Internet Crooks : Getty Images

lymphatic circulation

The direction of flow of the lymph is from the tissues toward the large lymphatic trunks, the thoracic and the right lymphatic duct. The flow is maintained in this direction mainly by a difference in pressure at the two ends. At the opening of the large trunk's into the jugular veins the pressure is very low, in the vein, in fact, it may be zero or even negative as compared witli the atmospheric pressure. The opening between the lymph vessel and the vein is protected by a valve which opens toward the vein, and the lymph, therefore, will flow into the vein as long as the pressure in the latter is lower than that in the lymphatic duct. At the other extremity of the system, in the tissue spaces to which the lymphatic capillaries are distributed, the pressure, on the contrary, is high. Its exact amount is not known, but, since the pressure in the blood capillaries is equal to 40-60 nims. Hg. the pressure in the liquid of the surrounding tissues must also be considerable. The tissues are, in fact, in a condition of turgidity owing to the pressure of the lymph in the tissue-spaces. This difference in pressure at the two ends of the lymphatic system is the main constant factor in moving the lymph. It is obvious that in the long run it is dependent upon the pressure within the blood-vessels and therefore upon the force of the heart beat. The contractions of the heart supply the energy, not only for the movement of the blood, but also for the much slower movement of the lymph. The circulation of the lymph is aided, however, by many accessory factors. In some animals there are genuine lymph hearts upon the course of the vessels,— that is, pulsatile expansions of the lymph vessels whose force of beat, controlled by valves, is directly applied to moving the lymph. No such structures are found in the mammalia, but according to some observers the large receptacle at the teginning of the thoracic duct, receptaeulum chyli may undergo contractions, and is, besides, under the influence of motor anif inhibitory nerves. Such movements, if they occur, must lie equivalent to the action of a lymph heart in their influence upon the flow of lymph. The flow of lymph or chyle in the intestinal area is also, without doubt, greatly assisted by the peristaltic and especially by the rhythmic contractions of the musculature of the intestines. The volume of the lymph in this region U especially large and the lymph capillaries and veins are provided with valves. Rhythmical contractions of the musculature of the intestine must squeeze the lymph toward the thoracic duct, acting like a local pump to accelerate the How of lymph. A similar influence is exerted by the contractions of the skeletal muscles. The compression exerted by the shortened fibers squeeze? the lymph vessels and, on account of the valves present, forces the lymph onward toward the larger ducts. The flow of lymph from the resting muscles —the arms and legs, for instance—^is normally small in quantity, but during muscular exercise and massage it is obviously increased. This increase may be observed in experimental work by placing a cannula in the thoracic duct. Active or passive movements of the limbs under these conditions will cause a noticeable increase in the outflow from the duct. Still another factor which exercises an influence upon the flow of lymph is foimd in the respiratory movements of the thorax. At each inspiration the pressure within the thorax is diminished (increase of negative pressure), and this factor influences the lymph How in several ways: By increasing the flow of blood through the large veins at the edge of the thorax, jugulars and subclavians, it doubtless aspirate* lymph from the thoracic and right lymphatic ducts into these veins. More-When we place a cannula in the thoracic duct and measure the outflow directly it is found to be exceedingly slow and variable. Older measurements (Weiss) indicate that it has a velocity in the duct in the neck of about 4 mms. per second, but this velocity changes naturally with the conditions influencing the production of lymph in the tissues. Heidenhain estimates that for a dog weighing 10 kgms. "the total outflow from the thoracic duct in 24 hours is equal to 640 c.c. Munk and Rosenstein, from observations upon a case with a lymph fistula, estimated that in man the flow may be equal to 60 to 100 or 120 c.c. per hour. over, by lowering the pressure upon the intrathoracio portion of the thoracic duct it also aspirates the lymph from the abdominal portion of this vessel.

Tata Nano not safe of US roads

While it is the price of the Nano that will make headlines, it has had safety campaigners raising questions about the impact - quite literally - that this car will have for drivers and pedestrians.

Although the Indian automotive industry has made great strides over the past 20 years in aligning itself with international emissions and safety standards - and since 2000 European technical rules have been the basis for Indian vehicle regulations - on safety in particular it still falls well short.

Tata, which has the only crash-test facility in the country, said that the Nano "exceeds current regulatory requirements". And while it is not a deathtrap - it has crumple zones, seat belts and strong seat anchors - it is worth bearing in mind that total vehicle crash testing (rather than just frontal impact), airbags and antilock braking systems are not mandatory.

Without these, the Nano would not even be considered for approval in Britain or US. Adding them would double its price in India, which is why they have been omitted.

