#kidney tissue

[themostimportantnight]

The sense of self was the 6th sense all along

[introvert-celeste]

My cat Sirius isn't eating and I'm worried 😟 He's elderly (11, almost 12, years old) and not eating is a bad sign at his age. I'm hoping he's just not feeling good and that he'll get better, but at his age, I'm not sure.

[bpod-bpod]

Shrinking Kidneys

A sudden assault on your kidneys can be crippling and unfortunately, can also lead to chronic kidney disease if your kidneys don't fully repair. Researchers investigate why using mice subjected to two types of acute kidney injury: one that leads to tissue wasting and one that leads to repair. Fluorescence microscopy of proteins in kidney sections, alongside RNA analysis, revealed that two weeks later, kidneys undergoing wasting had more macrophages compared with kidneys undergoing repair. And these kidneys also underwent a second wave of damage caused by a build-up of immune cells that promote inflammation. Injecting antibodies to deplete these immune cells reduced tissue wasting. Without antibody injections, a month later, fluorescence microscopy of kidney sections revealed smaller kidneys following injury that led to tissue wasting (right), compared with kidneys that underwent repair (left). The persistence of macrophages after injury, therefore, promotes a pro-inflammatory environment that leads to long-term kidney damage.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image adapted from work by Leyuan Xu and colleagues

Department of Internal Medicine/Section of Nephrology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature Communications, August 2022

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[baalzebufo]

i love my cats sm but since jules lost a bunch of weight hes like. super bony now. so hes curled around my foot and just stretched and i felt like three pointy little joints stabbing me... boy you are made of right angles... well hes purring so its okay

[writer-in-a-basement]

This isn't anything writing related or even related to shit I'm into but you just gotta love googling something about a weird pain, getting "cancer" (because of course), then googling the same thing with the chronic condition you suspect you have and immediately getting "Oh yeah, this is totally related"

[blackwaxidol]

Ah, that is unpleasant.

[ms-demeanor]

I've been reading so much about rabies and cats and there are so few cat owners who keep their cats up to date on rabies vaccinations and buds please keep your kitty's jabs up-to-date and please please please keep your cats inside and please treat any cat with an unknown vaccination history as a wild animal and don't try to touch it or pet it or catch it.

The most recent survivor of the Milwaukee protocol is an 8 year old girl who contacted rabies through scratches from feral cats that lived in a colony at her school.

Don't touch strange cats even if they're friendly, and teach your kids not to touch strange cats either. (For that matter teach your kids not to touch strange dogs either, but decades of stray eradication and mandatory vaccines means that the US is one of the few places in the world where cats are more likely to be rabid than dogs)

Also did you know that there's one case of transplant-acquired rabies recorded in the US? The recipient got a kidney from a donor who died in an accident and nobody was aware the donor had rabies. The recipient died of rabies, which is a bit of an extreme flavor of graft failure if you ask me. Terrifying!

Anyway. If you, too, want to have nightmares about rabies you can search my website (www.ms-demeanor.com) for "keep your fucking cat indoors" and scroll to the section on rabies and read some nightmare fuel (like the case report on the family that moved across 3 states with their 13 barn cats, unaware that one was incubating rabies).

Did you know that in 1994, 665 people in New Hampshire had to be given post exposure prophylaxis for rabies because of one infected kitten that had contact with a racoon before being brought to a pet store?

The only way animals are tested for rabies is to examine their brain tissue. The animal is killed in order to do this. If your pet is exposed to rabies they stand a much, much, much better chance of being quarantined instead of being euthanized for testing if you have kept their vaccinations current.

Please keep your pets' vaccinations up to date, and please keep your cat indoors. There's a risk of exposure even for indoor cats, so make sure they've got their shots.

[starryarles]

my aunt passed away today

[flamminnt]

Donate to Help

I am reaching out to you all today to ask for your support in a difficult time. After suffering a stroke, I have been struggling with medical complications and personal hardships. My family and I were forced to leave our home, leaving behind all our belongings. We are currently in need of funds for medication, medical equipment, home furnishings, and a vehicle. Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping us rebuild our lives. Please consider donating and sharing this campaign with others. Thank you for your support. https://gofund.me/4ea797d8

[transplants-india]

Honoring Heroes: Odisha CM Recognizes Organ Donors with State Honors

Organ donation is a massive problem in India. There are hundreds of thousands of people who need organ transplants in Mumbai to stay alive. But there are way more people who need transplants than there are organ donors. So many people are stuck waiting, hoping an organ becomes available in time. The biggest need is for kidney transplants - that's what most people are waiting for an organ donor.

