CHEMMAG

GET READY TO TASTE THE RAINBOW !!

2010

Hello friends!!!
Do you have an interesting article, an entertaining experience or a
scintillating sketch? Then what are you waiting for? Well, it’s that season of
the year once again when it’s time to put on your thinking caps and pen
down what comes to your mind !
Chemmag,
Chemmag the annual magazine of Chengalpattu Medical College which
provides the students and staff a podium to unleash their thoughts. It's the
condensed form of our creativity, hard-work, planning and passion for
excellence !
We invite your original articles in English, Tamil or Hindi complimented by
pictures (preferably digital images) to be published in Chemmag 2010.

Please do submit your work by 1st September 2010 to your class

representatives or mail them to chemmag2010@gmail.com.

“ Writing is exploration; Writing is an adventure and most of the time,

you’ll be surprised where the journey takes
1 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010
MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION
EX.OFFICIO PRESIDENT

DR.P.SHANMUGAM, M.S., M.CH.,

DEAN

EX.OFFICIO VICE PRESIDENT

DR.P.PARASAKTHI, M.D.,
VICE PRINCIPAL

TREASURER

DR.RAVI, M.D.,
DEPT. OF PATHOLOGY

STAFF ADVISORS

DR.EDWIN FERNANDO, M.D., D.M.,

DEPT. OF NEPHROLOGY

DR. UMA SHANTHI, M.D., D.G.O.,

DEPT OF O.G

EDITORS & DESIGNERS

P.SUBRAMANI

M.SOWMYA

2
 VOLUME 2; ISSUE 5 AUGUST 2010

CHEMVIBES
LIFE IS SHORT... MAKE FUN OF IT !

C H E N G A L P A T T U M E D I C A L C O L L E G E

F r o m t h e e d i t o r i a l b o a r d . . .

Hi Friends!

Last month saw a fresh addition to our family– the freshers. We

wish them ’The best ’ of all kinds of luck for their 5 and a half year
roller coaster ride :-)

ECHO voice your views section has got good response as we

expected and in this issue, a new section ‘ Tech Talk’ has been added.
Now who said Medicos are tech dumb ?!

Next month is the gala time of CHMC we all eagerly await every
year… The season of CHEMFEST and CHEMSPORTS !
The Celestians batch is working round the clock to make it a grand
success.

And make sure you send in your articles for CHEMMAG as early
as possible.
Happy Reading : -)

P.SUBRAMANI M.SOWMYA
MAGAZINE SECRETARY JT.MAGAZINE SECRETARY

3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
MYSTERIOUS MEDICAL 7
SYNDROMES

CONJOINED TWINS 9

MEDNEWS 13

ECHO 16

CHMC BLUES 22

TECH TALK 25

THINK TANK 30

4
 WHY CHANGE YOUR OWN GENES
WHEN YOU CAN BORROW
SOMEONE ELSE'S ??
It has been a basic principle of evolution for more than a century that
plants and animals can adapt genetically in ways that help them better
survive and reproduce.

Now, in a paper to be published in the journal Science, University of

Rochester biologist John Jaenike and colleagues document a clear example
of a new mechanism for evolution. In previous well documented cases of
evolution, traits that increase an animal's ability to survive and reproduce
are conferred by favorable genes, which the animal passes on to its
offspring.
Jaenike's team has chronicled a striking example of a bacteria infecting
an animal, giving the animal a reproductive advantage, and being passed
from mother to children. This symbiotic relationship between host animal
and bacteria gives the host animal a readymade defense against a hazard in
its environment and thus has spread through the population by natural
selection, the way a favorable gene would.

Jaenike provides the first substantial report of this effect in the wild in his
paper "Adaptation via Symbiosis: Recent Spread of a Drosophila Defensive
Symbiont," but he says it may be a common phenomenon that has been
happening undetected in many different organisms for ages.

Aside from shedding light on an important evolutionary mechanism, his

findings could aid in developing methods that use defensive bacteria to stave
off diseases in humans.

5 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 Jaenike studied a species of fly, Drosophila neotestacea, which is
rendered sterile by a parasitic worm called a nematode, one of the most
abundant, diverse, and destructive parasites of plants and animals in the
world. Nematodes invade female flies when they are young by burrowing
through their skin and prevent them from producing eggs once they
mature. However, when a female fly is also infected with a bacteria
species called Spiroplasma, the nematodes grow poorly and no longer
sterilize the flies, Jaenike found.

He also discovered that, as a result of the Spiroplasma's beneficial

impact, the bacteria have been spreading across North America and
rapidly increasing in frequency as they are passed from mother to
offspring. Testing preserved flies from the early 1980s, Jaenike found that
the helpful bacteria were present in only about 10% of flies in the eastern
United States. By 2008, the frequency of Spiroplasma infection had
jumped to about 80%.

Without any mutation in their own genes, the flies have rapidly developed
a defense against an extremely harmful parasite simply by co-opting
another organism and passing it on from generation to generation.

These heritable symbionts are a way for an animal host to acquire a

new defense very quickly. One way to get a truly novel defense is to get a
whole organism rather than mutating your own genes that aren't that
diverse to begin with.

Jaenike's work could also have implications for disease control.

Nematodes carry and transmit severe human diseases, including river
blindness and elephantiasis. By uncovering the first evidence of a natural,
bacterial defense against nematodes, Jaenike's work could pave the way
for novel methods of nematode control. He plans to investigate that
prospect further •
— SUDHAKAR
ZENPHORIANTZ

6 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 MYSTERIOUS MEDICAL SYNDROMES
FOREIGN ACCENT SYNDROME
SYNDROME
Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a speech disorder
that causes sudden changes in speech pattern, intonation and
pronunciation so that the victim is perceived to speak with a
"foreign" accent. FAS usually results from severe trauma to
the brain, such as a stroke or head injury, and typically
develops within one or two years of the injury. Of the 50 to
60 cases that have been verified since 1941, only a few FAS
sufferers regained their normal speech pattern, although
some experienced success through speech therapy.

FATAL FAMILIAL INSOMNIA

Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a genetic sleep disorder
that causes increasing sleeplessness, typically starting around the
age of 50. The victim's brain develops a plaque that inhibits
the ability to sleep, and with less and less sleep, mental illness ,
including phobias, panic attacks, paranoia, dementia and hal,
lucinations set in. Within six months to three years after onset,
the patient dies. There is no known cure.

WEREWOLF SYNDROME
Hypertrichosis, or werewolf syndrome, is a medical
condition that causes the excessive growth of body hair ,,
typically on the upper body, including the face. There are only
50 or so documented cases, and sufferers generally acquire it
through genetic inheritance. In 2008, scientists at Columbia
University found that an injection of testosterone significantly
helped in long,term hair loss in patients with hypertrichosis; the
finding was hailed by many as a cure.

7 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

Inside every older person is a younger person
– wondering what the hell happened !!

HERE’S A LIST OF CHEMCOS WHO WERE BORN IN

SEPTEMBER...

CELESTIANS
Subbu - 11
Ramachandran - 14

STALWARTZ
Gayathri Raju - 4

ZENPHORIANS
Shobija — 1
Neeraja — 14
Venkatesh — 20

KRENOVIANTZ
Sudarshan — 18

8 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 CONJOINED TWINS
Conjoined twins (also known as Siamese twins) are identical twins whose bodies
are joined in utero.

HOW ARE THEY FORMED ?

They develop from the same fertilized egg, and they share the same amni-
otic cavity and placenta.

Twinning occurs one of two ways: either a woman releases two eggs instead
of the usual one or she produces only one egg that divides after fertilization. If she
releases two eggs, which are fertilized by separate sperm, she has fraternal twins.
When a single, fertilized egg divides and separates, she has identical or paternal
twins.

In the case of conjoined twins, a woman only produces a single egg, which
does not fully separate after fertilization. The developing embryo starts to split into
identical twins during the first few weeks after conception, but stops before the proc-
ess is complete. The partially separated egg develops into a conjoined fetus.

