Importance of plants in human life?

Importance of plants in human life?

In every way humans are dependent on plants. For food, medicines, air purification, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle and etc. But in addition to these now this has a much higher importance. It is in global warming. When the humans started burning fossil fuels carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere started increasing.Importance of plants in human life Carbon dioxide is a green house gas and it keeps infrared rays within the earth atmosphere and help increasing the temperature. In the upcoming years this will become more and more important in human life.

Another importance in human life is for medicines. As you all know quinine, a very potent antimalarial drug discovered from the plant cinchona. (Actually it was first discovered by an African tribe) Not humans are facing more and more challenges from emerging and re-emerging diseases. For an example HIV the most dangerous and devastating disease in the word I may say up to now does not have an effective cure. But plants may have a good answer for with. People in the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka have used plant extracts as very effective remedies for many conditions.

CPK blood test

CPK blood test
CPK blood test is very widely used for the detection of myocardial infarctions. But despite the popularity of CPK blood test for the detection of myocardial infarction it can be very effectively used to investigate and diagnose many other conditions associated with skeletal muscles. CPK-MM isoform of the CPK enzyme is predominantly found in skeletal muscle. These diseases of the skeletal muscles range from simple traumatic muscle damage to more advance muscle dystrophies. More common conditions are myositis, post electromyography, recent surgery, and strenuous exercise.
When we talk about the isoform CPK-MB it is predominantely found in cardiac myosites. When there is damage to cardiac muscle cell this isoform of CPK enzyme is released. This is another very common situation in which CPK blood test is performed. When someone is admitted to the hospital with a chest pain a CPK blood test may be performed to diagnose whether he is having a heart attack.

Sugar consumption and diabetes

Sugar consumption and diabetes
Sugar consumption has been linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and atherosclerosis for a long time. High sugar consumption is probably the most important risk factor of diabetes. Changing life styles and inclusion of items like soda to the daily diet may worsen the condition. Actually specifically talking about diabetes sugar consumption affects it in many ways. For an example high sugar intake may cause obesity. Recent researches have shown adipose tissue in the body area secrete a hormone which is responsible for insulin resistance. And the researches with the diabetics have shown high circulating levels of this hormone.
Unlike complex carbohydrates sugar is easily digested and absorbed. This causes a rapid absorption of glucose and fructose in the blood. As you already know rapid rise in blood glucose predispose the patient to diabetes. Not only that, fructose can entered the cells without controlled by insulin. Due to this high fructose entry to the cells changes the metabolic pathways within the cells and stimulates the cells to synthesis more fatty and cholesterol. This more fatty acid and cholesterol synthesized is transported to peripheral tissues by the means of LDL. This is why high sugar intake predisposes the patient to atherosclerosis.

CPK enzyme

CPK enzyme ( also known as creatine phosphokinase and creatine kinase) is the enzyme which is responsible for the conversion of creatine to creatine phosphate. CPK enzyme plays a very important in skeletal muscle since it creatine phosphate system is important for the sudden energy requirements in the skeletal muscle. CPK enzyme is also abandontely found in brain and smooth muscle. During the conversion of 1 mol of creatine to creatine phosphate CPK enzyme converts 1mol of ATP to ADP. CPK Enzyme has several isoforms. Those isoforms are CPK-BB, CPK-MB, CPK-MM. The CPK-MM type is known as the skeletal muscle type of the CPK enzyme. CPK-BB type is known as the Brain type of the CPK enzyme.Only within the myocardial cells more than 5% of CPK-MB activity can be observed. Due to this fact CPK-MB isoform of the CPK Enzyme is used to diagnose myocardial cell damage and CPk enzyme palys a major role in the diagnosis of myocardial infarctions-heart attacks. This enzyme is also important in the diagnosis of various myopathies. Usually in muscle dystrophies plasma level of CPK enzyme is elevated. To differentiate the source of CPK enzyme isoform speific enzyme assays of other markers should be used.
Eg: CPK enzyme and Troponin I in myocardial infarctions.
CPK enzyme and myoglobin in muscle damage.
Fot more information about this read CPK Test and CPK Blood Test

CPK test

CPK test is a very important biochemical test used to diagnose specially conditions associated with muscle. CPK test also has a place in emergency care to diagnose myocardial infarctions. CPK Enzyme or the Creatine phosphokinase is found in almost all the cells of the body. But it is found in significant amounts in Heart, Brain and skeletal muscles. So when there is a heart attack, Brain cell necrosis or a muscle trauma the CPK enzyme contained with in these cells are released to the blood. So the plasma level of CPK enzyme is elevated. The objective of the CPK test is to measure this elevated CPK enzyme. Even in a normal individual there is a basal blood level of CPK enzyme. It is due to the normal wear and tear of the cells. In CPK test this amount is always measured. So when the CPK test result comes it is not something to get alarmed. Normal basal level of CPK enzyme in a properly conducted CPK test is 24-195U/L. But please keep in mind the outcome of the CPK test is laboratory and method specific. So you should always take into account the reference range given by the laboratory for the CPK test. Not only diseases there are drugs which can give rise to exaggerated results in CPK test.

