In this episode, Normal Cell gets bored being in charge of cell proliferation and is annoyed by Killer T Cell’s shouting. Just as he lies on his bed, he investigates a strange noise, finding Virus-Infected Cell hiding from Killer T Cell. After laughing from Killer T Cell getting punched by a glove-in-the-box, Normal Cell accompanies Virus-Infected Cell to pull pranks on other cells. Taking Virus-Infected Cell to his room, he realises that Virus-Infected Cell wants to infect him and gasps in horror as the local area is filled with viruses. Suddenly, Killer T Cell and the other immune cells arrive to beat up the virus-infected cells. Killer T Cell then berates Normal Cell for troubling the other cells and advises him to study more on viruses and cells.

This episode describes a well-known viral infection called the common cold. What is the common cold and how does it infect people in real life? Join us as we delve more into this common viral infection.

Consider the following scenario:

A 14-year-old boy is rushed to hospital after falling off a bike without a helmet, suffering a head injury as his head hits the road. His head is bleeding profusely upon admission despite direct pressure being applied to stop it. Blood pressure is low (90/50 mmHg) and he has a high heart rate (120bpm). His breathing is also rapid and shallow (35 breaths/min) and his body is cold (35.5°C). What should doctors do next?

Relating to the events of episodes 12 and 13, the cells are devastated by the head injury. This creates a gaping hole that sucks cells out of the body. While Neutrophil and the other white blood cells are recruited to fend off pathogens entering the body, Red Blood Cell and the others do their best to deliver oxygen to cells despite the increasingly difficult circumstances. Just as all hope is lost and Red Blood Cell collapses in a blizzard, she is saved by transfused red blood cells that deliver oxygen around the body. This gives the body time to slowly repair itself as life gradually returns to normal.

In this blog post, I will explain how the body is suffering from and responds to haemorrhagic shock, what happens if it is not promptly tended to and how the boy should be treated.

Consider this scenario:

You are competing in the Comrades Marathon, the largest and oldest ultramarathon in the world that is held in South Africa. It involves running 90km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, running up and down five hills along the way. You start running at 5:30AM and you have 12 hours to finish the course.

Even though the weather is cool with a top of 16°C (60.8°F), you still feel sweaty as you run the course. What would you need to consider when you are running in the Comrades Marathon?

Strenuous activity such as running produces sweat that cools the body down. However, when sweating stops functioning, the person suffers from heat stress where the body continues to heat up. This leads to symptoms such as dizziness, obscured vision and fainting as the body struggles to function normally. Over two separate episodes, heat stress was resolved in two different ways. In episode 11, the cells are saved by an injection of intravenous fluid into the body. However, in a special episode aired exclusively in Japan, the cells are saved by Pocari Sweat, a Japanese sports drink.

How does taking in such fluids treat heat stress? In this blog post, we will look at how the body normally scavenges fluids and salts from urine to keep sweating and how taking in fluids helps or hinders this process.

Consider the following scenario:

A 19-year-old man works as a traffic controller, holding a stop/slow sign to direct traffic while his team repairs a road lane. The weather is hot and humid with a temperature high of 38°C. In the morning, he feels hot and sweaty but is well enough to direct traffic. However, later in the day he has a headache and feels disoriented. His fellow workers berate him for letting traffic through which disrupts their work. A few minutes later, he collapses. Everyone stops what they were doing and comes to see if he is OK. What happened and what should everyone do next? 

The human body works at a strict temperature range of around 37°C (98.6°F) to ensure that the body can function properly. When the body gets too hot or cold, the body activates various mechanisms to return body temperature to normal. In the anime episode, when these mechanisms fail, the body temperature can continue to increase, making it a struggle for the cells and human body to function properly. How does your body keep itself cool while working under hot, humid conditions? This blog post will explain how the body regulates its temperature and what happens when such mechanisms break down.