Ultrasound studies

>> Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The first routine examination of the fetus by ultrasound is
usually performed at the gestational age of 12 weeks. The
gestational age is confirmed and anomalies of the central
nervous system or cystic hygromas may be detected. A further
scan at 18–24 weeks may detect anomalies of the central nervous
system, heart, kidneys, intestinal tract, and skeleton. Signs which
suggest a chromosome abnormality include choroid plexus
cysts, echogenic cardiac foci, renal pelvic dilatation or echogenic
bowel. They occur in approximately 1: 250 pregnancies and are
associated with a 1: 300 risk of a chromosome abnormality.
These isolated signs in the presence of normal serum screening
probably do not merit the fetal risks of amniocentesis but full
discussion is necessary and the patient may still opt for
karyotyping to be performed. Mothers with a family history of
congenital heart disease should be offered a detailed cardiac
ultrasound scan at 18–24 weeks as the risk of the fetus having a
heart problem is 3–5%. The consultant obstetrician, ideally with
the paediatrician, should discuss the diagnosis and prognosis of
an anomaly with both parents. Termination of the pregnancy
may need to be considered or serial ultrasound examination
performed during the pregnancy and in the neonatal period.
Ultrasound guidance is used in taking samples of the
amniotic fluid (amniocentesis) and in selected centres it has
been used to take blood samples from the umbilical cord
(cordocentesis) and to give blood transfusion by that route.
The samples can be used in gene probe techniques, enzyme
estimation, and chromosome studies. In rhesus incompatibility
a low haematocrit in the cord blood indicates the need for fetal
transfusion.

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Prenatal assessment

Recent advances in ultrasound technique, equipment, and
training together with rapid advances in molecular biology have
increased the range of antenatal diagnoses. Some methods are
available only at specialised centres. This chapter will give a
background to successful techniques. An anomaly may be
detected during routine examination of the fetus which is
carried out by ultrasound between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation.
Maternal serum screening for Down’s syndrome is performed as
a double, triple or two stage integrated test (see below).
After the birth of an abnormal baby or the detection of
genetic disease in an older child, a paediatrician or geneticist may
recommend a specific test at a particular week in the subsequent
pregnancy. Some tests are at an early stage in development and
the false positive and negative rates have not been assessed. Some
genetic tests are not yet sufficiently precise to enable an accurate
prognosis to be given to every family with that disease.
At the first antenatal visit it is still important to carry out a
full blood count and haemoglobin electrophoresis, blood
grouping, rhesus antibody titre, tests for rubella and
hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis.
The haemoglobin electrophoresis may show that the mother
has -thalassaemia trait or sickle cell trait and the father’s red
cell investigations may suggest that further studies of the fetus
are needed.

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Quirinale

>> Monday, July 13, 2009


The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Palazzo del Quirinale or simply the Quirinale) is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome.
Papal, Royal and Presidential residenceThe palace, located on the Via del Quirinale and facing onto the Piazza del Quirinale, was built in 1573 by Pope Gregory XIII as a papal summer residence. It was also used as the location for papal conclaves in 1823, 1829, 1831, and 1846. It served as a papal residence and housed the central offices responsible for the civil government of the Papal States until 1870. In September, 1870, what was left of the Papal States was overthrown. About five months later, in 1871, Rome became the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy. The palace became the official royal residence of the Kings of Italy, though some monarchs, notably King Victor Emmanuel III (reigned 1900-1946) actually lived in a private residence elsewhere, the Quirinale being used simply as an office and for state functions. The monarchy was abolished in 1946 and the Palace became the official residence and workplace for the Presidents of the Italian Republic. Some, still, declined the Colle residence and kept their usual Roman residence: for example, Sandro Pertini preferred his old flat near the Trevi fountain.The façade was designed by Domenico Fontana. Its 'Great Chapel' was designed by Carlo Maderno. It contains frescos by Guido Reni, but the most famous fresco is the Blessing Christ by Melozzo da Forlì, placed over the stairs. Its grounds include a famous set of gardens laid out in the eighteenth century. (wiki)

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health-what is Scholiast disease ?

>> Sunday, July 12, 2009

Scholiast disease is a very common disease of the oral region. Disease or having high age youth, the elderly and is one of the common causes of lost that status in adults.

