Author: Jon Mikel Iñarritu

Tequila’s Medical Properties

Its benefits include treatment of ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer and Crohn disease.

The compounds of blue agave (the cactus used for making tequila) showed nice results in studies performed at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

Blue Agave

This development could be the first step in better treatments for ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions involving the colon.

The deliver of drugs in to the colon has been a challenge for the doctors dealing with colon and rectal diseases.

Many drugs are destroyed by acids at the stomach. This could be avoided by the compounds of tequila, a type of polysaccharide known as fructans (a fructose polymer). This compound resists the destruction in the stomach and could let that drugs reach the colon without problems.

“This study showed that the agave fruit is not good just for making tequila, but it’s good because of its medicinal value. Agave’s fructan is the ideal natural transporter of drugs”, said Guillermo Toriz.

Crocs banned in Swedish hospital

crocs

A Swedish hospital has banned Crocs (plastic clogs) because they build up static charges that zetz the delicate medical instruments:

Blekinge hospital in southern Sweden suspects the slip-on shoes, made by US firm Crocs Inc, are to blame for at least three incidents in which respirators and other machines malfunctioned. The mishaps caused no injuries.Hospital spokesman Bjorn Lofqvist said staff wearing the clogs could turn into “a cloud of lighting” because of the static electricity.

Link

B&W twins – One in a million

Kylie Hodgson gave birth to twin daughters by caesarean section, then she realised a difference between them.

This amazing conception happened after two eggs were fertilised at the same time in the womb.

The odds against of a mixed race couple having twins of dramatically different colour are a million to one.

Skin colour is believed to be determined by up to seven different genes working together. For a mixed-race couple, the odds of either of these scenarios is around 100 to one. But both scenarios can occur at the same time if the woman conceives non-identical twins, another 100 to one chance.

This involves two eggs being fertilised by two sperm at the same time, which also has odds of around 100 to one.

If a sperm containing all-white genes fuses with a similar egg and a sperm coding for purely black skin fuses with a similar egg, two babies of dramatically different colours will be born.

The odds of this happening are 100 x 100 x 100 – a million to one.

Massive postincisional hernia of the abdominal wall

This is the case of a 69 years old diabetic female patient with history of subtotal colectomy for advanced colon cancer a year ago.

She had a surgical complication of the abdominal wall called postincisional hernia and came to surgical consult because of this giant ventral hernia. This is one of the largest hernias I’ve ever seen.

A laparoscopic repair of the defect was made with Prolene mesh (2 sheets of 12″ x 12″) sutured to the fascia and now she is doing very well.

Images courtesy of Mariana Herrera Guerrero, M.D.

OsseoNews – Dental Implants

This is a paid review

Dental implants are designed for teeth that are lost or damaged beyond repair. Modern dental implants can provide a permanent replacement that maintain the look, feel, and function of natural teeth.

Do you know what dental implants are, what are their benefits, who is a candidate, how much a dental implant cost and what kind of procedures are performed? I didn’t knew anything about this until I read the OsseoNews website.

Did you know that dental implants inserted in a proper manner could succeed in natural bone as 95%?

If you are a patient, you could find info regarding dental implants on the site.

I have a lot of dentists visiting my site and for those who want to share their knowledge in dental implants or want others opinion, you can upload your cases just subscribing to the site.

OsseoNews is a great discussion community for dental professionals. You could share or find information of particular dental implant topics like:

Abutments, Bone Grafting, Cone Beam CT, CT Scanning, Dental Implant Attachments, Dental Implant Complications, Dental Implant Contraindications, Dental Implant Interviews, Dental Implant Materials, Dental Implant News, Dental Implant Safety, Dental Implant Systems, Immediate Loading, Implant Practice Management, Implant Supported Fixed Bridges, Implant Supported Overdentures, Mini Dental Implants, Narrow Platform Implants, Nobel Biocare, One Piece Implants, Oral Bisphosphonates, Piezosurgery, Restoration of Dental Implants, Ridge Augmentation, Shorter Dental Implants, Sinus Lift, Site Preparation, Straumann, Techniques and Procedures, Tissue Regeneration, Treatment Planning & Complications

