Adrenaline Hydrochloride Injection

Indication of Adrenaline Hydrochloride Injection:

Initial dose in the case of a cardiac arrest should be 1mg (that is 10mL of 1:10,000) intravenously.

This should be injected more slowly in elderly patients as they are more susceptible to the effects of adrenaline.

The preferred route is via a central venous catheter.

This dose (1mg) can be administered 3-5 minutely throughout cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Children should receive 0.1mL/kg (0.01mg/kg) repeated 5 minutely as required.

To maintian blood pressure after the return of a spontaneous pulse, bolus doses or continuous infusions may be useful.

Read More

Types of Asbestos

Once mined in many places throughout the world but now mostly in Canada, Russia, Africa, and China, asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was used for decades as an insulator for a host of products, many used in homes throughout the world.

Six different types of asbestos have been identified. These types are divided into two groups:

Read More

Tremolite Asbestos

A form of amphibole asbestos, tremolite is responsible for hundreds of cases of asbestos cancer diagnosed throughout the world, including in the United States. As with the other forms of asbestos that belong to the amphibole family, tremolite boasts sharp, needlelike fibers that easily enter the respiratory system when airborne, making it a particular toxic form of the mineral. This silicate mineral may range in color from creamy white to dark green, depending of the levels of magnesium or iron found in the mineral. 

Tremolite asbestos is often found in vermiculite - a natural mineral that expands when exposed to heat - though vermiculite mines are now routinely tested for the presence of tremolite. In the U.S., tremolite-contaminated vermiculite was responsible for the death of several hundred miners in Libby, Montana who worked at the local W.R. Grace Vermiculite Mine, which mined material for use in the company’s popular Zonolite insulation, used in millions of houses nationwide.

Read More

IDENTIFYING THE CAUSE OF IRRITATION IN A CEASELESSLY CRYING BABY

What do you do to console a three month old baby who has been crying tirelessly for about one week? Her mother reported that even breastfeeding was not able to console the child, who cried intermittently even while breastfeeding. By this time, her mother had joined in crying also, and we had both mother and child crying at presentation at the consulting clinic. Who do you console first, and what do you do to gain the trust of the wailing mother that her dear baby girl was not in any grave danger.

Keywords: Crying baby, wailing mother, cause of crying.

Read More

Concerned About Breast Cancer?

You may have had breast cancer treatment. As a result you may be finding it very difficult to lead a normal sexual life. However what you should know is that you are not alone. What every woman requires and very crucial is a sexual health program after a breast cancer treatment.

If you have undergone breast cancer treatment, it is very crucial you pay constant visits to your gynecologist during the procedure and even after the treatment. This is important because it will help to prevent you from having problem of cervical cancer and atrophy of the vagina.

Read More

Idera Pharmaceuticals Provides Update On IMO-2055 Clinical Development Program

Idera Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IDRA) today provides an update on the clinical development of IMO-2055 (EMD 1201081), a TLR9 agonist for cancer treatment being developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, under its collaboration with Idera. Merck KGaA has informed Idera that, based on increased incidence of neutropenia and electrolyte imbalances reported in its Phase 1 trial of IMO-2055 in combination with cisplatin/5-FU and cetuximab (Erbitux®) in patients with first-line squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and subsequent re-evaluation of its clinical development program, Merck KGaA has determined that it will not conduct further clinical development of IMO-2055 at this stage.

Read More

Understanding the Cholera Epidemic, Haiti

Renaud Piarroux, Robert Barrais, Benoît Faucher, Rachel Haus, Martine Piarroux, Jean Gaudart, Roc Magloire, and Didier Raoult
Author affiliations: Université de la Méditerranée, Marseilles, France (R. Piarroux, B. Faucher, J. Gaudart, D. Raoult); Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (R. Barrais, R. Magloire); Service de Santé des Armées, Paris, France (R. Haus); and Martine Piarroux Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France (M. Piarroux)

Read More

Journal of Bacteriology, Journal of Virology and Eukaryotic Cell All to Publish Genome Announcements Beginning July 15, 2011

The revolution in high speed, low cost, high throughput parallel sequencing technology has lowered the barrier to whole-genome sequencing and changed the way we think about genome sequencing and sequences. Identification of novel bacteria and viruses by sequencing entire genomes of isolates from normal and diseased tissue or the environment is becoming routine. Similarly, sequence-based identification of novel fungi and other eukaryotic microbes, as well as whole-genome sequencing of familiar eukaryotic microbes, increasingly is feasible. Although sequence data typically are deposited in GenBank or other shared databases, the rationale for sequencing a particular organism and the detailed methodologies and protocols used often are not readily available.