9 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

TYPES OF CONJOINED TWINS

Conjoined twins are typically classified by the point at which their bodies are joined. The
most common types of conjoined twins are:

• Thoraco-omphalopagus (28% of cases):

o Two bodies fused from the upper chest to the lower chest. These twins
usually share a heart, and may also share the liver or part of the digestive
system.
• Thoracopagus (18.5%):
o Two bodies fused from the upper thorax to lower belly. The heart is always
involved in these cases.
• Omphalopagus (10%):
o Two bodies fused at the lower chest. Unlike thoracopagus, the heart is never
involved in these cases; however, the twins often share a liver, digestive
system, diaphragm and other organs.
• Parasitic twins (10%):
o Twins that are asymmetrically conjoined, resulting in one twin that is small,
less formed, and dependent on the larger twin for survival.
• Craniopagus (6%):
o Fused skulls, but separate bodies. These twins can be conjoined at the back
of the head, the front of the head, or the side of the head, but not on the
face or the base of the skull.

OTHER LESS-COMMON TYPES OF CONJOINED TWINS INCLUDE:

• Cephalopagus:
o Two faces on opposite sides of a single, conjoined head; the upper portion of
the body is fused while the bottom portions are separate. These twins
generally cannot survive due to severe malformations of the brain. Also
known as janiceps (after the two-faced god Janus) or syncephalus.
• Synecephalus:
o One head with a single face but four ears, and two bodies.
• Cephalothoracopagus:
o Bodies fused in the head and thorax. In this type of twins, there are two
faces facing in opposite directions, or sometimes a single face and an
enlarged skull.
10 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010
 • Xiphopagus:
o Two bodies fused in the xiphoid cartilage, which is approximately from
the navel to the lower breastbone. These twins almost never share
any vital organs, with the exception of the liver. A famous example is
Chang and Eng Bunker.
• Ischiopagus:
o Fused lower half of the two bodies, with spines conjoined end-to-end
at a 180° angle. These twins have four arms; two, three or four legs;
and typically one external set of genitalia and anus.
• Omphalo-Ischiopagus:
o Fused in a similar fashion as ischiopagus twins, but facing each other
with a joined abdomen akin to Omphalopagus. These twins have four
arms, and two, three, or four legs.
• Parapagus:
o Fused side-by-side with a shared pelvis. Twins that are dithoracic
parapagus are fused at the abdomen and pelvis, but not the thorax.
Twins that are diprosopic parapagus have one trunk and one head
with two faces. Twins that are dicephalic parapagus have one trunk
and two heads, and two (dibrachius), three (tribrachius), or four
(tetrabrachius) arms.
• Craniopagus parasiticus:
o Like craniopagus, but with a second bodiless head attached to the
dominant head.
• Pygopagus (Iliopagus):
o Two bodies joined back-to-back at the buttocks.
SEPARATION
Surgery to separate conjoined twins may range from relatively simple to ex-
tremely complex, depending on the point of attachment and the internal parts that
are shared. Most cases of separation are extremely risky and life-threatening. In
many cases, the surgery results in the death of one or both of the twins, particularly
if they are joined at the head.
It is only after twins are born that doctors can use magnetic resonance imag-
ing, ultrasound and angiography to find out what organs the twins share. In order
to determine the feasibility of separation, doctors must carefully assess how the
twins' shared organs function.
After separation, most twins need intensive rehabilitation because of the
malformation and position of their spines. The muscles in their backs are constantly
being flexed and they often have a difficult time bending their backs forward and
backwards and sitting up straight •
11 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010
 CONJOINED TWINS
TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT CONJOINED

1. Are identical twins who develop with a single placenta from a single
fertilized ovum.

2. Are always the same sex and race.

3. Are more often female than male, at a ratio of 3:1.

4. Occur as often as once in every 40,000 births but only once in

every 200,000 live births.

4. Are more likely to occur in India or Africa than in China or the

United States.

5. May be caused by any number of factors, being influenced by

genetic and environmental conditions. It is presently thought that
these factors are responsible for the failure of twins to separate
after the 13th day after fertilization.

6. Conjoined twins can be artificially generated in amphibians by

constricting the embryo so that two embryos form, one on each side
of the constriction.

7. There are no documented cases of conjoined triplets or

quadruplets.

8. Up until 1990, surgical separation of conjoined twins has been

attempted 167 times

9. Conjoined twins have lived from a few minutes to 63 years.

10. The first recorded conjoined twins were in England in 1100 A.D.

12 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 EXCITING HEALTH NEWS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

Scientists Successfully Engineer

Heart Tissue
Scientists in China have successfully engineered
myocardial tissue (heart muscle) that is likely to share
structural and functional similarities with natural myocar-
dium according to new data presented at the World Con-
gress of Cardiology (WCC) Scientific Sessions in Beijing,
China.

Heart disease can lead to damage or death of heart muscle, which can cause
a heart attack and/or eventually lead to heart failure. Pharmacologic and
interventional treatment can decelerate but not stop the progression of
heart failure and for many patients a heart transplant is their only hope.
However, the lack of available donor organs significantly limits the number
of heart transplantations that are carried out. Myocardial tissue
engineering offers one promising strategy for the future.

"These data have potentially exiting practical implications for the many peo-
ple that are in need of a heart transplant, particularly given the global
shortness of donor organs that are available," said Dr. Lv An-Lin, Xijing
Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University. "There is still a long way
to go before the findings from this study reach the hospital setting, but we
believe it is a very exciting step in the right direction."

13 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 The study set out to explore the feasibility of constructing engineered
myocardial tissue (EMT) in vivo using polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)
for scaffold and cardiomyocyte-like cells derived from bone marrow
mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) for seeded cells.
Over a period of eight weeks, BMMSCs were first cultured and
induced by 5-azacytidine (5-aza) and angiotensin II (Ang II). The PLGA
scaffolds were sterilized and then immersed in buffer solutions. The BMMSCs
were then seeded into the PLGA scaffolds. The constructs were cultured in an
incubator before being implanted into the peritoneal cavity of rats. Tests
were subsequently carried out to analyze the morphology and function of the
EMT. These tests revealed that the EMT did indeed share structural and
functional similarities with the native heart muscle •

Researchers Find
Structural Similarities
In The Brains OF
Humans And Chickens
The brains of mammals have long been presumed to be more highly
evolved and developed than the brains of other animals, in part based upon
the distinctive structure of the mammalian forebrain and neocortex - a part
of the brain's outer layer where complex cognitive functions are centered.

A new study, however, by researchers at the University of California, San

Diego School of Medicine finds that a comparable region in the brains of
chickens concerned with analyzing auditory inputs is constructed similarly
to that of mammals.

14 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 Specifically, the mammalian neocortex features layers of cells
(lamination) connected by radially arrayed columns of other cells, forming
functional modules characterized by neuronal types and specific connections.
Early studies of homologous regions in nonmammalian brains had found no
similar arrangement, leading to the presumption that neocortical cells and
circuits in mammals were singular in nature.

In the latest research, modern sophisticated imaging technologies were

used to map a region of the chicken brain (part of the telencephalon) that is
similar to the mammalian auditory cortex. Both regions handle listening
duties. They discovered that the avian cortical region was also composed of
laminated layers of cells linked by narrow, radial columns of different types of
cells with extensive interconnections that form microcircuits that are virtually
identical to those found in the mammalian cortex.

The findings indicate that laminar and columnar properties of the neocortex
are not unique to mammals, and may in fact have evolved from cells and
circuits in much more ancient vertebrates.
But this kind of thinking presented a serious problem for neurobiologists trying
to figure out the evolutionary origins of the mammalian cortex, he said.

Namely, where did all of that complex circuitry come from and when did it
first evolve?

This research supplies the beginnings of an answer: From an ancestor common

to both mammals and birds that dates back at least 300 million years.

The similarity between mammalian and avian cortices adds support to the
utility of birds as suitable animal models in diverse brain studies.

This work supports the growing recognition of the stability of circuits during
evolution and the role of the genome in producing stable patterns. The
question may now shift from the origins of the mammalian cortex to asking
about the changes that occur in the final patterning of the cortex during
development •

15 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 VOICE YOUR VIEWS...

