Why are people born with cancer ?
Actually this is a difficult question to answer. Rather than people who are born with a cancer I would like to talk about the cancers which develop in first few years of life. As you might already know any cell in the body can become malignant. There are specific cell lines in the body which are existent only in the first few years of the life and are not found in the adults. Hereditary retinoblastoma is an example of this. More genetic mutations the zygote has there is a greater chance of developing a cancer in the early life.
Certain malignancies can develop in the intra uterine life and can ultimately lead to spontaneous abortions. Actually most of the genetic mutations lead to spontaneous abortions.
Why are people born with cancer?
CPK blood test range
If you have undergone the CPK blood test the laboratory may have provided you with a set of values. Any decent laboratory should provide the range of normal values with it. But sometimes they may not. Then you may be wondering before going to a doctor “what is the CPK blood test range? “ For you reference herewith I am providing you with the CPK blood test range. Blood please remember CPK normal values are always laboratory specific so there can be a slight deviation of the normal values I have provided here from the normal values of your laboratory.
Creatine kinase (CPK)
- Female 24-170 U/L
- Male 20-260 U/L
- CK-MB fraction <25>
There is another thing. Any value outside the normal range is not necessarily abnormal. Any value outside this range has a higher probability to be abnormal. So some values outside the normal range can be perfectly normal for some people.
INR test
INR test
If you are currently on warfarin your doctor may request for a PT/INT test or you may see one of your relatives getting done a PT/INR test. But what is it? You may wonder. Warfarin is an anticoagulant mainly given to patients who at increased risk of the development of intravascular blood clots. For this discussion we will restrict our patient category to patients with prosthetic heart valves. Patient with prosthetic heart valves at increased risk of development of blood clots. These clots can cause various catastrophic events. E.g.: strokes, Myocardial infarctions, Peripheral vascular disease and etc. To reduce this an anticoagulant is given. But this has side effects. Major side effect of our interest is excessive bleeding. To balance this risk and benefit anticoaguability of the warfarin PT/INT test is used. Actually the PT part is the test. PT is the abbreviation for prothrombin time. INR means international normalized ratio. Due to diversity of the chemical manufacturers different laboratories get different result for the PT test. But the manufacturer of that particular chemical compound gives the data to convert it to the universally accepted INR. This value doesn’t change from the laboratory. So is a single patient’s blood checked by two laboratories the INR test value should be equal.
Labels: INR test, PT/INR test, warfarin
Free Etrade US bank account for non US residents
Free Etrade US bank account for non US residents
If you were looking for an us bank for non us residents you might have searched the internet a lot. And read number of articles and paid thousands of dollars for a US bank account and got scammed. The method I am going to tell you will allow you to open a free us offshore bank account being a non us residence. Still you may ask can I open bank account in us etrade as non residence? Yes possible they allow you to open a complete investment account. And even though you are a non US resident you eligible for a platinum VISA debit card with Etrade account. Your US bank account can be managed online with Etrade. As far as I know this is the easiest way to open a free us offshore bank account non us residence. Other people say that this US account can be used with paypal. Etrade is probably the best us bank for non residents. This is a free guide for us bank account as non resident (non US resident).
PT/INR Test
PT/INR Test
PT/INR test is a special blood test designed to give an idea about the coagulation status of a particular individual. But what does PT/INR Test shows? Many people don’t know that. Actually PT is “Prothrombin time” and INR is “International normalized ratio”. Prothrombin time measures the extrinsic path of blood coagulation. In PT/INR Test blood is collected to a tube containing sodium citrate. Then tissue factor is added and time taken to the sample to clot measured optically. As you can see in this PT/INR Test the test result depends on the methodology used and the quality of the tissue factor. So the PT/INR test result is specific to that particular laboratory. That’s why there is an INR part. INR takes the ratio between patient sample and the control sample. When it is added to the formula PT/INR Test results can be compared globally. PT/INR Test is usually perfomed for the patients on warfarin, Liver damage and vitamin K status. This test is the most sensitive and widely used method to determine the blood coagulation profile. After a prosthetic valve replacement of the heart is is almost always necessary to check the coagulation profile by PT/INR test. Some times it may be necessary to measure it after an myocardial infarction.
