Limerick-based Handbook of MICRO-NUTRIENTS

 

CURRENT CONTENTS 

Nutrient deficiency (intro) 

Avitaminosis A

Vitamin B12 and erythropoiesis

Zinc and anosmia

Beri-beri (B1 deficiency), (3 stanzas -- a 'brief saga')

Authors' Note:  

N.B.: abbreviation for the Latin nota bene; as a verb—'take careful note', as a derived adjectival phrase — 'important'

Readers interested in nutritional health might be enthused that the author is undertaking a project entitled "The Limerick-based Handbook of Trace Minerals and Vitamins" as a follow-up to his "Limerick-based Handbook of Medical Testing".

Although treatment of disorders produced by the relevant deficiencies is often delightfully simple, the underlying biochemistry, pharmacology, epidemiology and health delivery issues may be extremely complex, and warrant further understanding. 

Authors' Note: Deficiency of vitamin A

Avitaminosis, an absence of vitamins, causes deficiency diseases.  Some of these deficiency states affect all cells in the body, and are manifest as diffuse or multi-system disorders. But many seem targeted at the weakest metabolic link or at a unique buochemical mechanism, and produce a characteristic disease pattern

Avitaminosis A, the absence of vitamin A, is the most common cause of childhood blindness in parts of Africa and South Asia, resulting in specific eye damage, including corneal ulceration and retinal damage. Early symptoms include xerophthalmia (severely 'dry eyes') and loss of night vision; however, in appropriately nourished populations (developed countries), these symptoms are most often due to other causes.    

Authors' Note: The myelin sheath is an envelope of lipid-rich material that wraps around peripheral nerve fibers, acting as a form of insulation; its development and maintenance is dependent on vitamin B12. 

Authors' Note:  Patients who have suffered a loss of sense of smell (anosmia) are known as anosmics. Rarely, this sensory disorder along with manifestations in other body functions can be attributed to a marked deficiency of dietary zinc. Whether zinc supplements can help with recovery in well-fed anosmics remains unresolved. The metallic element osmium, which has no known biologic role, is named for the stench emitted by its poisonous tetroxide derivative.

(Note that the three stanzaserses of this "brief saga" can be found in more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE.) 

Here's a LIST OF LINKS to collections of intriguing poems (over 200 of these!) on medical/dental topics, updated to December 2024. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR WEB-EXPLORERS: 

To resume the sequence of daily titillations on our related blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings at the bottom of the page, and check the daily offerings for any month from the start of 2020 until December 2024. 

As of December 2024, there are 1800 unique entries available on the daily blog, displaying individual poems (often illustrated) and wordplay, but also with some photo-collages and parody song-lyrics. Most of their key elements are also presented here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections, such as this one. The "Daily" format also has the advantage of including some song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.