What D Facts?

What’s that weird feeling one gets when a part of body “falls asleep”?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:13:00 -0700

No wonder, we all have experienced that weird sensation when we have slept on the arm, smacked the elbow or left legs crossed for too long. That is caused by sustained pressure to the nerves. (gif: source)

The technical term for this pins and needles feeling or of a limb "falling asleep" is ‘Paresthesia’. (source)

Paresthesia is typically fleeting, but if it lasts a long time or occurs frequently a medical condition is likely to blame. A less well-known but still fairly common paresthesia is formication. Now what's that?

Formication: A sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on (or under) the skin. /*Quite a mouthful huh... but creepy though!*/

In rare cases of formication, individuals become convinced that the sensation they are suffering is due to the presence of real insects on or under the skin. Of course, they become delusional. They believe that their skin is inhabited by, or under attack by, small insects or similar parasites, despite repeated reassurances from physicians, pest control experts, and entomologists. (source)

Here's is an interesting video that gives you an insight on what happens when your arm falls asleep?

(source)

How did genetically identical twins sisters had different hair conditions?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:45:00 -0700

Meet the twin sisters who are identical in almost every way – except for one.

What came between them? The answer is Alopecia.

Alopecia universalis or alopecia areata universalis is a medical condition involving rapid loss of all hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. It is the most severe form of alopecia areata, with an incidence of .0005% (1 in 200,000). (source)

People have between 100,000 and 150,000 hairs on their head. The number of strands normally lost in a day varies, but on average is 100. (source)

(image: source)

For Gwennan Thomas life had different plans. She was diagnosed with alopecia universalis in 2002. Her identical twin sister Elin Thomas remained completely unaffected, even though the sisters share exactly the same genes. It was a dreadful nightmare for her having a sister who was the mirror image, but with hair. This nearly cost them their relationship.

(image: source)

Often people mistaken her condition for cancer and ask her about how her cancer treatment was going. They believe that her bald head is because of chemotherapy. /* Harsh reality! People should have some awareness and perspective indeed.*/

In identical twins with alopecia, about 50 per cent both have the condition. Experts believe that half of the contributing causes of alopecia are non-genetic and may be environmental. (source)

She was heartbroken, but when she came to terms with alopecia she decided to raise awareness of her condition so people become more understanding. In her endeavor to create awareness and help others she now runs a support group for charity Alopecia UK in Cardiff. http://www.alopeciaonline.org.uk/cardiff-support-group.asp

Alopecia sufferers include famous TV presenter Gail Porter, actor Matt Lucas and Olympic gold medalist Joanna Rowsell.

(image L to R: Gail Porter, Matt Lucas, Joanna Rowsell)

Here’s a courageous flash mob dance video, which featured 40 brave alopecia sufferers who removed their wigs together - many for the first time - in a busy shopping street in Liverpool.

(source)

World's longest bridge fountain Banpo Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 03:05:00 -0700

Bridges have always been one of the greatest engineering structures. The fancy designs and latest technology has enabled us to experiment. Here's the world's longest fountain bridge.

Banpo Bridge is a major bridge in downtown Seoul over the Han River in South Korea connecting the Seocho and Yongsan districts.It is the world’s longest bridge fountain. The fountain is programmed to play the different shows during both day and night. During the day time, this fountain shows hundred different configurations meant to evoke waving willow branches and willow leaves.

When the sun goes down, the fountain’s 200 lights illuminate and it sends up dancing, rainbow-colored jets of water in the air in synchronization with music.

[source] [image credit]