Read More

Association of Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Lopinavir-Ritonavir and Adrenal Dysfunction Among Uninfected Infants of HIV-Infected Mothers

Albane Simon, MD;
Josiane Warszawski, MD, PhD;
Dulanjalee Kariyawasam, MD;
Jerome Le Chenadec, MSc;
Valerie Benhammou, PhD;
Paul Czernichow, MD;
Frantz Foissac, MD;
Kathleen Laborde, PhD;
Jean-Marc Tréluyer, MD, PhD;
Ghislaine Firtion, MD;
Inès Layouni, MD;
Martine Munzer, MD;
Françoise Bavoux, MD;
Michel Polak, MD, PhD;
Stéphane Blanche, MD
for the ANRS French Perinatal Cohort Study Group

Read More

Mesothelioma Radiation

In addition to chemotherapy and surgery, radiation therapy is one of the three most commonly used treatments for mesothelioma.

Radiation therapy makes use of a type of radiation called "ionizing radiation," which is used to kill existing cancer cells and control the growth of new cancer cells. Depending on the nature of the patient's condition and their type of asbestos cancer, radiation therapy may be used as a stand-alone treatment or may be used in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy.

In addition, mesothelioma radiation may be used either as a curative treatment or as a palliative treatment. In the latter case, the purpose of radiation therapy is not to cure the patient, but simply to provide relief from pain and other symptoms of the cancer. This is often the case for mesothelioma patients that are prescribed radiation therapy.

There are three main types of radiation therapy: external beam radiotherapy, unsealed source radiation therapy, and brachytherapy. In most cases, only external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy are used to treat mesothelioma. The type of radiation treatment a patient receives depends on several factors, including the type of mesothelioma, the stage of the disease, and whether other treatment options are also viable.

Read More

Epithelioid Mesothelioma Versus Adenocarcinoma

Mesothelioma, including epithelioid mesothelioma, is a type of cancer that occurs in the mesothelium, which is an epithelium (protective layer of tissue) that surrounds certain organs. Epithelia, which are found throughout the body, exist to separate different bodily environments. For example, epithelial cells are found in the skin, which separates the outside of the body from the inside of the body. Depending on the location, an epithelium can serve many functions, including protection, absorption, filtration, excretion, secretion or sensory reception.

Adenocarcinoma is another type of cancer that can be found in the mesothelium. However, unlike epithelioid mesothelioma, adenocarcinoma does not originate in the mesothelium, but rather in the lining or inner epithelium of an organ. When an adenocarcinoma occurs in the lining of the lungs it can spread to the mesothelium, or pleura, surrounding the lungs. Since epithelioid mesothelioma can also appear in the pleura, it can be easily confused with adenocarcinoma.

Read More

Pleural Plaques

Pleural plaques are localized scars (fibrosis) consisting of collagen fiber deposits that form as a result of exposure to asbestos. They are the most common manifestation of exposure to asbestos. Normally, pleural plaque is found in the parietal pleura (on the inside of the diaphragm), but in very rare cases they also can be found near the ribcage.

Pleural plaques first appear around 20 years after a person is exposed to asbestos. Prior to the 1970s, when asbestos regulations came into effect, countless workers in industries such as mining, construction and shipping were exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. Due to the fact that it takes about 30-40 years for asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma to develop, the victims currently experiencing symptoms likely represent the last big wave of occupation-related asbestos disease cases.

Read More

Zonolite, Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Zonolite and Asbestos

Zonolite was produced by the W.R Grace Company as a convenient, do-it-yourself insulation material. Many homeowners used it to reduce heating and air conditioning bills during the 1970s and 1980s. It was packaged in brown bags, and consumers would typically pour it into open spaces and in between joists in the attics of homes after construction. Zonolite is brownish in color, very lightweight, with silvery or gold-colored metallic-looking material.

