Scientists discover world’s first blood incubator

With the help of laser technology, researchers have discovered the world’s first blood incubator, which will prevent blood transfusions and detect antibodies in pregnant women that may  kill a fetus.

According to the study published in the journal,— these findings can bring pre-transfusion testing out of the pathology lab to point-of-care, with blood incubation time slashed to just 40 seconds, as compared to the industry gold standard of five minutes.

This breakthrough has the potential to improve the pre-transfusion testing of millions of patients undergoing blood transfusions across the world, especially those having major surgery, going into labour or causalities of mass trauma and individual trauma.

The detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies requires incubation at 37°C, often for up to 15 minutes. But the current incubation technology relies on slow thermal procedures such as heating blocks and hot-water baths.

This delay adds to pathology costs and turnaround time, which substantially affects a patient’s chance of survival.

To address this problem, BioPRIA’s blood diagnostics team developed a laser incubation model where a targeted illumination of a blood-antibody sample in a diagnostic gel card is converted into heat, via photothermal absorption.

Most importantly, no significant damage is detected to the cells or antibodies for laser incubations of up to 15 minutes.

“Laser incubation can be extremely valuable when time and accuracy are vital, especially in critical and emergency settings — like mass trauma where pre-transfusion testing needs to be performed quickly in order to save lives,” the Dr. said.

“We show that red blood cells act as photothermal agents under near-infrared laser incubation, triggering rapid antigen-antibody binding with no significant damage to the cells or antibodies for up to 15 minutes.”

This study demonstrates laser-incubated immunohaematological testing to be both faster and more sensitive than current best practice, with clearly positive results seen from incubations of just 40 seconds.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement     
 

A doctor explains why period cramps can hurt way more than a heart attack

Period cramps can be really intense.

 

Two years ago, according to a published story in which a professor said period cramps can be "almost as bad as having a heart attack." 

Last week, the story resurfaced, going viral on social media. 

But gynecologist, who blogs about women's health, wrote that the comparison between heart attacks and period cramps doesn't really work. 

That's because heart attacks are often just mildly painful — and in many cases, they're not painful at all. 

It would be more accurate, she wrote, to compare cramps to being in labor.               

Back in 2016,according to an article, on the monthly misery faced by women all over the globe: period cramps. The story acknowledged that menstrual pain can be serious and even debilitating — and yet, there's been disappointingly little research on how we can treat it.

But the story had a resurgence on social media last week after a lady zeroed in on a single quote from the piece. Reproductive health professor  told  that patients have described cramp pain as "almost as bad as having a heart attack."

That quote sparked immediate interest. Other news outlets  picked up the story, and it spread like wildfire on Twitter. To many women, the comparison wasn't so much surprising as it was glaringly obvious.

But gynecologist, who writes a popular health blog, has called that comparison into question. In a new post published, the Dr. wrote that period cramps are often much more painful than heart attacks. 

"If you are waiting for terrible , excruciating chest pain to tell you that you are having a heart attack, well, you are going to miss the heart attack," the Dr. wrote. "Heart attacks often produce vague symptoms or mild pain, that is why many people ignore them ... In addition, more than 40 % of women  have no pain with heart attacks. It would be dangerous for women to think that a heart attack should be at least as bad as their menstrual cramps."

Besides pain, heart attack symptoms can also include shortness of breath, a lightheaded feeling, nausea, vomiting, and unexplained tiredness, according to the specialists.

But primary dysmenorrhea — the scientific term for painful periods — always hurts.

Period pain happens mostly because of substances called prostaglandins, the Dr.  explained in the post. They're released from the lining of the uterus and make it contract. And during these period contractions, pressure on the uterus can be just as high as it is during the "pushing" stage of labor, she added.

"So if you need an analogy to describe period pain," the Dr. wrote, "use labor or cutting your finger off without an anesthetic."  

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com    

 

'Tummy tuck' reduces back pain after childbearing

Besides restoring the pre-pregnancy shape of the abdomen, abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck" -- a surgical operation involving the removal of excess flesh from the abdomen -- can improve back pain and urinary incontinence after childbearing, a study says. 
 
Many women seek tummy tuck surgery to restore the shape and appearance of the abdomen after childbearing, but the new study, published suggests that it also improves two of the most common physical complaints experienced by women after labour and delivery.

"Abdominoplasty has a proven functional benefit as well as a cosmetic benefit," said lead author.

The study covered 214 women undergoing abdominoplasty with repair of the abdominal muscles at nine plastic surgery centres. 

The women's average age was about 42 years, with an average of 2.5 deliveries.

Before and after surgery, the women completed questionnaires rating their disability from back pain and urinary incontinence.

In the preoperative questionnaires, about 51 per cent of women had moderate to severe disability from back pain, while urinary incontinence was a "significant concern" for 42.5 per cent.

On follow-up questionnaires at six weeks and six months, scores for both problems showed major improvement, the study said. 

At six months, only nine per cent of patients still had moderate disability from back pain. Urinary incontinence remained a significant problem for less than two per cent of women, the findings showed. 

