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Medical science and technology

Started by Dave, September 07, 2017, 03:01:57 AM

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Dave

QuoteThis pen diagnoses cancer mid-surgery in seconds ... a new invention: a disposable pen that diagnoses tissue samples, mid-operation, within ten seconds, at an accuracy of 96 per cent.
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/surgical-pen-tests-for-cancer-in-ten-seconds

Just one of the new technologies that are helping fight the battle with cancer.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Dave

QuoteThis wearable brain scanner could transform our understanding of how neurons 'talk'

Mapping the chattering of neurons is a tricky undertaking. Arguably the best tool for eavesdropping in real time—by detecting the weak magnetic fields emitted by communicating neurons—comes with a huge caveat: Participants must keep their heads absolutely still inside an enormous scanner. That makes the method, magnetoencephalography (MEG), a no-go for young children, and it nixes studying brain behavior while people are moving. Now, scientists have developed the first device to solve those problems, a masklike instrument that can transmit brain signals even when the wearer is moving.

Despite some limits on how much of the brain's activity can be mapped at once, neuroscientists are excited. "This is remarkable," says MEG researcher Matti Hamalainen of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who wasn't involved in the study. "MEG is moving forward conceptually into a new era."
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/wearable-brain-scanner-could-transform-our-understanding-how-neurons-talk
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Icarus

 I went to the Dermatologist a few days ago. Routine annual exam. I live in the semi tropics and my risk of skin cancer is worth monitoring.  Sure as hell he found three little disturbances that he sliced open.  He says that little chunks of me will be sent away to the laboratory to determine whether the cells are malignant.  Meanwhile I have to wait, and of course I will have to pay for the follow up visit and probably the charges from the lab.

One of the freakin' tiny places is below my right eye, dangerously close to the eye. Whaaaat?  Yeah, he sliced a chunk of that flesh out so that the lab could do their thing.   Sheeeit, I did not even know that there was any sign of a problem on or near my eye. I cannot help but wonder whether the doctor was hustling me.  He has a good reputation but reputations are made by patients who are satisfied that the man is sincere and caring and all that stuff.  Patients do not know shit about what is going on so how could we make a reliable assessment of the competence or integrity of the practitioner?

Ours is a fee for service economy. The more a physician, Lawyer or accountant can have you involved, the more secure his/her practice.

The magic pen could change the way these things are done. 

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Icarus on March 21, 2018, 11:02:43 PM
I went to the Dermatologist a few days ago. Routine annual exam. I live in the semi tropics and my risk of skin cancer is worth monitoring.  Sure as hell he found three little disturbances that he sliced open.  He says that little chunks of me will be sent away to the laboratory to determine whether the cells are malignant.  Meanwhile I have to wait, and of course I will have to pay for the follow up visit and probably the charges from the lab.

One of the freakin' tiny places is below my right eye, dangerously close to the eye. Whaaaat?  Yeah, he sliced a chunk of that flesh out so that the lab could do their thing.   Sheeeit, I did not even know that there was any sign of a problem on or near my eye. I cannot help but wonder whether the doctor was hustling me.  He has a good reputation but reputations are made by patients who are satisfied that the man is sincere and caring and all that stuff.  Patients do not know shit about what is going on so how could we make a reliable assessment of the competence or integrity of the practitioner?

Ours is a fee for service economy. The more a physician, Lawyer or accountant can have you involved, the more secure his/her practice.

The magic pen could change the way these things are done.

:o I hope it turns out to be nothing to worry about, Icarus!
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


hermes2015

Quote from: Icarus on March 21, 2018, 11:02:43 PM
I went to the Dermatologist a few days ago. Routine annual exam. I live in the semi tropics and my risk of skin cancer is worth monitoring.  Sure as hell he found three little disturbances that he sliced open.  He says that little chunks of me will be sent away to the laboratory to determine whether the cells are malignant.  Meanwhile I have to wait, and of course I will have to pay for the follow up visit and probably the charges from the lab.

One of the freakin' tiny places is below my right eye, dangerously close to the eye. Whaaaat?  Yeah, he sliced a chunk of that flesh out so that the lab could do their thing.   Sheeeit, I did not even know that there was any sign of a problem on or near my eye. I cannot help but wonder whether the doctor was hustling me.  He has a good reputation but reputations are made by patients who are satisfied that the man is sincere and caring and all that stuff.  Patients do not know shit about what is going on so how could we make a reliable assessment of the competence or integrity of the practitioner?