The primary ingredient of Zonolite is vermiculite, which is a naturally occurring mineral that has been widely used for a variety of purposes, including insulation. It has a unique exfoliation property, which means that it can expand to many times its original volume when it is heated. Thus, as an insulation material, when it becomes heated, it expands and blocks airflow around the heated area where the insulation has been placed.

Read More

Vermiculite and Asbestos

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring, safe mineral that has been widely used for over 80 years in the insulation, construction, horticulture and agriculture industries. It has an appearance similar to mica and has a unique exfoliation property; that is, it expands to many times its original volume when it is heated. Its most familiar form is the white particles that appear in potting soil. This substance is plentiful worldwide and is mined on almost every continent. The most productive mines are located in the Palabora region of South Africa, the northwestern corner of China and in the eastern Appalachian range of Virginia and South Carolina.

Read More

Mesothelioma Lawsuits and Your Legal Rights

Mesothelioma lawsuits can be used to help compensate patients and their families for the damages caused this deadly illness. This page describes the relationship of asbestos exposure to mesothelioma and the different types of lawsuits that can be filed on behalf of the patients. A consultation with a mesothelioma lawyer can help determine whether you should file a lawsuit to obtain mesothelioma compensation.

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma

Asbestos is a metamorphic mineral whose microscopic fibers can be lethal when inhaled. Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of the deadly diseases asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, informally known as "asbestos lung cancer" or "mesothelioma asbestos." Unfortunately, mesothelioma treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and trimodal therapy do little to stop the progression of mesothelioma, and most patients die within a year.

Read More

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy

A pneumonectomy (or pneumectomy) is a type of surgical procedure that involves the removal of a lung. First performed in 1985, this surgery is used most often to remove cancerous lung tissue. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a type of pneumonectomy that has been performed for the last 30 years, almost exclusively for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Whereas lung cancer affects the lung tissue itself, malignant pleural mesothelioma affects the pleura, which is a serous membrane separating the lung from other organs in the chest and abdominal area. Mesothelioma is not actually a lung cancer but can potentially spread to the lungs after the cancer in the pleura has metastasized. Therefore, a standard pneumonectomy calls for the sole removal of the cancerous lung, while an extrapleural pneumonectomy calls for the removal of the cancerous pleural tissue and the lung closest to the affected area. The removal of a lung that results from an extrapleural pneumonectomy is designed to minimize any further spread of malignant mesothelioma.

No ideal treatment modality exists for malignant pleural mesothelioma; however, extrapleural pneumonectomy used as part of a trimodality treatment that includes chemotherapy and radiation therapy is the best method for prolonging patient survival.

Read More

Treating Cancer Anorexia

Anorexia is a condition characterized by a lack of desire to eat. It is very common in patients with life-threatening diseases, including asbestosis and asbestos lung cancer, i.e., mesothelioma.

When mesothelioma cancer or its treatments lead to anorexia, the condition is called "cancer anorexia." Around 50 percent of patients diagnosed with cancer experience cancer anorexia and other eating abnormalities. Among terminally ill cancer patients the figure is closer to 65 percent.*

Because cancer patients need extra energy to fight the disease, the onset of anorexia marks a very dangerous turning point. Cancer anorexia can also contribute to the development of cachexia ("wasting syndrome"), which in turn causes dramatic weight loss. This volatile combination of conditions, sometimes referred to as anorexia-cachexia syndrome, is often at the heart of a mesothelioma patient’s quick demise.

While there is no cure for malignant mesothelioma, patients can slow the disease’s progress and lessen the unpleasant effects of mesothelioma symptoms such as malnutrition by devising a plan to combat anorexia.

Read More

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the serous membrane surrounding the abdomen. The life expectancy of a person with peritoneal mesothelioma depends on a number of factors, including age, overall health and the stage at which it is diagnosed.
Like other forms of malignant mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is always fatal, and little can be done to slow the inevitable decline of a peritoneal mesothelioma patient's health. Peritoneal mesothelioma usually produces few or no mesothelioma symptoms to speak of for decades; most patients are diagnosed with the disease at a very advanced stage and die quickly following diagnosis — usually within a year.

Read More