Artificial Pancreas - Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body views the beta cells (insulin producing cells found in the islets of the pancreas) as a foreign substance, so the patient's immune system attacks the islets and kills them.

Scientists in Cambridge have made a significant step towards developing a so-called “artificial pancreas” system for managing type 1 diabetes in children.

The team has developed and successfully tested a new algorithm, providing a stepping stone to home testing for the artificial pancreas. The new study published on Friday in The Lancet shows that using an artificial pancreas system overnight can significantly reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, when blood glucose levels drop dangerously low, while sleeping.

These so-called “hypos” are a major concern for children and adults with type 1 diabetes. An artificial pancreas system combines a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump, both already on the market, and uses a sophisticated algorithm to calculate the appropriate amount of insulin to deliver based on the real-time glucose readings.

As well as obviating the need for multiple daily finger prick tests and insulin injections, the artificial pancreas should offer better control of blood glucose levels overnight. In the new study, 17 children and teenagers aged between five and 18 with type 1 diabetes were studied during 54 nights at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

For more inforamtion: http://beta.thehindu.com/health/article101631.ece

Pancreas Transplantation

The pancreas is an organ that makes insulin and enzymes that help the body digest and use food. A pancreas transplant is surgery to place a healthy pancreas from a donor into a person with a diseased pancreas. A common reason for this type of damage is diabetes. Pancreas transplants can enable people with type 1 diabetes to give up insulin shots. An experimental procedure called islet cell transplantation transplants only the parts of the pancreas that make insulin.

People who have transplants must take drugs to keep their body from rejecting the new pancreas for the rest of their lives. They must also have regular follow-up care.

Islet cell transplantation places cells from an organ donor into the pancreas of another person. It is used experimentally to treat type 1 diabetes. Islets are cells found in clusters throughout the pancreas. They are made up of several types of cells. The islets contain beta cells, which make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.

In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. Transplanted islet cells, however, can take over the work of the destroyed cells. Once implanted, the beta cells in these islets begin to make and release insulin. Researchers hope islet transplantation will help people with type 1 diabetes live without daily insulin injections.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Syndrome (GBS) is a exceptional medical condition that affects the nerves outer surface the brain and spinal cord. Even though it can be frightening because it often causes people to have some type of paralysis, Guillain-Barre (pronounced: ghee-yan bah-ray) syndrome is very rare: It just affects 1 or 2 people in every 100,000. Most of the people who do get Guillain-Barré syndrome improve and are able to return to their normal lives and activities.

Symptoms

An initial episode of a headache, vomiting, fever and back and limb pain is followed by paralysis, which starts as tingling and numbness followed by increasing weakness. The paralysis is often progressive and ascending (starting with the feet and moving upwards), but the condition may come on suddenly and affect all four limbs at once. The degree of paralysis varies.

There may also be a loss of sensation, sometimes with pain. In about one in four cases the paralysis spreads to the respiratory nerves controlling breathing and the person needs to be put on a ventilator.

Some patients have a similar but longer-lasting illness called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), once known as chronic Guillain-Barre but now usually regarded as a related condition.

Who's affected?

Guillain-Barre affects about 1,500 people every year in the UK, and about 150 develop CIDP. The exact mechanisms that cause the conditions aren't clear, but about 60 per cent of those affected will have had a throat or intestinal infection, flu or major stress within the previous two weeks. This triggers the immune system, which then attacks the nerves.

It rarely occurs in first-degree relatives, but familial cases have been reported and genetic similarities noted. For example, a study of Japanese people with Guillain-Barre following an intestinal infection with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni found they were more likely to have a rare version of the gene for an immune system chemical known as tumour necrosis factor.

Anaemia

Anaemia is a deficiency in the number or quality of red blood cells. The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, using a particular protein called haemoglobin. Anaemia means that either the level of red blood cells or the level of haemoglobin is lower than normal.

When a person is anaemic, their heart has to work harder to pump the quantity of blood needed to get adequate oxygen around their body. During heavy exercise, the cells may not be able to carry enough oxygen to meet the body’s needs and the person can become exhausted.

Anaemia isn’t a disease in itself, but a result of a malfunction somewhere in the body. This blood condition is common, particularly in females. Some estimates suggest that around one in five menstruating women and half of all pregnant women are anaemic.

Symptoms
Depending on the severity, the symptoms of anaemia may include:

• Pale skin
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Tiring easily
• Breathlessness
• Drop in blood pressure when standing from a sitting or lying position (orthostatic hypotension) – this may happen after acute blood loss, like a heavy period
• Frequent headaches
• Racing heart or palpitations
• Becoming irritated easily
• Concentration difficulties
• Cracked or reddened tongue
• Loss of appetite
• Strange food cravings.

Groups at high risk
Certain people are at increased risk of anaemia, including:

• Menstruating women
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• Babies, especially if premature
• Children going through puberty
• Vegetarians
• People with cancer, stomach ulcers and some chronic diseases
• People on fad diets
• Athletes.

Treatment
Treatment depends on the cause and severity, but may include:

• Vitamin and mineral supplements – in the case of deficiency.
• Iron injections – if the person is very low on iron.
• Vitamin B12 (by injection) – required for pernicious anaemia.
• Antibiotics – if infection is the cause.
• Altering the dose or regimen of regular medications – such as anti-inflammatory drugs, if necessary.
• Blood transfusions – if required.
• Oxygen therapy – if required.
• Surgery to prevent abnormal bleeding – such as heavy menstruation.
• Surgery to remove the spleen (splenectomy) – in cases of severe haemolytic anaemia.

