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The brain is that part of the CNS contained within the cranial cavity (figure 13.1). It is the control center for many of the body's functions. The brain is much like a complex central computer but with additional functions that no computer can as yet match. Indeed, one goal in computer technology is to make computers that can function more like the human brain. The brain consists of the brainstem, the cerebellum, the diencephalon, and the cerebrum (table 13.1). The brainstem includes the medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, and reticular formation. The structure of the brain is described in this chapter. Its functions are primarily discussed in chapter 14. Twelve pairs of cranial nerves, which are part of the PNS, arise directly from the brain. Two pairs arise from the cerebrum, nine pairs arise from the brainstem, and one pair arises from the spinal cord.
A simple continuous stitch can be a useful technique for skin closure when speed is important, e.g. closing a scalp laceration on a screaming child. The simple running, or continuous suture, is begun in the same way as a simple interrupted suture.
Repair of post-infarction ventricular septal defect (VSD) remains a challenging procedure with a high risk of VSD recurrence. In order to reduce this risk, a double patch and glue technique was introduced in the department in 1986. This surgical technique is hereunder presented. Since 1971, ninety-three patients have been operated on early (≪15 days) after the occurrence of a post-infarction VSD. This retrospective study allows to compare the results of this double patch and glue technique to those obtained with the conventional one, in terms of hospital death and VSD recurrence. The double patch and glue technique avoids recurrence of VSD and plays a part in reducing hospital mortality.
The majority of epileptic seizures are controlled by medication, particularly anticonvulsant drugs. The type of treatment prescribed will depend on several factors, including the frequency and severity of the seizures and the person's age, overall health, and medical history. An accurate diagnosis of the type of epilepsy is also critical to choosing the best treatment. Drug Therapy Many drugs are available to treat epilepsy. Although generic drugs are safely used for most medications, anticonvulsants are one category where doctors proceed with caution. Most doctors prefer to use brand-name anticonvulsants, but realize that many insurance companies will not cover the cost. As a result, it is acceptable to start taking a generic anticonvulsant medication, but if the desired control is not achieved, the patient should be switched to the brand-name drug.
There's only one group of people who really know what happens when you die: the dead. And since the dead won't be revealing their secrets anytime soon, it's up to scientists to explain what happens when a person dies. Death, just like life, is a process, scientists say. The first stage of this process is known as clinical death. It lasts from four to six minutes, beginning when a person stops breathing and the heart stops pumping blood. During this time, there may be enough oxygen in the brain that no permanent brain damage occurs. Other organs, such as the kidneys and eyes, also remain alive throughout clinical death.
The arm and leg muscles are affected later. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease — a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. In MG, that attack interrupts the connection between nerve and muscle — the neuromuscular junction.
You get motion sickness when one part of your balance-sensing system (your inner ear , eyes, and sensory nerves) senses that your body is moving, but the other parts don't. For example, if you are in the cabin of a moving ship, your inner ear may sense the motion of waves, but your eyes don't see any movement.
A pneumothorax is usually caused by an injury to the chest, such as a broken rib or puncture wound. It may also occur suddenly without an injury. A pneumothorax can result from damage to the lungs caused by conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia.
irregular, curved toenails. footwear that places a lot of pressure on the big toes, such as socks and stockings that are too tight or shoes that are too tight, narrow, or flat for your feet. toenail injury, including stubbing your toe, dropping something heavy on your foot, or kicking a ball repeatedly. poor posture.
Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disease characterized by the classic triad of persistent high spiking fevers, joint pain, and a distinctive salmon-colored bumpy rash. The disease is considered a diagnosis of exclusion.
Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome, is a chromosomal condition associated with abnormalities in many parts of the body. Individuals with trisomy 18 often have slow growth before birth (intrauterine growth retardation) and a low birth weight. Affected individuals may have heart defects and abnormalities of other organs that develop before birth. Other features of trisomy 18 include a small, abnormally shaped head; a small jaw and mouth; and clenched fists with overlapping fingers. Due to the presence of several life-threatening medical problems, many individuals with trisomy 18 die before birth or within their first month. Five to 10 percent of children with this condition live past their first year, and these children often have severe intellectual disability.
Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond pelvic organs.
Adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, is a deadly genetic disease that affects 1 in 18 000 people. It most severely affects boys and men. This brain disorder destroys myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds the brain's neurons -- the nerve cells that allow us to think and to control our muscles.
A hemolytic transfusion reaction is a serious complication that can occur after a transfusion of blood. The red blood cells that were given in the transfusion are destroyed by the patient's immune system. There are other types of allergic transfusion reactions that do not cause hemolysis.
CD4 T-cells (a type of white blood cell) are important to your body's defence against infections. This animation describes how your immune system is weakened by the HIV virus, which targets CD4 T-cells and leads to their gradual decline in number. Low to very low levels of CD4 cells put you at risk for 'opportunistic infections' that take advantage of the body's weakened immune system.