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Rising demand for ‘touch-free’ heart surgeries
Talcum powder ‘poses cancer risk to women’
Low-back instability causes chronic pain
Health Notes
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Rising demand for ‘touch-free’ heart surgeries
Minimally invasive surgical techniques using robotics have been introduced to avoid the complications associated with the traditional techniques. In traditional manual heart surgery, in order to see and repair properly the opening that is made in the body is generally quite large, which leaves its mark after the operation. Also, the patient has to be kept on a heart-lung machine to stop the beating of the heart during the time of stitching of the cuts. This adds to three or four hours of extra work. There is also loss of blood requiring blood transfusion. But with robotics surgery, the incision made is quite small; there is no need to cut any bones; the patient does not need to be put on a heart-lung machine; and the entire surgery can be performed with just two or three small holes in the chest. In robotics surgery, the robotic cardiac surgeon sits away from the patient on a computer console where he sees the patient’s heart magnified on the screen and moves highly-sensitive instruments that direct the camera-equipped, three-armed robot. The robot precisely matches the doctor’s hand and wrist movements, translating them to tiny instruments placed inside the patient through the small holes. The advantages The patients undergoing robotics cardiac surgery benefit in the following way:
The da Vinci robotic system has four main parts: a surgeon console, a computerizsed control system, two instrument “arms” and a fibre-optic camera. The surgeon sits at the console and views the heart in three dimensions through the camera system while manipulating the operating controls. The surgeon’s hand motions are sent to a computer processor, which digitises and passes them to the fine instrument tips placed into the chest cavity through small holes. This computerised robotic system enhances the surgeon’s ability to perform minimally invasive cardiac surgery in several ways. First, the computer interface permits the accurate translation of the surgeon’s hand motions to a flexible endoscopic “wrist” placed within the chest cavity, providing much higher degrees of freedom and precision than could be achieved with traditional hand-operated instruments. Second, the da Vinci’s advanced two-camera stereoscopic optics provides unprecedented magnified, high-definition, full-colour images of the heart and its structures in three dimensions. This visualisation provides much greater detail of the heart than is generally possible with the surgeon’s eye. Robotics cardiac surgery is suitable for all patients except the obese and people with severe lung diseases. Science fiction stories have visualised a future filled with robots. Now a new breed of robots that are extremely precise are actually making possible minimal invasive surgeries and are transforming the way heart disease are treated. The writer, Director of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, is Director – Cardiac Surgery, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi .
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Talcum powder ‘poses cancer risk to women’ The
practice of discreetly puffing underwear with a dab of talcum powder may be increasing women's risk of ovarian cancer. Research shows that women who use talc have a 17 per cent higher risk of getting the cancer. Researchers say using a small amount of talc in the pelvic area may lead to it reaching the ovaries and increasing the risk of the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK, with more than 4,000 deaths a year. In the research, published in the International Journal of Cancer, data on more than 3,000 women was compared. "We confirmed a statistically significant increase in ovarian cancer risk associated with use of talc in the pelvic region," say the researchers, who are from hospitals and centres taking part in the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group. The increased risk was specifically related to talc use in the pelvic region. Use on other body sites showed no association. "This suggests that use of only a small amount of talc may be required for some talc to reach the ovaries and increase risk of cancer," says the report. It's not clear how talc could trigger the cancer. One theory is it may be carcinogenic to the covering layer of the ovaries when it get through the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes to the ovary. — The Independent
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Low-back instability causes chronic pain A
stable spine is extremely important to carry out day-to-day activities, including those relating to sports. Stability implies spine control. The stability of lumbar spine is provided by vertebrae, muscles and ligaments, although the spine movement is under the influence of the brain — neuromuscular control. Patients of low-back instability complain of pain after prolonged periods of sitting, standing, while getting up, driving, etc. Common occurrence in such individuals has a history of low-back pain due to disc-prolapse or muscle and ligament strain. They have not followed the rehabilitation schedule on the cessation of pain. Low-back pain of a long duration can cause muscle weakness which in turn leads to pain because weakened muscles have less ability to hold up the spine. Therefore, people undertaking regular exercises are less prone to back pain. Lumbar instability is characterised by the