LAST MONTH’S TOPIC

HAS YOUR ATTACHMENT TO STUDIES

BECOME LESS AFTER ENTERING
COLLEGE ?
THE 3 WINNING ENTRIES ARE….
“Initially yes because I thought I could relax in college.
After slogging it out in school, I could enjoy college life. But
once I saw the gravity of the situation and how human lives are
involved and will be affected by my nonchalance, I decided that
it was no place for me to relax but to enjoy and study “
- SwethaKumar, Celestians
(NONCHALANCE- (of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm
and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm) Ref:Oxford Dictionary
“No, not at all. In my schooldays, studies was just
mugging up and vomiting just for the sake of getting marks for
securing a medical seat. But now it is more interesting to ana-
lyze and read. I now feel the pleasure of reading and I’m proud
to be a doctor. I now have no concern about marks and I’m of
the opinion that if study for the sake of gaining knowledge in
the humanitarian point of view I’m bound to score well in my
exams too ”
- Akshaya, Stalwartz

16 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 “I think I do not find much difference. According to me,
I’ve never studies with an aim. During my school days the
dream of getting into the most prestigious profession made me
study. During the first three years of college, to be frank, I
studied because I wanted to pass. And now in the final lap I am
studying because next year I should be well equipped to handle
patients. I feel the reason will be the same why al doctors keep
learning throughout their life. Now coming to the topic, my
answer would be NO. Because, it’s not just studies, it’s the art
of healing. And this interest has made me to learn more.”
-K. Madhumitha, Celestians.

These three did score over the others but there were
many replies that were fascinating and in no way inferior to
the others. So we thought we would publish them as well.

“My answer is yes. The reason is there is a lot of distrac-

tion in college compared to school, and whenever we open a
book to study, the thought wanders, thinking about college
tours, planning for college functions, deciding what gifts to buy
for friends, etc etc..”
-Shanmugapriya, Celestians

“Yes, because there is no force from our parents and

we’ve always wanted to be free after the tight schedule in
school”
-Perumal, Celestians

“Yes. It’s not the college but it’s the MBBS syllabus with
non semester system and continuous examinations which
induces stress and deteriorates my mental status”
-Jayanthi, CRRI

17 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 “No. the batch strength being 58,which is merely a 12th
standard class strength has not changed and the high school men-
tality of competition keeps on triggering me. So my attachment
has not reduced.”
-Balaji Vishwanath, Krenoviantz

“No, it has not. The encouragement and individual attention

towards us boosts us up.”
-Divya. V, Celestians

TOPIC FOR THE NEXT MONTH

Whom do you like to invite as the chief

guest for our chemfest 2010 and why?

SMS what you feel in not more than 200 words to

9444969384
OR mail us at chemmag2010@gmail.com
OR submit them to your class representatives along
with your Name, Batch Name and Your Mobile
number.

Best 3 responses will win A FREE MOBILE TOP-UP OF

RS. 50/- EACH. HURRY UP !!

18
 UNBELIEVABLE MEDICAL CONDITIONS

THE WOMAN WHO CAN’T FORGET...

That's the story of AJ, an extraordinary 40-year-old married woman

who remembers everything !!

McGaugh and fellow UCI researchers Larry Cahill and Elizabeth

Parker have been studying the extraordinary case of a person who has
"nonstop, uncontrollable and automatic" memory of her personal history
and countless public events.

If you randomly pick a date from the past 25 years and ask her
about it, she’ll usually provide elaborate, verifiable details about what
happened to her that day and if there were any significant news events on
topics that interested her. She usually also recalls what day of the week it
was and what the weather was like.

The 40-year-old woman, who was given the code name AJ to protect her
privacy, is so unusual that UCI coined a name for her condition in a recent
issue of the journal Neurocase- Hyperthymestic Syndrome •

19 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 PETRONICS !
In the June issue of Vibes, you would have read this :
PERCUSSION WAS USED TO MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF
WINE IN BARRELS.

Many of us do this with our bikes too– to know the level of petrol in the
tank, many people knock the tank and find out the level.

Here are some other examples...

* We mostly put petrol as and when needed and only a meager amount is
there in the tank always.
DO YOU HAVE THE HABIT OF SHAKING YOUR BIKE TO
KNOW THE QUANTITY OF PETROL ?

This is nothing but SUCCUSSION SPLASH ( A medical technique to

demonstrate Gastric Outlet Obstruction, which can be elicited in normal
persons too )

* And many a days, when we start to hospital in the morning, there wont
be adequate petrol for ignition.
DO YOU HAVE THE HABIT OF TILTING THE BIKE TO
MAKE AVAIL A FEW MORE DROPS OF PETROL TO REACH HOS-
PITAL ?

