Thursday, April 23, 2020

Improve Your Relationship


Whether you’ve been dating your partner for six months or have been married to him or her for five years, relationships are created from commitment and are continued due to mutual respect and effort. To say your connection is special would be an understatement — and to not wish to enhance it would be unfortunate.
While every relationship is different, no relationship is perfect. By doing these 10 things to improve your bond, you won’t only ensure a quality relationship with your partner, but you’ll also prove that you’re determined to work for one.
1. Ask your partner something new
Communication is the determining factor of success for every relationship. It’s nice to ask how your partner’s day went, but it’s boring when you ask over and over again. Enhance your conversation by putting in the extra effort to question your significant other on something more specific. Through this adjusted approach, you avoid falling into routine and begin holding more meaningful discussions.
2. Designate a monthly date night
Amongst both of your busy schedules and nonstop responsibilities, the most foolproof way to guarantee that you make time for each other is to set a night every month dedicated to doing just that. Regardless of if you’re looking to spice up your relationship or wanting an activity that doesn’t include Netflix, the commitment to go on a date is one night — but the happiness that comes from it will last much longer.

3. Express your appreciation
The comfort that a relationship brings is the reason we tend to overlook what our partners do and treat their acts of kindness as our forms of expectation instead. To put it honestly, your partner doesn’t have to fill your gas tank or buy your favorite ice cream — he or she chooses to, and your acknowledgment of this type of effort will reinforce your partner to be thoughtful and remind you to feel thankful.

4. Tweak your schedule
We know — you’re independent and don’t plan on stopping your life for anyone (and you shouldn’t have to). Even though you have other commitments outside of your relationship, it’s a kind gesture to compare both of your schedules to see if it’s possible to spend more time together.
Maybe your partner can go to the gym a little earlier to attend the movie premiere you wanted to attend, or maybe you can wake up earlier to get your projects done so that you can make it to your partner’s intramural game. While you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your life to satisfy your partner, your ability to compromise should be enough to make him or her happy.

5. Remember the small things
Another way to add meaning to your conversation is to truly listen to what your significant other is saying — and talk about it in the future. If your partner mentions a conversation that he or she wants to have with a manager, take note on your calendar and remember to ask about it the day of. The fact that you’re able to refer back to the topics and details that your partner spoke about is one that will touch him or her. Overall, it’s the little things that mean the most, and there’s no better way to show this than starting with your relationship.

6. Let go of the past
As a culprit for many potential arguments and the underlying issue for future ones, what happens in the past doesn’t always stay there — and it’s difficult to move forward in a relationship when you’re still thinking about what happened in it from another time.
If you find yourself continuing to dwell on the past, it might be a sign to take a step back and consider why — are you naturally less forgiving or is what happened something you can’t seem to forgive? By focusing on the reason for this reccuring feeling, you’ll find more clarity within yourself and what you want from the relationship with your partner.

7. Show your affection
Along with expressing your gratitude to your partner, expressing actions to show how much you care about him or her is also suggested. From grabbing your partner’s hand at a restaurant to going to bed together at the end of the night, you know how you feel about your partner, and he or she should be able to witness it as well.

8. Learn your partner’s boundaries

Does your partner wish to be left alone when he or she is upset? Does he or she mind that you want to text throughout the day? These questions are simple, but the answers to them will help you understand the boundaries of your partner — and stop you from crossing them. Overall, your partner’s sense of privacy is most likely different from yours, and knowing his or her boundaries is the best way to respect them.

9. Know when to apologize

Sometimes being right isn’t as important as being compassionate. Whereas conflicts with your significant other will vary, not every argument is a challenge that needs to be won. Don’t get us wrong — we aren’t telling you to take blame for everything, but to decide which battles are worth fighting for. Although there’s glory in knowing you’re right, there’s maturity in apologizing during an argument that isn’t as important as the person you’re arguing with.

