Can Breast Cancer return in a Reconstructed Breast?
Some women are scared to consider breast reconstruction after a mastectomy because they think it will increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back. This is a common misconception. Thankfully, it's not the case.
Breast cancer can come back even after a mastectomy. However, the risk of the cancer returning (ie a "recurrence") after a mastectomy is very low and is the same whether you have breast reconstruction or not. Studies have compared patients with similar stage breast cancers and found no difference in recurrence between patients undergoing mastectomy alone (without reconstruction) and those having skin-sparing...
Source: Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog - June 4, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: breast cancer breast cancer recurrence breast reconstruction reconstructed breast Source Type: blogs
Grafting Tissue Engineered Muscles into Mice
Tissue engineering of muscle continues to move forward, with a new approach here demonstrated in mice:
Tissue engineering of skeletal muscle is a significant challenge but has considerable potential for the treatment of the various types of irreversible damage to muscle that occur in diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy. So far, attempts to re-create a functional muscle either outside or directly inside the body have been unsuccessful. In vitro-generated artificial muscles normally do not survive the transfer in vivo because the host does not create the necessary nerves and blood vessels that would support the muscle...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 25, 2015 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
How the advent of propofol changed the meaning of the term “sedation”
“Twilight! She has to have twilight,” insisted the adult daughter of my frail, 85-year-old patient. “She can’t have general anesthesia. She hasn’t been cleared for general anesthesia!”
We were in the preoperative area of my hospital, where my patient — brightly alert, with a colorful headband and bright red lipstick — was about to undergo surgery. Her skin had broken down on both legs due to poor circulation in her veins, and she needed skin grafts to cover the open wounds. She had a long list of cardiac and other health problems.
Continue reading ...
Your patients are rating you online: How to res...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 19, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Karen S. Sibert, MD Tags: Meds Surgery Source Type: blogs
How the advent of propofol changed the meaning of the term ”sedation”
“Twilight! She has to have twilight,” insisted the adult daughter of my frail, 85-year-old patient. “She can’t have general anesthesia. She hasn’t been cleared for general anesthesia!”
We were in the preoperative area of my hospital, where my patient — brightly alert, with a colorful headband and bright red lipstick — was about to undergo surgery. Her skin had broken down on both legs due to poor circulation in her veins, and she needed skin grafts to cover the open wounds. She had a long list of cardiac and other health problems.
Continue reading ...
Your patients are rating you online: How to res...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 19, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Karen S. Sibert, MD Tags: Meds Surgery Source Type: blogs
Towards Intestinal Tissue Engineering
Researchers are making progress towards a methodology for growing intestinal tissues from a patient's cells. As is usually the case in this sort of work, the first results are not intended for use in therapies, but will instead provide raw materials that can help to speed further research:
Researchers have successfully transplanted "organoids" of functioning human intestinal tissue grown from pluripotent stem cells in a lab dish into mice. Through additional translational research the findings could eventually lead to bioengineering personalized human intestinal tissue to treat gastrointestinal diseases. "This provides a ...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 20, 2014 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Towards Cell Therapy to Treat Neurodegeneration
A range of neurodegenerative conditions that primarily involve cell loss, such as Parkinson's disease, might be treated with transplants of neural stem cells or more specialized differentiated cells. Replacing the cells doesn't address the underlying causes that led to their loss, the rising toll of molecular damage that accompanies aging, but it may be a far more effective patch treatment than those presently available. Perhaps more importantly, it is expected that any more general rejuvenation toolkit that does address underlying causes will still need some way of making up the numbers in various small populations of lon...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 5, 2014 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Can science banish baldness?
It may not be a cure for cancer, but science is getting close to banishing baldness. Here’s a quick summary of recent research on hair regrowth.
The 3D Spheroid Solution
A joint program between the University of Durham and Columbia University Medical Centre has found a new way to grow new hairs from tissue samples. Historically this has been tricky because when the cells are grown in the lab they tend to produce more skin instead of hair fibers. But the team figured out that by clumping the cells into “3D spheroids” they could increase the number of hairs produced. Problem yet to be solved: how to prevent...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - March 12, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: The Beauty Brains Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Small Steps Towards Thymus Regeneration at the SENS Research Foundation
The immune system becomes unruly and ineffective in old age: on the one hand it generates ever greater levels of harmful chronic inflammation, while on the other it no longer has a sufficient population of effective cells able to tackle new threats, scan for cancerous cells, and eliminate senescent cells from the body. It becomes overactive and underachieving, and a sizable portion of the more obvious aspects of age-related frailty stem from the lack of a robust immune response.
Why does this happen? No doubt the normal culprits leave their mark: the forms of accumulated cellular and molecular damage that degrade tissues ...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 7, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Feel the Burn
Hand burns from thermal injuries are common chief complaints in the emergency department. Sometimes, 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns may need immediate interventions and warrant special attention. These injuries are painful, and often have associated complications such as permanent scarring, cosmetic issues, prolonged pain, and even infection. ED providers can assist with the primary complications related to blistering of the hand or extremity. Careful follow-up and a detailed discharge plan produce better outcomes and minimize overall complications. Full body/surface burns or circumferential burns should always be seen and eval...
Source: The Procedural Pause - February 28, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Did You Ever Wonder Why...? Andy Rooney Looks At PACS
I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn't realize they thought. And they say, 'Hey, yeah!' And they like that.Andy Rooney I don't pick subjects as much as they pick me. I'm not sure how much of a knack I have for anything these days, but I've always been inspired by the gentle, yet biting humor of the late Andy Rooney. And so, this piece is dedicated to his memory."Did you ever wonder why...?" The opening clause that sunk a thousand fools, righted a thousand wrongs, and warmed the hearts of thousands. Today, I'm asking you, my dedicated readers, both of you..."Did you eve...
Source: Dalai's PACS Blog - January 31, 2014 Category: Radiologists Source Type: blogs
Coming Soon: 3-D Printed Skin for Burn Victims
Skin grafts have been around for decades and are often the only way that wounds inflicted by fire can be repaired. It is a horribly painful experience, but some modern technology, in the form of 3-D printed skin, is on the horizon.Contributor: Mark WhittingtonPublished: Dec 08, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - December 8, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs
Critical Care Compendium update
LITFL’s Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.
Currently there are almost 1,500 entries with more in the works… Some pages are more developed than others, and all the pages are being constantly revised and improved. Links to new references and online resources are added daily, with an emphasis on those that are free and open access (FOAM!).
These pages originated from the FCICM exam study notes created by Dr Jeremy Fernando in 2011, and have been updated, modified and added to since. As such will be particularly us...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - November 17, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Chris Nickson Tags: Critical Care Compendium Education eLearning Emergency Medicine Featured CCC LITFL collection Source Type: blogs
Battling baldness: how close is a cure?
It may not be a cure for cancer, but science is getting close to banishing baldness. Here’s a quick summary of recent research on hair regrowth.
The 3D Spheroid Solution
A joint program between the University of Durham and Columbia University Medical Centre has found a new way to grow new hairs from tissue samples. Historically this has been tricky because when the cells are grown in the lab they tend to produce more skin instead of hair fibers. But the team figured out that by clumping the cells into “3D spheroids” they could increase the number of hairs produced. Problem yet to be solved: how to prevent...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - October 22, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
How Is Nipple Reconstruction Done?
Nipple reconstruction is offered as part of the breast reconstruction process, unless of course the patient has undergone anipple-sparing mastectomy. Reconstructing the nipple and areola helps make the reconstruction appear more "natural" and usually also hides some of the scarring.There are several ways to reconstruct a nipple. Some techniques rearrange the tissue that is part of the reconstructed breast (a bit like "origami"). "Nipple-sharing" can also be preformed which uses part of the patient's opposite nipple if it is large enough.The areola can be created either through tattooing or grafting skin from the groin area...
Source: Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog - October 10, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: areola reconstruction bow-tie nipple reconstruction nipple reconstruction video nipple-sharing tattooing Source Type: blogs
How Is Nipple Reconstruction Done?
Nipple reconstruction is offered as part of the breast reconstruction process, unless of course the patient has undergone a nipple-sparing mastectomy. Reconstructing the nipple and areola helps make the reconstruction appear more "natural" and usually also hides some of the scarring.
There are several ways to reconstruct a nipple. Some techniques rearrange the tissue that is part of the reconstructed breast (a bit like "origami"). "Nipple-sharing" can also be preformed which uses part of the patient's opposite nipple if it is large enough.
The areola can be created either through tattooing or grafting skin from the groin...
Source: Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog - October 10, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: bow-tie nipple-sharing tattooing nipple reconstruction video areola reconstruction Source Type: blogs
