COVID-19 Vaccines and Fertility
I’m searching for a good home for this piece, but in the meantime I think the information needs to get out! So, I’m dusting off this old blog. The group I have seen most hesitant about taking the new COVID-19 vaccines is women of reproductive age who care about their fertility. I’d like to (1)…
The Romance of Meiosis
Another entry in the Woven Together series talking about the fascinating development of a little person. This series deviates from the main content of the blog – how things go wrong – to tell how things go right. I hope you enjoy! Meiosis. This word probably conjures up memories of high school biology class where…
Rh Disease – Sweet, Sweet Blood Cells – Part 2
Welcome back! Click here for Part 1. Last time we left off with mom’s body sending anti-RhD antibodies through the placenta to her second baby. What happens to baby? In all cases of Rh disease, baby loses some RBCs – in fact, baby’s own immune system destroys the RBCs because they were marked with maternal…
Rh Disease – Sweet, Sweet Blood Cells – Part 1
… and, we’re back! Grad school and life kept me pretty busy in the last year. The Ebola and Disneyland measles outbreaks almost roused me into writing a post, but it was an article on Rh disease that finally did it. Do you know your blood type? I… don’t actually know mine. Barring emergency circumstances,…
Fetal Circulation – The Secret’s in the Lungs
I’m starting a new series about babies called Woven Together because the development of a little person is fascinating. For the most part, this series will deviate from the main content of the blog – how things go wrong – to tell how things go right. I hope you enjoy! Babies in the womb have…
Flu – Virus in a Wooden Horse
We’ve talked about one major class of infectious agents: bacteria. Let’s look at the other major class: viruses. What is a virus? A virus is a piece of genetic material wrapped in a protein coat: essentially an instruction sheet inside a box. We’re not really sure if viruses are alive. They reproduce and evolve like…
West Nile FAQ
If you missed it, I appeared on a recent episode of Animal Planet’s Monsters Inside Me. I’ve had a bunch of questions from friends about the episode and my experience, so I’m posting some answers here. (Plus, it’s a great venue for my philosophizing about my illness.) I’ll continue to update this page if more…
UTI – Bacteria Invasion
I’ve somehow made it through 5 stories without talking about one of the most famous pathological agents… bacteria. It’s time. Bacteria ((Bacteria is plural, bacterium is singular (because it’s a Latin neuter noun). Now you can sound like a nerd.)) are incredibly different from us. We are more closely related to dinosaurs, roses, mushrooms, and even slime molds than…
Fracture – Rebuilding Bone
In honor of my dear mother, today we’re looking at repair of a broken bone. Get well soon, Mama! Hang in there, Daddy! Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor – just a bioengineer who happens to find pathophysiology fascinating. If you find an error, please let me know! Also, NONE of my drawings are to scale.…
Sickle Cell and Malaria – A Double-Edged Sword
And now for the exciting conclusion to these two posts. Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor – just a bioengineer who happens to find pathophysiology fascinating. If you find an error, please let me know! Also, NONE of my drawings are to scale. In this post, we looked at how one tiny change in a person’s DNA…
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Pathology Storybook 