10. Make time to focus on yourself

How we feel about ourselves is how we’ll act in a relationship — for example, if you lack confidence in yourself, you’ll look for assurance in your relationship. To prevent any toxic behaviors from happening with your partner, it’s essential to have a strong sense of self. Invest in a new hobby, make plans with some friends, and take steps in discovering who you are as a person. By falling in love with yourself, you’ll naturally be your own best version for the person who happens to be falling in love with you.



Why Am I Still Single?


Clearly, some people are single because they choose to be. They are simply not interested in being in a serious relationship at this time in their life. Others are single due to the circumstances of their lives. They may have just gotten out of a meaningful relationship or have dated relentlessly and just haven’t found someone with whom they’re truly compatible. The point of this article isn’t to stereotype all single women or men or to put anyone in a box. However, for people, particularly those over 30, who are looking for answers to the puzzling question “why am I still single?”, here are some unconventional answers that lie within.

When it comes to dating and relationships, it’s hard not to feel that you are a victim. After all, others can be cruel; you will get hurt, and no, it isn’t always your fault. But the reality is that we hold more power over our romantic destiny than we often think. To a great degree, we create the world we live in, although we are rarely conscious of this process. We can, in fact, make a choice whether to see our fate through a victimized lens or choose to be goal-directed and take power over our lives. We benefit from focusing on what we can control and not what we can’t. We can become aware of the myriad of ways we influence the reactions we get from others, even the negative reactions. So, the question for the single person looking for love is: what are the internal challenges I need to face?