Overcoming Barriers: Education and Financial Support There are a few reasons why there aren't enough organ donors in India. Many people don't understand its importance or have misconceptions about it because of cultural/religious beliefs. The cost of transplant surgeries is also really expensive for many families. Some organizations are already working on this. A transplant organization in India provides money, counseling, and other support to transplant patients and their families. The MOHAN Foundation is a non-profit organization that spreads awareness about organ donation and helps set up transplants across India.

Odisha's Pioneering Initiative In the middle of all this, the state of Odisha in India has done something remarkable to honor organ donors. The Chief Minister there, Naveen Patnaik, made it so that organ donors get treated with special honors - like really important or famous people. This includes things like a 21-gun salute, having their body wrapped in the Indian flag and other ceremonies. The families of organ donors also get financial help for kidney transplants in India and are recognized yearly on World Organ Donation Day. It's a big way to show how much organ donation is appreciated.

A Powerful Message and Ripple Effect Odisha's new policy for honoring organ donors is a compelling statement. It says that organ and tissue transplantation in India is an incredibly heroic and respectable thing to do. By giving donors the same types of honors as famous or important people, the government recognizes their selfless sacrifice and how their decision saved lives. This doesn't just honor the donors and their families. It could also inspire more people to become donors themselves. If it motivates others, it could lead to a lot more organ funding for liver transplants in India over time.

Transplant Facilities in Mumbai There are some good places to go for people in Mumbai who need information about organ transplants or are considering becoming organ donors. The Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre has programs for liver and kidney transplants. Global Hospitals Parel can do transplants for different organs, too. There's also an organization called Jeevan Aarogya that is run by the Maharashtra State Government. Their goal is to educate people about organ donation in Mumbai and get more donors signed up. They do a lot to spread awareness about this important cause.

A Step Towards a Brighter Future Odisha's giving state honors to organ donors is a huge deal that could really increase organ donation across India. By honoring the amazing sacrifices donors make and supporting their families, the government is helping create a future where more lives are saved through organ donation. With the massive shortage of organs in India, this pioneering approach from Odisha gives people hope.

[the-acid-pear]

Adoring the human centipede 3 as much as I do is so embarrassing to me because unlike the first movie this one is so stupid so silly like the first one I genuinely think is a misunderstood masterpiece and I've given an indepth analysis of why it works but 3 is just sooo funny and Dieter Laser does such a good fucking job like it's such a stupid movie and yet it's one of my all time favorites 😭😭😭

[littleforestsims]

Obligatory "I'm still alive" post. In short, I've been struggling a lot with constant pain and its not helping my health, and alongside that work has just being nonstop. It's been sapping most of my energy, but hopefully with new meds I can get it under control again and find the energy to do more ✨️ s t u f f ✨️.

But.... some good news~ I'm working on a save file! There'll be no CC, but I am using content from multiple packs. It's going to take me a while, but I'm starting with Willow Creek first. I'm renovating lots, replacing some, and plan for it to be a 'five years later' kind of thing, but there will be some 'non-canon' stuff, so think of it as an alternative universe in some places. Some townies will be new, some will have aged up, moved to other worlds (where they'll be added when I get to that world), etc.

When I get to between 50% and 75% completion, I'm going to start sharing some pics. I'll then release it one world at a time~ :3

Hope you're all having a spooky October! ♡

[vhstown]

please stop scrolling and take the time to read this.

i don't think people understand the extent of the horror happening in palestine right now. "death" means nothing to people because of desensitisation so let me just tell you what white phosphorus is. it's being used in israeli munitions and has been and will continue to be fired across gaza and the palestinian borders.

white phosphorus burns when it comes into contact with oxygen (at nearly 800°C or 1500°F. the human body can withstand ~50°C for reference.) the air you breathe in ignites and it is near impossible extinguish. it sticks to clothing and skin and is very difficult to remove because it will continue to ignite in air. it burns flesh up to the bone and even past the bone because it penetrates tissue and is absorbed VERY easily. if you inhale it it'll destroy your respiratory tract and lungs. it can cause failure in multiple organs including the liver, kidneys and heart. it is being released in one of the most densely populated places on earth.

the only way to treat someone exposed to white phosphorus is to submerge them in saline or water and to pick out the substance with forceps, and when you undress a wound the substance can re-ignite. this is just ONE weapon that is being used to kill palestinian people right now. palestine does not have access to medical care, humanitarian aid, power, or internet. their hospitals are being bombed. gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world with over 50% of the population being children. many children are the sole survivors of their families. there are videos of children experiencing panic attacks and symptoms of ptsd. the fact that israel has committed war crimes in plain sight means that we can only imagine what will happen to the palestinians in complete darkness.

