Few Important Aspects About ORS
Discovery of ORS (oral rehydration salt or solution) is one of the greatest discoveries in the field of medical science in recent time. It has saved (still saving and will continue to save) more lives than any other medicine (e.g. penicillin). Discovery of penicillin is considered one of the greatest discoveries of medical science, but simple ORS has saved more lives than penicillin. Every year ORS is saving millions of lives (infants, children and adults alike) around the world, especially in developing countries.
Diarrhea is responsible for mortality, morbidity, social inconvenience, loss of work productivity, and consumption of medical resources of all nations. More than one billion individuals are affected by one or more episodes of diarrhea worldwide every year. It is estimated that globally (mostly in developing countries) approximately 3 million deaths occur due to diarrhea every year, mostly children and infants. But a greater (>3 million) number of deaths are averted by use of ORS in developing countries, which is cheap, easily available and can even be made at home with available ingredients (homemade ORS).
Categories: Health Information Tags: oral rehydration salt, ORS
Some Important Questions About Rotavirus
Rotavirus infection and diarrhea as a result is a common health problem throughout the world, especially for infants and young children. As a child grows up, he/she get immune to the rota virus infection and this is the reason adults generally do not suffer from rotavirus infection and if they suffer, the infection is generally mild (as most adults are already immune to rota virus).
Can I get rotavirus infection more than once?
Yes anyone can get infected with rota virus more than once. There are five different types of rota virus, namely rota virus A, B, C, D and E. Rota virus A is the commonest and account for more than 90% of rotavirus infections in us. You can get rota virus infection more than once because of different types of rota virus. But second and subsequent infections are mild in nature than previous infections. Individuals of all ages, including adults, in fact get repeated infection with rota virus, but due to strong immunity against rota virus usually do not suffer from serious symptoms, unless immunity is weak. Most rota virus infections in adults in fact do not have any symptoms.
Categories: Health Information Tags: Rota virus
What is done with left over embryos after In-vitro Fertilization?
During the process of IVF (in-vitro fertilization), there may be a few leftover embryos or eggs. The embryos which remain unutilized after in-vitro fertilization are generally used for donation for third party reproduction. During in-vitro fertilization procedure average of ten to thirty eggs may be retrieved after identification, by a procedure called egg retrieval, which is usually done under ultrasound guidance needle piercing the vaginal wall to reach the ovaries.
The eggs after retrieval are incubated along with sperm from the donor (in a ratio of 1:75,000; egg: sperm) in a culture media for 18 hours and in most cases they are fertilized. After fertilization the fertilized eggs are cultured and transferred to the woman. If the woman carries the pregnancy to term and then the unused embryos are called leftover embryos, which are preserved by cryopreservation.
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What are the Complications of In-vitro Fertilization?
There are several complications involved with use of IVF (in-vitro fertilization). Some of the complications are potentially serious and some are not serious. If you are planning to undergo in-vitro fertilization, you should be aware of the potential risks or complications associated with the procedure (i.e. IVF).
Multiple pregnancies:
The most common complication involved in IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is multiple pregnancies. Multiple pregnancies are directly related to the technique of using multiple embryo transfer. In some countries (e.g. UK) there is strict limit of the number of embryos that can be transferred legally, to prevent multiple pregnancies, especially the risk of high-order multiples such as triplets or more. Unfortunately it is doubtful if the limit is followed. Even after limiting the number of embryos that are transferred, there is still chance of spontaneous splitting of embryos in the womb after transfer, which will result in identical twins, but this is very rare. Multiple pregnancies result in low birth weight babies and associated complications.
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Know About 5-HTP
5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan to use it full name, is an over the counter dietary supplement that has a number of uses including as an anti-depressant, an aid to weight loss, to help against anxiety and to help with sleep problems.
5-HTP is a metabolic intermediate and a naturally occurring amino acid; in fact our bodies make 5-HTP naturally from L-tryptophan. From there 5-HTP is turned into serotonin which has a lot uses in the body.
In fact serotonin is a vital brain functioning chemical. It is this serotonin that helps our maintain sleep patterns, regulates our moods and helps control hunger.
And it is this ability to control hunger that helps make 5-HTP useful if you want to lose weight. When you don't enough serotonin, your body it does all it can to get enough serotonin into its diet.
Categories: Health Information Tags: 5-HTP, 5-hydroxytryptophan, L- tryptophan, serotonin