1) Defenses
Most people have been hurt in interpersonal relationships. With time and painful experiences, we all risk building up varying degrees of bitterness and becoming defended. This process begins long before we start dating, in our childhoods, when hurtful interactions and dynamics lead us to put up walls or perceive the world through a filter that can negatively impact us as adults. These adaptations can cause us to become increasingly self-protective and closed off. In our adult relationships, we may resist being too vulnerable or write people off too easily.
If, for example, you were raised by parents or caretakers who were negligent or cold, you may grow up feeling distrusting of affection. You may feel suspicious of people who show “too much” interest in you and instead, you seek out relationships that recreate dynamics from your past. You may then choose a partner who is aloof or distant. It isn’t always easy to see when we have our defenses up. As a result, we tend to blame our singleness on external forces and fail to recognize that we aren’t as open as we think.
2) Unhealthy Attractions
When we act on our defenses, we tend to choose less-than-ideal relationship partners. We may establish an unsatisfying relationship by selecting a person who isn’t emotionally available. Because this process is largely unconscious, we often blame our partner for the relationship’s failed outcome. We tend to feel devastated or hurt by the repeated rejections without recognizing that we are actually seeking out this pattern.
Why do we do this? The reasons are complex and often based on our own embedded fears of intimacy. Many people have an unconscious motivation to seek out relationships that reinforce critical thoughts they have long had toward themselves and replay negative aspects of their childhoods. These may be unpleasant, but breaking with old patterns can cause us a great deal of anxiety and discomfort and make us feel strangely alien and alone in a more loving environment.
Our fears of parting with the image we developed of ourselves early on and starting to see ourselves in a more positive light paradoxically make us feel uneasy and may trigger self-attacking thoughts like, “Who do you think you are? You’re not that great.” These fears may cause us to hold on to relationships without potential or to feel attracted to people who aren’t really available, because they reinforce our negative image of ourselves, which feels more comfortable and familiar, albeit painful.
3) Fear of Intimacy
As my father, psychologist and author Robert Firestone, wrote in his article “You Don’t Want What You Say You Want,” “Most of us profess that we want to find a loving partner, but the experience of real love disrupts fantasies of love that have served as a survival mechanism since early childhood… Pushing away and punishing the beloved acts to preserve one’s negative self-image and reduces anxiety.”
Our fears surrounding intimacy may manifest as concerns over someone “liking us too much,” an understandably irrational reason not to date a person. Or we may punish the other person by being critical, even engaging in nasty behavior, essentially making sure we don’t get the loving responses we say we want. The reality is that most people can only tolerate a certain amount of closeness. We are defended about letting someone else in. In effect, on a deeper level, we don’t necessarily want the love we say we want.
4) Pickiness
Our own defenses often leave us feeling pickier and more judgmental. This is particularly true after we’ve had bad experiences, where we were deceived or rejected by a person for whom we had strong feelings. Many women start to have thoughts like, “There are no decent men out there” or “All the good ones are taken.” Men may have thoughts like, “You can’t trust a women” or “Women are all out to take advantage of you.” We may have unrealistic expectations for a partner or pinpoint weaknesses from the moment we meet someone. When viewing the world from critical or distrusting eyes, we tend to write off a range of potential partners before even giving them a chance. We think of dating certain people as “settling” without ever seeing how that person could make us happy in the long-term.
A friend of mine felt closed off to a man who pursued her for more than a year. Although she saw him as kind, funny and smart, she convinced herself that he was “too into her.” She said he was too needy and was sure he would wind up getting hurt by her. She often stated that she just wasn’t attracted to him. The men she was drawn to instead tended to be unreliable and emotionally distant. At her friends’ insistence, she finally agreed to go on a date with the man who’d been pursuing her. What she found, to her surprise, was a high-level relationship choice, a partner with whom she shared a great deal of mutual interest, and, ultimately, genuine love.
What hers and so many similar stories show us is that when we think we are “settling” for someone, we may not be settling at all. We may actually find ourselves in a relationship that is so much more rewarding than those we have experienced. Ironically, initially we tend not to trust the people who really like us, but when we give them a chance, we find that we’ve chosen someone who values us for who we really are, someone who can really make us happy.
5) Low Self-Esteem
So many people I’ve spoken to have expressed the same sentiment. They believe they want a fulfilling relationship more than anything, but they believe even more firmly that no one worthwhile would be interested in them. We all possess “critical inner voices” that tell us we are too fat, too ugly, too old or too different. When we listen to these “voices,” we engage in behaviors that push people away. When we remain single, it is not for the reasons that we’re telling ourselves. Our lack of confidence leaves us giving off signals of not being open, creating a catch 22 in the realm of dating. Many people even have trouble leaving the house when they’re really down on themselves, let alone pursuing situations where they are likely to meet potential partners. Some struggle to make eye contact or are reluctant to scan the room for who they might be attracted to. When they are drawn to someone, they may fail to pursue their strongest attractions for lack of self-esteem.
6) Fear of Competition
A lack of self-esteem often leads to fears of competing. It’s easy to put ourselves down in relation to others, especially when it comes to dating. When we meet someone we like, it’s all too easy to think, “He/she could do better.” When we see that someone else is interested in the person we like, we may be quick to back away. We may feel unwilling to compete, particularly as we get older, and we start to have self-attacks like “Your time has passed, you’re too old for this.” Our fears of competition can lead us to avoid putting ourselves out there. We may be afraid of looking like a fool or of not being chosen. We may even have fears about winning the competition, thinking we will “hurt the other person’s feelings” or that our success will result in aggression from the loser. The simple truth is: dating is competitive. It is scary to take a chance and go for what we want and compete, but when we do, we most often find it is well worth it to face our fears. We end up with a stronger sense of self, and we increase our chances of creating a relationship with the partner we really desire.
7) Isolation and Routine
With age, people tend to retreat further and further into their comfort zones. Modern women are more and more successful, accomplished and self-sufficient, which are all extremely positive developments. Yet as both men and women get more comfortable, be it financially or practically, it is also easier for them to form a bubble from which it is difficult to emerge. It can feel harder to take risks or put themselves out there. After a long day’s work, many of us may feel more like putting on pajamas and crawling into bed than going out into the uncertain and anxiety-provoking world of meeting people.
The encouragement we feel to stay home or stay safe often comes from our critical inner voice. This inner coach offers self-soothing words, “Just stay in tonight and relax. You’re fine on your own. Have a glass of wine. Watch that show you like.” The problem with this voice is that it later turns on you with thoughts like, “What a loser you are, home alone again. You’ll be lonely the rest of your life. You’re not getting any younger! No one will be attracted to you.” Many of the activities we use to “comfort” ourselves actually make us feel bad in the end, as they result in us avoiding pursuing what we really want in life. It’s important to resist falling into a comfort zone and to repeatedly challenge the influence of our critical inner voice. We should take action and make an effort to get out into the world, smile, make eye contact and let friends know we are looking for someone. We should try new activities and even try dating diverse people as a means to discover new parts of ourselves and what makes us happy.
8) Rule-making
As years pass, we often develop rulebooks for ourselves regarding dating. In effect, we put what we have learned “down on paper,” but what looks good on paper doesn’t always work in real life. When we act on rules based on our past, we can create a perpetual cycle of disappointing relationships. A woman I know once dated someone with whom she had amazing chemistry. When it didn’t work out, she decided to stop looking for a guy she felt a strong connection with or attraction to. Instead, she made “reasonable” choices, and as a result, she found far less satisfying relationships.
It’s important not to make fixed rules or to buy into other people’s rules when it comes to dating.