Hmmmm…. This demonstrates SHIFTING DULLNESS.

* Weekends we keep our bikes idle and its really tough to start them on
Monday morning.
THE AUTOMATIC START BECOMES USELESS AND WE
NEED TO KICK START THE BIKE.

Automaticity is lost and manual work has to be don– mimicking

CARDIAC MASSAGE.
NOTHING HAPPENS WITH THE KICKS; SO WE CHOOSE
THE CHOKE. This mimics DEFIBRILLATOR right ??!!

20 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 To end with a mokkai, (!)

IF THE PETROL TANK IS EMPTY, THE POINTER MOVES

TOWARDS RED.

IF PATIENT IS ANAEMIC, THE LOWER PALPEBRAL

CONJUNCTIVA MOVES AWAY FROM RED !! •

- ANNE,
CELESTIANS ‘06.

*.* BRAIN TEASERS *.*

1. A woman proves in court that her husband was murdered by her sister, but the judge
decides that the sister cannot be punished. Why?

2. A woman is found hanging by her neck from the high ceiling in an otherwise empty
locked room with a puddle of water under her feet. How did she kill herself?

3. Are you good at math? Complete the last two in this sequence: 1=3, 2=3, 3=5,
4=4, 5=4, 6=3, 7=5, 8=5, 9=4, 10=3, 11=?, 12=?

4. What English word is nine letters long, and can remain an English word at
each step as you remove one letter at a time, right down to a single letter. List
in - and finally, I.
"t" and it is staring. The rest of the changes are as follows: string - sting - sing - sin -
4.The word is "startling." Remove the "l" and it becomes starting. Then remove the

numbers.
3. The solution for both is 6, because that is the number of letters in the name of the

2. She stood on a block of ice to hang herself.

1. The sisters are Siamese twins :-)

ANSWERS-

21 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 CHMC BLUES
A word puzzle exclusively dedicated to all students of CHMC.
9
We hope it is a pleasure for you to solve !
12

11

13 4 2

3 6

1 10

14

Across:
1. Three days of gala time(8)
4. The inevitable sessions where we apparently gain knowledge(8)
5. The batch known for fun loving people who are equally bright(10)
7. How do we fondly refer to those posted in compulsory rotatory
residential internship?(7)
8. A place to read and etc., etc..(7)
11. The title given to those geeks who remain engrossed in Davidson,
Harrison, nelson and other sons (6)
12. Day scholars paradise(9,3)
13 An exclusive ChMC term used to describe a one to one conversation
(5)

22 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

Down:
1. The pleasure land between op and wards (7)
2. A proud member of this institution (6)
3. Ever enthusiastic and creative batch (7)
6. The pioneers (name the batch)(9)
9. The canteen substitute in college premises(11,6)
10. The result of monthly efforts of the editorial board which you now
have in your hands(5)
14.The second youngest lot of the college(11)

Z
T
N
A
I Z S
V T A N S S T I E L C E 5

O R S E R
N S A O S E H O U S I 7 O
E E W H T T
Y R A R B L I 8 P O N S
K
14 I A N C A E
V
10 S T E C H E M F 1 V
S
6 Z
3 E I
H T
S C T U R E 2 L E 4 A B O Y L
13

R
E
S P P A D I 11

O
A B O G Y L S T O L H I
12

C 9

23 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 MEDTOON

HEALTH TIP
Carrots have been shown in studies to be useful
in the fight against cancer.
cancer A study by the Danish In-
stitute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) shows that eat-
ing carrots can lower your risk of lung cancer.
cancer People
who eat carotene-rich food also have lower risk of
heart disease and arthritis •

24 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 TECH-TALK
1 MESSAGE RECEIVED !
HOW DOES SMS WORK ?
Short message service is a mechanism of delivery of short messages over the
mobile networks. It is a store and forward way of transmitting messages to
and from mobiles. The message (text only) from the sending mobile is stored
in a central short message center (SMSC) which then forwards it to the
destination mobile.

