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Birth defect: Harlequin syndrome

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Harlequin ichthyosis is a severe genetic disorder that mainly affects the skin. Infants with this condition are born with very hard, thick skin covering most of their bodies. The skin forms large, diamond-shaped plates that are separated by deep cracks (fissures). These skin abnormalities affect the shape of the eyelids, nose, mouth, and ears, and limit movement of the arms and legs. Restricted movement of the chest can lead to breathing difficulties and respiratory failure. The skin normally forms a protective barrier between the body and its surrounding environment. The skin abnormalities associated with harlequin ichthyosis disrupt this barrier, making it more difficult for affected infants to control water loss, regulate their body temperature, and fight infections. Infants with harlequin ichthyosis often experience an excessive loss of fluids (dehydration) and develop life-threatening infections in the first few weeks of life. It used to be very rare for affected...

How Nigeria conquered Ebola: Dr. Ameyo Adedevoh- the unsong heroine

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Few years ago, 2014, during the Goodluck Jonathan (the erstwhile President of Nigeria) administration the west sent a biological weapon to Africa, Nigeria was a major target. A human being loaded with EBOLA virus came into this country landed in Lagos the most populous state in the country for to attend an oblivious conference. That man was diagnosed of Ebola and would not cooperate with the care givers. It took one brave woman Dr. Ameyo Adedevoh , who dealt him a defeating closeline and single handedly restrained him to the bed. She is said to be the greatest grand daughter of Nigeria's foremost founding father of the Nigerian state, Ajayi Crowther. She is credited with having curbed a wider spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria by placing the patient zero , Patrick Sawyer , in quarantine despite pressures from the Liberian government. When threatened by Liberian officials who wanted the patient to be discharged to attend a conference, she resisted the pressu...

Umbilical cord length: Complications

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Umbilical cord length varies, with a range of 35–70 cm at birth being regarded as normal. Both shorter and longer cords are associated with increased rates of intrapartum complications. UC length is thus a significant factor when assessing fetal risk. Antenatal estimation of cord length is however extremely difficult. Traction force produced by fetal movements in the first trimester is assumed to be the crucial growth stimulus of the cord. A short UC is thus associated with reduced fetal movement and all its respective causes (e.g. malformation, myopathies, neuropathies, oligohydramnios). What is a short umbilical cord? An umbilical cord is considered short if it is less than 35 cm at term, although some researchers and clinicians consider 40 cm or even 45 cm to be short. Complications of short umbilical cords for the baby including: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) Cerebral palsy Umbilical cord rupture Breech presentation Miscarriage/sti...

Bestiality: Sheep delivered of human-like lamb

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Stories has it that nomads of sub-saharan Africa has a rite or culture of having sex with their cattle's. The veracity of this claim is yet to be verified. Recently somewhere in northern Nigeria, certain sheep was found to have delivered of what looks like a human baby with animal features. There's great suspicion that this could be a product of bestiality. Bestiality is a word describing sex between a human and an animal. There are few things stranger or more repulsive than bestiality, but this is the worse form of human relations. When you say bestiality, you can hear the word beast, which is a good clue to the meaning. People who are into bestiality like having sex with animals. It doesn't matter what animal is involved: if someone is having sex with something alive that's not a person, it's bestiality. Bestiality is illegal and usually considered very wrong and harmful to everyone involved. In the 1970s, world ren...

Infant breasts: Premature Telarche

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A very hysterical parent came running to the hospital when they observed the persistent growing of their 8 months old baby's breasts, they needed answers to douse their fears. So the doctor requested for a breast examination for the infant. Ultrasound report shows no unusual growth, cyst or malign/benign mass. It was just normal breasts tissue. It's normal for newborn babies (boys and girls) to have swollen, enlarged breasts and/or lumps under the nipple. They're almost always benign and due to exposure to maternal hormones in the womb. The same hormones that cause the mother's breasts to swell and stimulates milk glands can do the same to the baby's breasts. What is premature thelarche? Premature thelarche is enlargement of the breasts in infant girls. Most often, breast enlargement is the only abnormality. It is occasionally the first sign of early (precocious) puberty. This is more likely if the breasts become enlarged after ages ...

Drug abuse: Danger of using paracetamol to cook meat

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There has been an increasing concerns in connection to the abuse of prescription drugs around the world. A more subtle but terrifying trend which began in the 2000's is the use of paracetamol for cooking meat, mostly seen among food vendors. According to our findings, the reason these food vendors use paracetamol in cooking meat is to tenderize the meat to avoid the long hours of boiling in order to meet the increasing demands of their customers. Hard meat tends to take so long on the fire to soften but adding the paracetamol to it softens it quickly reducing the amount of time to cook it naturally but bear it in mind that it has some serious health complications. Studies have shown that, when the drug is used for cooking, it breaks down into other forms which may not possess its original properties as a pain killer and thus could lead to high acidity. Also, when this process occurs, the drug is hydrolysed into what we call 4-aminophenol, which is ...

Cancer now can cross from mother to baby in utero

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Cancer cells have a parasitic propensity in the primary host but their capacity to transit between individuals is severely restrained by two factors: a lack of a route for viable cell transfer and immune recognition in allogeneic, secondary recipients. Several examples of transmissible animal cancers are now recognised. In humans, the only natural route for transmission is via the haemochorial placenta which is permissive for cell traffic. There are three special examples of this occurring in utero: 1. maternal to foetus, 2. intraplacental twin to twin leukaemias 3. choriocarcinoma-extra-embryonic cells to mother.  Scientists have established beyond doubt that in rare cases cancer can be transmitted in the womb, following the birth of a baby to a woman with leukaemia. A team at the Institute of Cancer Research , a college of the University of London, working with colleagues in Japan, found that the cancer had defied accepted theories of biology. Leukaemia ...

THE POWER OF GARLIC ON SEX/FERTILITY

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There are so many people who do not even want to hear the word garlic, others know it's benefits but do not make any effort in directly using it simply because of the odour. Some of these people go after different alcoholic drinks that promises sex drive and good erection. What if I tell you that garlic can act as an aphrodisiac, can help with fertility by making the sperms healthy and increasing it, it increases blood flow in the body, reduces stress to make one go for more rounds and what if I tell you it can make a man have good erection??? Let's get to the science of it.  Garlic contains a chemical called allicin. Allicin is responsible for many of garlic’s amazing health benefits including its antimicrobial, and anti-hypertension properties. This compound prevents plaques from building up in arteries and enhances blood flow to the genital area which increases the production of sperm. Garlic also contains nitric oxide synthase, or NOS, which plays an...

Cryptic pregnancy: scam version

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It was a cold and rainy morning sometime in April, when one of the OPD nurses on duty knocked on the consulting room door. Nurse KC:   Doc, are you free? There’s a new patient that will like to see you. Me: Okay, Please send her in. Me: Good morning Ma’am, how may I help you? Patient: Good morning Doc, I am about 3 months pregnant but still seeing my menses monthly and I am worried. Me: It is not normal to be pregnant and still be bleeding or seeing your menses. Me: How was this pregnancy confirmed?  PT?  Ultrasound Scan?  Any pregnancy symptoms? Patient: They said I should not go to any hospital for antenatal or pregnancy tests, because the baby won’t show in scan and pregnancy test would be negative. Me: Who are these “They” that told you these?  It is strange that a woman will be pregnant for 3 months, yet PT test can’t detect hCG level or ultrasound scan show the fetus. Patient: Ha! Doc, you’v...

Pregnancy hormones: Blood test for testicular cancer ♋

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Where testicular cancer is suspected ultrasound is often the first test done if the doctor thinks you might have testicular cancer. It uses sound waves to produce images of the inside of your body. It can be used to see if a change in the testis is a benign condition (like a hydrocele or varicocele) or a solid tumor that could be a cancer. If the lump is solid, it’s more likely to be a cancer. In this case, the doctor might recommend other tests or even surgery to remove the testicle. Some blood tests can help diagnose testicular tumors. Many testicular cancers make high levels of certain proteins called tumor markers , such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). When these tumor markers are in the blood, it suggests that there's a testicular tumor. Rises in levels of AFP or HCG can also help doctors tell which type of testicular cancer it might be. Non-seminomas often raise AFP and/or HCG levels. Pure seminomas occasional...