Disease events quietly so patients are not interested, so the disease is usually detected very late, after many complication: The mouth, causing that ...

I. Scholiast What? Patients scholiast What?

Home is that, in a perimeter around the teeth. Scholiast is organized around that, that resistance, keep that function in bone. A healthy tooth is usually held by the jaw bone: that new bone, ligament and gums that. Embracing the gums to get that protection of sensitive tissue easily below to prevent bacterial penetration that harm. The gums are the foundation for good teeth.

Scholiast disease is disease of organizations around the teeth.

II. Why we get sick scholiast?

Causes of dental disease free status is due to dental hygiene and poor create conditions for the array of parasitic along the teeth, that slot. Bacteria build bám in the array will cause inflamed gums that. Over time, the array that match bám and (hard time) with that (as that high). Meanwhile, inflamed gums will be more severe, patients switching to stage inflammation scholiast. Disease will progress very rapidly if the disease may be a body that reduces the resistance of the body.

III. Symptoms

Patients with 8 symptoms:

- Bleeding gums when teeth comb.

- Swelling red gums, bleeding easily.

- With the dawn of the teeth.

- Smelly breath.

- Click gums blind see the flow.

- There are not feeling normal when chewing.

- Tooth wobble.

- Tooth migration and exceed.

IV. The progress of the disease

Disease progress very quietly so patients are often less attention. Swelling of the gums and then to self falling as people mistook the disease is self-healing. Specifically, if the patient is not treated in time, the supporting tissues of teeth, ligament will be destroyed and targets that drive bone, teeth are wobbly and the last that will lose even that is intact, not deep .

V. Harmful effects of the disease scholiast

In addition to destroy the tissues supporting the teeth, bones digest that drive, that way, wobbly teeth, dental disease also causes chu foul mouth as people lack confidence in communication, isolated life. In addition, patients have complication such as pain in positive areas, causing difficulties for patients in the diet cause of stomach pain in people with scholiast.

VI. Dental disease and women

Women at puberty, when the economic, pregnancy or menopause risk infected scholiast high may have a disorder of the information, and increase mao circuit. So women need more attention to oral hygiene to limit the disease have scholiast. When pregnant, pregnant at the mouth of the effects of gums, the gums usually will automatically disappear after the birth if the pregnancy that the gums are still patients need for dental surgery. Therefore pregnancy effects not only focused on examining pregnant but pay attention to the oral examination in pregnancy.

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health-Diseases of the teeth and bad effects of it

Diseases of the teeth and bad effects of it

Chewing surface of teeth is very easy to wear because nghiến.

Stress is the main cause leading to the teeth. In addition, patients may also have other causes such as hindering the joint com king bites, functional disorders, nervous system Central, malnutrition, alcohol and smoking, genetic factors.

About 5 - 20% of the population has signs and symptoms of patients teeth, but only 5-10% of the this.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, HCMC, said the teeth grinding or clenching teeth is excessive, often occur when sleeping (without awareness). By the use of this work many times greater than forces generated when chewing teeth disability should not only create sound uncomfortable around people, but that decline. That will lose all of men, coming out of ngà than gold, being ê buốt, the múi nứt Broken teeth, wobbly, or forests. This situation if prolonged can damage the dental restoration as emaciated, welding pieces falling, causing the function by removing or installing fixed. The teeth are worn to reduce the size of the floor surface, as patients in more.

Because the function has been thắt during nghiến, patients may be mỏi, the pain, headache, neck. Of excessive activity can be phì's, making the face lose symmetric or square form (phì by the need in both), joint disorders, in positive-function. The first signs are often found uncomfortable or sore joints, ha mouth difficult, noiseless glass cup or the há mouth while chewing. However, the impact of disease on the teeth and joint function in positive-often patients are not detected easily.

One method of dealing with patients teeth is chewing network. This tool works only to prevent the harm that, status reduce pain in the joints and positive - function. Can also apply mài technical adjustments to eliminate the king com match bite. In addition, patients need to change your lifestyle, the yoga ... to reduce stress, and eliminate the habit of smoking, drinking alcohol.

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health-ACP - the self-exposure treatment for bone and teeth


Drugs that can help fill later from the vulnerabilities. When scanned on the surface of that deep, ACP will stimulate the body to a more mineral Hydroxy apatite (in the component of bones and teeth), a set structure that.

