Tag Archives: People

Paracetamol

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Paracetamol

Stop the pain with the paracetamol.

  • Paracetamol is a medical drug, also known as ‘acetaminophen’, and its chemical name is ‘N-acetyl-p-aminophenol’.
  • Paracetamol is an analgesic and antipyretic, which means it is used to relieve pain and lower fevers.
  • Paracetamol was first used by German physician, Joseph von Mering, on his patients in 1887, after it was created by Harmon Northrop Morse, an American chemist, ten years earlier.
  • Paracetamol usually comes in the form of a 500 mg tablet or capsule, but can also come in a liquid form, and is usually taken every four to eight hours to keep pain or fever reduced until symptoms subside.
  • An over dose of paracetamol can lead to liver or kidney damage or stomach problems, and nearly all drug overdoses in the main English speaking countries are from paracetamol.

 Paracetamol, White, Tablets, Full, Panadol, 12, Packet, Medication, Pain Reliever, Ten Random Facts

  • Paracetamol was not commonly used for 60 years after it was first used in 1887, because another substance, phenacetin, was more widely promoted.
  • Paracetamol is considered safe for most people of all ages, although people who have liver problems should talk to their doctor before taking any.
  • Some people may have side effects of stomach pains or skin rash after taking paracetamol, and others can be allergic to paracetamol, with symptoms of hives, swelling of the face and/or difficulty in breathing.
  • In 1947, paracetamol was fully investigated and tested for its suitability for patients, and then its use was promoted when it was first marketed in 1953 by Sterling-Winthrop Co, in the United States of America, although it wasn’t until the 1970s that it became a widely used drug.
  • Originally, paracetamol required a prescription for its purchase from pharmacies, but today prescriptions are rarely needed, and it is commonly available in supermarkets, in different branded packets.
Bibliography:

Paracetamol, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol>
Patient Information on Paracetamol, 2011, Australian Rheumatology Association, <http://arthritisnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/paracetamol230811.pdf>

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Chilblains

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Chilblains

Itchy pains…

  • Chilblains are also known as ‘pernio’ or ‘perniosis’.
  • Chilblains are an abnormal reaction caused from being cold, or lack of blood circulation, or both, and usually occur on the extremities of the body, especially on toes and fingers, and sometimes on the nose and ears, due to the body using its warmth to keep vital organs functioning properly.
  • Blood vessels contract when you are exposed to cold, and then they expand back to normal when you are exposed to heat, and if, during this contracting and expanding process, the blood vessels leak blood, the result is a chilblain.
  • Chilblain symptoms include red, blue or purple swollen skin, blisters, itching, tenderness and pain.
  • Chilblains usually heal after one to two weeks, depending on whether the body is kept warm and there is no further exposure to the cold.

Chilblains, One, Red, Swell, Finger, Lady, Pinky, Hand, Medical, Blister, Ten Random Facts

  • In medieval times, an egg, wine and fennel root mixture would be applied to help cure chilblains.
  • Females are more likely to get chilblains than males, and some groups of people are more susceptible to chilblains including elderly people, smokers (due to nicotine that causes poor blood circulation), those with a family history of chilblains, people that are underweight, or those that have circulation or blood vessel problems.
  • Chilblains can cause the skin to dry and crack, or can cause ulceration, both of which can be very painful and can become infected.
  • There is no satisfactory cure for chilblains, and it is better to prevent them in the first place, by having good blood circulation which can be improved with extra exercise, no smoking, and a healthy diet, and keeping one’s body temperature warm, with warm socks, gloves and other warm clothing, and keeping away from cold weather or temperatures.
  • Then are many suggested remedies for treating chilblains, including topical steroid cream (which is not advisable) and a medicine called nifedipine which dilates the blood vessels, however most of them do not work or not very satisfactorily, so if you are affected by chilblains, it is recommended that you keep your body temperature warm and resist the urge to itch the chilblains (as this leads to cracking and infection).
Bibliography:
Chilblains, 2012, Better Health Channel, <http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Chilblains>
Chilblains, 2013, Body+Soul, <http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health+az/chilblains,23250>

Nails

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Nails

Don’t bite them!

  • Nails help protect the soft top part of fingers and toes and are found on humans and some animals.
  • Nails are made of keratin, a protein that is also found in hair and skin, and animal horns and hooves.
  • Nails consist of a ‘nail plate’, which is the hardest part of the nail; a ‘nail bed’, which is the softer skin underneath the nail; and the ‘matrix’, which is the soft tissue that the nail protects underneath the base of the nail that contains blood vessels, nerves and lymph (a type of fluid).
  • Nails grow an average of 2 – 3 mm (0.08 – 0.12 inches) per month, and fingernails can double their length (regrow) in three to six months, and toenails, which are slower growing, can double in length (regrow) in twelve to eighteen months.
  • The white half moons on nails that are most visible on thumbs, are called ‘lunula’, and under the lunula is the section of the matrix that you can see.