Staying open is one of the most important things we can do when looking for a loving partner. Yes, we might get hurt but when we stop taking risks, we reduce our chances of meeting someone we could really have a future with. Relationship rules tend to go hand-in-hand with game-playing. They can lead us to act with less sincerity and authenticity, to close ourselves off from how we feel. On the other hand, staying open and honest will lead us to find a much more authentic and substantial relationship.
Seeking love isn’t an easy quest, but it’s always best to take this journey on our own side. It’s important to fight the patterns inside us that hold us back from getting what we want. We can’t shield ourselves from the world or keep ourselves from getting hurt. We all carry flaws, and these vulnerabilities are especially apparent when getting close to one another. Thus, achieving intimacy is a brave battle, but it is one well-worth fighting for, each and every day, both within ourselves and, ultimately, within our relationships.


World Book Day


      World Book Day is celebrated every year on April 23. UNESCO undertakes the responsibility of the event. With the help of the event, UNESCO aims to inculcate reading habits among people, especially the youth and highlight the various issues surrounding authors, publishers and other related parties. Since Copyright is a big issue in the world of books and writing, there is always a focus on the issue on the World Book Day. That's why, in many parts of the world, this day is also known as the World Book and Copyright Day.



           The first ever World Book Day was celebrated on April 23, 1995. The date as decided by UNESCO as it was also the death and birth anniversary of William Shakespeare, a world famous author. The date also coincided with the death anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes, who was a noted Spanish author. Some other well known authors whose birth or death anniversary falls on this day are Maurice Druon, Josep Pla and Halldor Laxness.

          The idea of the day was taken from a Spanish tradition. April 23rd has always been celebrated as "The Rose Day" in Spain. On this day, people exchanged roses for showing their love and support, much like the Valentine's Day. However, in 1926, when Miguel de Cervantes dies on the day, people exchanged books instead of roses in order to commemorate the death of the great author. The tradition continues to this day in Spain and that's from where the idea of the World Book Day came about.

        As the name suggests, the focus of the day is on books and writing. Thus, various programs are held by UNESCO to promote reading habits among people. Focus is also on discussing various issues pertaining to the world of authors, publishers, distributors etc. as well as promoting their works and causes.

          However, unlike other such days, there are no themes decided as such by UNESCO each year, although there is a specific topic around which programs are organized every year. Apart from that, there are traditions on the day which are specific to some countries. The tradition of exchanging books in Spain has already been talked about. There is also the tradition of organizing a reading marathon spanning two days in Spain, at the end of which an author is given the coveted Miguel de Cervantes prize by the King of Spain. In Sweden, writing competitions are organized across schools and colleges.

           In UK as well as Ireland, the day is celebrated on the first Thursday of March instead of April 23. April 23 is the St. George's Day in UK, and hence, to avoid a clash with it, the day has been moved in UK as well as Ireland.

          The organizing body of the day, UNESCO, comes with different themes for the day each year. In 2012, the theme of the day was translation. The theme of World Book Day 2012 was decided in order to promote "equitable access of content across regions."