ACP's birth father is Institute of Technology and National Standards Gaithersburg (USA). Quality catalysis is a mixture of the minutes of the calcium salt (ACP) and the other buffer. In the future, it will be widely used in surgery Orthopedics as a factor stimulating bone development, and filled vulnerabilities or connect initiated after surgery.

Previously, the bit to vulnerabilities that surface due to the disease that causes, dentists often use traditional materials such as ceramic, glass, glue general ...

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tour rome

>> Friday, July 10, 2009



Rome (English pronunciation: /roʊm/; Italian: Roma, pronounced [ˈroːma]; Latin: Roma) is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city, with over 2.7 million residents in a municipality of some 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi), while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river.Rome's history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilisation. It was the centre of the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for four hundred years from the 1st Century BC till the 4th Century AD. Rome has a significant place in Christianity and is the present day home of the Roman Catholic Church and the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Catholic Church as an enclave of Rome.As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.As a modern city it has been capital of the unified Italy since 1870, and grew mainly in two periods either side of World War II.

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Welcome to Do Son beach

VietNamNet Bridge – Photographer Pham Manh Cuong shares beautiful moments at Do Son beach, a famous tourist site in the port city of Hai Phong.

Do Son is located 22 km away from Hai Phong city. Do Son was turned into a summer resort by the French in 19th century, after they established themselves in Hai Phong.

o Son was turned into a summer resort by the French in 19th century, after they established themselves in Hai Phong.

It has natural area - 31 km2, population - 35,000 inhabitants, administration structure - four wards and one commune, annual economic growth - 16 %, economic structure:

Do Son is known for a large number of historical and cultural attractions, several beaches besides picturesque hills.

According to official information, it has 52 hotels, 230 restaurants totaling 3,000 rooms. The Franco-Vietnamese school was opened here in 1999 with the aim to hold the training programs, lectures round tables, small group study-sessions etc. The institution also initiates research projects between the two countries.

The resort received 850,000 tourists

Do Son became a primary venue for the 2007 hai phong Tourist Festival with the slogan "Do Son – call of the sea," attracting both local and foreign artistic delegations and visitors. The festivities included an Internationalsculptutre Camp, the Do Son buffalo Competition, a Fishing Village Open Festival, a youth camp, abeach volleyball competition, a boat race, a waterskiing performance, and an artistic program.

Do Son is known for a large number of historical and cultural attractions, several beaches besides picturesque hills.

The sunrise on Do Son beach.

Young girls on the beach.








(VietNamNet)

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cat ba island

>> Thursday, July 9, 2009



Cat Ba is an island of approximately 140 sq.km in ha long bay, Northern viet nam It is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on inexpensive package tours to ha long bay run by travel agents from ha noi
Many tour operators include an option of trekking in the National Park or canoeing on three-day tours; shorter tours generally only stay overnight in the small town of Cat Ba (population about 8,000) or on boats moored in Cai Beo bay, about 2km away from Cat Ba town. Cat Ba itself is attractively situated around a bay teeming with small boats, many of which belong to pearl or shrimp farmers, and can become very busy at weekends and during public holidays. The promenade has illuminations and a large fountain which only plays after dark; it is backed by a strip of cheap hotels and bars, but dominated by the wooded limestone hills behind. The island is a national park of Vietnam and was recognized by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.

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cancer and wine(alcohol)

Scientists and researchers continue to find a link between even moderate alcohol drinking and an increased risk of certain cancers, especially breast cancer and liver cancer. The more you drink, the greater the risk of developing cancer.

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ha long bay

Halong Bay is located in the Northeast of Vietnam, belonging to QuangNinh Province. It is in the coastal area stretching from 1060 56’ to 1070 37’ east longitude and 200 43’ to 210 09’ north latitude. To the west and northwest, Halong Bay stretches from Yen Hung District, and includes the large urban areas of Halong City and Cam Pha Town, as well as Van Don Island District. To the south and southeast, it is adjacent to the western Tonkin Gulf and to the west and southwest lies Cat Ba Island in the province of Hai Phong. On the world map, Ha Long Bay borders to China in the north and in the east it is adjacent to the East Sea.

In 1962, the Ministry of Culture and Information classified Halong Bay as a National Landscape Site, covering an area of 1,553 km2 with 1,969 islands. Halong Bay has been recognized twice by UNESCO as a World Heritage Area for its universal values of landscape, geology and geomorphology, respectively in 1994 and 2000, an area of 434 sq. km. including 775 islands.

