CURRENT CONTENTS: (#1 -- November 5, 2020)
Autophagia
Gamma rays
Haversian canals
Helicobacter pylori
Hippocampus
Homeostasis
Authors' Note:
-some (SOHM, sometimes ZOHM): Greek suffix for an
intracellular body, or organelle, e.g. chromosome or lysosome
-phagia, or -phagy: Greek suffix for eating, or consumption
lysis: term of Greek origin for destruction or disintegration
lysosome: cellular organelle adapted to the destruction of extracellular material which has been internalized
autophagosome: membranous organelle that entraps targeted intracellular components, later merging with lysosomes for degradation and recycling of these components; their role in cell defence and in disease causation is under investigation
And, HERE's a verse about autophagia explaining use of the term to describe a rare and gruesome phenomenon.
Authors' Note: In measuring ionizing radiation such as gamma rays with an instrument such as a dosimeter, terms such as exposure-rate, flux, and fluence relate to the strength of the source. With regard to possible harm to humans and other biologic creatures, the absorbed dose is more important. The many different units involved in scientific descriptions may, in fact, detract from comprehension by non-experts. A simple rule of thumb, adopted by most professional societies, is to keep exposure "as low as reasonably achievable", as summarized in the acronymic slogan ALARA.
Authors' Note: The discovery in 1982 of the gastrointestinal bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as an organism causing disease in a definite minority of patients who harbour it has revolutionized major areas of gastro-enterology (the study of gastro-intestinal disease). The involved illnesses include gastritis, gastric ulcers, gastric cancer, and several other tumours. Simple treatment (including oral antibiotics) for the common manifestations is often curative, and a vaccine to prevent the malignant consequences is being sought.
Research into gut bacteria may soon bring rewards in our understanding of diseases that cause disruption in various body systems, including chronic neurological ailments.


Authors' Note: For physiologists and physicians, the understanding of homeostatic mechanisms such as feedback loops, and how they get overwhelmed in disease, is critical. An example discussed here previously is regulation of thyroid hormone levels. Knowledge in this area has also expanded into the field of IT.
coming up: (#2 -- November 5, 2021)
Horseshoe kidney (congenital malformation)
Motor homunculi
Visual cortex
Hemi-anopsia (poetic half-insights) (3 stanzas, a 'brief saga')
Radiation exposure (4 stanzas, a 'brief saga')
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