Why Do We Celebrate World Book Day ?


               World Book Day is celebrated worldwide to recognise the scope of books which are seen as a link between the past and the future, a bridge between cultures and generations. On this day, UNESCO and organisations representing publishers, booksellers and libraries select World Book Capital for a year to maintain the celebrations of books and reading. For the year 2019, Sharjah, UAE has been declared as the World Book Capital. It will be preceded by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the year 2020.

          Through this day, UNESCO aims to champion books and celebrate creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge. This day has become a platform for people across the globe and especially the stakeholders of the book industry including authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media to come together to promote literacy and help everyone to have access to educational resources.

Where is World Book Day celebrated?


         In other countries World Book Day is still celebrated, but most recognise 23 April as the official day, but this was changed in the UK to avoid clashes with the school Easter holidays, as well as St George’s Day. The 23 April was chosen when World Book Day was first set up in 1995 because it was the birth or death date for many famous writers around the world including Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Maurice Druon. The annual event is observed by the majority of UN nations and it is sometimes known as the World Book and Copyright Day, as it also aims to promote knowledge on copyright as well as publishing in general. Each year UNESCO chooses a city to become the World Book Capital for a year, and it is then given the aim of making books accessible for everyone in the city, which includes providing opportunities for refugees and migrants. In April 2018 Athens in Greece was chosen to be the World Book Capital.



Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Ramzan Festival


     Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays. Ramadan always falls on the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar, and Ramadan 2020 begins at sunset on Thursday, April 23, and ends on Saturday, May 23.



Why Is Ramadan Celebrated?

Ramadan is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of what became the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, from God.
The Holy Quran states:
“The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it.”

The Rules of Ramadan

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day. They are supposed to avoid eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity, as well as unkind or impure thoughts and words and immoral behavior.
Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint and self-reflection. Fasting is seen as a way to cleanse the soul and have empathy for those in the world who are hungry and less fortunate. Muslims go to work and school and take care of their usual activities during Ramadan; however, some also read the entire Quran, say special prayers and attend mosques more frequently during this time.

All Muslims who have reached puberty and are in good health are required to fast. The sick and elderly, along with travelers, pregnant women and those who are nursing are exempt, although they are supposed to make up for the missed fast days sometime in the future or help feed the poor.
The first pre-dawn meal of the day during Ramadan is called “suhoor.” Each day’s fast is broken with a meal known as “iftar.” Traditionally, a date is eaten to break the fast. Iftars are often elaborate feasts celebrated with family and friends. The types of foods served vary according to culture.

Eid al-Fitr

The conclusion of Ramadan is marked with a major celebration known as Eid al-Fitr (or Eid ul-Fitr), the Feast of Fast-Breaking. It starts the day after Ramadan ends and lasts for three days.
Eid al-Fitr includes special prayers and meals with friends and relatives, and gifts are often exchanged.

When Is Ramadan?

Ramadan 2020 begins at sunset on Thursday, April 23, and ends on Saturday, May 23. The following year, Ramadan 2021 will begin at sunset on Monday, April 12 and end on Tuesday, May 11.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar that’s based on the phases of the moon. The lunar calendar falls short of the solar calendar by 11 days.
As a result, Ramadan doesn’t start on the same date each year and instead, over time, passes through all the seasons


Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Growth hormone


Growth hormone (GH), also called somatotropin or human growth hormone, peptide hormone secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It stimulates the growth of essentially all tissues of the body, including bone. GH is synthesized and secreted by anterior pituitary cells called somatotrophs, which release between one and two milligrams of the hormone each day. GH is vital for normal physical growth in children; its levels rise progressively during childhood and peak during the growth spurt that occurs in puberty.