Ours is a fee for service economy. The more a physician, Lawyer or accountant can have you involved, the more secure his/her practice.

The magic pen could change the way these things are done.

I occasionally get little spots as well, because I am very light-skinned. They usually get fixed very easily with a painless cryo non-surgical treatment. My doctor dips a cotton bud in liquid nitrogen and then freezes the spot. It usually clears within a week, but the secret is to catch them early, before they become problematic.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Dave

Yes, here's hoping it's just one of those non-nasty things that can afflict us with age.

And I agree about the possibility of "surplus" treatment - there is a dentist in a local praftice thst I have suspicions about . . .
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

Quote from: Icarus on March 21, 2018, 11:02:43 PM
I went to the Dermatologist a few days ago. Routine annual exam. I live in the semi tropics and my risk of skin cancer is worth monitoring.  Sure as hell he found three little disturbances that he sliced open.  He says that little chunks of me will be sent away to the laboratory to determine whether the cells are malignant.  Meanwhile I have to wait, and of course I will have to pay for the follow up visit and probably the charges from the lab.

One of the freakin' tiny places is below my right eye, dangerously close to the eye. Whaaaat?  Yeah, he sliced a chunk of that flesh out so that the lab could do their thing.   Sheeeit, I did not even know that there was any sign of a problem on or near my eye. I cannot help but wonder whether the doctor was hustling me.  He has a good reputation but reputations are made by patients who are satisfied that the man is sincere and caring and all that stuff.  Patients do not know shit about what is going on so how could we make a reliable assessment of the competence or integrity of the practitioner?

Ours is a fee for service economy. The more a physician, Lawyer or accountant can have you involved, the more secure his/her practice.

The magic pen could change the way these things are done.

Eeek! I sure hope all is well!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Icarus

There are three varieties of mole like skin cancer. the first two are not lethal.  The last one, Melanoma, can be a serious or even fatal problem if not attended promptly.   I have had only minor bouts with those skin lesions. The dermatologist will usually want to remove squamish cell growths, the number two type.  It will not kill you but it will continue to grow if not removed....eeek whacking away flesh and usually cauterizing the closure.  I do not like the smell of burning flesh, and especially when it is my flesh. The least of the skin lesions are often literally "burned" off with a stream of liquid nitrogen. Damn that hurts, but it does get rid of the mini cancers.

All the skin cancers are said to be caused by UV radiation, as in sunshine.  Tanning beds are a prime cause of those cancerous thingies.  Since I am told that the sun seldom shines in England, you will not be as much at risk......  or if I am to believe the lyrics of a certain, I think, Gilbert and Sullivan opera...."Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun".....or is that Kipling?

The use of various lotions to combat the dry or flaky skin has its downsides.  Commonly prescribed lotions such as ammonium lactate are just fine except that it makes the skin more sensitive to UV radiation and therefore more likely to produce cancerous cells.

xSilverPhinx

I think another downside of sunscreen is it impairs vitamin D production? Not that it's a huge problem, people can always take supplements...better to use lotion.

I should take my own advice. ::) I don't use sunscreen even though I should.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Dave

Quote from: Icarus on March 25, 2018, 11:43:50 PM
There are three varieties of mole like skin cancer. the first two are not lethal.  The last one, Melanoma, can be a serious or even fatal problem if not attended promptly.   I have had only minor bouts with those skin lesions. The dermatologist will usually want to remove squamish cell growths, the number two type.  It will not kill you but it will continue to grow if not removed....eeek whacking away flesh and usually cauterizing the closure.  I do not like the smell of burning flesh, and especially when it is my flesh. The least of the skin lesions are often literally "burned" off with a stream of liquid nitrogen. Damn that hurts, but it does get rid of the mini cancers.

All the skin cancers are said to be caused by UV radiation, as in sunshine.  Tanning beds are a prime cause of those cancerous thingies.  Since I am told that the sun seldom shines in England, you will not be as much at risk......  or if I am to believe the lyrics of a certain, I think, Gilbert and Sullivan opera...."Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun".....or is that Kipling?

The use of various lotions to combat the dry or flaky skin has its downsides.  Commonly prescribed lotions such as ammonium lactate are just fine except that it makes the skin more sensitive to UV radiation and therefore more likely to produce cancerous cells.

"Mad dogs and Englishmen" was a Noel Coward song.

I have itchy moles, in exposed places, that I keep an check on.

