Basically, acne is a skin disorder that leads to an outbreak of lesions called pimples or “zits.” The most common form of the disease is called acne vulgaris—the rash that affects many adolescents. Acne vulgaris is triggered by the hormonal changes that occur in puberty. This is a condition in which pimples appear on the face, chest, and back. In teenagers, acne usually appears on the forehead, nose, and chin. It is caused by the overproduction of sebum. Sebum is an oily substance that forms in glands just under the surface of the skin called sebaceous glands.

During puberty, there are increased levels of the male hormone androgen. High levels of androgen cause excess sebum to form. Sometimes the sebum combines with dead, sticky skin cells and bacteria called Propioni-bacterium acnes that normally live on the skin. The mixture of oil and cells allows the bacteria to grow in the plugged follicles. This will now be the formation of the blackheads or whiteheads. Acne treatments should be consider if there is this painful nodules and cysts are present, acne lesions are causing scarring and over-the-counter medications have not been effective.

We cannot deny the fact that our life today is made of web chatting, navigation, PC games and the list is endless. Some spend hours and even days without moving from the front of the computer; shower and food are skipped and only physiological needs force them for a few seconds out. But do you think that so much staring at a computer screen does not affect you? Here is just a part of the effect: the “computer vision syndrome” comprising tired dry eyes, blurred vision, eye strain, headache, and sensitivity to light.

A recent survey made by American Optometric Association, on about 1,000 persons older than 18, revealed that 82% used frequently the PC; 42% spent over three hours daily in front of a computer screen; 73% did not take computer breaks as often as recommended; 10% did not take breaks at all.

Protective measures

“First, get your eyes checked regularly and work with your doctor of optometry to solve these problems. The doctor who knows you are using a computer for an extended period of time will do things differently for you then they might otherwise do. Special computer glasses and computer screen filters are available to help reduce glare and eye discomfort,” said Daum.Don’t forget to blink.

Daum explained that we sould remember to blink when using a computer. When we concentrate, our blink rate goes down, leading to dry eyes. Every 20 minutes look away from your computer for about 20 seconds; this will minimize the development of eye-focusing problems and eye irritation caused by not blinking enough.

Work space lighting is a crucial issue. The amount of lighting at the office must be lowered, by replacing a bright light for an overhead light, or use a dimmer switch for controlling the degree of room lighting.You should not see any glare or reflection at all off your computer screen. You should not have windows in your field of view.You should also be careful about the ergonomics of your computer. The screen should be right in front of you so you don’t have to twist to see it and the monitor should be right about eye level or a little below eye level.

Theoretical facts is that individual who are overweight or obese run a greater risk of developing diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some forms of cancer. The body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to determine desirable body weights.

BMI is a measurement of an adult’s weight in relation to height, and it is calculated metrically as weight divided by height square (kg/m2). People with BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 are considered overweight and people with BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. Do compute your BMI.

Body mass index only provides a rough estimate of desirable weight, however. Weight alone may not be indicator of fat, as in the case of a bodybuilder who may have a high BMI because of a high percentage of muscle tissue, which weighs more than fat. Likewise, a person with a sedentary lifestyle may be within a desirable weight range but have excess fat tissue. In general, the higher the BMI, the greater the risk for developing serious medical conditions.
Studies have shown that meal replacements are often more effective than very low calories diets, resulting in an increase in the amount of initial weight loss and enabling dieters to maintain their weight loss. Regarding diet pills, it would only take over a sex month period that weight loss medication may result in a 10-percent body weight reduction. Weight loss slows or stops after six months, and discontinuing medication usually causes weight regain. However, the continued use of diet medications keeps most of the lost weight from returning for two years.

Caloric restriction alone will not produce long-term weight loss. Research clearly indicates that regular exercise is the single best predictor for achieving long term weight control. Regular exercise will also improve some of the medical conditions associated with obesity, including elevated blood cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Prevention is better than cure and obesity is preventive.

This is a little bizarre: while cases of mouth cancers caused by tobacco and alcohol have being decreasing since 1982, due to their lower consume, a new culprit for this type of cancer is causing increasingly more victims: oral sex.

