The Learning Blog

Normally, for family and medical staff, the best practice is always to act with these patients as if they were conscious, because we never know . But, of course, here we have proof; we do know. – Dr. Martin M. Monti, lead author

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and the Wolfson Brain Imaging Center, University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have reported willful brain activity in patients who are in vegetative (not comatose) or minimally conscious states using functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI. Interestingly, one patient had correctly answered yes-or-no questions by activation in several areas of the brain while undergoing fMRI.

However, Dr. Monti cautioned that this one patient may not be representative of other people in the same condition.

A functional MRI is a special type of magnetic resonance imaging using the changes of blood flow in a particular area during a nerve activity in the brain or spinal cord.

Being in a vegetative state and in coma are two different things:

The vegetative state is a chronic or long-term condition. This condition differs from a coma: a coma is a state that lacks both awareness and wakefulness. Patients in a vegetative state may have awoken from a coma, but still have not regained awareness. In the vegetative state patients can open their eyelids occasionally and demonstrate sleep-wake cycles, but completely lack cognitive function. The vegetative state is also called a “coma vigil”. The chances of regaining awareness diminish considerably as the time spent in the vegetative state increases.

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Coma is unresponsiveness from which the patient cannot be aroused. Similar, but less severe disturbances of consciousness may also occur. The mechanism involves dysfunction of both cerebral hemispheres or of the reticular activating system (also known as the ascending arousal system). Causes may be structural or nonstructural (eg, toxic or metabolic disturbances). Damage may be focal or diffuse. Diagnosis is clinical; identification of cause usually requires laboratory tests and neuroimaging. Treatment is immediate stabilization and specific management of the cause. For long-term coma, adjunctive treatment includes passive range-of-motion exercises, enteral feedings, and measures to prevent pressure ulcers.

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Saw this from Tekzilla’s CES 2010 presentation, the MOTOROLA BACKFLIP:

Specifications

WCDMA 850/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (Category 7/8), EDGE Class 12, GPRS Class 12, aGPS, Version 2.0, 802.11b

Weight: 133.00 g/4.7 oz

Android 1.5 Operating System

3.5mm headset jack, , USB 2.0 High Speed, BT Class 2.0, version 2.0 and 802.11 b/g

3.1” 320 x 480 256k TFT Display

AAC, AAC+, MIDI, MP3, WAV

Capture/playback/streaming, H.263, H.264, MPEG4

5 megapixel, auto-focus, LED

Full HTML browser, Android Webkit

2GB included up to 32GB supported

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It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by (Andrew) Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation…. Therefore, we fully retract this paper from the published record. -The Editors of The Lancet

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From the Cochrane Library

Beta-blockers are commonly used in the treatment for high blood pressure (BP). In this review, we asked how much do beta-blockers reduce BP when used as the second drug to treat hypertension. Twenty trials lasting an average of 7 weeks were found in the world scientific literature to answer this question. The data showed that the addition of a beta-blocker to thiazide diuretics or calcium channel blockers reduced BP by 8/6 mmHg when given at doses 2 times the recommended starting dose.

When we compared these results with our previous review of the blood pressure lowering effect of thiazide diuretics as second line drug, we found that beta-blockers have a different pattern of BP lowering. This different pattern of effect on blood pressure might explain why first-line beta-blockers appear to be less effective at reducing adverse cardiovascular outcomes than first-line thiazide diuretics, particularly in older individuals.

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Beta-blocker related media:

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One of the big things that made everyone excited in the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010 are the demonstrations of audiovisual electronics specializing in 3D home entertainment. A host of electronic manufacturers flaunted their 3D TVs, Blu-ray players, and other gadgets such as those from Samsung, LG, Panasonic, just to name a few.

Now what do you need to get the 3D experience in your home? Retrevo, an online electronic marketplace, did an article on this specifically, and let me just briefly list down the salient points:

1. You need to buy a new TV. Specifically a TV that has enough computing power and refresh rates to process 3D images without flickering. This 3D TV should also support HDMI version 1.4 for high-quality images. HDMI 1.3, which is present in current hi-def TVs, can work but with lower quality.

2. You need to buy a new Blu-ray player that supports BDA 3D. If you own already a blu-ray player, a firmware upgrade might do the trick. Sony’s PlayStation 3 console is already a blu-ray player and can run BDA 3D with an upgrade but, alas, it only has HDMI 1.3.

3. You need to buy glasses to view the 3D images. Without them, you won’t see the pictures in 3D. Most manufacturers use the active shutter glasses to view 3D. Philips, on the other hand, is promoting their WoWvx 3D TV technology, without using any glasses.

4. What about programming? Well, cable operators as of this moment do not offer 3D channels yet, so most of the 3D movies will be shown through those blu-ray players. It is expected that some cable companies from some countries like in the US, Korea, and the UK will start offering 3D channels within this year or next year.

If you want to read and know more of this, click here.

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I now have an MSI U100 netbook for my computing needs but if I have more money, then I’d go with this thing of computing beauty…

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We believe that use of the A1c, because it doesn’t require fasting, will encourage more people to get tested for type 2 diabetes and help further reduce the number of people who are undiagnosed but living with this chronic and potentially life-threatening disease. Additionally, early detection can make an enormous difference in a person’s quality of life. Unlike many chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes actually can be prevented, as long as lifestyle changes are made while blood glucose levels are still in the pre-diabetes range. - Richard M. Bergenstal, MD, ADA president-elect of medicine & science

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently revised their clinical practice recommendations by promoting the use of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as a faster, easier diagnostic test reducing the number of undiagnosed patients and identifying patients with pre-diabetes.

The A1c test is a blood test which measures the level of an individual’s glycated hemoglobin A1c. Glycation is a process where a sugar molecule (fructose or glucose) bonds with a protein or fat molecule without the help of an enzyme. A1c was first discovered in 1958 by Huisman and Meyering and its elevation in diabetes was first described in 1969.  A high A1c level can lead to cardiovascular disease, kidney diseases, and eye diseases related to diabetes.

A red blood cell’s (RBC) lifetime is around 120 days or about 4 months. During this time, an RBC will be exposed to sugar molecules in the blood circulation. The more exposure to the sugar molecules, the higher the level of A1c. Once an HbA1c is formed, it cannot be altered until the death of the cell. An advantage of determining one’s A1c level is that the doctor or the patient can check his/her sugar status for the past 1 to 4 months.

The normal A1c level is 5%. A 5.7% to 6.4% means that the individual is in the pre-diabetes stage. A 6.5% and above means diabetes.

Want to know more? Click and read here.

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