The area inscribed by UNESCO (the Protected Area I - the Core Zone) is bound by Dau Go Island in the east, Ba Ham Lake in the south and Cong Tay Island in the east. The Protected Area II - the Buffer Zone is identified by the shore of the Bay running along the National Highway No. 18A, from the Gasoline Warehouse B12 in Cai Dam Precinct to the km.11 marker in Quang Hanh Precinct, Cam Pha Town. The Protected Area III - the Hinterland Zone is the sea or mainland area surrounding the buffer zone, including the area adjacent to the Cat Ba National Park of Hai Phong City.

- Climate is featured humid tropical charactor, including two distinct seasons: hot, humid with much rainning in summer and cold, dry in winter. The average temperature ranges from 150 – 250C with annual average rainfall of 2,000 – 2,200mm/year. Halong Bay has a typical tidal time (tidal amplitude ranges from 3.5 – 4.0m. The degree of salt in the sea water ranges from 31 – 34.5% in the dry season and decreases in the rainy season.

well come to ha long

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What is the cervix?

>> Wednesday, July 8, 2009

he cervix is the lower part of the womb or uterus and is commonly referred to as the 'neck of the womb'.

The cervix plays an important role in maintaining a normal pregnancy. In non-pregnant women, the cervix has no obvious function although it may be important to the enjoyment of sex in some women.

If you squat or stand with one leg on a chair and put one or two fingers into your vagina, you will be able to feel the smooth, rounded cervix at the top of your vagina.

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cancer and smoke

Cancer

Smokers are more likely to get cancer than non-smokers. This is particularly true of lung cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer, which hardly ever affect non-smokers.

The link between smoking and lung cancer is clear.

  • Ninety percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking.
  • If no-one smoked, lung cancer would be a rare diagnosis - only 0.5 per cent of people who've never touched a cigarette develop lung cancer.
  • One in ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers (more than 15 cigarettes a day) will die of lung cancer.

The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you've smoked, the higher your risk of lung cancer. Similarly, the risk rises the deeper you inhale and the earlier in life you started smoking.

For ex-smokers, it takes approximately 15 years before the risk of lung cancer drops to the same as that of a non-smoker.

If you smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a non-smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common being on or underneath the tongue, or on the lips.

Other types of cancer that are more common in smokers are:

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Local legend has it that long ago, when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth and decided to live here then. The place where Mother Dragon flew down was named Hạ Long, the place where the dragon children attended upon their mother was called bai long tu island (Bái: attend upon, Tử: children, Long: dragon), and the place where the dragon children wriggled their tails violently was called Bạch Long Vỹ island (Bạch: white- colour of the foam made when Children Dragon wriggle, Long: dragon, Vỹ: tail). wiki

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Mother of the nation

Most people who have been in Vietnam for any length of time will have heard of Lac Long Quan. Legend has it he was the dragon prince who came from the oceans, married a fairy princess and fathered the descendants of Vietnam.

This much we know, but who was his mother? Well local historians claim his mother is none other than Ngoc Luong Than Long Hong Dang Ngan, wife of King Duong Vuong (the nation's founding father), mother of Lac Long Quan and grandmother of the first Hung king. In short, she was the first lady of Vietnam.
The anniversary of her death was commemorated earlier this month.

Falling on the 10th day of the 10th Lunar month, the anniversary of Queen Than Long's death is celebrated by a myriad of people in northern Vietnam. It was previously considered a national festival. This year, dozens flocked to Phu Tho province in order to visit Den Tien (fairy temple).

Tien temple was first built by King Kinh Duong Vuong as a present for his wife, Queen Than Long. He originally named it Tien Cat palace (palace of the fairies).

When Queen Than Long passed away, Lac Long Quan changed the name to Den Tien and ordered three of his sons (Cu Tinh Lang, At Tinh Lang and Linh Thong Thuy) and two princesses (Thuy Tinh and Bach Hoa) to guard it.

The temple stood for thousands of years until it was destroyed during warfare in 1949. In the 1960s, the Viet Tri concrete plant was built on the site of the ruins.

