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HEALTH
Battling meningitis
It can strike unexpectedly and its symptoms can confound doctors Bacterial infection of the meninges is a deadly disease that could leave the doctors foxed and put its victims in a life-threatening situation before it is diagnosed. So confusing are its early symptoms that patients usually think nothing of it. Victims show signs of flu or common cold before the infection spreads to a point where it causes severe headaches.
People can often show up at emergency rooms with symptoms that can lead doctors to conclude that the patient has lost his mental balance or is undergoing drug withdrawal. The behaviour exhibited by the patients can also lead to a diagnosis of brain haemorrhage. Doctors could lose valuable time in waiting for the CAT scan and spinal reports. Time in which the infection could spread beyond control.
The meninges make up the protective wrapping of the brain and spinal cord. There are three layers of meninges running from forebrain to spinal cord. The innermost membrane--the meshlike pia mater--hugs the surface of the brain and the spinal cord like a shrink-wrap cover.
The outermost membrane is the dense dura mater. Sandwiched between the two is the arachnoid, a loose-fitting membrane that holds the cerebrospinal fluid, also known as the CSF. This fluid-filled compartment insulates the fragile brain from damaging jolts, and it is here that meningitis-causing bacteria can flourish.
If the patient is battling an infection as life-threatening as meningitis, antibiotics should be given immediately. Unfortunately, doctors are often reluctant to fire such heavy artillery without having laboratory results that prove infection. So some doctors wait for cell count before starting life-saving antibiotics. In addition, doctors want to make an accurate diagnosis, and if they give antibiotics before they do a spinal tap, the lab culture will turn up negative. The way around is to give antibiotics promptly and then use tests that detect antibodies to bacteria rather that the bacteria themselves.
If the infection spreads out of control, small red patches will start to appear on the patients skin. This could be a dangerous sign. The little red bumps signal the arrival of meningococcemia, a condition deadlier than meningitis.
The meningococcus bacterium, technically known as Neisseria meningitidis, is so common that many of us harbour them in our noses and other mucous membranes. Fortunately, antibodies on our mucous membranes usually snag any invaders. But in rare cases a virulent strain of N. meningitidis manages to penetrate mucosal cells in our respiratory tract.
They somehow masquerade as a familiar cellular import, duping the cells into swallowing them up in membrane-bound capsules and ferrying them to capillaries beneath the mucosal barrier. Once in the bloodstream, they display the same molecular ornamentation as red blood cells. Thus disguised, they slip through the blood-brain barrier and run riot in the defenseless CSF. The result is meningitis. In meningococcemia, N. meningitidis multiplies in the blood, causing so much infection that the immune response can swerve out of control.
In a normal immune response, the walls of the blood vessels become more porous to permit immune cells into infected tissue. But in overwhelming infections, the blood vessels leak so much that blood pressure plummets. Blood pours into the skin and the internal organs, causing massive haemorrhaging which can be dangerous. When there is severe internal bleeding, a blotchy, purplish rash sometimes covers the skin.
A CAT scan will clear any doubts regarding the presence of a tumour or haemorrhage in the brain. And a spinal tap will confirm the diagnosis. When the body fights infection, immune cells gather at the infection site, causing swelling. Finally the lab results will give the proof that is required and the identity of the strain that is causing the infection. Unlike pneumococcal bacteria, which tend to cause only isolated cases of meningitis, a virulent strain of meningococcus can cause outbreaks of meningitis in otherwise healthy young people. The bacteria can spread by close contact or through a sneeze or a cough. Outbreaks tend to crop up in the close quarters of schools or military camps. For unknown reasons, some people suffer invasive infection, while others remain healthy carriers. It therefore becomes imperative that those who were in close contact with the patient should go through a regimen of an antibiotic drug which kills meningococcus in the nose and throat and eliminates any risk of disease.
Imaging: Targeting specific sites
Some of the spectacular advances in medicine in recent years have been made in the field of imaging and scanning. The development of these techniques has enabled clinicians to improve diagnosis and increasingly develop imaging for prognosis and patient management. Amersham International, a leading health science company that provides products and service in healthcare and life science research among others, has developed a range of radio-pharmaceuticals that are specially designed for diagnosis and therapy in major diseases.
Iodine and thallium have traditionally been used in imaging and continue to be important. However, Amersham made major advances in the use of technetium-99m as a tracer, improving imaging of the heart and brain. The company also developed the technique to send the radioactive technetium to targeted sites in a particular organ. Recently, Amersham opened offices in Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Fliaria: Leeches to the rescue
Grotesquely swollen legs with lumps all over them. This has become a familiar sight in the coastal region of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With modern medicine having failed to find a cure for this ‘poor’ man’s disease, the people afflicted by filaria have no option but to lug their swollen legs around.
According to the Down To Earth, The Indian Proctology Society in Orissa, has succeeded in finding a cure for this ugly disease. The treatment involves attaching leeches, water-borne blood suckers, on to the affected legs. The leeches, it is claimed, pull out the waste blood and pus. Patients usually go through several sittings where they may have five to 10 leeches attached to the their limbs.Later, salt and turmeric is used to remove the leeches each of which would have pulled up to 10ml of fluid. The society claims to have cured 15 patients using this method.
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
A positive view of yourself
Abraham Lincoln failed as a storekeeper, a surveyor, a soldier and a lawyer. Yet, he went to lead America during its worst crisis, the Civil War, and become one of the greatest leaders of his time.
How did he do it?
There is a lesson in it for all of us. If we examine the lives of successful people, we can find that most of them have gone through a series of failures. Setbacks that have not deterred them but prepared them for the future.
The first step is to acknowledge that we deserve respect from others. Every individual is entitled to choose the kind of person he or she wants to be. This is the "I am somebody" approach that charismatic preacher Jesse Jackson uses.
The mind will generally accept what we tell it if we repeat the message often enough. We should not worry if the statements are true or not. Just repeating the words often enough will make us eventually believe them.
Most people who become failures in life have feelings of low-esteem that stems from some unhappy experience in the past.
But the magic lies in turning those very experiences to bolster our self-esteem. Here are some specific actions that can help people build a positive view of themselves: Evaluate and accept: Look at your strengths and weaknesses. Compliment yourself for the good things and ignore the bad points. If possible try and avoid repeating mistakes. Examine your principles: Do you have clear cut values in life? Do you live by them or do you ignore them whenever it is convenient to you? People who do not have principles in life have a weak foundation and may be easily swayed by other people.
Choose positive influences: Don’t spend your time with people who belittle you. They may crack jokes at your expense. Ignore them. These are the kind of people who fear to speak out openly to their bosses or superiors. Their only hope of getting even with the world they think is cheating them, is by picking on somebody small or junior to them.
COMPUTERS Showing results Net Result, a Madras-based company, has started a Web site that focusses on real-estate, investment and business in India. Dubbed the India-2001, the site is aimed at the potential investor and the NRIs or any global visitor who wants to know more about India. The site will contain information on other topics such as banking services, forex regulations, advertising, transportation and medical services. India 2001 will also maintain a consultant base of 20 to 50 experts who will answer queries on any of these subjects. And yes, there will be a chat forum and many games and contests related to the speciality themes. India 2001 is expected to go online in August. Pentium-based server Compaq Computers has introduced the ProLiant 5000, a Pentium based server that delivers midrange systems performance and capabilities at about half the cost. Available in two enclosures--tower and rack-mounted--the server can be configured with up to four Pentium 166 or 200 MHz processors and a maximum of 4 GB of memory. The disk storage could reach as much as 700 GB. The ProLiant would be an ideal server for database, data warehousing, transaction processing, and Intranet and Internet usage. The company also announced two new management tools--Insight Manager version 3.0 and SmartStart 3.0--that can be used with the the server. Computing genes Silicon Graphics and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) demonstrated the power of supercomputing by computing a live yeast genome analysis event at Silicon Graphics’ European Supercomputing Technology Centre in Cortaillod, Switzerland. Based on data compiled by a team of international scientists, this gene analysis produced the most comprehensive and computationaly advanced survey of the most complex genome sequenced to date. The technology used for this analysis will directly benefit scientists working on the Human Genome Project. Early successes in the Human Genome Project has helped researchers identify genes associated with dozens of genetic conditions for which commercial therapeutic and diagnostic products are now being developed. The project has already helped in creating new diagnostic tools and medicines. During the three-day event, scientists located at more than 1,000 sites worldwide immediately accessed the gene analysis results using the World Wide Web. NEW PRODUCTS Classic beauty Hindustan Motors Limited has launched its new Contessa Classic 1.8 GLX. The new features that have been added to the Contessa include power steering, PU moulded seats, twin head lights, side impact protection system, and modified carburettor and suspension. The power steering helps to reduce steering effort and absorbs a majority of the road shocks giving enhanced driving comfort. The side impact protection system ensures additional safety. The car comes with the powerful 1.8 litre Isuzu engine that helps it cruise at 140 kmph. Black Quadra Thompson Consumer Electronics has introduced its new range of television sets. The fusion range of televisions include the NICAM 21-inch, Black Quadra 29-inch stereo multisystem and the 46-inch rear projection colour TV. The Black Quadra is fitted with a superflat Invar Picture tube and a 27-system tuner that enables it to receive all major broadcasting standards and video sources. Other features include a hyperband tuner, an interactive menu control, channel labelling, personal preference and a sleep/wake timer. Cot for babies Cavalier, a Kochi-based company, has come out with Lil Lounger, a cot for babies. The company claims that the cot provides the right posture for the baby when it is being fed. The angular design of the cot keeps the baby’s head slightly raised and minimises the possibility of regurgitation. Price: Rs 390.
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