Stem Cell Research - A New Medical System

This article was inspired after reading many reports in daily newspapers and particularly in one issue of National Geographic about the Stem Cells.

Basics
Before our birth into this world, we were all embryo's and then grew up into foetus and then came out as a baby and grow up into what we are today. Our body as you know is made up of tissues, which are made up of cells, that are specific to the organs where they live, like nerve cells, liver cells, bone cells etc... There are 200 or so kinds of cells that constitute a human body. A lot of cells grow and die in our body every day.

Stem cells
These are the special cells that can be mapped into a particular kind of cells. That is they are the generalized cells. There are two kinds of stems cells - Embryonic Stem cells and Adult stem cells.

Embryonic Stem Cells
These cells had to be plucked from a young human embryo. These cells have the ability to modify themselves into any form of cell. But this ability of those cells happen only in the Mother's womb - Natural way, as of today. Scientists are trying to figure out the process and want to coax these naive embryonic stem cells to modify themselves into the required specific type of cell. For example, if a person's liver has been affected, and incase if they had obtained his/her embryonic cells's (it should have been obtained, as soon as he/she had developed into an embryo in his/her mother's womb.) they could coax them into liver cells, mulitply them and infuse them into his body (there are very rare chance of rejection, as it's his own body cell). These freshly infused cells may cure the old and damaged cells and thereby set his liver right.

Adult Stem Cells
These are the immature cells found in specific regions of our body like bone marrow and other organs in adult human beings. But these cells, usually can be coaxed only to emulate the cells in that part of the human body, from which they had been taken. But again there are a few arguments that the research can be advanced and these adult stem cells can be made to coaxed into any kind of cell required.

Future Research
Currently Stem cell research seemed to be bogged down in controversies over religion. i.e., A lot of people seem to be opposing this research. Also other ideas, like taking cells from the umbilical cards (that are discarded at birth), unwanted embryos disposed by fertility clinics are being floated. But still then, a significant amount of research has seemed to happen with U.S leading with the identification 70 embryonic stem lines, followed by Sweden and South Korean, which has 24 embryonic stem cell lines identified. (though it has limited the research, because of religious issues). India too figures in the list, with 10 stem lines being identified, as of date.

It's just another day - Poem

This Phrase 'just another day' stuck up with my mind for a while and I got this poem.

You could have just born into this world - but
It's just another day;
You could have conquered the whole world - but
It's just another day;
You would have been on the top of the world - but
It's just another day;
You could have faced many losses - but
It's just another day;
You could have been devastated - but
It's just another day;
You could have just found your love - but
It's just another day;
You could have just escaped the material world - but
It's just NOT an another day - for you!.

Zheng He - A great Voyager

I got to knew about Zheng He through one of the recent issue of National Geographic. Though we had a lot of mention about Vasco da gama and Columbus in the history subject during our school days, I don't even vaguely remember Zheng He, before this enlightening and vividy written article. Here's the life of a great icon in short.

Zheng He - known as Ma He - a central asian muslim - born to a rural official in a Mongolian Province - taken captive and ritually castrated by a Chinese army that overthrew the Mongols in 1382 (Zheng He was related to Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. The Mughals of India also claim their descendance from  Genghis Khan and are considered as turkic-mongol is another different story) - Assigned to work for Zhu Di - he rose to a key strategist - that made Zhu Di the emperor in 1402 - Chosen to lead one of the powerful naval forces ever ensembled - he went to Thailand, Malacca Straits, Indonesia, Srilanka, Malabar Coast in India, and to Swahilli Coast in Africa and then to few countries in Africa and then to Arabic countries - tried to develop the ocean trade with these countries - mutual visit of ambassadors - thus mixing business exploration and diplomacy - and therefore established China as the leader during the 15th Century.

The major land battle was fought in Srilanka - that was witnessing the fight between Tamils and two mutually hostile Sinhalese Buddhist rulers - Zheng He fought a battle and brought a settlement - which was then ruled by Sinhalese king Parakramabahu VI for 55 years after it - But after which the violence erupts again, and ironically still today the fighting continues (Well, to be precise, the wars were happening, since 2nd Century BC (250 BCE), as per the history available - probably starting with Chola King - Elara - also known as Manuneedhi Cholan).

Zheng He spent a good amount of time in the Malabar coast around cochin in kerala in India. He had initiated a lot of trade particulary the spices with India, and his jottings in 15th century describing the spice trade remains very much unchanged even today. Zheng He is said to have died during his way back to China from the visit to Mecca and arabic countries during his 7th Voyage. During these years of his voyage China too has moved its capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Zheng He is said to be a good natured and generous man. Zheng he (as he was castrated) adopted his brother's son. 

Reasoning behind a Superstition

A few days ago, I was having lunch at one of the tables in our office canteen. A colleague who was sitting in the other table asked me for the salt box (We usually have a pepper box and a salt box at each of the tables in our canteen, and the salt box was not there in my colleague's table.) I took the salt box from my table and gave it to him. He refused to get it in his hand; instead he asked to place it in the table. He said that it's a custom or rather a belief, not to handover salt to some one as it will lead to a fight!.

I just placed the salt in his table and was thinking about the reasoning behind the superstition. Though it's the first time I was hearing such a superstition, I was just wondering about what would be the reasoning behind it, and here's what I have guessed about.

It's a well known fact that a high Sodium or salt intake would increase the blood pressure and if you suffer from high blood pressure, you are bound to get irritated at the drop of a hat and that might end up in fight!.

Adding to the fact that this colleague was from Andhra Pradesh, where the food usually is very spicy and salty, when compared with the cusines from rest of India, adding more salt, would increase the Blood pressure and therefore would increase the probabilty of picking up a fight!

So, that should be the reasoning; but people circumvent in their own ways, as my colleague asked me to place it in the table instead of giving it in his hand.