Endocrinology, Toxicology, and Drug Testing

Much knowledge regarding our course has been already imposed on us by our professors. However as a  4^th year student of Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, more is expected from us. This will be our final year as students, and I believe that we will be acquiring more knowledge and skills that would enhance us to become a professional. medical technologist. This would be possible because as far as we know this school year  will be full of mind boggling activities that would completely prepare us to our internship and future work. Gaining new knowledge will help us to reach our dreams together with our hardwork and faith. 

One of the subjects considered as important is the Clinical Chemistry. It is divided into 3. Clinical Chemistry 1 is Pure Blood Chemistry (Introduction, laboratory math, quality assurance, specimen collection, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, renal functions tests, and liver function tests). Clinical Chemistry 2 is Special Chemistry (automation, BGA, electrolytes and enzymology).  Lastly, Clinical Chemistry 3 which includes toxicology, endocrinology, and drug testing.  

This semester we will be having Clinical Chemistry 3. Getting started with this subject, we should first know the basic definition for each of the included topics in it to help us to understand the subject well. 

ENDOCRINOLOGY

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Endocrinology is a branch of medicine that studies endocrine glands and the hormones that they secrete.

The endocrine system is the human body's network of ductless glands that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to maintain and regulate basic bodily functions. Hormones are intercellular chemical substances carried in the bloodstream to organs and to their target tissues made up of cells that have receptor molecules for the hormone, stimulating them to perform some action. The glands of the endocrine system include the adrenals, ovaries or testes, pancreas, parathyroid, pineal, pituitary, thymus, and thyroid.

TOXICOLOGY

Toxicology is the study of poisons and unwanted effects of drugs, food and beverage additives, and other chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of consumer products. Poison is a compound in which relatively small quantities and by a chemical reaction can destroy life or injures health causing death and disability. Understanding the possible toxicity of some agents that are found everywhere plays an important role in human survival.

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          Three Laws of Toxicology

1. The dose makes the poison. This first law is given to us by Paracelsus, a German physician and was popularly known as the Father of Toxicology. The concept is that all substances are poisons. There is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy.

2.   Biologic actions or toxic effects are specific to each chemical, has been formulated by Ambroise Paré who is famous as the great medieval French surgeon.

3.  Humans are animals. Thus gives the idea that study of chemical agents on animals would give information on its effect to humans.

Today in modern toxicology, they continuously find ways on how to prevent adverse effects of chemicals that are important to human life like therapeutic and pharmaceutical agents.

DRUG TESTING

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Drug testing refers to the process of detecting drugs or its metabolites in human or animal specimens. Drug testing could be asked in situations like in sports and workplace wherein people using prohibited drugs are not accepted for safety purposes, toxicology (therapeutic drug monitoring), during a crime wherein the accused or criminal must also be tested if he/she is under the influence of drugs causing him/her to do such thing. Also, drug testing is performed on persons (the drivers) who have encountered car accidents enabling him/her to be careless in driving.

Human drug testing is most commonly performed by analysis of random urine sample or hair samples. Other fluids being tested include blood, sweat, saliva, and milk.

Hopefully knowing these three simple terms will already help me pass the subject :)) But nah! hardship does not ends on that. More is yet to come..and along with these expectations and activities, I must prepare myself physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.