Conjoined twins born with one body in JAKARTA Indonesia
A mother in Jakarta Indonesia has just delivered conjoined twins born with one body. The twins appear to share most vital organs and can therefore not be seperated. Delivery was by C-section. It’s not clear what their chances of survival are. Six specialits doctors were on hand for the delivery and the final verdict from them was that they cannot be seperated. The twins share a lot of vital organs, but have two heads, 2 hearts and 2 lungs. Let’s all pray for them. The original story is in The Jakarta Post.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Fish for your Brain: Eating Fish Prevents Dementia
Did you know that Eating Fish Prevents Dementia? A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed this.
The study was conducted in several so-called low and middle income countries of Asia and Latin America. A total of almost 15,000 patients participated in the study. The study found that people who consume a good amount of fish, especially oily fish were less likely to develop dementia later in life.
It’s been well known for some time now that fish oils prevent heart disease, but this is one of the first major studies concluding that fish may also protect you from developing dementia. The more fish you eat, the more protection you get. Here’s the full article.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Using Cell phones to Detect Malaria and TB Infection
Researchers at UCSF are working on technology to use a cell phone to detect Malaria and TB Infection. A simple cell phone with a camera is adapted to work as a light microscope. This simple inexpensive device is then used to detect malaria parasites and tuberculose bacteria using regular light microscopy techniques. The device can also be used for fluorescence microscopy, screening and diagnosing infections in the blood stream.
Many parts of the developing world do not have sofisticated medical technology. A simple light microscope may be too expensive for a health center taking care of thousands of patients in a given community. However, these same places in Africa, Asia and Latin America have easy affordable access to cell phones. These cell phones are extremely cheap and many of them now come with cameras and even internet access.
These researchers at UCSF/UC Berkerly Bioengineering group succeeded in building a mobile phone-mounted light microscope and were able to detect P. falciparum-infected cells, and sickle red blood cells and M. tuberculosis-infected sputum samples without any major difficulties. They were also able to use image analysis software to automate the counting of TB bacteria. These digital imaging applications can be very helpful in many parts of the developing world and also in many parts of rural areas all over the world where medical diagnostics are not readily available. The images obtained from such tests can be easily transmitted over the internet to specialists around the world who will then help in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient’s condition. It will be very exciting to see when this technology will become available for wider use. The results of this study have been published in the PloS ONE journal.
Popularity: 10% [?]
FDA Warns Against e-Cigarettes
The FDA has just issued a warning against e-Cigarrettes. Electronic Cigarettes are electronic devices are battery operated devices with cartridges that contain nicotine, flavor and other chemicals.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
“The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs.”
Here’s more from the FDA: ”
Public health experts expressed concern that electronic cigarettes could increase nicotine addiction and tobacco use in young people. Jonathan Winickoff, M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium and Jonathan Samet, M.D., director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California, joined Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., principal deputy commissioner of the FDA, and Matthew McKenna, M.D., director of the Office of Smoking and Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss the potential risks associated with the use of electronic cigarettes.”
Popularity: 17% [?]