Nails, Fingers, Girl, Lady, fair skin, Ten Random Facts, Human

  • Nails are said to grow quickest in the summer months, especially when exposed to sunlight because they need vitamin D to grow, but other factors, such as age, gender, and health, can make nails grow quicker.
  • Sometimes nails fall off due to disease or injury, but they generally regrow.
  • Unhealthy nails that look sick in colour, or are brittle and break easily, are usually a sign that your body is lacking in vital nutrients, or that there is an internal health problem.
  • Indian Shridhar Chillal holds the world record for the longest nails on a single hand, with a combined total of 6.15 meters (20 feet 2.25 inches) of fingernails on one hand, and the length of his thumb nail was over 1.20 meters (4 feet) long.
  • There is a theory that white spots on your nails are from a calcium or zinc deficiency, however the spots, called Leukonychia, are generally caused by minor injury to the base of the nail (matrix), and they will normally grow out.
Bibliography:
Nail (Anatomy), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(anatomy)>
Sentry, S 2013, How Fast do Nails Grow?, Discovery Fit and Health, <http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/nail-care/health/how-fast-do-nails-grow.htm>

One Direction

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One Direction

‘That’s what makes you beautiful…’ – One Direction

  • One Direction is a boy band quintet, from England and Ireland, that sings pop style music.
  • One Direction has had a combined total of over 22 million albums and singles sold.
  • One Direction is also written as ‘1D’.
  • One Direction was formed in 2010, when the five teenagers entered the singing British television competition, ‘The X Factor’, as a group, after auditioning as soloists and failing to proceed in the competition.
  • The members of One Direction are Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, who were born in the years between 1991-1994, and are all from England except for Niall Horan, who comes from Ireland.

One Thing, Band, Sydney, Australia, Live, Five, All, Casual, serious, Happy, Boys, Horden Pavilion, Moore Park, Friday 13th 2011, Flickr, Free Digital Photos, Concert, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson

One Direction
Image courtesy of Eva Rinaldi/Flickr
  • One Direction has won more than 65 awards and has been nominated for many other music awards.
  • One Direction is so popular, that as of the 16 June, 2013, they have more than 16 million Facebook fans and over 12 million Twitter fans.
  • One Direction gained third place in ‘The X Factor’ finals, and their first album was ‘Up All Night’, while the group’s debut single was ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
  • One Direction have won two BRIT Awards (British Phonographic Industry Awards), similar to the American Grammy Award, and have gained a position in the Guinness World Records for being the first British group to have their debut album go straight to number one on the US Billboard 200 charts.
  • One Direction completed a solo world tour in 2011-12, and embarked on their second world tour in February 2013, and have another planned for 2014.
Bibligraphy:
One Direction, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Direction>
The Boys, 2012, One Direction, <http://www.onedirectionmusic.com/au/biography/entry/the_one_direction_story3

Bill Gates

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Bill Gates

$$$Bill Gates$$$

  • Bill Gates’ full name is William Henry Gates III and he was born in Seattle, Washington, United States on the 28 October 1955.
  • Bill Gates is an American who, in 2013, was the richest person in the world, and also held the ‘richest person in the world’ position from 1995 to 2009 (excluding 2008).
  • Bill Gates is the chairman and co-founder of Microsoft, the biggest software company in the world, of which he was also the chief executive officer (CEO) for a number of years.
  • Bill Gates married Melinda French, a Microsoft executive, on the 1 January 1994, in Hawaii, and have three children born who were born between 1996 and 2002.
  • Bill Gates owns and lives in a 6100 m2 estate (66,000 square feet) in Medina, Washington, that is believed to be worth US$125 million.

Bill Gates, Man, Old, Billionare, Happy, smile, Look Down, Flickr, Microsoft, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Bill Gates
Image courtesy of Domain Barnyard/Flickr
  • Bill Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charity that focuses its cause on extreme poverty, healthcare, and American education, and Gates and his wife have donated over $28 billion to charities.
  • Bill Gates has written two books and invested in five different companies including Microsoft, and has a flower fly (Eristalis gates) named after himself.
  • Bill Gates favourite board game as a child was the strategy game Risk.
  • Bill Gates became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world in 1987, at the age of 31, when Microsoft gained a large profit.
  • Bill Gates was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 and has received many honorary doctorates from universities around the world.
Bibligraphy:
Bill Gates Biography, 2013, Bio.com, <http://www.biography.com/people/bill-gates-9307520?page=4>

Eyeglasses

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Eyeglasses

Magical lenses.

  • Glasses are also known as ‘eyeglasses’ and ‘spectacles’.
  • Glasses are used to help correct one’s vision, or give protection to they eyes from something, such as the sun.
  • Glasses were first made in Italy in about 1286, although the concept of magnification was discovered before 400BC Egypt.
  • Some glasses, called ‘safety glasses’ are used to protect eyes from chemicals, potentially dangerous machinery, and fragments or debri that may lodge in the eye.
  • Some glasses have special lenses that create a visual 3D effect when wearing them, so one can watch a film in 3D.

Rafting glasses, spectacles, two, round, square, lens, Ten Random Facts, Colourless, Brown

  • Modern glasses sit on the nose, have two lenses usually made from polycarbonate or other plastic, and are supported by arms that rest on the ears.
  • In the 1500s and 1600s, demand for glasses greatly increased due to the accessibility of books to the general public, and then the release of newspapers, and merchants were commonly seen in streets selling them.
  • Some older glasses don’t have ear supports or have one lens such as the pince-nez and the monocle.
  • Some glasses, called sunglasses, have dark lenses, to darken bright light from the sun and protect the eyes from UV rays.
  • It is estimated that approximately 64% of adult Americans wear glasses.
Bibliography:
Glasses, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasses>
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