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MT Newsletter |  |
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Compiled by
Dr. Rema Valsala |
Thought for the month: |
Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration. ...Thomas A. Edison |
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MT Newsletter | |
|---|---|---|
|
Compiled by
Dr. Rema Valsala |
Thought for the month: |
Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration. ...Thomas A. Edison |
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FAQs
Standards Questionnaire |
Attenuate means to become weaker in strength, value or magnitude.
The idiom, "Wag the Dog" means -- The subsidiary part controlling the major part. The baby has a full complement of fingers and toes. Our efforts have effected a major change in the company's policy. Anyone who can lift this item off the floor deserves a gift. The priest quoted the relevant chapter and verses of the Bible. The criminal was justly prosecuted by the Court. Corpulent: Obese; excessively fat. |
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Q. What is a febrile seizure?
A febrile seizure is a convulsion in young children caused by a sudden spike in body temperature, often from an infection. Convulsion: A sudden attack usually characterized by loss of consciousness and sustained or rhythmic contractions of some or all voluntary muscles. A series of jerkings of the face, trunk, or extremities will occur. Febrile seizures are the most common type of seizures observed in the pediatric age group. By definition, febrile seizures occur in children aged 3 months to 5 years. Toddlers are most commonly affected. Viral illnesses are the predominant cause of febrile seizures. The seizure begins with the sudden sustained contraction of muscles on both sides of a child's body -- usually the muscles of the face, the trunk, the arms and the legs. Often an involuntary cry or moan emerges from the child, from the force of the muscle contraction. The contraction continues for several seconds. The child will fall, if standing, and may pass urine; may vomit; may bite the tongue. The child will not be breathing, and may begin to turn blue. Finally, the sustained contraction is broken by repeated brief moments of relaxation and the child's body begins to jerk rhythmically. The child is unresponsive to calls. Febrile seizures are brought on by the sudden stimulation of many brain cells at once. Whether febrile seizures are triggered by the height of the fever or by the rate of rise of the body temperature is controversial. Most febrile seizures occur well within the first 24 hours of an illness, not necessarily when the fever is highest. Often the seizure is the first sign of a fever, making febrile seizures hard to prevent. Febrile seizures are divided into 2 types: A simple febrile seizure stops by itself within a few seconds to 10 minutes and will not recur within 24 hours. Sometimes the seizure is followed by a brief period of drowsiness or confusion. Anticonvulsant medicines are generally not needed. A complex febrile seizure is one that lasts longer than 15 minutes, occurs in an isolated part of the body (focal), and recurs more than once in 24 hours. Complex febrile seizures may indicate a more serious disease process, such as meningitis, abscess, or encephalitis. Febrile seizures tend to occur in families. In a child with febrile seizure, the risk of febrile seizure is 10% for the sibling and almost 50% for the sibling if a parent has febrile seizures as well; however, the mode of inheritance is unclear. Morbidity: Febrile seizures are usually benign but can cause considerable parental anxiety. There is no evidence that febrile seizures cause death, brain damage, epilepsy, mental retardation, a decrease in IQ, or learning difficulties. A small number of children who have had a febrile seizure may develop epilepsy, but not because of the febrile seizures. Children who would develop epilepsy anyway will sometimes have their first seizures during fevers. These are usually prolonged, complex seizures. Previous neurologic problems and a family history of epilepsy also make future epilepsy more common. The number of febrile seizures has no correlation with future epilepsy. During a seizure, there is a small chance that the child may be injured by falling or may choke on food or saliva. Paying attention to the environment and keeping things away from the child's mouth can help avoid these hazards. The steps to be followed if a child has a febrile seizure: The most important part of helping a child who is having a seizure is for the parent or caregiver to stay calm. Most seizures stop on their own within a few minutes. Create a safe environment for the child on the floor or ground. Slide a blanket under him/her if the floor is hard. Loosen any tight clothing, especially around the neck. If possible, open or remove clothes from the waist up. Place the child on his/her side to prevent choking on saliva. Do not restrain the child's movements during the seizure. Do not try to force anything into the child's mouth to prevent him/her from biting the tongue, as this increases the risk of injury. Talk to the child softly, letting him/her know you are there to help. Do not try to give the child anything by mouth. Attention should be focused on bringing the fever down by inserting rectal acetaminophen (suppository) if available. Apply cool washcloths to the forehead and neck. Sponge the rest of the body with lukewarm (not cold) water. Cold water or alcohol may make the child shiver and make the fever worse. Once the seizure has ended and the child is awake, give him/her the normal dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Children should see a doctor as soon as possible after their first febrile seizure. Keep an eye on the clock. If the seizure lasts more than a few minutes, the child should be taken to the nearest hospital or emergency care center. Most patients are observed in the emergency department until awake and alert. After the seizure, the most important step is to identify the cause of the fever. Most febrile seizures are brought on by fevers arising from viral upper respiratory infections, ear infections, or roseola (a viral infection that causes swollen glands and a rash). Meningitis causes less than 0.1% of febrile seizures but should always be considered, especially in children less than one year old or if the child shows symptoms of stiff neck, extreme tiredness, or vomiting. Recurrent febrile seizures: A child is more likely to fall in the group that has more than one febrile