israel has and will continue to deny this. your interests and fandom will still be here, you will wake up tomorrow morning and see your friends and family, but an entire nation of people are being wiped off the map. being silent is being complacent. reblog, spread information, tell people in real life, attend protests, sign petitions, call your government offices, at the very least be angry and upset and horrified because once you become numb and indifferent and hopeless the oppressors will have already won.

what's happening right now is more than a genocide and once it becomes a part of history we'll wonder how the world let this happen. genocides have been part of all nations. just because it is far away does not mean you don't have to be concerned. the fact that YOUR governments and YOUR idols and the people around YOU are supporting the mass eradication of an entire group of people should scare you. it shouldn't make you feel anything less than sick and angry and disgusted. DO something about it, no matter how small you feel your voice is, because palestinians no longer have one.

[edit] links to some helpful reblogs: one & two

post on how you can help palestine

learn about palestine with this masterlist of info

+ a further reblog of mine

[edit 2] about palestinians "not having a voice" at the time i wrote this post internet connection was cut off entirely and even journalists weren't able to report for a period of time — that is all i meant by that. they of course have a voice and i never meant to undermine how people are risking their lives in gaza to get information out there and i apologise if thats what people took from it, it was not my intention but it is entirely my bad. please continue to spread information and updates from gaza as they come.

[llycaons]

when they take out a liver they clutch it to their abdomens and cradle it like a baby. its glorious ngl

[paper-mario-wiki]

Could you explain how Ambrosia is able to come back after dying?

1

Sure yeah, I'll give it a shot.

[Fursona Lore/ Mild Existential Horror presented in charmingly primitive MS Paint style under the cut]

2

[At the top of the panel there is the label "conceptual space (currently being created. The middle is labeled "THE UNIVERSE, REALITY (the other)". The bottom is labeled "CONSCIOUSNESS, REFLECTION (the self). The very bottom of the panel reads "OTHER, FREAKIER BUT LESS IMPORTANT STUFF" ]

To keep it brief, a person is when a certain amount of consciousness slips upwards into reality. Consciousness is, like the laws of thermo dynamics [sic], a fundamental property of the universe.

3

I'm sure you've heard of the sticking-a-pencil-through-paper metaphor for theoretical wormhole travel, right? Staying within that visual metaphor, imagine the moisture in the air around that "piece of paper" as what consciousness is. It creates tiny, imperceivable changes in the surface and makeup of the paper. Imagine a microscopic rain cloud making a tiny fraction of the paper a little bit soggy. That's what you are in the universe. A tiny soggy fraction of a massive piece of paper. (That's why you feel so small btw).

Of course, putting it into that metaphor IS greatly simplifying it, since in real life things like time and space sorta overlap, ya know? Because they're entirely separate dimensions of measurement. Consciousness is the same, it is everywhere in the universe all at once, but only after it seeps in from a place that is exactly where we are, but elsewhere. 4D stuff is complicated sorry if that's not super clear ha ha.

4

Normal people happen when a bunch of that stray potential-consciousness starts stacking more and more layers of reality on top of itself. Sort of like those pastries that you fold butter into and then fold it like 10 times and that makes it so theres like a billion layers of butter and dough and butter and dough and butter and dough and on and on and on. But with, uh. The other stuff. Consiousness and matter from the universe.

Speaking semantically, that's all the little tiny organisms that work really hard to make you alive. Like the biome in your gut, or the bacteria in your tissue and blood cells. Look it up, 43% of the human body is made of bacteria. Like, that's just on google.

Anyway, all their effort culminates in an increasingly complex meat shell that constitutes a person.

5

For the sake of practicality, we can imagine the way consciousness "seeps in" to the universe is like heat coming off the sun. The two overlapping infinite planes radiate into each other like heat radiates off the sun.

That clear? Heat from the sun. Remember that, it's important for the next part.

6

I'm sort of like a solar flare.

My consciousness, in its raw form, was so concentrated that it was like a tiny shooting star straight from the source.

Also kind of like a kidney stone, I guess.

7

Since my consciousness (which, to be clear, is approximately the same "amount" of consciouessness as anyone else, just all smooshed together into a single clump) is smooshed together into a single clump, the shell forms naturally as "reality" settles onto it. The "shape" the consciousness takes is basically the same as your body or anyone else's since the framework of both entities are the "same" on the "outside". Thus the "shells" turn out "similar" too.