Personal crusade

Khanh Hoai has spent the past 30 years researching the history behind Den Tien. As principal of the first secondary school in Viet Tri, he first became interested in the temple after stumbling across some ancient relics in the area.

He has since collected more than 100,000 documents relating to the temple, including a variety of poems, legends and folksongs.

"One of the country's most important temples has disappeared," Hoai said. "And so have the relics. Younger generations may have already forgotten about the sacred place, but the images linger on in the elderly."

Hoai has spent the past few years trying to raise funds to restore the temple to its former glory. Work on developing the new site finally began in 2000, with cultural officials giving their seal of approval in July this year.

Built on 7,000 square metres of land, the new temple looks over the Red River towards Ba Vi mountain in the southwest.

The construction was overseen by Thich Vien Thanh, chief monk of the Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong).

"People have said the total cost of rebuilding the temple stands at US$448,000-641,000," Hoai said.


"During the feudal dynasties of Vietnam, kings used to hold ceremonies at Den Tien before going on to the Temple of the Hung Kings," he said. "I hope every tourist visiting the former Van Lang capital will come here first."vov new

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Non Nuoc marble artists carve a place in history

Eight kilometres from Da Nang city is the picturesque rock outcropping of Ngu Hanh Son (Five Marble Mountains). Consisting of five large hills riddled with caves dedicated to Buddha and Budhistavas, the Marble Mountains were already serving as religious sanctuaries for the ancient Chams in the second century.

Apart from their charming beauty, they represent a valuable source of red, white and blue marbles for the artisans at the foot of the mountain in Non Nuoc village. Non Nuoc serves as an authentic brand name for marble carvings from the area, and is a great source of pride for the people of Da Nang city.

According to an epitaph kept in Pho Khanh Pagoda, the art of marble sculpturing in Non Nuoc Village originally came from artisans immigrating from Thanh Hoa (150km south of Hanoi) early in the 17th century. It is of course not chance that led them to this region, but rather the recognition of the rich source of materials they could use for their art. They settled and soon started putting to good use the ancient Ngu Hanh Son. They also found inspiration in its aura as well as its mysterious and captivating sights.

Today, the village buzzes with activity, and the melodic sound of carvers working day and night mixes with the regular rhythm of the waves nearby.

In the old days, artisans only produced simple functional items such as grinders, mortars and anchors to meet the demand of locals living in neighbouring villages. But throughout the middle of the 19th century, when the first tea sets – teapots and cups – were carved out of marble, craftmen thought of venturing into more artistic areas and started expanding the range of their products. These included domestic objects such as flower vases, plates, white marble tea sets, and traditional familiar figures of elephants, lions, dragons, unicorns, tortoises, and phoenixes. Up to the first decades of the 20th century, Non Nuoc marble works were regularly displayed at international exhibitions.

Visiting Non Nuoc today, you will discover artisans absorbed in chiselling, whittling, carving and polishing a whole variety of coloured marble pieces. People admire and praise their talent, skill, and creativity when they see rough marble blocks slowly coming alive in the form of a statues such as Vietnamese girls with graceful long dresses and lovely "Bai tho" conical hats. Marble products fall into four different categories: statues of Buddha and gods; statues of people, especially woman or loving couples, animals, and household amenities such as lamps, chairs, tables, flower vases, teacups, bowls and plates often imprinted in oriental styles. Non Nuoc also produces items that can be used for Western architectural style decoration such as marble balconies, pillars and water fountains. But there is no doubt that artisans take the most joy and pride carving the artistic pieces imitating the Champa style.

Marble sculptors in Non Nuoc village are passionate about their work and proud of their creativity. Many of them have dedicated their lives to the craft. Among the most famous are Le Bien, Nguyen Sang, and Nguyen Viet Minh. Young artisans such as Nguyen Long Buu and Nguyen Hung became renowned early in their careers after making a breakthrough in modern marble art with the typical works comprising figures of Vietnamese mothers in the season of spring. These artists have now risen to fame through local and overseas exhibitions. vov new

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Self-harm

People with a history of self-harm deliberately inflict injury upon themselves, for example, by cutting or burning themselves or taking an overdose.

Experts say the problem is more common than most people think and is linked to feelings of low self-esteem. Many people may hurt themselves secretly for some time before they ask for help, often because of fear and shame.

What is self-harm?