Medicines that affect cpk test
Medicines that affect cpk test
As you already know medicines can affect most of the biochemical tests. One such test is creatine kinase test or the cpk test. Medicines which affect the CPK test are, amphotericin B, ampicillin, some anesthetics, blood thinners, aspirin, clofibrate, dexamethasone, furosemide, alcohol, and cocaine. Actually above substances increases the blood CPK level giving rise to false positive values. But in addition to this I would like to discuss other factors which affect the CPK test. Those factors are cardiac catheterization, intramuscular injections, trauma to muscles, recent surgery, and heavy exercise. So when someone goes to the hospital and had a positive CPK test the above factors should be considered. When the above factors are excluded a positive CPK test can be due to heart attack, Brain injury or stroke, Inflammation of the heart muscle and etc. So I think now you have some understanding about the other factors which affect the CPK test.
Etrade US bank account for non US residents
Etrade US bank account for non US residents
If you were looking for a US bank account being a non US residents you should already know how difficult to find one. Many website in the internet trying to scam people by offering US bank accounts for non US residents. I can assure you one thing. Non of these websites can not offer US bank accounts for non US residents. But there is a one bank which offers complete investment accounts for non US residents it’s Etrade. With this Etrade complete investment accounts for non US residents you should be able to do whatever you want. But please keep in mind it is an investment account. And another thing is many websites offering US bank account for non US residents send you information on how to open an account at Etrade when you pay. So I strongly suggest that you should contact directly rather than going around those scam sites. Etrade telephone number is 1-800-ETRADE-1 (1-800-387-2331) Before you call please visit the Etrade website. since this is a toll free number you can use skype to call them for free. If you are trying to find a find a US bank account to use with your paypal account you should be able to use Etrade complete investment account. They also provide you with a VISA debit card. This should be able to use to fulfill the credit card need in paypal.
But if you only need an offshore bank account you can try offshore bank account from HSBC. These account are easy to open and handle and also the HSBC offshore bank accounts offer high interest rates.
Codeine constipation
Codeine constipation
Codeine is a drug which is well known to cause constipation. Codeine is also known as 3-methoxymorphine. It does not have euphoric effects and so it is freely available over the counter. But it only has 20% of the analgesic potency of morphine. (With in the body codeine is converted morphine by an enzymatic reaction) So it is used to treat mild types of pain such as headache, backache and toothache etc.
Codeine constipation is due to its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. It increases the tone and reduces the motility in many parts of the gastro intestinal tract. Since this reduces the gastric emptying and reduces the rate of movement of food in the gastro intestinal tract this produces small amount of hard stools due excessive water absorption. Sometimes codeine constipation can be very severe and troublesome to the patient. Constipation is thought to be mediated by the effect of codeine on gastro intestinal tract smooth muscle cells. Some suggests that it is mediated by the effect on intramural nerve plexuses. Other hypothesis suggests that constipation is partly mediated by its central effect since intra ventricular injection of codeine inhibits the propulsive movements of the gastro-intestinal tract.
Elevated CPK Enzyme
Elevated CPK enzyme level is of great diagnostic value. CPK enzyme is a non functional plasma enzyme and in most of the times elevated levels indicates as underlying organic skeletal muscle disorder or a myocardial infarction. CPK enzyme has 3-isoforms.
CK-BB (Mainly found in the brain tissue)
CK-MB (Mainly found in the myocardial tissue)
CK-MM (Mainly found in the skeletal muscle issue)
Myocardial tissue is the only tissue that contains more than 5% of the total CK-MB activity. So elevated plasma levels of CK-MB isoform of CPK-enzyme suggest a myocardial infarction. But however this should be used along with another cardiac marker like Troponin I ot Troponin T since cpk enzymes coming from the other sources such as skeletal muscle can interfere with the interpretation of the results.