Sorry for all the quotation marks, it's hard to talk about concepts outside of the third dimension in third dimensional terms, and like. I also am not super sure about this stuff either. I'm only relaying what I've learned from the scientists but some of it goes over my head.

I like to think I'm clever but like. I'm not a genius.

8

So here's the part where me and you are different: When your shell breaks apart (when you die) it's because the consciouessness had been escaping your shell, like air from a balloon, and the physical structure can't support itself anymore. Or, like, maybe you just fall over and hit your head on the concrete one day and pop the balloon all together.

Either way, the consciousness escapes from the pressure, and either goes back "down" where it came from, or goes upward into conceptual space, which is sorta being constituted through forces exerted in the physical universe. Well, I mean, really it's more of a product of a reaction between consciousness and physical space. Whatever I'm getting off topic.

The point is the shell breaks cuz the balloon pops. I think that was my point.

9

Now that you get all that, you can probably deduce on your own how and why I'm able to keep "coming back".

It's cuz I'm not really "coming back", I'm still here! The shell representing me here was just lost.

10

And while the facade may not look precisely the same every single time...

11

I remain the same.

[kaijutegu]

So. Now that she's home and safe and gonna be ok, I can talk about this.

I almost lost Kaiju. Christmas Day. I was woken up by a phone call from Allison, who will be referred to a LOT in this story. Allison runs the pet store where I board Kaiju. She called to tell me that Kaiju had lost a LOT of blood. (As it turns out, half her blood volume. Humans die when we lose 40%, just so you know. She lost 50%.)

There were no visible injuries, and she had passed a bloody stool. Or rather, a blood clot with some poop in it. She continued to pass only blood when they put her in the bathtub to clean her up. If I'd taken her anywhere else, that... would have been it, probably.

But Allison is an actual miracle worker and knew an emergency vet who was open- on Christmas Day- and could see reptiles. As soon as she called me, she took her to the e vet, where they gave her fluids and oxygen and got her stable. They did some x rays and found... nothing.

In fact, the e vet actually complimented me on her bone density and how nice her toe joints look. Whatever this mysterious haemorrhage was, it was in the soft tissue.

The immediate thoughts were:

Impaction

Cancer invading an artery

Aneurism

Reproductive issues

However, the emergency vet couldn't figure it out, and my vet was out of the country. The e vet consulted with a lot of vets and it was decided she'd go into Chicago Exotics for care the next day- they were willing to see her on immediate notice. Allison drove her over and they did an ultrasound... and couldn't differentiate the mass they found.

So, exploratory surgery it was.

But... she didn't have enough blood for that. She wouldn't have survived... if Allison hadn't found blood for her. Tegu donors were found, the transfusion happened, and was completely successful.

And what the surgery found was completely unexpected. No cancer. No repro issues. No typical impaction.

Instead? Weird white things in her muscles and a partial impaction that seems to be related to a reduction in her ability to properly digest. There are two possible diagnoses at this point. One is visceral gout. This is very strange because in reptiles, articular gout basically always happens first, and her kidneys are fine.

The other option? Weird, potentially cross species parasite she picked up when she was in the Everglades. Something she's likely had all her life, something that was dormant until recently.

I'll know when the pathology report comes back in a week or so.

Anyways! She is doing very well. She is alert and interested in things. She has an incredible appetite, even though she can't have solid food yet. She's on three meds, including one I have to inject. At her three week recheck, we will add a fourth- either the correct anti-parasitic or a medication to improve kidney function, depending on the diagnosis. Currently she's in a hospital cage and she hates it- she can't have any substrate because of the stitches.

The vet says it should take about three months until she makes her full blood volume. Her pack cell count should be at 35%. It was at 7% on the 26th. But by the 28th, it was at 10%. She's gonna be ok. She's tough. My little girl is a fighter, always has been. You have to be scrappy to survive in the wild.

And throughout this entire experience, everybody has told me how lovely her personality is. Through the injections and cloacal probing and everything, she never bit or even tried to. The vet didn't think she even wanted to bite. Like it wasn't a question of wanting to bite and not being strong enough- it's just not something in her behavioural repertoire. She doesn't bite because she doesn't want to. Because even at her most scared, at her most painful, she's still Kaiju, the best tegu to ever live. Love is stored in the tegu, and it continues to be stored in the tegu. We have a long road ahead of us, but she's out of the woods and is going to be ok. We both are.

Also, consider this a MAJOR plug for Curious Creatures in Chicago. I'm never going to board my animals anywhere else.