Breakthroughs Today

MESOBUTHUS tumulus —that’s the scientific name of scorpion, specifically the Indian red scorpion, a creature so dreaded in ancient times that some 10 passages can be found in the Holy Bible talking about what it can do. But reputed as such, a scorpion can be easily missed, eclipsed by the cunning prestige of the snake. Thus goes an ancient Egyptian proverb: “Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.” And missing a scorpion when you should not, can result in getting its deadly sting. A scorpion’s sting is considered an acute medical emergency as it can pose a life threatening situation. Its venom can close the sodium channel in the human nerves, resulting into a so-called “autonomic storm,” wherein endogenous catecholamines are suddenly poured into the blood circulation. And this leads into... [ Read more. ]  This article appears in SunStar Cebu on 20 April 2011.

I USED to know someone working in the Cebu City Postal Office who had psoriasis in the forearms and elbows. The person responded very well to an aloe vera-based skin gel in a matter of three weeks, if my memory serves me well. But since there are many types of psoriasis, I can only assume it was a case of plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the menace. Plaque psoriasis appears as red and white scaly patches on the skin. Rapid accumulation gives it a silvery-white appearance. It is usually graded as mild (affecting less than three percent of the body), moderate (affecting three to 10 percent of the body), or severe (affecting more than 10 percent of the body). Although its cause is yet to be fully understood, many believe that the so-called Koebner response partly triggers it. Koebner response is an irritation resulting from exposure to agents such as molluscum contagiosum (a skin viral infection), warts and toxicodendron dermatitis (an irritation caused by the poison ivy), and

WITH graduations through, and parties being held, there is more time for drinking alcoholic beverages. So it may be a downer to bring out a recent study that put this favorite Filipino drink into the spotlight. But needless to say, being forewarned is being forearmed. In October 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer updated its 1988 classification of acetaldehyde (“probable carcinogen in humans”) to Group I human carcinogen (“carcinogenic to humans”). And that is not for insignificant bases. Thirteen medical researchers conducted a study involving 818 heavy drinkers found that acetaldehyde cause defects in their genes for the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Their findings came out in the November 2005 issue of the International Journal of Cancer. If you should drink this summer, then let me share with you a recent study that evaluated the acetaldehyde content major groups of alcoholic beverages available in the market. This way you can choose those that pose the