucose and by inhibiting glucose utilization throughout the body.
In the middle of the night, there is a surge in the amount of growth hormone the body releases, followed by a surge in cortisol, which effectively cranks up glucose production in the liver, presumably to prepare the body for daytime activity after a period of fasting. In people who don't have diabetes, these processes are offset by increased insulin secretion by the pancreas, so blood glucose levels remain relatively stable. However, in people with Type 1 diabetes, whose pancreases don't make insulin, and in people with Type 2 diabetes, whose livers may not respond to insulin well enough to stop glucose production, changes in glucose metabolism during sleep can have a profound effect on morning blood glucose levels. Typically, the blood glucose level rises between 4 AM and 8 AM.
It is important to realize that high morning blood sugar may be caused by something else: the body's rebound from low blood glucose levels at night. Rebound hyperglycemia, also caused by the release of counterregulatory hormones, represents the body's defense mechanism against low blood sugar. The only way to tell the two phenomena apart is to check your blood glucose level in the middle of the night (around 3 AM). If your blood sugar is high, you are probably experiencing the dawn phenomenon; if it is low, rebound hyperglycemia is probably at work.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
What a STUPID remark!
If you have not read theStar today, go read this link:
No way to cut waiting period (for SPM,STPM results)
The part which annoyed me the most was:
"Asked to comment on Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah’s statement that the three-month wait was too long, Hishammuddin said the processes should not be questioned."
It seems as though everything these politicians do nowadays end up with "should not be questioned". If you dunno the answers, just say dunno la! and let everyone know how inadequate you are. Or explain and let everyone else be the judge.
We are meant to be a democratic country. If the people asks, as representatives, you have an obligation to answer. Know what you're doing, and why, and what for LAH!
So geram.
No way to cut waiting period (for SPM,STPM results)
The part which annoyed me the most was:
"Asked to comment on Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah’s statement that the three-month wait was too long, Hishammuddin said the processes should not be questioned."
It seems as though everything these politicians do nowadays end up with "should not be questioned". If you dunno the answers, just say dunno la! and let everyone know how inadequate you are. Or explain and let everyone else be the judge.
We are meant to be a democratic country. If the people asks, as representatives, you have an obligation to answer. Know what you're doing, and why, and what for LAH!
So geram.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Vascular teaching
How to explain an aneurysm?
Take long balloon like the ones used to form animal shapes, wait until it is rather deflated, then walla! squeeze the 'aneurysm', another will form, but there will be a particular area where it will inflate more easily. And that, my friend, is an aneurysm!
Take long balloon like the ones used to form animal shapes, wait until it is rather deflated, then walla! squeeze the 'aneurysm', another will form, but there will be a particular area where it will inflate more easily. And that, my friend, is an aneurysm!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Hello
My life has been busy. My laptop broke down. I found myself even more busy.
I realised today, that Cardiff Medical School is really not as bad as everyone perceive it to be. If one knows how to go about and take advantage of how the layout of the programme is, it allows many doors to open, and opportunities to explore. One can really stretch to the extreme and test how far one can go.
To a certain extent, that is why during medical school admission interviews, students who do not possess a medical background are taken into consideration - i reiterate, to a certain extent.
I wish I had more willpower and limit my computer + internet time. I haven't done any work at all since it functioned again! I was doing work daily before this! Stomach that!!!!!! Pigs can fly isn't it?!
=D
I realised today, that Cardiff Medical School is really not as bad as everyone perceive it to be. If one knows how to go about and take advantage of how the layout of the programme is, it allows many doors to open, and opportunities to explore. One can really stretch to the extreme and test how far one can go.
To a certain extent, that is why during medical school admission interviews, students who do not possess a medical background are taken into consideration - i reiterate, to a certain extent.
I wish I had more willpower and limit my computer + internet time. I haven't done any work at all since it functioned again! I was doing work daily before this! Stomach that!!!!!! Pigs can fly isn't it?!
=D
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