Sodium nitrite and cancer risk

Sodium nitrite and cancer risk

Sodium nitrite is a compound which is specially added to processed meat like cone beef, bacon and hotdogs. Even though this compound is neutral, within the body it can be converted to carcinogenic compounds which can cause cancers. It was clearly shown that Sodium nitrite increases the risk of leukemia.
Sodium nitrite is added to processed meat in order to retain the reddish appealing color. But this Sodium nitrite is converted to carcinogenic nitrosoamines by colonic bacteria which increase the risk of cancer. Since sodium nitrate is also converted to Sodium nitrite with in the body it also can be carcinogenic.
So if the same person who is eating lots and lost of processed food also having constipation the problem can be much more severe and probably he is having a heightened risk of colonic cancer. So beware of Sodium nitrite and cancer risk and next time make sure to read the label of the food item before you buy it.

Can you die from vitamin toxicity or Hypervitaminosis?

When we talk about the vitamin toxicity we can categorize all the vitamins into two broad categories based on the solubility.
Water soluble

Water soluble Vitamins are,
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin C

These vitamins are highly soluble in water and readily excreted in urine. Even a higher dosage is taken toxicity is rare. But with very high doses complications can occur. So Vitamin toxicity due to high doses of Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C are rare. In people whose renal functions are compromised these water soluble Vitamins are not properly excreted from the body. So In that case toxicity and death can occur.

Lipid soluble

Lipid soluble vitamins are,
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K

these vitamins are not water soluble and not highly excreted in urine. So even in a marginal increase over the amount which can be excreted may result in accumulation of lipid soluble vitamins and sometimes death can result if the toxicity is not treated properly.


Vitamin A Toxicity

Vitamin A toxicity is relatively common and can be categorized into acute toxicity and chronic toxicity. Acute toxicity of vitamin A occurs after an ingestion of a large amount of vitamin A. Symptoms of acute vitamin A toxicity include headache, dizziness, vomiting , stupor, and blurred vision. These symptoms may mimic a brain tumor.
Symptoms of chronic vitamin A toxicity includes weight loss, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, bone pain and joint pain. Both these toxicities can ultimately lead to the death.

Vitamin D toxicity
Vitamin D toxicity in small children may produce metastatic calcification. In adults it can cause bone pain and hypercalcaemia. As toxic potential of Vitamin D is high in sufficiently large doses it can cause death.

Mode of action of fish oil

Mode of action of fish oil

fish oil contains Omega-3- triglycerides and highly unsaturated fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. Omega-3- triglycerides reduce plasma triglyceride concentration but increases the plasma cholesterol level. So it is doubtful whether it reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. Mechanism of action of fish oils on plasma triglycerides are unknown. eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids inhibit platelet function and aggregation, prolong bleeding time, has anti inflammatory effects and reduces plasma fibrinogen. These are much more possible methods of reducing the risk of myocardial infarctions.

CPK enzyme

CPK enzyme ( Also known as creatine kinase and creatine phosphokinase) present in almost all the body tissues in different amounts. It is very abundant in muscle cells and brain. CPK enzyme is responsible for the interconversion of creatine and creatine phosphate while consuming ATP as the substrate. This enzyme has tissue specific isoforms and because of that it has a great therapeutic value. For an example skeletal muscle fibers have CPK-MM isoform of the CPK enzyme. Brain has CPK-BB isoform.
Myocardial cells have CPK-MB isoform. When there is an damage to the cells CPK enzyme which is usually present within the cells comes out and present in the plasma. In any normal human there is a basal level of this enzyme in the plasma due to the normal wear and tear of the cells. But in the disease condition this level rise to a higher value due to the tissue necrosis associated with that disease. For an example in a myocardial infarction CPK enzyme level in the blood rise to a very higher level. Since it has a cardiac specific isoform(CPK-MB) this can be used to detect myocardial cell damage. But it is necessary to keep in mind that the CPK enzyme level can be elevated in various diseases affecting the skeletal muscles also. Few years back this enzyme was widely used to to detect myocardial infarctions but in the recent years it's place has been replaced by Troponin-T (another cardiac specific protein)

Importance of plants

Importance of plants

Plants are important for human life in many ways. Without plants animal life on the planet earth would be almost impossible.
Importance of plants as a food source
Plants make up the largest proportion in our diet. Plants are much more important than the larger trees for this purpose since in many countries the staple diet comes from rice or wheat.
Importance of plants to maintain the balance in the echo-system
Plants are really necessary to maintain the balance in the echo-system. For an instance plants are necessary to cycle C on the planet. CO2 in the air taken in to the plants and stored in the carbohydrates. In the present time human activities have reduced the amount of plants on the planet. So all the cycles are now changing. Because of this now the humans feel the importance of plants more and more.

Importance of plants in medicine
Plant extracts contain many chemical compounds which are biologically active within the human body. For centuries humans have used plants and plant extracts to treat various disease conditions and more recently to produce new drugs. Still most of the plants carry a large number of unidentified compounds which can be really useful of making new drugs and for the identification of lead compounds. This can be very important in making new treatments available to diseases like AIDS.