Word: bloodstream
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Protoporphyria victims suffer from a defectiveenzyme, which causes the protoporphyrin moleculeto seep into the subject's skin rather thanincoporating itself into the oxygen-carryinghemoglobin in the bloodstream, where it belongs.At the body's surface, the errant molecule reactswith oxygen in the air, causing severe itching andburning...
...only approximate what a nondiabetic pancreas does naturally. A pinkish-yellow organ the size of a banana, the pancreas contains millions of specialized cells that continuously manufacture insulin and package it in microscopic granules. In response to rising blood- glucose levels, these tiny factories release the granules into the bloodstream. As glucose levels fall, the insulin release tapers off, thus preventing blood sugar from plummeting to dangerous levels and starving the brain of fuel -- and consciousness. Fortunately, this life-threatening condition, known as hypoglycemia, can easily be countered by eating or drinking something sweet...
...sign that an autoimmune attack has begun is the appearance in the bloodstream of antibodies to the pancreatic cells and, later, to insulin itself. For nine years a Joslin Center research team led by immunologist Dr. George Eisenbarth has been tracking the appearance of these antibodies in 10,000 close relatives of Type I diabetics. It is now possible for the Joslin team to predict which otherwise symptomless relatives are likely to develop the disease in three years' time. Last May the Joslin and two other medical centers launched a program to treat identified potential diabetics with an antirejection drug...
...typically American high-cholesterol, high-fat diet. By his 20s, the streaks have formed plaques, growths with a fatty center covered by a fibrous cap of smooth muscle cells. By his 40s, the plaque, its buildup accelerated by smoking and high blood pressure, has protruded well into the bloodstream, closing 65% of the arterial passage. The blood swirls and eddies dangerously as it forces its way past the swelling obstructions...
...this case some of the plaques start to shrink, almost imperceptibly at first, as the fatty material in its core migrates back into the bloodstream. Blood begins flowing more smoothly through the rejuvenated artery, and two years later, only 50% of the passage is blocked. The seemingly inexorable advance of cardiovascular disease has been reversed, and as the plaque continues to shrink, the risk of a heart attack has largely passed...