Casefile 14: Cough cough, I'm ill!

Yo! Hi again! Since no one is posting, I shall post again! Looks like you guys are getting an overdose of Detective CxY and a lack of Professor Chia. Haha, can't help it. Professor Chia is still missing. I wonder if she has been kidnapped and murdered. Oops, sorry, I've got very morbid ideas. :p

Anyway, let's continue!

Everyone seems to be falling ill in school nowadays! What's happening?

Protease Deficiency

Protease digests protein. Examples are rennin, pepsin, trypsin, etc. We've learnt them, didn't we? I'm beginning to feel pro, it's as if I know a lot. HAHA! :)

Our body is made up of protein! Haha, no no no! Protease won't break down our entire body! Enzymes are specific, remember? They'll only break down what they're designed to, e.g. casein, etc.

Since our body is made up of protein, everything that makes us ill is protein, e.g. harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites, or protected by protein, e.g. viruses (HIV!, SARS, H5N1, etc.) and cancer cells. However, there's no need to worry! Our protease is able to digest all proteins in the body, except for our living cells. Hence, the sufficiency of protein in our body is very important! So, i think the "epidemic" episode in school now is possibly due to protease deficiency in us, making us so susceptible to infectious little diseases!

So, what can we do? Haha, researches have not shown that we really very effective rise the amount of protease in our body. So, in the mean time, whack down more vitamin C! It improves your immune system! :)

Love,
Detective CxY.

P.S. Look at this article: http://www.aps.anl.gov/News/APS_News/2006/20060908.htm
Haha, it's very short but it talks about the development of anti-HIV drug!

"Designing an effective anti-HIV drug requires very precise design: the drug must be highly target-specific so that it impacts only the point where the drug can be most effective. Also important are the lock-and-key requirements for drug designers. The design must fit the particular structure of the target molecule, while being flexible enough to accommodate changes in that structure."


Protease breaking down HIV virus! COol!
http://www.aps.anl.gov/News/APS_News/2006/Images/20060908_HIV_Protease.jpg