Bizarre dermatologic lesions

Via Boingboing
Link WFMU’s

A missionary in Eastern Europe recently reported an extremely rare (condylomatosis) skin condition. This disease is called Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia. This missionary wrote:

I found this man, and other than his hands and feet, he looked and seemed in good health. As best as I could gather these growths began when he was 14 years old, and began in the area of his wrists. The skin on his wrists and the back of his hands resembles that of a hedgehog – hundreds of spike like growths. The problem is much more severe on his palms and fingers where the growths resemble very much that of nails infected with a fungus. The growths have that same texture, smell and feel. I cut a number of the largest growths off, most of witch did not bleed. Some of the smaller growths did bleed a small amount and he seemed much more sensitive to the cutting of the smaller growths.

It has grown slowly but steadily but has not spread to other parts of his body, just a bit below his knees on his legs. He has other skin growth (many would be skin tags) on his face, and some moles on his chest. The growths are not as bad on his feet but I was told that more than 10 years ago many we cauterized off his feet, and they did not return. I think with repeated soaking and cutting most could be removed but other parts will I think need to be burned away in some form.”

He has 15 skin tags on his face, and a wart in one ear.

Bizarre pictures:



Another firecracker explotion

Previous proof of firecrackers injuries here.

For those who don’t believe in injuries caused by firecrackers explotion. I just saw a patient in the E.R. of my hospital who came because he was walking near a park and some kids were buying firecrakers in the street. A kid ignited a firecracker and it exploted next to the box that containded the firecrackers. The patient was 10 ft away from the box and the explotion cause this right side injuries.






As you can see, the injuries are projectile-like injuries and he didn’t burn. A witness told me that lots of wood sticks and asphalt stones flew far away.

A Plastic Surgeon and I repaired the injuries and noted an irregular perforation at the right cheek, that penetrated towards the floor of the orbit and produced a coronoid apophysis fracture.

After the reparation:


I strongly recommend never play with firecrackers.

MDVIP – Beyond Concierge Medical Care

This is a paid review

All of us perfectly know that preventive medicine is the cornerstone of medicine. MDVIP provides exceptional doctors, exceptional care and, exceptional outcomes.

MDVIP is a leader company in personalized and preventive healthcare and was established to assist physicians and institutions in providing the highest level of care to patients.

In the practice of preventive medicine the outcomes include lower hospitalization rates (MDVIP currently serves more than 45,000 patients)

With this program, patients benefit from reciprocity with all MDVIP affiliated physicians in the network. If a patient is traveling and needs urgent medical care, and they are in the vicinity of an MDVIP affiliated physician, they will be seen and cared for with the same attention and service as if they were with their own doctor in their home town.

MDVIP’s prevention and personalized care model makes it possible for exceptional physicians to provide exceptional care because it gives them the time to focus on the patient, not on the system. The MDVIP model enables physicians to love practicing medicine again, in an environment in which they are trusted, respected and valued. MDVIP puts physicians back in control of their lives, professionally and personally. MDVIP liberates physicians from the current financial constraints of the healthcare system because the majority of an affiliated physician’s income is derived from the annual membership fees.

If you are a patient: Please join the patient network.
If you are a physician: Please register here.

Brain Disease Museum (rare)

The neuropathologist Diana Rivas from Perú runs a Museum of brains and she states that this show is unique in the World.

This museum has an inventory of 2,998 brains and counting. Rivas studies neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders but, unlike prestigious brain banks around the World, she allows entrance to the general public.

There is a brain of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.

Her goal is to educate people.

“It’s true. Alcohol and drugs kill brain cells”, she said.

Fact: The greatest brain bank in the World is the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center.