More specifically, a human papilloma virus (HPV), which can be
transmitted through oral sex, causes tongue, mouth and throat cancers, besides cervical, penile and anal cancers. The number of this type of cancers has risen by 33% from 1973 to 2004, as found by a team led by Maura Gillison at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, US, in a research published in the “Journal of Clinical Oncology.” The researchers used data recorded in the US National Cancer Institute registries, recording about 46,000 cases.

“What we do know is that the prevalence of HPV is high, particularly among young people and this shouldn’t be a surprise given that, since the sexual revolution, people have been having more sexual partners,” Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, told NewScientist.

“The rise was largest among young white males, suggesting this group is more likely to have oral sex at a younger age now than it was 20 years ago. It adds that further research on the role of race and sex, and oral sexual behavior, is needed,” wrote the authors.

“What is not in doubt is the need to consider giving boys the HPV vaccine, to protect them from the disease,” said Gillison.
There is already a Merck vaccine targeting HPV strains responsible for cervical (uterus) cancer in young women and girls. The same viral types are also known to provoke oral, penile and anal cancers. The HPV16 strain is particularly aggressive.
“We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine,” said Gillison.

This sexually transmitted virus is more dangerous than all others: it can spread through anal and oral sex, and cause cancer in all it touches, from cervical (uterus) cancer in women to anal and oral cancer in both men and women. The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes now as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, being correlated to a boost in oral sex practice and the decreasing number of smokers.

There are anti-HPV vaccines on the market, developed by Merck & Co. Inc., but by now they target only girls and young women. Now, it appears that male vaccinations are required for impeding men spreading the virus.

HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which affects around 12,000
women annually in U.S. alone. Mild strains of the virus cause genital warts, but other strains can cause from penile to anal and throat cancer; yet male cases are not given as much attention as in the case of cervical cancer.

A previous study made by a team at Johns Hopkins University determined that HPV is the main cause of annual 5,600 new cases of tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat cancers in US. A new research made by the same team on 30-year data on oral cancers, gathered at the National Cancer Institute, determined the rate of HPV-caused cases analyzing 46,000 registered cases. The incidence levels for HPV-related oral cancers increased steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, matching those caused by tobacco and alcohol.

“The good news is that survival rates for the cancer are also increasing. That’s because tumors caused by HPV respond better to chemotherapy and radiation. If current trends continue, within the next 10 years there may be more oral cancers in the United States caused by HPV than tobacco or alcohol,” said co-author Dr. Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University.

Some studies point that not only oral sex can be responsible for these cases; the virus seems to be transmitted to the mouth even by unwashed hands. The study also revealed that HPV-related upper throat cancers dropped in women from 1973 to 2004.

Merck’s vaccine is effective against four types of HPV, one of them connected to oral cancer.

“Merck has been testing the vaccine in an international study, but it is focused on anal and penile cancer and genital warts, not oral cancers. We are continuing to consider additional areas of study that focus on both female and male HPV diseases and cancers,” said Kelley Dougherty, a Merck spokeswoman.

Merck may come with a vaccine targeting men in 2009.

credit to { softpedia }

~hey guys I have here some medical jargons that usually medical professionals use… c”,) so guys check it out just an information to everyone…

PRN (Latin: pro re nata) – as necesarry [i.e. Suction secretions, PRN]

IE – internal examination ; mostly done on pregnant women

IV – intravenous / another is TIV (through IV) [i.e. IV fluid, Gentamycin TIV]

IM - intramuscular [i.e. Hepa B vaccine administration, IM]

PO (L. Per Orem) – through mouth [i.e Polio Vaccine 2-3 drops, PO]

NPO (nothing PO) – nothing through mouth/oral cavity. mostly ordered on patients with impaired oral cavity / patients with NGT

NGT (Nasogastric Tube) – yung pinapasok sa ilong na tube. yan abbreviation nyan.

SL – sublingual route, sa ilalim ng dila nilalagay yung gamot for absorption [i.e. Medication X, SL]

Common Abbreviations on Medical Procedures:

CS / C-sec – Caesarian Section

ORIF - Open reduction with internal fixation/fixator (yung mga nabalian ng buto ang common na may case nito)

Ex-Lap – Explore laparotomy ; commonly done on stab wound cases

AKA – Above knee amputation

BKA – below knee amputation

AEA – above elbow amputation

BEA – below elbow amputation