      In biochemical terms, GH stimulates protein synthesis and increases fat breakdown to provide the energy necessary for tissue growth. It also antagonizes (opposes) the action of insulin. GH may act directly on tissues, but much of its effect is mediated by stimulation of the liver and other tissues to produce and release insulin-like growth factors, primarily insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1; formerly called somatomedin). The term insulin-like growth factor is derived from the ability of high concentrations of these factors to mimic the action of insulin, although their primary action is to stimulate growth. Serum IGF-1 concentrations increase progressively with age in children, with an accelerated increase at the time of the pubertal growth spurt. After puberty the concentrations of IGF-1 gradually decrease with age, as do GH concentrations.
    GH secretion is stimulated by growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and is inhibited by somatostatin. In addition, GH secretion is pulsatile, with surges in secretion occurring after the onset of deep sleep that are especially prominent at the time of puberty. In normal subjects, GH secretion increases in response to decreased food intake and to physiological stresses and decreases in response to food ingestion. However, some individuals are affected by abnormalities in GH secretion, which involve either deficiency or overabundance of the hormone.

Growth Hormone Deficiency

GH deficiency is one of the many causes of short stature and dwarfism. It results primarily from damage to the hypothalamus or to the pituitary gland during fetal development (congenital GH deficiency) or following birth (acquired GH deficiency). GH deficiency may also be caused by mutations in genes that regulate its synthesis and secretion. Affected genes include PIT-1 (pituitary-specific transcription factor-1) and POUF-1 (prophet of PIT-1). Mutations in these genes may also cause decreased synthesis and secretion of other pituitary hormones. In some cases, GH deficiency is the result of GHRH deficiency, in which case GH secretion may be stimulated by infusion of GHRH. In other cases, the somatotrophs themselves are incapable of producing GH, or the hormone itself is structurally abnormal and has little growth-promoting activity. In addition, short stature and GH deficiency are often found in children diagnosed with psychosocial dwarfism, which results from severe emotional deprivation. When children with this disorder are removed from the stressing, nonnurturing environment, their endocrine function and growth rate normalize. 
       Children with isolated GH deficiency are normal in size at birth, but growth retardation becomes evident within the first two years of life. Radiographs (X-ray films) of the epiphyses (the growing ends) of bones show growth retardation in relation to the patient’s chronological age. Although puberty is often delayed, fertility and delivery of normal children is possible in affected women.
         GH deficiency is most often treated with injections of GH. For decades, however, availability of the hormone was limited, because it was obtained solely from human cadaver pituitaries. In 1985, use of natural GH was halted in the United States and several other countries because of the possibility that the hormone was contaminated with a type of pathogenic agent known as a prion, which causes a fatal condition called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. That same year, by means of recombinant DNA technology, scientists were able to produce a biosynthetic human form, which they called somatrem, thus assuring a virtually unlimited supply of this once-precious substance.
       Children with GH deficiency respond well to injections of recombinant GH, often achieving near-normal height. However, some children, primarily those with the hereditary inability to synthesize GH, develop antibodies in response to injections of the hormone. Children with short stature not associated with GH deficiency may also grow in response to hormone injections, although large doses are often required.



A rare form of short stature is caused by an inherited insensitivity to the action of GH. This disorder is known as Laron dwarfism and is characterized by abnormal GH receptors, resulting in decreased GH-stimulated production of IGF-1 and poor growth. Serum GH concentrations are high because of the absence of the inhibitory action of IGF-1 on GH secretion. Dwarfism may also be caused by insensitivity of bone tissue and other tissues to IGF-1, resulting from decreased function of IGF-1 receptors.

GH deficiency often persists into adulthood, although some people affected in childhood have normal GH secretion in adulthood. GH deficiency in adults is associated with fatigue, decreased energy, depressed mood, decreased muscle strength, decreased muscle mass, thin and dry skin, increased adipose tissue, and decreased bone density. Treatment with GH reverses some of these abnormalities but can cause fluid retention, diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Growth Hormone Excess