Asthma

Asthma (say: az-muh) is a condition that affects a person's airways, which are also called breathing tubes or bronchial (say: brong-kee-ul) tubes. These tubes lead from the windpipe, or trachea (say: tray-kee-uh), into the lungs. For most kids, breathing is simple: They breathe in through their noses or mouths and the air goes into the windpipe. From there, it travels through the airways and into the lungs. But for kids with asthma, breathing can be a lot more difficult because their airways are very sensitive.

Who Gets Asthma?

Asthma is more common than you might think. As many as 6 million kids in the United States have it. Asthma affects about 1 or 2 kids out of 10. That means if you have 20 kids in your class, 2-4 of them might have asthma. Asthma can start at any age — even in a little baby or an adult — but it's most common in school-age kids.

No one really knows why one person's airways are more sensitive than another person's, but we do know that asthma runs in families. That means if a kid has asthma, he or she may also have a parent, sibling, uncle, or other relative who has asthma or had it as a child.

Asthma flare-ups may sound a little like a cold, with coughing and wheezing, but asthma isn't contagious. You can't catch it from someone like you can catch a cold.

What Causes an Asthma Flare-Up?

Different kids have different triggers — things that set off asthma flare-ups. There are a lot of triggers. Some kids are sensitive to allergens (say: ah-lur-jenz), substances that cause allergic reactions in the airways. Common allergens for kids with asthma include dust mites (tiny bugs that live in dust), mold (if you've ever been in a damp basement and smelled something funny, it was probably mold), and pollen (from trees, grass, and weeds).

A lot of kids have asthma flare-ups when they are near furry animals. Cats and dogs both have what's called animal dander in their fur. This is sort of like dandruff, and it's a trigger that can cause a powerful reaction in the airways.

Some substances can trigger flare-ups because they really irritate the airways. These include perfume, chalk dust, and cigarette smoke. Smoking is always a bad idea, especially around someone who has asthma.

Sometimes an infection can be a trigger and set off an asthma flare-up. If a kid comes down with a cold or the flu, his or her airways may become more sensitive than usual. In some kids, cold air itself can cause an asthma flare-up, and so can exercise. In fact, some kids have what's called exercise-induced asthma. This means they have breathing problems only when they exercise.

How Is Asthma Treated?

Kids who have asthma should try to avoid things that can cause their airways to tighten. But some triggers — like cats, colds, and chalk dust — can't always be avoided. That's why kids who are sensitive to those things must manage their asthma by taking medication.

Not every kid's asthma is the same, so there are different medicines for treating it. It's not like curing a sore throat or an earache, when everybody gets the same medicine. Instead, the doctor will think about what causes the asthma flare-ups, how fast the flare-ups happen, and how serious they are. Then he or she will decide on the best kind of treatment.

Some kids need to take asthma medication only once in a while, when they have a flare-up. This is called rescue medicine because it works fast to open the airways, so the person can breathe. Other kids may need to take controller medicine every day. Controller medicine works to keep flare-ups from happening.

A kid who knows in advance that he or she will be around allergens or other triggers may need to take medication ahead of time that will keep the airways open. And kids who have exercise-induced asthma can take medication before exercising so they'll be able to finish all their laps around the track. Whatever their triggers are, kids who have asthma can use a peak flow meter to get an idea of how well they are breathing that day and whether they need to take any medicine.

Asthma medicine often is taken through an inhaler (say: in-hay-lur). An inhaler is a plastic tube that holds a container of medicine. You may have seen a friend or someone in school using an inhaler, which is held up to the mouth. A kid holds the inhaler up to his or her mouth and breathes in. The medicine comes out in a mist that goes into the lungs. The medicine in the mist relaxes the airways, so the person can breathe easier.

The Outer Ear of Catch Wave

It might be the sound you heard was as quiet as your cat licking her paws. Or maybe it was loud, like a siren going by. Sounds are everywhere, and you have two cool parts on your body that let you hear them all: your ears!

The Ear figure your ears are in charge of collecting sounds, processing them, and sending sound signals to your brain. And that's not all — your ears also help you keep your balance. So if you bend over to pick up your cat, you won't fall down — or even worse — fall on your cat. Meow!

The ear is made up of three different sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. These parts all work together so you can hear and process sounds.
The Outer Ear: Catch the Wave.

The outer ear is called the penne or auricle. This is the part of the ear that people can see. It's what people pierce to wear earrings and what your friend whispers into when it's time for a secret. The main job of the outer ear is to collect sounds, whether they're your friend's whispers or a barking dog.

The outer ear also includes the ear canal, where wax is produced. Earwax is that stuff that protects the canal. Earwax contains chemicals that fight off infections that could hurt the skin inside the ear canal. It also collects dirt to help keep the ear canal clean. So earwax isn't just gross. It's gross and useful.

Growth Disorder

Genetic Disorder

Bao Xishun

Unequal limbs

Everyone grows and matures differently. You may be taller than your best friend in fourth grade. But then in sixth grade, your best friend may be an inch taller than you. Usually, this is totally normal.

A growth disorder, however, means that a kid has abnormal growth — for example, growing a lot slower or a lot faster than other kids the same age.