Contrary to popular myth, people who harm themselves are not trying to commit suicide. They use self-harm as a way of coping with difficult emotions.

Instead of expressing their feelings openly, they take them out on their bodies by cutting or burning themselves, picking their skin, taking an overdose, bruising themselves or pulling their hair out.

But the term can also refer to not looking after physical or emotional needs. It can mean staying in an abusive relationship, taking a lot of risks or addictive behaviour.

Experts say a person who harms themselves only slightly may be just as seriously ill as one who takes an overdose.

Triggers for self-harm can include bullying, bereavement, pressure at work, abuse, financial problems, pressure to fit in and relationship problems.

When these pressures pile up, people can find it difficult to cope. Some say that they feel things are out of control.

One sufferer said: "I think control's a big thing. You can't control what's happening around you, but you can control what you do to yourself."

How many people self-harm?

The Mental Health Foundation estimates around one in 130 people, nearly half a million across the UK, self-harm.

It is often linked to feelings of self-hatred and depression and appears more common in women than men.

Experts suggest this may be because men find it easier to express emotions like anger in an outward way or take it out on others.

Why do people self-harm?

People who ham themselves have often experienced sexual, physical or emotional abuse as a child or young adult (although not all people who have been abused self-harm).

Neglect or bullying, which they were unable to talk to anyone about at the time, can also be a trigger.

This can mean anger at their situation is turned inwards. Self harm can become a way of expressing their feelings.

Some people find it is a way of "getting the pain out". Others may see it as a distraction or a way of communicating feelings.

But other self-harmers see it as way of punishing themselves, or of attempting to gain some control over a situation.

Some find it difficult to give up the behaviour despite realising that it could be life-threatening and is not rational.

Treatment

Experts say it is easier to stop self-harming if they can find other ways of dealing with stress.

They advise that people seek help to confront the reasons behind their behaviour.

They may be offered cognitive behavioural therapy, a form of psychotherapy, which involves looking at what triggers the self-harm and trying to change how people react to them.

For friends and family who notice a person is harming themselves, YoungMinds, a charity for children with mental health problems, recommends listening and supporting the person to get help.

It says people should try to keep an open mind and not judge the person and take them seriously.

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Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition which causes widespread pain and severe fatigue.

It cannot be treated, and people with the condition have to find ways of managing their symptoms.

What is fibromyalgia?

The term combines "fibro" - which means fibrous, with "my" - muscles and "algia" - pain.

It is a collection of symptoms, rather than a specific disease.

As well as pain and fatigue, it can cause headaches or migraines, irritable bowel syndrome and can affect sleep.

Although other conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, can lead to similar symptoms, fibromyalgia is defined as widespread pain for at least three months which is experienced in at least 11 specified points around the body.

If people are severely affected, it can limit their ability to work or have an active social life.

What causes the syndrome?

It appears that it is usually triggered by some kind of trauma, such as a car accident, a viral infection or an operation, although some cases develop without any obvious trigger.

Researchers are still investigating the actual cause of fibromyalgia.

However, scientists have suggested a deficiency in levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which helps deliver messages between cells in the brain.

This can lead to a problem in the way the brain processes messages about pain, meaning people feel pain where others might experience a slight ache or stiffness.

Are there treatments available?

Many people are offered drugs normally used to treat depression. Given at much lower doses, this class of drugs, called tricyclics, blunt pain messages to the brain.

Others use over-the-counter pain-relief medications, or receive treatment at a pain clinic.

Understanding how to relieve symptoms is crucial, experts say.

The Fibromyalgia Association recommends using relaxation techniques.

It also says that heat, from hot water bottles, baths or showers or even soaking hands and feet for a few minutes can relieve overnight symptoms.

Stretching and aerobic exercise can also help.

The association says the most important thing is for people to listen to their bodies, and to slow down when they need to.

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No proof' that muscle rubs work

There is no convincing evidence that liniments and balms work on sore muscles and joints, say experts.

There are unlimited over-the-counter purchases and more than a million prescriptions a year for rubefacient rubs, giving a blood rush to the skin.

Cochrane researchers who looked at data from 16 studies looking at creams containing painkiller salicylate found no proven benefits.

They said other analgesic gels may well work, and recommended more research.

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No proof' that muscle rubs work

Larger and higher quality controlled trials of topical rubefacients are needed to establish whether these treatments really work.