In the case of a myocardial infarction CPK enzyme levels start to rise to rise 4 to 8 hours after the onset of the chest pain and plasma CPK enzyme level reaches the peak in 24 hours.
Serum CPK enzyme is greatly elevated in many muscle disorders including Duchenne dystrophy and polymyositis.But the CPK enzyme level is not elevated in myasthenia gravis and LEMS. In muscle trauma plasma level of myoglobin is also elevated.
Why do people die from cancer?

One of my friends mentioned that his uncle has a tumor in the liver. I asked him whether it is a cancer; he said “No, it is a malignancy”
Have you ever heard this type of sentence? This conversation persuaded me to write this article. Malignancy is the scientific term used for caner.Most of us knows that a cancer is a rapidly dividing group of cells. But what is the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell? In a human body normal cells can divide certain number of times and after some time these cells die due to ageing. But the cancer cells are immortal. Cell division is rapid as well as unlimited. So these rapidly dividing malignant cells compete with the normal cells for nutrients and oxygen. Ultimately normal cells die off due to nutrition depletion. Some times these cancer cells obstruct certain passages e.g.: Gastro intestinal tract, blood vessel, bilary tract, urinary tract. This will ultimately lead to death of the person. A brain tumor directly interferes the vital functions of the brain and can lead to death.
Enzyme test or a CPK test : What is it ?

When you go to the hospital after a chest pain your doctor might request an enzyme test or a CPK test. But what is this? Did you ever think about it?
OK now I am going to tell you more about it. You don't need to have huge medical knowledge to understand this article. So don't worry. All these are enzyme based diagnostic tests designed to identify a certain disease condition. As you know the human body is made up of billions of cells. Each and every cell is a fluid filled bag. Plasma membrane serves as the boundary of this bag. As long as it is healthy it keeps everything with inside the cell without allowing escaping. With in these cells there are enzymes. Enzymes are proteins which catalyze various biochemical reactions. But when the cell is injured these enzymes come out. Then these enzymes diffuse through the extra cellular space and contaminate the blood. So when a blood sample is taken this elevated cellular enzyme levels can be detected. As certain enzymes are specific for certain organs the doctors can detect the affected organ. Eg: The heart. Now you can understand. When you have a chest pain they suspect a heart attack. To diagnose whether it is a heart attack or some other condition they request a CPK test. If it is a heart attack CPK test is life saving. Remember CPK is a very important cardiac enzyme in diagnosing.
E.g.: C.P.K- Heart muscle
MEDICINAL PLANTS IN LANDSCAPING
In Sri Lanka 80% of the parcels of land are smallholdings. Most of the gardens confined to home gardens. Some of the plants commonly used in landscape designs although attractive may not of any other value to the owner. Some of the medicinal plants are attractive as well as valuable. If these plants are used as landscape elements they will serve many purposes.
Landowners usually try to include several plant species in their gardens. Flowering plants, fruit trees, spices, herbs, grasses and medicinal plants play prominent roles among them. Medicinal plants like any other plants act as primary food producers and purify the atmosphere. By including medicinal plants in the garden it will also help precise identification of the plants. It will lead to conservation of rare medicinal plants. It will also provide an additional income to the owner. Medicinal plants provide first aid material. It will help to maintain an eco- balance, provide shade and help soil conservation. Therefore concept of using medicinal plants as a landscape material is very important as it will not only provide pleasure and beauty but will help conservation of many rare species threatened with extinction. (Marasinghe 2000)A large number of medicinal plants can be used as landscape elements depending on the growth habit, from, texture, color and the size. These plants can replace others that are traditionally used in landscaping. Therefore a study was conducted to identify the potential of the medicinal plants for landscaping home gardens, parks and roadways. The overall objective of the study was to review the potential of some of the medicinal plants that can be used to replace plants that are commonly used in landscaping, to achieve various effects depending on their morphological characters.
Due to the large number of medicinal plants available in Sri Lanka, a selected number of plant species that seem to be more promising were considered.
Cinnamon - Cultivation and Processing
The true cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon, is the dried bark of Cinnamomum verum species belongs to the family Lauraceae. It is indig enous to Sri Lanka. However, the word cinnamon also denotes hark, of other species of Cinnamomum such as C. Cassia, C. burmanni, C. loureirii etc. The bark of those trees is inferior in quality to the true cinnamon. Cinnamomum verum is an evergreen tree with spirally arranged, broad laminated dark green leaves having palmate venation. The plant grows to aheightof 10-15m with astern, girthof 30 - 50cm under natural conditions. When coppiced from time to time it could be maintained as bush of 2-2. 5m height with multiple stems arising from its base. The flowers are small. Creamy and inconspicuous developing into dark purple ovoid one seeded berries, about 1.5-2.5cm long.
In Sri Lanka, cinnamon seems to have originated in the central hills where several species of cinnamon occur sporadically in places such as Kandy, Matale, Belihull Oya, Haputale and the Sinharaja forest range. Although cinnamonn cultivation is presently concentrated along the coastal belt stretching along from Negombo to Matara, it has also made inroads to the inland of kalutara, Ambalangoda, Matara and Ratnapura,. The extent under cinnamon in Sri Lanka is 15,500ha. Although, the bulk of cinnamon plantations is about70-80years old the sizeof holdings has been diminishing and only about 5-10% of the plantations are of sizeable extent ranging from 8-10ha
Sri Lanka commands about 60% of the world export market, and exports about 7,000 tonnes of quills and chips per year. Large quantities of cinnamon leaf oil and in increasing quantity of bark oil are being exported. Seychelles is the other country which produces sizeable quantities of cinnamon bark.
Labels: Agriculture
Why do people die?
Why do people die? Well this is a bit difficult question to answer. It is also complicated. But a medical explanation can be given to this question. Actually why do people die. Demarcation is like this. Even all the other organs are non functioning but the brain is functioning that person is not dead. But on the other hand even if all the other organs are functioning but the brain is non functioning that person is dead. But the actual question is the causation of brain death.
When there I a heart failure or a respiratory failure this can compromise the oxygen supply to the brain cells. If it lasts long enough it can cause irreversible brain cell damage and brain death. This may be the most common reason for brain death. But there are many other reasons. For an example a thrombus can occlude the artery supplying the respiratory center of the brain stem and which causes respiratory arrest. Ultimately this respiratory arrest can cause brain death. In some instances trauma can cause significant brain damage. Conditions like meningitis and encephalitis can ultimately damage the brain. At last to understand why do people die? Read more about legal death and brain death. You may need to read about persistent vegetative state.
PRECIOUS STONES

Gem-stone or a precious stone is a highly attractive piece of mineral. But certain organic compounds are also considered as gem stones.
E.g.: Amber
After cutting and polishing gem stones are used in jewelry.
Gemstones fall into different categories because of the composition.
E.g.: Diamonds-Made of carbon
Rubies-Aluminum oxide
Many gems are crystals and classified using a crystal system
E.g.: cubic, trogon, monoclinic
Classification of gem stones
Gems are classified classified into different groups, species and varieties.
E.g.: ruby is the red variety of species corundum
Other colours of corundum - sapphire
Value of the gems
Value of a gem depends on the refractive index, dispersion, specific gravity, hardness, cleavage, fracture and luster. Value of a certain gem changes from the country to country. Coloured gem stones are prized specially for its great beauty and aesthetics.
Processing
Most of the gems are cut and polished before they fit into a particular purpose. Some gems are treated to increase their beauty and some of the non-gem stones are converted to gems by treating.
Methods of gem treating are,
Heating
Irradiation
Waxing/Oiling
Fracture filling
Some gems are synthesized artificially
E.g.: Cubic zirconia
Synthetic corundums
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I am a resident of
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Labels: Money