seizure, . If there is a family history. . If the first seizure happened before 12 months of age. . If the seizure happened with a fever less than 102 degrees Fahrenheit, To prevent future febrile seizures: Acetaminophen suppositories should be kept on hand and used at the first sign of a fever. The child should be sponged with lukewarm water and be given cool liquids to drink, both to lower the temperature and to keep him/her well hydrated. Since febrile seizures can occur as the first sign of illness, prevention is often not possible. Q. What is cryosurgery? Cryosurgery is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. A number of diseases and disorders, especially skin conditions, are treated by cryosurgery. Warts, moles, skin tags, solar keratoses, and small skin cancers are candidates for cryosurgical treatment. Some internal disorders are also treated with cryosurgery, including liver cancer, prostate cancer, and cervical disorders. Although found to be effective, this method of treatment is only appropriate for use against localized diseases with no metastasis (the spread of a disease process from one part of the body to another). Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive procedure, and is often preferred to more traditional kinds of surgery because of its minimal pain, scarring, and cost; however, as with any medical treatment, there are risks involved, primarily that of damage to nearby healthy tissue. Damage to nerve tissue is of particular concern. The most common method is using liquid nitrogen as the cooling solution. The super-cooled liquid may be sprayed on the diseased tissue, circulated through a tube called a cryoprobe, or simply dabbed on with a cotton swab. Less frequently, doctors use liquid carbon dioxide mixed with acetone to form a slushy solution which is applied directly to the skin. For internal tumors, liquid nitrogen or argon gas is circulated through a hollow instrument called a cryoprobe, which is placed in contact with the tumor. The doctor uses ultrasound or MRI to guide the cryoprobe and monitor the freezing of the cells, thus limiting damage to nearby healthy tissue. In ultrasound, sound waves are bounced off organs and other tissues to create a picture called a sonogram. A ball of ice crystals forms around the probe, freezing nearby cells. Sometimes more than one probe is used to deliver the liquid nitrogen to various parts of the tumor. The probes may be put into the tumor during surgery or through the skin (percutaneously). After cryosurgery, the frozen tissue thaws and is either naturally absorbed by the body (for internal tumors), or it dissolves and forms a scab (for external tumors). Cryosurgery works by taking advantage of the destructive force of freezing temperatures on cells. At low temperatures, ice crystals form inside the cells, which can tear them apart. More damage occurs when blood vessels supplying the diseased tissue freeze. Patients undergoing cryosurgery usually experience minor-to-moderate localized pain and redness, which can be alleviated by oral administration of an analgesic (such as aspirin or ibuprofen) and application of topical steroid cream. Blisters may form, but these usually scab over and peel away. Advantages: Fewer side effects than other types of treatments. Less expensive and requires shorter recovery times. Less invasive than surgery, involving only a small incision or insertion of the cryoprobe through the skin. Cryosurgery can be done using only local anesthesia. The treatment can be safely repeated. May be used along with standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and radiation. Option for treating cancers that are considered inoperable or that do not respond to standard treatments. Can be used for patients who are not good candidates for conventional surgery because of their age or other medical conditions. Disadvantages: Cryosurgery does have side effects, although they may be less severe than those associated with surgery or radiation therapy. The major disadvantage of cryosurgery is the uncertainty surrounding its long-term effectiveness. While cryosurgery may be effective in treating tumors the physician can see by using imaging tests (tests that produce pictures of areas inside the body), it can miss microscopic cancer spread. |
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Some rules of punctuation: Comma
Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence including clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). That clauses after nouns are always essential. Examples: The book that I borrowed from you is excellent.. The fruits that fell out of the basket are bruised. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential. Examples: She is dreaming that she can fly. They wished that the holidays would finally arrive. Other essential elements (no commas) Examples: The baby wearing a pink frock is my niece. The candidate who had the least money lost the election. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Nonessential elements (set off by commas): Examples: Kevin, the captain of the team, was injured in the game Five hundred dollars, I think, is sufficient. It is up to you, Kim, to complete this project in 3 weeks. Pears, which are my favorite fruit, are the main ingredient in this recipe. Use commas to separate the elements in a series of related items (three or more words, phrases, or clauses), including the last two. Examples: The patient denies any fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime, who had a strong revenge motive, and who had access to the murder weapon, was guilty of homicide. She was sent home on Biaxin, Atrovent, and Altace. |
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Q. _____________ means to consent or comply passively or without protest.
a. Altercate b. Affray c. Acquiesce Q. The idiom, "Drop a dime" means _____________. a. To achieve the required standard. b. Undecided until the end. c. Make a phone call. Q. Fill in the blanks with the suitable word given in brackets: 1. He uses caffeine ______ liberally; drinks six or seven cups a day probably. (quite, quiet) 2. The patient shows no evidence of ______ asymmetry. (fascial, facial) 3. He is to going to try to ______ weight. (lose, loose) 4. We will ______ 40% urea cream to use twice. (proscribe, prescribe) 5. The patient states that her epigastric area is ______. (sore, soar) Q. Find the meaning of these homonyms: access, axis, and excess plain and plane viscous and viscus See the answers in the next month's issue.... |
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