Pathology fun

Introduction: - Heavy metal poisoning is the accumulation of heavy metals, in toxic amounts, in the soft tissues of the body. Symptoms and physical findings associated with heavy metal poisoning vary according to the metal accumulated. Many of the heavy metals, such as zinc, copper, chromium, iron, and manganese, are essential to body function in very small amounts. But, if these metals accumulate in the body in concentrations sufficient to cause poisoning, then serious damage may occur. The heavy metals most commonly associated with poisoning of humans are lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Heavy metal poisoning may occur as a result of industrial exposure, air or water pollution, foods, medicines, improperly coated food containers, or the ingestion of lead-based paints. Signs & Symptoms The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning vary according to which type of metal overexposure is involved. Some specific examples are: ARSENIC POISONING Arsenic is used in the manufacture of pesticid...

We are today faced with numerous debilitating chronic illnesses related to aging, environment, and hedonistic lifestyle, such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases as well as many incurable diseases such as AIDS. Modern medical advancements provide the rationale for the integration of various traditional healing techniques including Yoga to promote healing, health, and longevity. INTRODUCTION:   Yoga is the original mind-body medicine that has enabled individuals to attain and maintain sukha sthanam, a dynamic sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well being. Bhagavad-Gita defines Yoga as samatvam meaning thereby that Yoga is equanimity at all levels, a state wherein physical homeostasis and mental equanimity occur in balanced and healthy harmony. Yoga maharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj, the visionary founder of Ananda Ashram at the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER) in Pondicherry and one of the foremost authoritie...

Autologous means from yourself. An autologous transplant is the transplantation of stem cells derived from the patient themselves. A patient’s stem cells are extracted from the bone marrow, or from the peripheral blood following medication which causes bone marrow stem cells to enter the peripheral circulation. The extracted stem cells are then frozen so that once the chemotherapy conditioning is done; doctors can put the autologous cells back into the patient. If successful, the transplanted stem cells then engraft and start to produce healthy blood cells. The process of transplanting autologous stem cells is identical to that of transplanting donor (allogeneic) stem cells. With an autologous transplant the risk of the body rejecting the infused stem cells, or of the patient developing  Graft-versus-Host Disease , is removed because the stem cells are a perfect HLA match. However, there is an increased risk with autologous transplants that cancerous cells will be returned to the p...

A newly discovered network of fluid-filled channels in the human body may be a previously-unknown organ, and it seems to help transport cancer cells around the body. This discovery was made by chance, from routine endoscopies – a procedure that involves inserting a thin camera into a person’s gastrointestinal tract. Newer approaches enable doctors to use this procedure to get a microscopic look at the tissue inside a person’s gut at the same time, with some surprising results. One team had expected to find that the bile duct is surrounded by a hard, dense wall of tissue. But instead, they saw weird, unexplained patterns. Cancer transport But as well as protecting organs, the network may also aid the spread of cancer. When the team looked at samples taken from people with invasive cancers, they found evidence that cancer cells that had worked their way out of their original tissues could find their way into these channels, which took them directly to the lymphatic system. “Once they get...

A new device worn like a visor can help emergency medical personnel detect stroke requiring comprehensive care within seconds and with greater than 90 percent accuracy. Summary: Clinical investigators describe a new visor-like device that detects emergent large-vessel occlusion with 92 percent accuracy. In such cases, emergency medical personnel transfer patients directly to a comprehensive stroke center, routing around less-equipped hospitals, and saving valuable time in the process. A new device worn like a visor can detect emergent large-vessel occlusion in patients with suspected stroke with 92 percent accuracy, report clinical investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Mount Sinai, the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and elsewhere in an article published online on March 6, 2018, in the Journal of Neuro Interventional Surgery. Patients with large-vessel occlusions can then be routed to a Comprehensive Stroke Center with endovascular capabilitie...

The  future  is honestly looking bright. There's a high demand for  medical  technologists due to the fact that the current workforce is aging and approaching retirement. Although automation is the way of the  future , automation does not, in any way, eliminate the need for trained technologists to run those machines. I’d say the future of the medical lab is automation given that the field, in general, is heading into an unprecedented shortage of workers due to an increase in health care utilization, an increase in folks retiring, and a decrease in students graduating from Medical lab science or medical lab technician programs. Most instrument areas of the lab are heavily automated and integrated with the LIS/EMR except microbiology, molecular, blood bank, and to some extent anatomical pathology/cytology. We’ve seen an increase in automation for basic blood banking with gel and solid-phase technology analyzers, but complex workups are still done using manual tec...