Having identified the outrageous injustices in U.S. health care, Dr. King called on us to use “direct action and creative nonviolence to raise the conscience of the nation.”

Here are some things you can do TODAY to advance the cause of racial justice in health care. #MLKDay2021

Register for “Unequal Treatment: The Death of Dr. Susan Moore,” which will be held next Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Featuring @DrMaryTBassett, Dr. @CamaraJones, and Dr. Mary Charlson. Hosted by @PNHPNYMetro.

Visit https://t.co/5VS7ndcmzn to RSVP.
Explore our online toolkit on Racism as a Public Health Emergency at https://t.co/lIbEAWVGv9.
Explore our Kitchen Table Campaign toolkit on Racial Health Inequities at https://t.co/ZswqVRZwx5.
Explore our Kitchen Table Campaign Toolkit on how COVID-19 has exacerbated racial inequities at https://t.co/DwokkMjhiA.
Read “Misrepresenting Race: The Role of Medical Schools in Propagating Physician Bias,” published last week in @NEJM. https://t.co/dB9PNDaEiW
Read “Structural Racism in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moving Forward,” published last month in @bioethics_net. https://t.co/oIqiEFpJ0Y
Make a financial contribution to our allies at @natlwc4bl, a medical student-run organization whose mission is to dismantle racism in medicine and promote the health, well-being, and self-determination of people of color. https://t.co/pAzkXpZNpL
Health care can and should be on the forefront of the fight for racial justice. But to realize this vision, we need to identify, take ownership of, and work to eradicate racism within the medical profession. #BlackLivesMatter #MLKDay2021

More from Health

1/16
Why do B12 and folate deficiencies lead to HUGE red blood cells?

And, if the issue is DNA synthesis, why are red blood cells (which don't have DNA) the key cell line affected?

For answers, we'll have to go back a few billion years.


2/
RNA came first. Then, ~3-4 billion years ago, DNA emerged.

Among their differences:
🔹RNA contains uracil
🔹DNA contains thymine

But why does DNA contains thymine (T) instead of uracil (U)?

https://t.co/XlxT6cLLXg


3/
🔑Cytosine (C) can undergo spontaneous deamination to uracil (U).

In the RNA world, this meant that U could appear intensionally or unintentionally. This is clearly problematic. How can you repair RNA when you can't tell if something is an error?

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


4/
DNA's use of T instead of U means that spontaneous C → U deamination can be corrected without worry that an intentional U is being removed.

DNA requires greater stability than RNA so the transition to a thymine-based structure was beneficial.

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


5/
Let's return to megaloblastic anemia secondary to B12 or folate deficiency.

When either is severely deficient deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP*) production is hindered. With less dTMP, DNA synthesis is abnormal.

[*Note: thymine is the base in dTMP]

https://t.co/AnDUtKkbZh

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