A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe is Sugar Land premier dentistry practice. Dr. Lance Jue has been serving patients' preventive, restorative and cosmetic dental needs here in Sugar Land for over 19 years. Book an appointment online now with Dr. Lance Jue

Abscess drainage in neck

Dealing with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Female Condom Demonstration

Totally Stapled Bowel Resection and Anastomosis

The hepatitis E virus, responsible for major epidemics of viral hepatitis in subtropical and tropical countries, was cloned only 7 years ago.1 Hepatitis E was found to belong to the family of Caliciviridae, which includes the Norwalk virus—a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans—and consists of a single, plus-strand RNA genome of approximately 7.2 kb without an envelope (Fig. 1). The virus contains at least three open reading frames encoding viral proteins against which antibodies are made on exposure. These antibodies, especially those against the capsid protein derived from the second open reading frame2 and a protein of unknown function derived from the third open reading frame, are detected by currently available serologic assays. Retrospective studies on stored sera of past epidemics of viral hepatitis in Mexico, Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, and Borneo have revealed that all were caused by strains of hepatitis E. In addition, hepatitis E was found to be responsible for the hepatitis epidemic in the southern part of Xinjiang, China, in which 120,000 persons became infected between September 1986 and April 1988.3 Hepatitis E predominantly affects young adults (15 to 40 years old). The symptoms of hepatitis E are similar to those of hepatitis A. Frequently, a prodrome consisting of anorexia, nausea, low-grade fever, and right upper abdominal pain is present 3 to 7 days before jaundice develops. Aminotransferase levels peak (usually between 1,000 and 2,000 U/L) near the onset of symptoms; bilirubin levels (10 to 20 mg/dL) peak later. Jaundice usually resolves after 1 to 2 weeks. In about 10% of cases, the disease is fulminant—especially in pregnant women, among whom mortality rates as high as 20% due to hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications have been reported. No evidence has suggested that hepatitis E can cause chronic infection. Transmission is by the fecal-oral route, predominantly through fecally contaminated drinking water supplies. In addition, however, preliminary reports have suggested transmission of the hepatitis E virus through blood transfusions. Volunteer studies confirmed the presence of the virus in serum and feces before and during clinical disease.4 The virus is shed into feces approximately 1 week before symptoms develop. The incubation period varies from 2 to 9 weeks (mean duration, approximately 45 days). Until now, a few reports had described symptomatic hepatitis E acquired in Europe;5, 6 all patients with symptomatic hepatitis E in the United States were travelers returning from Mexico, Africa, or the Far East, in whom hepatitis E developed after their return home.7 In this issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings (pages 1133 to 1136), Kwo and associates describe a case of hepatitis E in a man who had not left the United States during the previous 10 years. Specific serologic tests for hepatitis E virus IgG (enzyme immunoassays and a fluorescent antibody blocking assay) and IgM8 (US strain-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with use of synthetic polypeptides deduced from the viral genome, as shown in Figure 1), developed at Abbott Laboratories (IgG and IgM) as well as at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (IgG), were used to prove that the patient indeed had acute hepatitis E. Researchers at Abbott Laboratories have prepared a report that describes most of the viral genome in this patient (Fig. I).8 Their results are interesting because this strain from the United States differs considerably from hepatitis E strains isolated in Mexico, Burma, Pakistan, or China. Furthermore, the sequence of the US strain is highly homologous (98% and 94% homology at the amino acid level to the second and third open reading frames, respectively) to a recently isolated hepatitis E strain from American swine.9 This finding suggests that, in the United States, hepatitis E is a zoonosis with the swine population as one of its hosts. This relationship would confirm earlier studies in Asia, where swine were also found to carry variants of the hepatitis E virus.10 Why are these two recent discoveries important for medicine in the United States? First, other sporadic, locally acquired cases of acute hepatitis may be caused by hepatitis E. Second, these back-to-back discoveries strongly suggest that a common natural host for hepatitis E is present in countries with more moderate climates. Because swine do not seem to experience any symptoms associated with infection and because symptoms in humans can be minor or absent, we now may also have an explanation for the 1 to 2% of positive hepatitis E serologic results in blood donors in the United States,11 Netherlands,12 and Italy,6 countries with large swine staples. Clearly, more research needs to be done to confirm this hypothesis. Third, in countries with more moderate climates, hepatitis E may often result in a subclinical infection. Is this variation in manifestation due to less virulent strains, and do sequence variations determine virulence? Fourth, swine may be used as an animal model for study of the disease as well as vaccine development.

http://www.nucleushealth.com/ - This 3D medical animation shows the cause and laparoscopic treatment of a ventral incisional hernia. If you have had abdominal surgery in the past, a ventral incisional hernia may appear at the site of your surgical scar. Your intestine may push through a weakened spot in the tissue between your abdominal muscles creating a bulge beneath your skin. If your hernia is not repaired, complications may occur.
#VentralHernia #VentralIncisionalHernia #IncisionalHernia
ANH11053

An anal fissure is a small tear in the thin, moist tissue (mucosa) that lines the anus. An anal fissure may occur when you pass hard or large stools during a bowel movement. Anal fissures typically cause pain and bleeding with bowel movements. You also may experience spasms in the ring of muscle at the end of your anus (anal sphincter). Anal fissures are very common in young infants but can affect people of any age. Most anal fissures get better with simple treatments, such as increased fiber intake or sitz baths. Some people with anal fissures may need medication or, occasionally, surgery.

Arterial line placement is a common procedure in various critical care settings. Intra-arterial blood pressure (BP) measurement is more accurate than measurement of BP by noninvasive means, especially in the critically ill. [1] Intra-arterial BP management permits the rapid recognition of BP changes that is vital for patients on continuous infusions of vasoactive drugs. Arterial cannulation also allows repeated arterial blood gas samples to be drawn without injury to the patient.

The spleen is one of the most overlooked organs. Rarely does it get attention unless there is some kind of accident or trauma. However, I find spleen dysfunction to be very prevalent. This video talks about some of the symptoms.

To facilitate the delivery of fluids during labour, obstetric anaesthetists from Coventry designed a triple IV peripheral connector with a central high-flow anti-reflux valve. This connector, now rightly known as the Coventry valve, can be used for all theatre settings and is especially useful in obstetrics, ICU, HDU and orthopaedics. More details on www.mediplus.co.uk

The G-SHOT® (clinical description: G-Spot Amplification™ or GSA™), is a simple, nonsurgical, physician-administered treatment that can temporarily augment the Grafenburg spot (G-Spot) in sexually active women with normal sexual function.

symptoms of liver dysfunction. Remember, the body doesn't work in isolation. Where there is dysfunction in one area of the body, be rest assured that dysfunction is happening throughout the body.

The video is about the evolution of the anatomic UCLA laparoscopic technique over 1325 cases and demonstrates the key steps of our operation to improve patient safety and outcomes.

Learn more at http://urology.ucla.edu

Cholestatic liver disease is a condition that results from an impairment of bile formation or bile flow to the gallbladder and duodenum (first section of the small intestine). ... The effects of cholestasis are profound and widespread, leading to worsening liver disease and systemic illness.

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is the most common and effective type of assisted reproductive technology to help women become pregnant. It involves fertilizing an egg outside the body, in a laboratory dish, and then implanting it in a woman's uterus. By 2016, some 6.5 million babies had been born using in-vitro fertilization (IVF). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1.6 percent of babies born in the United States each year are conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART).