Growth hormone deficiency

Lipstick and Lead Poisoning Throughout history many unhealthy substances, including lead, have been used as ingredients during the various times in the history of makeup. Modern day cosmetics are more controlled, regulated and their ingredients and the potential side effects are more fully understood. However, recent research by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate that there are approximately 400+ best-selling lipsticks on the market today that…

The Endocrine system is a complex mechanism of glands that secrete hormones that control almost every cell, organ, and function in each of our bodies. This system is directly responsible for regulating “metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood”. (Zimmermann, 2016) EDC’s or Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals are environmental toxins that trigger “biochemical processes that alter development pathways” thus interfering with hormonal dispersal…

The hormone cortisol is a very important hormone for regular function in humans and many other animals. Cortisol is a steroid hormone (a derivative of cholesterol).1 It is produced in the adrenal glands of the kidneys2 and is especially important when an individual faces a stressor.3 Unusually high or low concentrations of cortisol will almost certainly have an adverse effect on regular human function. In healthy humans, cortisol is at its highest concentration when an individual…

Hans Zellweger, a Swiss American professor of pediatrics and genetics at the University of Iowa in the mid-1960s described the familial disorder among siblings that was later named after him for the recognition of his discovery, the Zellweger Syndrome. Peroxisomes are cell structures that break down toxic substances and synthesize lipids (fatty acids, oils, and waxes) that are needed for cell function. Peroxisomes are what is needed for normal brain development and its function and it’s what…

Endocrine System The endocrine system is basically the network of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream which regulates activities of cells or organs. The sexual development and function of the body and the metabolism are two examples of what the endocrine systems does. The major contributors to the endocrine system include the pituitary gland, thyroid, hypothalamus, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pineal body, reproductive glands, and the pancreas. The pituitary gland is…

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) belongs to the Old World arenavirus family of enveloped viruses (Buchmeier et al., 2007). LCMV in particular has served as model organism from many significant studies in the field of immunology such as the Nobel Prize winning study of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) by Zinkernagel and Doherty (1975). LCMV’s natural reservoirs are the common household rodents (Traub, 1936). Household mice have shown to attain persistent asymptomatic LCMV…

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones which are produced predominantly in response to stress in the adrenal gland (Davis & Sandman 2010; Korgun et al. 2012). The physiological effects of glucocorticoids occur when the hormone are bind to, and mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (Erhuma 2012). It plays a wide range of vital physiological roles that are necessary for healthy implantation and pregnancy processes (Korgun et al. 2012). As glucocorticoids are critical in the regulation of the…

specifically chronic glucocorticoid has been associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, specifically depression, PTSD, and even bipolar disorder. Glucocorticoid can activate the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GR is an intracellular steroid hormone receptor. In the absence of steroid, GR is typically localized to the cytoplasm of the cell where it is bound to…

Four Small Things Four important hormones help you every day to achieve the things that make you happy. Endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine are released from the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system which is responsible for growth, reproduction, sleep, mood, etc. The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea and is known as the “master gland” since it controls many important functions in the body. Endorphins,…

There was a stage in my life, maybe between grades 11 and 12, where I drank Med-lemon every single morning for a good year. Not because I was sick or feeling a sickness coming on, but because I did not want to get sick. My mentality was that prevention is better than cure; and my parents who love me so much and just want me to be happy would go out of their way after work and buy me a box of Med-Lemon from Clicks which would cost roughly around R70. I didn’t really even begin to consider the…