"We also need more studies on other rubefacients as we were only able to assess the effectiveness of the salicylate formulations in this review.

"But it is important to remember that not all analgesic gels or creams are the same, and for others there is very good evidence of effectiveness."

Peter Gladwell, a clinical specialist physiotherapist working in pain management, said some patients might want to try rubefacients alongside other treatments, including exercise and relaxation techniques.

"A patient with chronic pain, considering the possible use of a rubefacient, will learn from this review that they have a one in six chance of achieving 50% pain relief.

"They have a one in three chance of achieving 50% pain relief using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel."

He suggests, after weighing the risks and benefits and having talked with a health professional, a patient may want to try the anti-inflammatory gel first, and move on to try a rubefacient if the anti-inflammatory gel is unhelpful.

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>> Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It constitutes the outermost layer of the cerebrum. In preserved brains, it has a grey color, hence the name "grey matter". Grey matter is formed by neurons and their unmyelinated fibers, whereas the white matter below the grey matter of the cortex is formed predominantly by myelinated axons interconnecting different regions of the central nervous system. The human cerebral cortex is 2–4 mm (0.08–0.16 inches) thick.

The surface of the cerebral cortex is folded in large mammals, such that more than two-thirds of the cortical surface is buried in the grooves, called "sulci." The phylogenetically most recent part of the cerebral cortex, the neocortex, also called isocortex, is differentiated into six horizontal layers; the more ancient part of the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus (also called archicortex), has at most three cellular layers, and is divided into subfields. Relative variations in thickness or cell type (among other parameters) allow us to distinguish between different neocortical architectonic fields. The geometry of at least some of these fields seems to be related to the anatomy of the cortical folds, and, for example, layers in the upper part of the cortical ridges (called gyri) seem to be more clearly differentiated than in its deeper parts.[1

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Who is in the operating room during surgery?

During heart surgery, a highly trained group works as a team. Here is a list of people who will be in the operating room during surgery.

  • The cardiovascular surgeon, who heads up the surgery team and performs the key parts of the surgery.
  • The assisting surgeons, who follow the direction of the cardiovascular surgeon.
  • The cardiovascular anesthesiologist, who gives you the medicines that make you sleep during the surgery (called anesthesia). The anesthesiologist makes sure that you get the right amount of medicines throughout the surgery and monitors the ventilator, which breathes for you during surgery.
  • The perfusion technologist, who runs the heart-lung machine.
  • The cardiovascular nurses, who are specially trained to assist in heart surgery.

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What is a heart-lung machine?

The heart-lung machine is also called a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. It takes over for the heart by replacing the heart's pumping action and by adding oxygen to the blood. This means that the heart will be still for the operation, which is necessary when the heart has to be opened (open heart surgery). Because the heart-lung machine takes over the work of the heart, surgeons can operate on a heart that is not moving or full of blood.

When you are connected to the heart-lung machine, it does the same job that your heart and lungs would do. The heart-lung machine carries blood from the upper-right chamber of the heart (the right atrium) to a special reservoir called an oxygenator. Inside the oxygenator, oxygen bubbles up through the blood and enters the red blood cells. This causes the blood to turn from dark (oxygen-poor) to bright red (oxygen-rich). Then, a filter removes the air bubbles from the oxygen-rich blood, and the blood travels through a plastic tube to the body's main blood conduit (the aorta). From the aorta, the blood moves throughout the rest of the body.

The heart-lung machine can take over the work of the heart and lungs for hours. Trained technicians called perfusion technologists (blood flow specialists) make sure that the heart-lung machine does its job properly during the surgery. Even so, surgeons still try to limit the time that patients must spend hooked up to the machine.

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Open heart surgery

housands of heart surgeries are performed every day in the United States. In fact, in 2005 alone, surgeons performed 575,000 coronary bypass or valve repair and replacement surgeries. And even though there is a shortage of donor organs, in 2006, almost 2,200 people had heart transplants.

Years ago, many doctors thought that heart surgery was a dream. Surgeons during World War II had learned how to operate on the heart, but they could not carry out what they had learned because it was hard to operate on a beating, moving heart. Also, the heart could not be stopped for more than a few minutes without causing brain damage.

Two major advances in medicine made heart surgery possible:

  • The heart-lung machine, which takes over the work of the heart.
  • Body cooling techniques, which allow more time for surgery without causing brain damage.

