CSF Circulation Animation

Here's the explanation I created.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7897649/

Cool Facts Re Marine Mammal Anatomy

One of the many benefits of studying human anatomy and physiology is the appreciation you will have for the differences seen in other animals. Some of the most interesting variations in structure and function are found in whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals. Consider, for example, these two items contributed by Dr. Lesley Williams, instructor of microbiology at Palomar College, and beginning this term, The Biology of Marine Mammals (BIOL 135): 

#1 Many diving marine mammals have a sphincter around their inferior vena cava that contracts during extended dives. The point is to block the return flow from the lower extremities so that blood in the lower systemic circuit gets clogged. Think of it as the lower systemic circuit becomes like a clogged drain. With the upper systemic circuit and coronary circuitry still "wide open", a larger % of blood is circulated around the coronary circuit and upper systemic circuit (serving the brain). This adjustment allows the marine mammal to conserve oxygen by distributing it to those organs that absolutely must have a steady supply or they fail (e.g. heart, brain) and denying other tissues (such as skeletal muscles) from taking the precious oxygen. 

#2 In almost all mammals, the left ventricular wall is enlarged in muscle mass compared to the right ventricular wall. This anatomical dissimilarity between the right and left side of the heart can be explained by the fact the force generated from the left ventricle must be strong enough to push of blood to the extremities and back again against gravity. In contrast, the right ventricle only needs enough force to pump blood to the adjacent lungs.  Interestingly, whales and dolphins, which live completely aquatic lives, have hearts with equal thickness between the right and left ventricles. Presumably, this is because the left ventricle does not have to deal with the gravitational forces that would be encountered by land mammals. I suspect that lower demand on the heart not only allows for the larger sizes experienced by some whales but also extends the life of the heart.

Very cool!

Stomach hormone ghrelin increases desire for high-calorie foods (6/23/2010)

Stomach hormone ghrelin increases desire for high-calorie foods (6/23/2010): "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

MedicalMnemonics.com

 Great mnemonics site!

MedicalMnemonics.com :

Vitamin D, calcium, and osteoporosis

Patient level pooled analysis of 68500 patients from seven major vitamin D fracture trials in US and Europe: "- This individual patient data analysis indicates that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10-20 μg is not effective in preventing fractures. By contrast, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce hip fractures and total fractures, and probably vertebral fractures, irrespective of age, sex, or previous fractures.

OUR BODY The Universe Within

This exhibit is currently at the Los Angeles County Fair: OUR BODY The Universe Within.

More info from the LA County Fair website.

Highly recommended!

(Thanks Shari)

Vitamin D Linked To Autoimmune And Cancer Disease Genes, Underscoring Risks Of Deficiency

Interesting read on Vitamin D and Cancer Disease genes:

Vitamin D Linked To Autoimmune And Cancer Disease Genes, Underscoring Risks Of Deficiency

Skull Anatomy Tutorial

Great site for studying the skeleton system!
Skull Anatomy Tutorial:

(Thanks Annie anf Samantha)

A smart use for wisdom teeth

A smart use for wisdom teeth: Making stem cells: wisdom teeth contain a valuable reservoir of mesenchymal cells; a personal stem-cell repository should he or she ever need some.

A very good histology quiz

From Dr. James Crimando, Gateway Community College, Phoenix AZ.  http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio201/histoprc/prac1q.htm

(Thank you Briana)

 

Mind - Research Upends Traditional Thinking on Study Habits - NYTimes.com

Some excerpts from this fascinating NYTimes article:

"An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in more overall study effort or pay more attention, dozens of studies have found."

and

"...many study skills courses insist that students find a specific place, a study room or a quiet corner of the library, to take their work. The research finds just the opposite. In one classic 1978 experiment, psychologists found that college students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms — one windowless and cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard — did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room. Later studies have confirmed the finding, for a variety of topics.

and

"...varying the type of material studied in a single sitting — alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a new language — seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill at a time."

Epithelial Tissues

I don't know if this has been posted or not so I'll just give a link anyway.

http://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/histology/index.html

For real they got like limited pictures and a quiz. It's probably not that useful, lol.

If you wanna study or whatever just hit me up on Facebook.

- Jerry Pham

David Blaine: How I held my breath for 17 min | Video on TED.com

In regards to a brief discussion in Tuesday's lecture about holding your breath, check this out. Fascinating!

Some info on stretch marks (striae distensae)

A question came up in lecture on Tuesday regarding stretch marks. What causes these dermal scars is not fully understood, though mast cell release of histamine, cytokines, and other chemicals when the skin is stretched seems to be involved; these substances will damage collagen and elastic fibers in the matrix of the dense irregular connective tissue of the dermis. See Striae Distensae: eMedicine Dermatology for more info.

Online flashcards

Quizlet.com appears to be a useful site that has a fair number of virtual flashcards covering numerous anatomy related topics; the cards are all user-generated. Here's an example: Antomical Terminology

The Top 5 Sites To Find Your College Textbooks

The Top 5 Sites To Find Your College Textbooks: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Visible Body- Amazing Anatomy/Physiology Study Tool

Found this incredible web based 3D animation of the human body. It uses Unity Web Player which allows for 3D rendering within the browser so you can access it anywhere. Using a layer system you can select which objects you want visible. It includes the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and nervous systems among others. I just wish I would have found this earlier!

Check it out at: http://www.visiblebody.com/

The onset of daylight saving time can be hazardous to your health

Very interesting item from the Los Angeles Times - with references.

Observations: Another reason vitamin D is important: it gets T cells going

Observations: Another reason vitamin D is important: it gets T cells going

Neutrophil Chasing a Bacterium - BioChemWeb.org

Neutrophil Chasing a Bacterium - BioChemWeb.org

There are so many great B&W movies from the 1950's; here's one of them!

Successful Transplant of Pyramidal Neurons Grown from Embryonic Stem Cells

Successful Transplant of Neurons Grown from Embryonic Stem Cells (in mice)

Kevin Van Aelst

Kevin Van Aelst