The figure below shows a typical organization of network elements in a GSM

network supporting SMS.

The SMSC (Short Message Service Center) is the entity which does the job of
store and forward of messages to and from the mobile station. The SME (Short
Message Entity), which is typically a mobile phone or a GSM modem, can be
located in the fixed network or a mobile station, receives and sends short
messages.

The SMS GMSC (SMS gateway MSC) is a gateway MSC that can also receive
short messages. The gateway MSC is a mobile network’s point of contact with
other networks. On receiving the short message from the short message center,
GMSC uses the SS7 network to interrogate the current position of the mobile
station form the HLR, the home location register.

25 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 HLR ( Home Location Register ) is the main database in a mobile
network. It holds information of the subscription profile of the mobile and
also about the routing information for the subscriber, i.e. the area (covered
by a MSC) where the mobile is currently situated. The GMSC is thus able to
pass on the message to the correct MSC.

MSC (Mobile Switching Center) is the entity in a GSM network which

does the job of switching connections between mobile stations or between
mobile stations and the fixed network.

A VLR (Visitor Location Register) corresponds to each MSC and

contains temporary information about the mobile, information like mobile
identification and the cell (or a group of cells) where the mobile is currently
situated.

Using information form the VLR the MSC is

able to switch the information (short mes-
sage) to the corresponding BSS (Base Station
System, BSC + BTSs), which transmits the
short message to the mobile. The BSS
consists of transceivers, which send and
receive information over the air interface, to
and from the mobile station. This information
is passed over the signaling channels so the
mobile can receive messages even if a voice
or data call is going on.

The base station subsystem (BSS) is the section of a traditional cellular

telephone network which is responsible for handling traffic and signaling
between a mobile phone and the network switching subsystem. The BSS
carries out transcoding of speech channels, allocation of radio channels to
mobile phones, paging, transmission and reception over the air interface
and many other tasks related to the radio network•

26
 SCIENTISTS CLOSER
CLOSER TO EFFECTIVE HIV
VACCINE DESIGN
—— 2 Antibodies Stop Over 90% Of Known HIV Strains

Two human antibodies that can stop over 90% of known HIV strains
from infecting human cells in the lab have been discovered by scientists. They
have also demonstrated how one of these proteins manages to stop HIV
strains.

The researchers say that these antibodies could be used to create better HIV
vaccines, and may be further developed to prevent or treat HIV infection. The
method used to find these antibodies could also be applied to isolate therapeu-
tic antibodies for other infectious diseases.
The researchers, led by a team from the NIAID Vaccine Research Cen-
ter (VRC), found two naturally occurring, powerful antibodies called VRC01
and VRC02 in an HIV infected person's blood using a novel molecular device
they developed that targets the precise cells that create HIV antibodies. The
device is an HIV protein that the researchers adapted so it would react only
with antibodies specific to the site where the virus binds to cells it infects.

The researchers discovered that VRC01 and VRC02 neutralize more

HIV strains with greater overall strength than other previously known
virus antibodies.
The scientists also determined the atomic-level structure of VRC01
when it attaches to HIV, allowing them to define how the antibody works and
to precisely pinpoint where exactly it attaches to the virus. With this knowl-
edge, they have started to design components of a candidate vaccine that
could teach the human immune system to manufacture antibodies comparable
to VRC01 that could prevent infection by the most HIV strains present in the
world today.

Dr. Nabel, the VRC director, explained:"We have used our knowledge of
the structure of a virus - in this case, the outer surface of HIV - to refine
molecular tools that pinpoint the vulnerable spot on the virus and guide us
to antibodies that attach to this spot, blocking the virus from infecting
cells."

27 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 As the virus continuously changes its surface proteins to evade recog-
nition by the immune system, finding individual antibodies that can neutralize
HIV strains anywhere has been extremely challenging. As a result of these
changes, a huge number of HIV variants exist worldwide. Even so, scientists
have identified a few areas on HIV's surface that remain nearly constant across
all variants. One such area, located on the surface spikes used by HIV to attach
to immune system cells and infect them, is called the CD4 binding site.
VRC01 and VRC02 block HIV infection by attaching to the CD4 binding site,
preventing the virus from latching onto immune cells.

Dr. Mascola, the deputy director of the VRC, said:

"The antibodies attach to a virtually unchanging part of the virus, and this
explains why they can neutralize such an extraordinary range of HIV
strains."

With these antibodies in hand, a team led by Dr. Kwong, chief of the structural
biology section at the VRC, determined the atomic-level molecular structure
of VRC01 when attached to the CD4 binding site. They then examined this
structure in light of natural antibody development to ascertain the steps that
would be needed to elicit a VRC01-like antibody through vaccination.

Antibody development starts with the mixing of genes into new combina-
tions within the immune cells that make antibodies. Examination of the
structure of VRC01 attached to HIV suggested that, from a genetic standpoint,
the immune system likely could produce VRC01 precursors readily. The re-
searchers also confirmed that VRC01 does not bind to human cells - a charac-
teristic that might otherwise lead to its elimination during immune develop-
ment, a natural mechanism the body employs to prevent autoimmune disease.

In the final stage of antibody development, antibody-producing B cells recog-

nize specific parts of a pathogen and then mutate, or mature, so the antibody
can bind to the pathogen more firmly. VRC01 precursors do not bind tightly to
HIV, but rather mature extensively into more powerfully neutralizing forms.
This extensive antibody maturation presents a challenge for vaccine design. In
their paper, the scientists explore how this challenge might be addressed by
designing vaccine components that could guide the immune system through
this stepwise maturation process and facilitate the generation of a VRC01-like
antibody from its precursors. The scientists currently are performing research
to identify these components •

28 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

 JUST FOR LAUGHS
LAUGHTER IS THE LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE OF THE GODS...

While making his rounds, a doctor points out an x-ray to

a group of medical students.

“As you can see,” he says, “ the patient limps because his left
fibula and tibia are radically arched.”

The doctor turns to one of the students and asks, “What

would you do in a case like this?”

The student replied, “Well

Well...I
Well I suppose I’d limp, too...”

Doctor: I have some good news and I have some bad

news, which shall I tell first?

Patient: Do begin with the bad news, please.

Doctor: Alright. Your son has drowned, your daughter has

committed suicide, your wife has divorced you, your house
got blown away, and you have AIDS.

Patient: Good grief! What's the good news?

Doctor: The good news is that there is no more bad news!!

29 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

1. The ancient Babylonians thought that the
human soul existed inside this organ. The vessel
entering this organ was given a name which
means ‘entry’. Name the organ and the vessel.

2. Who developed the radical mastectomy in

1890 as a treatment for breast cancer?

3. What is ‘Beck triad’? What does it signify?

4. Question from last month’s Vibes:

What are the two available plasmapheresis

methods ?

SMS to 9840834067 with your name and college OR mail us at

chemmag2010@gmail.com. Hurry up!!

3 lucky winners will receive gifts along with discount vouchers for PG
entrance training sponsored by SPEED MEDICAL CENTRE.

30 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S THINK TANK

1. If cardio is for heart, then cheiro is for palms;

and glauco is for gray or silver colour.

2. “With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and

practice my Art”
This is a sentence from which famous text that every
doctor should be aware of ?
Hippocratic oath

3.What is Chang staging used for?

Medulloblastoma

4.Question from last issue: Walking Corpse Syndrome

is also called as ?

Cotard delusion

THE WINNERS ARE...

1. Siddharthan, Celestians

2. Mekala, stalwartz

3. rahul suri, zenphoriantz

CONGRATULATIONS !!!
31 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010
 WHICH IS BETTER FOR A MEDICO ?

A. Being an Hostler

B. Being a Day Scholar

C. Doesn’t make a difference.

SMS A/B/C TO 9444969384 ALONG WITH YOUR NAME AND

BATCH NAME.

LAST MONTH’S PULSE

DO YOU FEEL ALL DOCTOR’S FEE SHOULD BE STANDARDIZED TO CERTAIN
NORMS ??

• YES 64 %

• NO 36 %

YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO US

Your suggestions and feedback on the issue are most
welcome. Please send in your articles, photos and
interesting happenings to chemmag2010@gmail.com

P.SUBRAMANI M.SOWMYA
9444969384 9840834067

32 CHEMVIBES, AUGUST 2010