Category Health & Medical

HOW DOCTORS STARTED USING STETHOSCOPES TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEMS WITH THE CHEST?

The practice of using stethoscopes started in a hospital in Paris, in the early 19th Century.

The Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris provided specialised medical care. Rene Laennec, one of the doctors there, was trained to use sound to diagnose diseases of the chest.

One day in 1816, a young woman who had a heart problem came to consult Dr. Laennec. Ordinarily, the physician would have put his ear to the woman’s chest and listened to her heartbeats to detect if there was any aberration. But the woman who came to see Dr. Laennec was rather plump. Uncomfortable with the idea of putting his ear to her chest, the doctor’s eyes fell on a newspaper lying there…and he got a brainwave!

He rolled the newspaper into a cylinder and applied one end of it to the region of the woman’s heart and the other to his ear. And then his own heart thumped in joy and excitement! He could hear her heartbeats more clearly than if he had put his ear directly to her chest. It was a landmark moment in medical science.

Laennec fashioned a hollow, wooden cylinder and catalogued the various sounds he could hear through it when applied to a patient’s chest, and what the sounds indicated about the health of the patient. He sent his findings to the Academy of Science, in Paris.

It was not long before his invention began to be used by physicians all over Europe.

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WHAT DISEASE IS CAUSED BY TSETSE FLY?

The tsetse fly bites humans and sucks their blood. This causes sleeping sickness, a parasitic disease accompanied by fever, headache, and joint pain. It also causes trouble sleeping. It is said that thousands die in Africa every year from the disease.

In the tropical regions of Africa, the bloodsucking tsetse fly carries deadly diseases to humans and other animals. It is a brownish-colored insect, only a little larger than the common housefly. When it is at rest its wings close flat on the back and are completely overlapping, whereas those of the housefly are held somewhat erect and spread. There are 21 known species of the tsetse fly. Some carry the disease trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness) from one human victim to another. Others carry the disease nagana to cattle and other animals.

When the fly bites an infected victim, the insect draws into its own bloodstream a parasite called a trypanosome. After going through a stage of development in the fly, the parasite is transferred to the next victim. Thus the disease, caused by the parasite, is passed from person to person, from animal to animal, through the bite of the fly. The disease is so called because in the last stages of the illness the victim falls into a sleep, which often ends in death.

The tsetse fly breeds in brushy places in tropical forests and on the edges of rivers and lakes. The female, unlike most insects, does not lay eggs. Instead, she deposits on the ground a single full-grown larva at intervals of about two weeks. The larva hides in brush and immediately goes into the pupal stage, from which it emerges as a mature fly.

Tsetse flies belong to the genus Glossina of the family Glossinidae, which is related to the Muscidae. The scientific name of the commonest carrier of African sleeping sickness is G. palpalis. The principal carrier of nagana is G. morsitans.

Trypanosomiasis is generally not found in the United States except in people who have traveled to Africa. Early symptoms include headache, fever, and muscle aches. Later, you may experience mental confusion or coma. Trypanosomiasis causes swelling in the brain and is fatal, if untreated. If you’ve been bitten by a tsetse fly, your doctor can run simple blood tests for sleeping sickness. Antitrypanosomal medications, such as pentamidine, are highly effective in treating sleeping sickness.

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WHY DO WE GET DARK PATCHES BELOW THE EYES IF WE DON’T SLEEP WELL? IS IT A SKIN PROBLEM?

The crescent-shaped areas under our eyes have a large concentration of tiny blood vessels. When a person is sleepy, tired or sick, the capillaries swell and become visible through the skin dark patches If you develop these bags under your eyes due to lack of sleep you can get rid of them temporarily by cooling the area with ice and reducing the swelling.

If you have these dark patches all the time whether you sleep well or not, it suggests that the pigment in that area is darker than in the rest of the face. In such cases you may have to consult a dermatologist if you want to get rid of the bags. The dermatologist can treat the problem with creams, chemical peels or other methods.

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REGULAR BLOOD DONATION ELIMINATES TOXIC ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ FROM BODY.

‘Forever chemicals’ or PFAS are widely present in non-stick kitchenware, plastics, water-resistant materials, paints, carpets and clothes. On entering the body they accumulate in the bloodstream, and impact gut flora or lungs, causing asthma and other diseases.

As PFAS bind to serum proteins in the blood, regular blood or plasma donations result in a significant reduction in blood PFAS levels; plasma donations were more effective, corresponding to a 30 per cent decrease.

Although results suggest that this is a viable tool for removing PFAS from the bloodstream, what does it mean for recipients of the blood? Potential recipients are very likely to already have PFAS in their bloodstream, and there is no data to suggest that receiving blood contaminated with the compounds exposes them to additional risks.

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WHAT IS CRYOGENIC ELECTRON MICROSCOPY?

Did you know scientists hope to develop targeted drugs for hard-to-treat diseace using the technique?

Ultra high-definition 3D videos of cells inside the body taken by an advanced microscope are creating a revolution in modern biology. Previously, transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of living cells (called biomolecules) were indistinct blobs. This was because the high-energy electron beams would dry out the water surrounding the molecules and burn them.

In cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), biomolecules are cooled to extremely low temperatures and embedded in vitrified water (ice that has no crystals). This ensures that they are preserved intact. The three scientists who developed the cryo-EM technique won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The current level of sophistication in the cryo-EM technique is largely due to advances in camera technology, image processing and computer software. The biomolecules are photographed from thousands of different angles and at different stages. The images are put together to create a video, allowing researchers to see the structure of the molecules in live action within the cell.

Using this technique, scientists hope to develop targeted drugs for hard-to-treat diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s.

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WHAT IS TOMATO FLUE?

According to reports, “tomato flu” is detected in children in Tamil Nadu’s neighbouring State, Kerala. In a bid to stop the mysterious flu from spreading to Tamil Nadu, a medical team is carrying out tests on those entering Coimbatore for fever, rashes and other illness at Walayar checkpost on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. But what is this new flu and what are its symptoms? Let’s find out.

Over 80 children below five years of age in Kollam district in Kerala are suffering from what is called “tomato flu”, an unidentified fever. What is of concern is that the number from this rare viral infection is predicted to go up.

Symptoms

Infected children experience skin irritation, and develop huge red blisters on different parts of the body, and hence the name “tomato flu.” They feel dehydrated and run a high temperature. It is said that the symptoms of the tomato flu are very much like in a chikungunya infection.

Besides a high fever, skin irritation and blisters, the symptoms of the tomato flu include fatigue, body ache, swelling in joints, coughing, sneezing, and runny nose. Some children reportedly experience abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. With the cause of the fever still not known, parents should exercise caution. As of now, there is no specific medicine to treat this fever.

WHEN IN DOUBT ABOUT THE INFECTION…

*Consult a doctor immediately if you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms.

*Drink a lot of boiled-and-chilled water to stay hydrated.

*Stay indoors and take ample rest.

*Keep yourself isolated and avoid close contact with family members, as this infection is likely to spread from person to person.

* Do not scratch the blisters as it may spread the infection.

* Last but not least, maintain hygiene.

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