Text 3957, 85 rader
Skriven 2010-11-19 07:13:06 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
   Kommentar till text 3931 av Nancy Backus (1:261/1381.0)
Ärende: health, mine 768
========================
 NB> I trust you weren't incarcerated...?  Is the health stabilizing?

There's this newish test for congestive heart failure called
NT-proBNP. The BNP stands for "brain natriuretic peptide,"
despite the fact that it is created mostly in damaged heart and
kidney tissue; the pro I think refers to the fact that it is
an assay for the precursor of the BNP rather than the chemical
itself; and the NT indicates that it's a Windows product and
thus always works to perfection (just kidding on this last).

My number came back as 246 pg/ml (pg = picograms, a very small
measure, something like 10^-9 or ^-12) - when I was in the
hospital, it was 1600. According to the hospital

 a NT-proBNP <300 pg/ml effectively rules out acute
 congestive heart failure, with 99% negative predictive
 value.

They don't worry unless it's in the 500-1000 range, so I was
not incarcerated. However my sugar is high (in the diabetic
range now, having stepped over the boundary from "prediabetic")
and cholesterol as well, so I'm being kept on a short leash
and am supposed to go back in a month or so for further
evaluation, with a couple rounds of tests before, not including
the fancy ones - for which I was issued orders before the
cardiology consult, but these were deemed unnecessary.

Yay - I think I'll celebrate with a healthy prime steak or three
this week. Maybe three at one sitting, if they're the size of
the ones in this oh so dietetically sound recipe:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

      Title: Cuban Steaks, Garlic Citrus Marinade & Orange Onion Salsa
 Categories: Beef, Grill, Fruits
      Yield: 4 Servings

      4 ea Top round or flank steaks,
           -5 to 6 oz. each
      3 ea Garlic cloves, peeled (or 4)
    1/2 c  Orange juice
    1/4 c  Lemon juice
      2 T  Olive oil

MMMMM----------------FOR THE ORANGE-ONION SALSA:---------------------
      2 lg Sweet oranges
    1/2 ea Red onion, thinly sliced
      2 T  Finely chopped cilantro
           Salt
           Black pepper

     Preheat the grill.
  PREPARE THE STEAKS:
     Trim excess fat or connective tissue. One at a time, place each
  steak piece between two sheets of waxed paper and pound with a meat
  pounder until they are flattened to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
     Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and put into a large
  shallow dish. Add the orange and lemon juices and the olive oil and
  stir well. Add the steaks, turning them in the mixture to coat them,
  and leave them in the dish at room temperature.
  PREPARE THE ORANGE-ONION SALSA:
     Segment the oranges. Using a sharp knife, first cut off the peel
  at the top and bottom of each orange, cutting deeply enough to remove
  the outer membrane of the orange segments as well. Then stand each
  orange on a cut end and cut off the peel in strips in the same way.
  Holding the peeled orange over a bowl to catch the juices, free each
  segment by cutting between it and the membranes on either side; cut
  the freed segment crosswise in half and let the halves drop into the
  bowl. Add the sliced onion and cilantro and toss well, seasoning with
  salt and pepper to taste.
  GRILL THE STEAKS:
     Oil the grill rack. Remove the steaks from their marinade, pat them
  dry, and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Place the steaks
  on the rack and cook, turning once, until done to your liking, 12 to
  15 min total for medium. Serve with the salsa.

  From a review of "The Quick Grill Artist: Fast and Fabulous Recipes
  for Cooking With Fire," by Norman Kolpas, in the BuffaloNews. Typed
  for you by Joan MacDiarmid.

MMMMM
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- Maximus/2 3.01
 * Origin: Paragon BBS - paragon.darktech.org - 423.926.7999 (1:18/200)