Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out skilled movements and gestures, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform them. There are several kinds of this condition, which may occur alone or together. The most common type is buccofacial or orofacial apraxia, which causes…
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What Is Mass Spectrometry?
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that ionizes chemical species and sorts the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio. In simpler terms, a mass spectrum measures the masses within a sample. Mass spectrometry is used in many different fields and is applied to pure samples as well as complex mixtures. A mass spectrum is…
What Is Bone Marrow?
Bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue which may be found within the spongy or cancellous portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production or hematopoiesis. It is composed of hematopoietic cells, marrow adipose tissue, and supportive stromal cells. In adult humans, it is primarily located…
What Is The Hypothalamus?
The hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is part of the…
What Is A Case-control Study?
A case-control study is a type of observational study in which two existing groups differing in outcome are identified and compared on the basis of some supposed causal attribute. Case-control studies are often used to identify factors that may contribute to a medical condition by comparing subjects who have that condition/disease (the “cases”) with patients…
What Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging?
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body in both health and disease. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, radio waves, and field gradients to generate images of the inside of the body. MRI does not involve x-rays,…
What Are Ion Channels?
Ion channels are porous transmembrane proteins which help regulate the voltage gradient across the plasma membrane by allowing ions to diffuse through the pores down their electrochemical gradients. They all regulate the flow of ions across the plasma membrane with several protein subunits assembled in a circular arrangement with the narrowest area in the pore…
What Is Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen (factor I) is a glycoprotein complex that circulates in the blood of vertebrates. During tissue and vascular injury it is converted enzymatically by thrombin to fibrin and then to a fibrin-based blood clot. Fibrin clots function primarily to occlude blood vessels to stop bleeding. Fibrin also binds and reduces the activity of thrombin. This…
What Is A Cohort Study?
A cohort study is a particular form of longitudinal study that sample a cohort (a group of people who share a defining characteristic, typically those who experienced a common event in a selected period, such as birth or graduation), performing a cross-section at intervals through time. While a cohort study is a panel study, a…