  Excess GH production is most often caused by a benign tumour (adenoma) of the somatotroph cells of the pituitary gland. In some cases, a tumour of the lung or of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans produces GHRH, which stimulates the somatotrophs to produce large amounts of GH. In rare cases, ectopic production of GH (production by tumour cells in tissues that do not ordinarily synthesize GH) causes an excess of the hormone. Somatotroph tumours in children are very rare and cause excessive growth that may lead to extreme height (gigantism) and features of acromegaly.
Acromegaly refers to the enlargement of the distal (acral) parts of the body, including the hands, feet, chin, and nose. The enlargement is due to the overgrowth of cartilage, muscle, subcutaneous tissue, and skin. Thus, patients with acromegaly have a prominent jaw, a large nose, and large hands and feet, as well as enlargement of most other tissues, including the tongueheartliver, and kidneys. In addition to the effects of excess GH, a pituitary tumour itself can cause severe headaches, and pressure of the tumour on the optic chiasm can cause visual defects.
Because the metabolic actions of GH are antagonistic (opposite) to those of insulin, some patients with acromegaly develop diabetes mellitus. Other problems associated with acromegaly include high blood pressure (hypertension), cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. Patients with acromegaly also have an increased risk of developing malignant tumours of the large intestine. Some somatotroph tumours also produce prolactin, which may cause abnormal lactation (galactorrhea). Patients with acromegaly are usually treated by surgical resection of the pituitary tumour. They can also be treated with radiation therapy or with drugs such as pegvisomant, which blocks the binding of growth hormone to its receptors, and synthetic long-acting analogues of somatostatin, which inhibit the secretion of GH.


Monday, April 20, 2020

Latest Updates about Coronavirus

April 20 

  • 1536 new cases and 399 new deaths in Spain 
  • 1487 new cases and 145 new deaths in Belgium
  • 85 new cases in Finland
  • 5 new cases and 3 new deaths in Slovenia 
  • 492 new cases and 10 new deaths in Bangladesh
  • 185 new cases and 8 new deaths in Indonesia
  • 5 new cases in Georgia
  • 7 new cases in Estonia
  • 10 new cases in the State of Palestine
  • 131 new cases in Denmark
  • 166 new cases and 2 new deaths in Poland
  • 200 new cases and 19 new deaths in the Philippines
  • 3 new cases in Timor-Leste
  • 4268 new cases and 44 new deaths in Russia
  • 1 new case in Germany
  • 41 new cases and 2 new deaths in Czechia
  • 1426 new cases in Singapore
  • 7 new cases in Australia 
  • 48 new cases and 2 new deaths in Armenia 
  • 144 new cases in Oman 
  • 12 new cases in Latvia 
  • 3 new cases in Montenegro 
  • 81 new cases and 2 new deaths in Kazakhstan 
  • 261 new cases and 10 new deaths in Ukraine 
  • 28 new cases and 2 new deaths in Lithuania 
  • 163 new cases and 1 new death in Israel 
  • 2 new cases in Taiwan 
  • 68 new cases and 10 new deaths in Hungary 
  • 27 new cases in Thailand 
  • 2 new cases in Paraguay 
  • 17 new cases in El Salvador 
  • 21 new cases and 1 new death in Bulgaria 
  • 25 new cases in Norway 
  • 70 new cases and 8 new deaths in Pakistan 
  • 24 new cases in Sri Lanka 
  • 1 new case in Fiji 
  • 14 new cases and 2 new deaths in Kyrgyzstan 
  • 1 new case in Mongolia 
  • 1 new case in the British Virgin Islands 
  • 5 new cases in Honduras 
  • 1 new death in Senegal 
  • 1 new case in Saint Kitts and Nevis 
  • 32 new cases in Guatemala 
  • 9 new cases in New Zealand 
  • 23 new cases in Jamaica 
  • 13 new cases and 2 new deaths in South Korea 
  • 12 new cases in China 
  • 1 new case in French Guiana 
  • 26 new cases and 2 new deaths in Sudan 
  • 44 new cases and 1 new death in Bolivia 
  • 11 new cases in Uruguay 
  • 764 new cases and 36 new deaths in Mexico 
  • 194 new cases and 6 new deaths in Panama