following: Frequent episodes of low-back pain, especially after prolonged sitting, standing, etc. Pain on forward bending or while coming back to the standing position. `Morning stiffness. Pain after excessive physical activity due to weak back with relief on rest. Numbness, tingling or motor weakness. Treatment in acute stage is aimed at pain relief although the long-term purpose is to train particular muscles supporting the back (multifidus, transverses and oblique abdominals) to attain the maximum stabilising effect. Bed rest may be recommended for short periods. Prolonged rest, in fact, weakens the back muscle which is imperative for spine stability. Manipulation, if undertaken correctly, can bring instant relief. Exercises, if done correctly, constitute an integral component of rehabilitation in low-back pain cases. However, an exercise regimen varies in individual cases and according to the presenting complaints. Lumbar stability exercises help the small muscles of the spine to maintain a comfortable position. A daily exercise regime effectively reduces frequency of severity and the duration of episodes of pain. These include: 1.Lying on back with knees bent, arms at sides tighten the stomach muscles slowly, raising alternate legs three to four inches from the floor. 2.Lying on back, knees bent and contracting abdomen —alternately raising the arms followed by alternate arm/leg raises. 3.Bridging from a back lying position with bent knees slowly raising the buttocks from the floor. 4.Pelvic tilt — lying on back with knees bent, flatten the small of the back against the floor by squeesing in the stomach. Hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat 10 times. 5.Both knees to chest — lying on the back with bent knees and keeping the feet flat on the floor. Pull both knees towards the chest. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. 6.Hamstring stretching is very important. If this muscle is tight it can place stress on the lower back. Individuals suffering from low-back pain due to varied etiology should undertake appropriate exercises in order to facilitate proper rehabilitation. The writer is a former doctor/physiotherapist,
Indian cricket team.
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Health Notes However, the difference in height between a person carrying two copies of the gene and a person carrying no copy of it is only 1 cm. Yet, the scientists think that the discovery is quite significant. Previous studies have suggested that, unlike conditions such as obesity, which is caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors — so-called “nature and nurture” — 90 per cent of normal variation in human height is due to genetic factors rather than, for example, diet. However, other than very rare gene variants that affect height in only a small number of people, no common gene variants have until now been identified.
— ANI
Safer formula to prescribe blood thinners developed WASHINGTON: Researchers have developed an improved dosing formula that can make the process of prescribing blood thinners faster and safer. The formula called anticoagulant warfarin has been developed for doctors to estimate the appropriate dose for patients. The formula was the joint effort of boffins from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Saint Louis University and St. Louis College of Pharmacy. —
ANI
Diabetes drug shows promise to save millions LONDON: A drug that lowers blood pressure among diabetics may provide a significant means to save tens of thousands of lives, say UK scientists. A five-year study conducted by them has shown that using Coversyl Plus-a combination of medication like ACE inhibitor and diuretic drugs, which are currently offered only to patients with high blood pressure, reduces the risk of death from heart-related problems and kidney failure by 18 per cent.
— ANI Stem cells can help ‘grow own’ heart valves LONDON: British surgeons have created a groundbreaking treatment that will help create heart tissue from stem cells from the patient’s body. The treatment will help cadiac patients “grow their own” heart valves and have them transplanted by surgeons. “Currently people suffering from heart valve disease can be treated with artificial replacement valves — they do the job and save lives but they are far from perfect,” the Daily Mail quoted Sir Magdi, professor of cardiac surgery at Imperial College, London, and one of the world’s leading heart surgeons as saying. “Although there has been huge progress in developing mechanical replacements, they still work mechanically and not physiologically — they cannot match the elegant sophisticated functions of living tissues.”
— ANI
Coffee rage reaching epidemic proportions in Britain Coffee’s main active ingredient caffeine may help you get awake in the morning, but a new study has found that one in 20 people have an intolerance to it. This means that they not only feel itchy, depressed and tired, but also get joint pains and migraines usually within an hour of drinking a cup. These symptoms, experts say, are leading to the new phenomena they call coffee rage. A spokesman for YorkTest, who carry out food and drink intolerance tests, said that with coffee shops booming in the UK, as well as the fact that there are coffee machines at every home nowadays, this problem is only going to grow.
— ANI
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WASHINGTON: Scientists have identified the first gene that directly influences height.
LONDON: If you’re feeling angry, irritable and aggressive, and suffering from a bad headache to boot, the chance is that you are experiencing a new malady — coffee rage.