Coma

-
Coma, in medicine, state of unconsciousness in which a person is unresponsive to external stimuli. In the deepest coma, spontaneous respiration ceases, and a mechanical respirator must be used (see Artificial Respiration). Coma may last for a few days or, in rare cases, for years, usually progressing after the first month to a persistent vegetative state. Coma in which electrical activity can no longer be detected in the brain is called brain-death syndrome (see Death and Dying).

Coma results from decreased metabolic activity in the brain, which may be caused by cerebral hemorrhage, inflammation of the brain due to meningitis or encephalitis, drug overdose, oxygen deprivation (as in cardiac arrest), or abnormal metabolism. Among the conditions that can cause metabolism abnormalities are diabetic ketoacidosis, in which the blood is too acidic; a high blood level of ammonia, which often follows liver damage caused by alcohol; or uremia, in which damaged kidneys cannot process the toxic waste products of metabolism. Most people recover. Some develop “respirator brain,” a poorly understood condition in which the body cannot resume breathing on its own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How HIV Causes Infections

-
HIV transmission occurs when a person is exposed to body fluids infected with the virus, such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. The primary modes of HIV transmission are (1) sexual relations with an infected person (see Sexually Transmitted Infections ); (2) sharing hypodermic needles or accidental pricking by a needle contaminated with infected blood; and (3) transfer of the virus from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or through breast-feeding. When HIV enters the body, it infects lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell in the immune system . HIV uses its glycoproteins to attach itself to receptors on the surface of a lymphocyte. The outer envelope of HIV then fuses with the lymphocyte, enabling the HIV capsid to enter the lymphocyte itself. HIV commandeers the genetic material of the lymphocyte, instructing the cell to replicate more viruses. The newly formed viruses break free from the host, destroying the cell in the process
Read more

Cream, Butter, and Ice Cream

-
. In order for a product to be labeled as cream, it must contain 18 percent milk fat or more. Light whipping cream must contain at least 30 percent fat, and 36 percent fat is the minimum fat content for heavy whipping cream. Half-and-half, an equal mixture of both milk and cream, must have at least 10.5 percent fat. The various grades of cream are valued for their smooth, thick texture. They are often used in cooking instead of milk, because they are less likely to form a skin when heated and can be whipped into a stiff foam. When chilled cream is churned gently, the fat globules gather together to form butter, leaving buttermilk as the by-product. Butter contains at least 82.5 percent fat. In the past, before the advent of widespread refrigeration, salt was added to butter to retard bacterial spoilage; now salt is added mainly for flavor. Ice cream, a popular frozen dessert, is made of milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring. The mixture is slowly beaten while chilled until it is partially
Read more

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

-
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), genetic material of all cellular organisms and most viruses. DNA carries the information needed to direct protein synthesis and replication. Protein synthesis is the production of the proteins needed by the cell or virus for its activities and development. Replication is the process by which DNA copies itself for each descendant cell or virus, passing on the information needed for protein synthesis. In most cellular organisms, DNA is organized on chromosomes located in the nucleus of the cell .
Read more