Dornase alfa is a mucolytic medication used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. By cutting apart extracellular DNA, it makes mucus thinner.
Time heals all wounds except relapsing-remitting MS.
And primary-progressive MS.
And secondary-progressive MS.
And whole bunch of other age-related illnesses, like glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and malignancy.
At least time is good for adhesive capsulitis, alternatively known as frozen shoulder!
MS is a chronic disease involving immune-mediated attacks on the central nervous system. Demyelination causes mayhem.
As a parallel, Guillan-Barre acutely affects the peripheral nervous system. When it’s chronic, it’s called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polymyopathy.
Neurological symptoms ensue after the disease has passed a threshold.
Clinically isolated syndrome is a one-off presentation of demyelination that can progress to MS.
MRI can show brain lesions.
CSF analysis can show inflammation.
Evoke potential measurement can show demyelination.
Ongoing: immunotherapy agents.
Acute relapse: high-dose corticosteroids.
Spasticity: baclofen
Spasms: benzodiazepines
Mobility: fampridine
Paroxysmal symptoms: carbamazepine
Urinary symptoms: oxybutynin
The risk of MS relapse is lower during pregnancy and higher in the first 3 months after giving birth.
Central nervous system: clinically isolated syndrome (acute), MS (chronic)
Peripheral nervous system: Guillan-Barre (acute), CIDP (chronic)
Beware unbalanced, unsustainable diets. Weight loss is not everything. Having an energy intake lower than the energy expended is the general idea of not becoming a bubble of fat, but there are ways to do it that are more conducive to good health than others.
Everything has a recommended intake, from protein to water. Ranges are cautionary rather than absolute, but they still serve as a useful guide.
Meal avoidance for the sake of temporarily shedding kilograms is not recommended, especially when there are arguments for simply eating less or purposely inducing metabolism instead. Deficiency can be dangerous. Conversely, loading too much of a macronutrient can be harmful.
When in doubt, err on the side of common sense; yak butter for breakfast is unlikely to be as healthy as fresh fruit and vegetables.
Do topical NSAIDs increase the risk of skin cancer? After all, NSAIDs dampen inflammation and immune suppression is a factor that can promote malignancy. The answer is no!
For, on the contrary, research focuses more on the potential of using NSAIDs in the fight against cancer. How can this be?
Think of the mechanism of NSAIDs. They’re non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, meaning they’re medications that reduce inflammation without being from the corticosteroid class.
NSAIDs indirectly inhibit prostaglandin synthesis by directly inhibiting COX enzymes. This provides anti-inflammatory effects and analgesia.
Prostaglandins play a starring role in situations such as fever.
In contrast, other things that are associated with increased malignancy risk have different ways of working.
For example, HIV impacts CD-4 T cells.
Meanwhile, chemotherapy agents have different mechanisms. For example, vincristine disruptively acts on microtubules.
Let’s not forget UV rays, which wreak havoc on the DNA process by inducing mutations.
These are just some of the villains of medicine. Thankfully, there are emerging medications that meet them in combat. But that’s a story for another day!
Colles and Smith fractures are both fractures of the distal radius.
And that’s how an American CD is made.
Scientific research doesn’t support the idea of losing fat from a particular place. This is also known as spot reduction. It is a lie.
Working out a particular muscle area doesn’t dissolve the fat from that region by priority. Rather, a person’s distribution of fat is determined by the mysterious workings of their body. To reduce fat in a specific spot, overall fat has to be reduced.
This doesn’t render targeted exercises useless; what you can do is build and tone a particular muscle group. It means the muscle grows in that place but the fat doesn’t necessarily disappear from it.
Muscle is an obedient dog. Muscles respond to directed exercise; bulk and tone happen in the places where you exert yourself.
Fat is a lawless cowboy. It cannot be tamed. In contrast to muscle, fat is wild and runs free; it has a secret agenda and reduces according to an overall body distribution plan.
Your problem then becomes that of losing fat overall.
The solution? It’s the usual: diet and exercise.
Eat less. Use portion control. Be less of a hog. Consume protein, fat and carbohydrates in a healthy ratio. Protein:fat:carbohydrates at 20:20:60 is a simple, approximate guide.
Exercise more. Make sweat. Jump around. Burn energy. Go to a gym.
The vertebral column consists of 5 regions:
Myelin is the fatty, insulating sheath that surrounds some neurons, specifically their axons. It allows electrical impulses to travel faster down nerves.
Here are the cells that make myelin.
Life is full of infinite possibilities! If you have a medical degree, your future is not confined to the hospital wards.
How can you choose between all the things you want to achieve while you’re alive? Is it possible to manage your time so you can be both a doctor and a professional abalone diver?
Yes! In fact, you can take an exciting proportion of your career outside the realm of health care.
In this episode, Dr Renee Lim talks about balancing doctor duties with life outside medicine. She talks about her diverse foray into acting and education—and yes, she has been on television!
Podcast
About the guest speaker
Dr Renee Lim is a performer, educator and medical doctor. In addition to her appearances on Australian television shows such as Pulse, Ask The Doctors, East West 101 and Please Like Me, she has participated in theatre works including His Mothers Voice and Coup De’Tat.
Dr Renee works as the Director of Program Development at the Pam McLean Centre, a centre designed to improve communication in the medical sector, as well as the University of Sydney and UNSW.
Dr Renee is a locum doctor in Emergency and Geriatrics Departments across NSW. She also works in educational technology and research.
Music credits
Opening and closing themes by Lily Chen.
Rhinophyma: big, red nose associated with rosacea.
Rosacea: skin condition involving facial erythema and telangiectasia.
In normal language, this means flushing of the face and enlarged blood vessels that become visible.
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