Archive for month: December, 2015

Nitrates and nitrites are known to cause several health effects. These are the
most common effects:

– Reactions with haemoglobin in blood, causing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood to decrease (nitrite)
– Decreased functioning of the thyroid gland (nitrate)
– Vitamin A shortages (nitrate)
– Fashioning of nitro amines, which are known as one of the most common causes of cancer (nitrates and nitrites)

But from a metabolic point of view, nitric oxide (NO) is much more important than nitrogen alone. In 1987, Salvador Moncada discovered that this was a vital body messenger for relaxing muscles, and today we know that it is involved in the cardiovascular system, the immune system, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The enzyme that produces nitric oxide, called nitric oxide synthesis, is abundant in the brain.

Although nitric oxide is relatively short-lived, it can diffuse through membranes to carry out its functions. In 1991, a team headed by K.E. Anderson of Lund University Hospital, Sweden, showed that nitric oxide activates an erection by relaxing the muscle that controls the blood flow into the penis. The drug Viagra works by releasing nitric oxide to produce the same effect.

Boron seems to affect the way the body handles other minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. It also seems to increase estrogen levels in older (post-menopausal) women and healthy men. Estrogen is thought to be helpful in maintaining healthy bones and mental function. Boric acid, a common form of boron, can kill yeast that cause vaginal infections.

  Many applications of helium gas in medicine are due to its unique physical and chemical properties including its low solubility, high thermal conductivity, and low density. Helium has been most studied as a possible adjunct to respiratory therapy. Studies investigating helium gas regarding protection of the myocardium after ischemia has elucidated many mechanisms for a gas once thought to be biologically inert. With regards to neuroprotection, more studies are required to elucidate the neuroprotective mechanism that Helium gas has on neurons and to resolve some controversies in the literature. In general surgery, applying helium during laparoscopic surgery has beneficial effects not offered traditionally by carbon dioxide. Helium has exciting new applications in medicine with regards to MRI imaging of the lungs, and microscopic imaging