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Cardiac surgery

Cardiac surgery is surgery on the heart and/or great vessels performed by a cardiac surgeon. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, coronary artery bypass grafting), correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease created by various causes including endocarditis. It also includes heart transplantation. (wiki)

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eye red

- Eye redness occurs when blood vessels on the surface of the eye become dilated.

Here are some common causes of red eyes, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

  • Straining the eyes.
  • Persistent or severe coughing.
  • An eye infection.
  • A cold or allergy.
  • Damage to the eye.
  • Acute glaucoma.
  • Scratches on the cornea, commonly caused by wearing contact lenses too long, or sand or dust in the eyes.
  • Bleeding problems, often caused by taking blood-thinning drugs.

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Heart Attack and Angina Statistics




Final 2005 statistics for the United States show that coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single leading cause of death in America. CHD causes heart attack and angina.

  • Mortality — 445,687 deaths in the United States in 2005 (about one of every five deaths).
  • Incidence — 1,260,000 new and recurrent coronary attacks per year. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). About 37 percent of people who experience a coronary attack in a given year die from it.
  • Prevalence — 16,800,000 victims of angina (chest pain due to coronary heart disease), heart attack and other forms of coronary heart disease are still living (8,700,000 males and 8,100,000 females).
  • From 1995 to 2005 the death rate from coronary heart disease declined 34 percent, but the actual number of deaths declined only 19 percent.
  • Estimates are that 9,800,000 people in the United States suffer from angina.
  • An estimated 500,000 new cases of stable angina occur each year. (Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • The estimated age-adjusted prevalence of angina in women age 20 and older was 4.1 percent for non-Hispanic white women, 6.7 percent for non-Hispanic black women and 4.5 percent for Mexican-American women. Rates for men in these three groups were 4.1, 4.4 and 3.5 percent, respectively.*
  • Among adults in the United States age 20 and older, the estimated age-adjusted prevalence of coronary heart disease for non-Hispanic whites is 8.8 percent for men and 9.0 percent for women; for non-Hispanic blacks, 9.6 percent for men and 7.8 percent for women; and for Mexican-Americans, 5.4 percent for men and 6.3 percent for women.*
*Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005–06), National Center for Health Statistics and NHLBI.

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1 Heart Attack

ore than 1 million Americans have heart attacks each year. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is permanent damage to the heart muscle. "Myo" means muscle, "cardial" refers to the heart, and "infarction" means death of tissue due to lack of blood supply.

What Happens During a Heart Attack?

The heart muscle requires a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to nourish it. The coronary arteries provide the heart with this critical blood supply. If you have coronary artery disease, those arteries become narrow and blood cannot flow as well as they should. Fatty matter, calcium, proteins, and inflammatory cells build up within the arteries to form plaques of different sizes. The plaque deposits are hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside.

When the plaque is hard, outer shell cracks (plaque rupture), platelets (disc-shaped particles in the blood that aid clotting) come to the area, and blood clots form around the plaque. If a blood clot totally blocks the artery, the heart muscle becomes "starved" for oxygen. Within a short time, death of heart muscle cells occurs, causing permanent damage. This is a heart attack.

While it is unusual, a heart attack can also be caused by a spasm of a coronary artery. During a coronary spasm, the coronary arteries restrict or spasm on and off, reducing blood supply to the heart muscle (ischemia). It may occur at rest and can even occur in people without significant coronary artery disease.

Each coronary artery supplies blood to a region of heart muscle. The amount of damage to the heart muscle depends on the size of the area supplied by the blocked artery and the time between injury and treatment.

Healing of the heart muscle begins soon after a heart attack and takes about eight weeks. Just like a skin wound, the heart's wound heals and a scar will form in the damaged area. But, the new scar tissue does not contract or pump as well as healthy heart muscle tissue. So, the heart's pumping ability is lessened after a heart attack. The amount of lost pumping ability depends on the size and location of the scar.

What Are the Symptoms of a Heart Attack?

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

  • Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
  • Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
  • Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
  • Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness
  • Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeats

During a heart attack, symptoms last 30 minutes or longer and are not relieved by rest or oral drugs.

Some people have a heart attack without having any symptoms (a "silent" myocardial infarction). A silent MI can occur in any person, though it is more common among diabetics.

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