"By reducing the problems of back pain and incontinence, abdominoplasty with rectus repair leads to a better life for women after childbearing," the author  said. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                    

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Simple test may predict preterm births

Researchers have found that a simple test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women’s risk of going into labour too early. Up to 18 per cent of babies born worldwide arrive before they are full-term, defined as 37 weeks of gestation. The study, showed that cervical mucus from women who delivered their babies before 37 weeks was very different from that of women who delivered later. This type of analysis could offer an easy way to calculate the risk of early labor, potentially allowing doctors to try to intervene earlier to prevent preterm births.

 “Our prediction is that we might be able to identify risk for preterm birth ahead of time, before labour sets in,” said senior author of the study. Between 25 and 40 per cent of early births are believed to be caused by infections that occur when microbes reach the uterus through the cervical plug, which is made of mucus and normally blocks access to the uterus. For the new study, the researchers decided to investigate the mucus’s permeability to small particles. Mucus is formed from polymers known as mucins, and the composition and arrangement of these mucins determine how porous the gel is.

The researchers collected samples from two groups of patients. The low-risk group included pregnant women who came in to their doctors’ offices for routine visits around 30 weeks and ended up giving birth after 37 weeks.  The high-risk group included women who went into labor early, between 24 and 34 weeks. Doctors were able to halt labour in these women, and the samples were taken after they were stabilised. They all ended up giving birth before 37 weeks.

The researchers found a significant differences in mucus permeability and adhesiveness – the peptides were able to pass through samples from high-risk women much more easily. This suggests that cervical mucus from women at high risk for early labour, for reasons not yet known, may be more susceptible to invasion by potentially harmful bacteria and microbes, making it more likely that those women will experience an infection that leads to preterm birth, the researcher said.

In addition, the altered mucus may be less able to retain helpful immune system components such as antibodies or antimicrobial peptides, which would normally help to combat infection, the study said. The researcher anticipates that cervical mucus testing could be done early in pregnancy, as part of a routine screen that would reveal whether a woman was at high risk of preterm birth.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                        

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Glucose could cut duration of induced labour, say researchers

Researchers are of the opinion that administering glucose supplements to women during childbirth, especially for the first birth, may shorten the labour time.

A prolonged labour, or a failure to progress, is a labour that takes more than 20 hours for first-time mothers and more than 14 hours for mothers who have given birth before.

A prolonged labour is not only defined by the duration, it is regarded as prolonged but, when cervical dilation takes place at less than 1 centimetre per hour. Prolonged labour can be harmful to maternal and foetal health. 

According to the study, because glucose supplementation is known to improve muscle performance, adding glucose to the intravenous hydration solution women receive during childbirth could accelerate labour. 

“Glucose supplementation significantly reduces the total length of labour without increasing the rate of complication. This is great news for women experiencing induced labour,” said Josianne Pare from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. 

For the study, 200 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive either a standard hydration solution containing salt and water or a solution containing glucose, salt and water.

The results showed that the median duration of labour was 76 minutes shorter in the group of women receiving glucose. 

However, “there was no difference in the mode of delivery -- caesarean section, forceps, etc. -- or the neonatal well-being measures,” Pare said.

Thus, being a low-cost and safe intervention, glucose should be the solute of choice during labour, the researchers recommended.
The findings will be presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting, in Quebec.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes 
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement   

How conflict affects women's reproductive health

Gender-based violence, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity all flourish in times of conflict, says a review, suggesting clinicians need to be sensitive and aware of the unique challenges of women's reproductive health needs in such times.

"In an increasingly globalised world, a working knowledge of reproductive health during conflict allows clinicians to approach subjects sensitively with women, building a relationship of trust and understanding, allowing women to gain access to services they need," said Benjamin Black from Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sierra Leone.

Approximately 1.5 billion people are currently living in countries affected by conflict, fragility or large-scale violence.

Women and children account for approximately 75 per cent of those displaced by conflict and roughly 20 percent of those displaced are women of reproductive age.

Conflict can negatively impact all aspects of reproductive health, directly through damage to services, gender-based violence and forced displacement of populations and indirectly through reductions in the availability of basic healthcare, the researchers noted.

Further, the loss of access to adequate family planning and basic health services also increases reliance on traditional or harmful methods, including unsafe termination of pregnancy.

Looking at maternal mortality specifically, high rates are frequently encountered in conflict-affected populations -- eight of the 10 countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios have experienced current or recent conflict.

Approximately 15 percent of displaced pregnant women will encounter a potentially life-threatening complication, such as haemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labour or eclampsia, the review noted.

In the context of conflict and displacement, services are often scarce, resulting in delays in reaching the care required. Furthermore, the poor security conditions, exodus of healthcare providers, lack of transport and loss of facilities result in heightened vulnerability and reduced access to life-saving interventions.

Awareness and recognition by medical staff to these issues may be beneficial to the women's care and aid them in accessing the appropriate services, the authors concluded.

The review appeared in the journal The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist. 

 

 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS

HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM