This week's topic

Orthostatic dysregulation (OD)

Orthostatic dysregulation (OD) is a common medical problem in children and adolescents manifesting symptoms of orthostatic intolerance including dizziness and fainting. 

We identified several subsets of circulatory responses to standing in patients with OD applying a continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring system, Finapres. 

Instantaneous orthostatic hypotension (INOH), delayed orthostatic hypotension, postural tachycardia syndrome, neurally-mediated syncope are included. 

Among these, INOH is a most common type of cardiovascular disorder characterized by a large initial drop of blood pressure with a markedly delayed recovery immediately after standing. 

The severe form of INOH has a continuous reduction of blood pressure during the whole period of standing, whereas the mild form indicates gradual recovery of blood pressure within several minutes after standing. 

Sympathetic activation in the arterioles is postulated to be impaired by centrally mediated inhibition and its extent was augmented in the severe form. 

It is of importance to identify the lesion of reflex pathways before the treatment is started. 

Medication should be followed by non-drug therapies such as scheduled activities, sodium intake, counter-pressure garment (abdominal bandage). 

Fludrocortisone is most frequently used in western countries, and midodrine is most widely used over the world. 

Psychosomatic and psychosocial intervention should be also needed in treatment of orthostatic hypotension.

Mike, a math teacher, will explain to you the definition of median and then demonstrate how to calculate it, with both an even distribution of values and an odd distribution of values.

Hi, my name is Mike. I’m just going to teach you some maths. And today I’ll show you how to calculate the median. Do you know what the median is? The median, with your average and your mode, is just a measure of central tendency in statistics. You can think of it as the middle value of a set of numbers.

Now, the first thing you need to know about your median is to obviously know what values you have. So, imagine if you had a simple distribution, say 

1, 4, 2, 6, 3, and 3. 

The first thing you’ll want to do when you’re calculating the median is to assemble all of these numbers in ascending order. Once we’ve done that, it should look something like this:

1 2 3 3 4 6

As you can see, we have all of our numbers in ascending order. When you calculate the median, you have to know only if you have an even number of values or an odd number of values, because whenever you have an odd number of values, then your median is just going to be directly located in the center. But when you have an even number of values, you’re going to have 2 numbers in the center.


So, here we have 3 and 3. Circle these two numbers. Now, all we have to do then is to take the 2 center numbers and find the average of those numbers. That would just be 3 and 3 divided by 2, which is equal to 3. So, that’s how to find your median when you have an even number of values.





FDA

Understanding Generic Drugs

Generic drugs are important options that allow greater access to health care for all Americans. They are copies of brand-name drugs and are the same as those brand name drugs in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use.

Health care professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA approved generic drug products have met the same rigid standards as the innovator drug. All generic drugs approved by FDA have the same high quality, strength, purity and stability as brand-name drugs. And, the generic manufacturing, packaging, and testing sites must pass the same quality standards as those of brand name drugs.

Parkinson's disease


Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson's disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.

In early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression, or your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.

Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications may markedly improve your symptoms. In occasional cases, your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain and improve your symptoms.

The immune system

The immune system fights infection from bacteria, viruses and other microbes. It is made up of specialised cells that move through blood and tissue. The white blood cells that make up the immune system are made in the bone marrow. Problems of the immune system include allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus.

Temperature

Celcius or Centigrade / Fahrenheit

1 degree Celcius (C) = 5/9 x (F - 32)

 (9/5 x C) + 32 = 1 degree Fahrenheit (F)

Metabolic syndrome

What exercise do you do every day?
Do you eat well?

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels — that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Having just one of these conditions doesn't mean you have metabolic syndrome. However, any of these conditions increase your risk of serious disease. If more than one of these conditions occur in combination, your risk is even greater.

If you have metabolic syndrome or any of the components of metabolic syndrome, aggressive lifestyle changes can delay or even prevent the development of serious health problems.