Lipitor Demonstrates Improvement in Kidney Function

Summary of Key Findings

- Patients taking the highest dose of Lipitor (80 mg) experienced significantly greater improvements in kidney function than patients taking the lowest dose - fifty percent of high dose patients who had kidney dysfunction had normal kidney function at end of study

- An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD), and people with high LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol are often at an increased risk of developing kidney dysfunction

- Safety of Lipitor 80 mg in the patients in this analysis was similar to that reported for the overall TNT population, with no unexpected safety concerns identified and similar incidences of adverse events between the treatment groups

Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and elevated cholesterol who took Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) experienced improved kidney function, and those improvements were significantly greater among patients taking the highest dose (80 mg). The data, from an analysis of nearly 8,000 patients from the Treating to New Targets (TNT) trial, were presented today at
the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology and published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD).In people with CKD, the kidneys cannot effectively filter the toxins from the blood, which can lead to kidney failure. People with elevated total cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol are often at an increased risk of developing kidney dysfunction.

"We anticipated that atorvastatin might provide a protective effect and slow the typical decline in kidney function in this patient population, but we didn't expect to see this level of improvement," said Dr. James Shepherd, TNT steering committee member and clinical academic consultant, Department of Pathological Biochemistry, University of Glasgow Medical School.

The analysis assessed eGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate at the beginning and end of the five-year TNT clinical trial. eGFR is used to measure kidney function -- patients with eGFR of less than 60 mL/min are considered to have chronic kidney disease (CKD). eGFR naturally declines with age. Patients in the TNT study did not experience a decline in eGFR -- patients taking Lipitor 10 mg experienced an improvement in kidney function (5.6 percent) and patients taking Lipitor 80 mg experienced a highly significant increase in kidney function (8.5 percent). Fifty percent of patients taking Lipitor 80 mg were no longer classified as having chronic
kidney disease.

TNT was an investigator-led trial coordinated by an independent steering committee and funded by Pfizer. The study enrolled men and women between 35 and 75 years of age in 14 countries. Demographic characteristics for the patients included in this current analysis were similar to the overall TNT population and were well balanced between treatment groups.

Tata Nano

The very first time someone thought of value engineering a car, this will be remembered forever. I am proud to be in a country where entrepreneur like Ratan Tata lives.Ratan Tata on the Intro Note said about the emmission standards as Euro 4. Why not call it Indian 1 and the world use this standard. Tata had rolled out the buzzz by this.it hase a standard 4-speed gearbox. It would be great if it had a auto transmission!

Following are some details on the car, which was presented at the Auto Expo in New Delhi.

* Length: 3.1 metres

* Height: 1.6 metres

* Width: 1.5 metres

* Engine: Rear-wheel drive, 2-cylinder, 623 cc, multi-point fuel-injection petrol engine. Engine is rear mounted. Tata said it was the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine was being used in a car with single balancer shaft.

* Safety: Tata said the Nano has an all sheet-metal body, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat-belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tyres are tubeless.

* Environment: Tata said tailpipe emission performance exceeded current regulatory requirements, and the Nano had a lower overall pollution level than two-wheelers made in India. It said high fuel efficiency (20 km/litre) ensured low carbon dioxide emissions.

How to be Vegetarian

When making a big change in your eating habits, it can be hard to decide where to start. While some people embrace the “cold turkey” approach to vegetarianism, others feel more comfortable easing into things. Here are five suggestions for how you can start your journey towards a healthier, delicious, vegetarian diet.

1. Only on Mondays. Eating vegetarian food forever might sound daunting, but anyone can hack it for a single day. Check out the Meatless Monday website for some great resources and support for reducing the meat in your diet. Once you’ve got Mondays down, add another day of meatless eating to the schedule. And another. And so on.
2. The elimination game. Choose one non-vegetarian food (beef, or chicken, or spam, or…) to stop eating this week. No fair choosing a food you don’t eat anyway! Once you are comfortable with that change (after, say, a week or a month), choose another food to eliminate. And so on.
3. Stop buying meat. Depending on what you already have on hand at home, giving up meat might mean wasting a lot of food. Don’t let this serve as an excuse; just start altering your shopping habits. If you stop acquiring non-vegetarian foods, sooner or later you’ll run out of the meat products you have on hand, and your diet will eventually become vegetarian. Use the transition time to learn new recipes and get comfortable with your new way of eating.
4. Focus on what you’re adding, not what you’re taking away. Becoming vegetarian can mean learning new recipes, discovering new favorite restaurants, and exploring lots of healthy, delicious new foods. Why not treat yourself to a vegetarian cookbook and commit to trying new recipes at least once a week? Explore your town’s vegetarian restaurants. Pick up a new fruit or veggie the next time you’re at the store. If you focus on finding vegetarian foods you can get excited about, the number of meat-centered meals in your life will naturally decline.
5. Be bad. If perfectionism is standing in your way, give yourself permission to be a bad vegetarian. Slip up at parties. Have turkey on Thanksgiving. Forget to read a label or two. Nobody is keeping score. Give yourself permission to make mistakes along the road; just get moving in the right direction!

What are some of the tricks you used to move yourself towards a vegetarian diet?