An acquaitance now has bad facial scarring becsuse he was, despite seeming very intelligent, stupid enough to ignore the black "mole" on his face fir too long. He is fair skinned snd sandy haired, took a visit to his son in Australia, and a family row down there, for him to see sense.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

hermes2015

Quote from: Dave on March 26, 2018, 05:36:42 AM
Quote from: Icarus on March 25, 2018, 11:43:50 PM
There are three varieties of mole like skin cancer. the first two are not lethal.  The last one, Melanoma, can be a serious or even fatal problem if not attended promptly.   I have had only minor bouts with those skin lesions. The dermatologist will usually want to remove squamish cell growths, the number two type.  It will not kill you but it will continue to grow if not removed....eeek whacking away flesh and usually cauterizing the closure.  I do not like the smell of burning flesh, and especially when it is my flesh. The least of the skin lesions are often literally "burned" off with a stream of liquid nitrogen. Damn that hurts, but it does get rid of the mini cancers.

All the skin cancers are said to be caused by UV radiation, as in sunshine.  Tanning beds are a prime cause of those cancerous thingies.  Since I am told that the sun seldom shines in England, you will not be as much at risk......  or if I am to believe the lyrics of a certain, I think, Gilbert and Sullivan opera...."Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun".....or is that Kipling?

The use of various lotions to combat the dry or flaky skin has its downsides.  Commonly prescribed lotions such as ammonium lactate are just fine except that it makes the skin more sensitive to UV radiation and therefore more likely to produce cancerous cells.

"Mad dogs and Englishmen" was a Noel Coward song.

I have itchy moles, in exposed places, that I keep an check on.

An acquaitance now has bad facial scarring becsuse he was, despite seeming very intelligent, stupid enough to ignore the black "mole" on his face fir too long. He is fair skinned snd sandy haired, took a visit to his son in Australia, and a family row down there, for him to see sense.

There is a much higher awareness of these things in sunny countries like Australia and South Africa with very large Caucasian populations. Most of our GPs routinely check for suspicious spots when one visits them.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Tank

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 25, 2018, 11:55:01 PM
I think another downside of sunscreen is it impairs vitamin D production? Not that it's a huge problem, people can always take supplements...better to use lotion.

I should take my own advice. ::) I don't use sunscreen even though I should.

You are a medical student and live in Brazil, yet you don't wear sun screen. You have no right to ask how theists do mental gymnastics to believe in god! They just ignore reality!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Tank on March 26, 2018, 01:12:33 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 25, 2018, 11:55:01 PM
I think another downside of sunscreen is it impairs vitamin D production? Not that it's a huge problem, people can always take supplements...better to use lotion.

I should take my own advice. ::) I don't use sunscreen even though I should.

You are a medical student and live in Brazil, yet you don't wear sun screen. You have no right to ask how theists do mental gymnastics to believe in god! They just ignore reality!

Yeah I really should start putting the stuff on (I don't like the smell, though :( )

The UV index where I live is around 5 or 6, and that's because it rained this weekend and it's cloudy right now.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/Brazil/PortoAlegre/UVindex.htm
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Dave

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 26, 2018, 01:25:10 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 26, 2018, 01:12:33 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 25, 2018, 11:55:01 PM
I think another downside of sunscreen is it impairs vitamin D production? Not that it's a huge problem, people can always take supplements...better to use lotion.

I should take my own advice. ::) I don't use sunscreen even though I should.

You are a medical student and live in Brazil, yet you don't wear sun screen. You have no right to ask how theists do mental gymnastics to believe in god! They just ignore reality!

Yeah I really should start putting the stuff on (I don't like the smell, though :( )

The UV index where I live is around 5 or 6, and that's because it rained this weekend and it's cloudy right now.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/Brazil/PortoAlegre/UVindex.htm

My year in Bahrein gave me enough sunshine to kast me the rest of my life without ever wanting to be in it, unnecessarily, again!

But, on an archaeological dig during what passes for summer in England, the weather was sunny but the wind on top of that hill was not that warm.

I got laughed at for using factor 15 on my nose, ears and the back of my neck and wearing a large safari hat and long sleeved tee shirts that were a size to big (so they did not ride up above my thin cotton trousers when I bent down). I was the one without nasty sore red bits after two days.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Dave on March 26, 2018, 01:35:38 PM
...I was the one without nasty sore red bits after two days.

Then you got the last laugh.  :devil:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey