It is a startling scenario as several individuals are oblivious that getting their hair done is placing them at a risk of suffering from stroke. Typically in salons the neck is bent back on a sink for lengthy periods of time particularly during hair washing & conditioning. This posture could be contributory to diminished blood flow to the brain leading to tear in the neck arteries that can elicit a stroke. The neck arteries convey blood to the section of the brain which is in charge of thought process, speech and behaviour. In case the brain is denied its regular blood supply for extended time then lasting harm could occur. The blood vessels going up the backside of the neck pass via a fairly constricted bony canal and with aging it narrows even further. Among aged people and those with neck arthritis there could also be presence of jagged edges to it that increases their vulnerability.

Varied stroke symptoms arising as a result that include slurry speech, vertigo, feeling nauseous, puking, one-sided weakness felt in the facial region during or post-shampooing.

Individuals at elevated risk of suffering stroke or having CAD (carotid artery disease – plaque accruement within the arteries which can slacken or obstruct blood flow to the brain) must steer clear from tipping their necks in the backward direction in beauty salons or otherwise. Generally Salon-stroke syndrome generally develops in elderly females, particularly cervical arthritis patients. For reducing the risk or preventing the condition all particularly elderly individuals having neck arthritis to not get their hair washing done at an inclination not crossing fifteen to twenty degrees. Rather to be on the safer side, leaning forwards over the washing bowls or the use of padding or cushioning for the neck are advisable.

Strokes are deemed to be linked to the time and force of neck motion alongside factors prevalent with going old like atherosclerosis.

Salon-stroke syndrome could additionally develop among individuals who arch their neck backwards for lengthy spans of time for reasons like during dentist’s appointments or when they receive anesthesia. Other triggers that generally need 10 minutes of neck over-extension are fair ground rides, yoga, sit up exercise moves or ‘Golden Gate Bridge Syndrome’ provoked by excessively straining to look up.

Salon-stroke syndrome atypically occurs and physicians maintain that getting one’s hair done traditionally is yet safe. Physicians recommend that placement of cushions must be done in salons during hair washing rituals so that the neck does not get overextended. Perhaps high-tech, bio-engineered shampooing bowls and seating arrangements are the key to a risk-free hair-rinsing experience. However, it would translate to a costlier hair wash. How many of us are willing to shell that extra buck on health grounds even though the likelihood of suffering a stroke due to hair washing in salons is pretty slim.

Individuals having MSUD possess a mutation that leads to a paucity of one of the six proteins which constitute the BCKD complex. Hence, their bodies are incapable of breaking down the three amino acids present in their blood stream leading to brisk deterioration of brain cells and fatality in case not treated.

Faults in one of the 6 subunits which constitute the BCKD protein complex could lead to MSUD surfacing. The prevailing flaw occurs due to a mutation in a gene present on chromosome number 19 which sets the alpha sub-element of the BCKD complex – BCKDHA.

MSUD is an autosomally recessive heritable condition wherein an infant would require inheriting a flawed reproduction of the gene from both the parents in order to get MSUD. In case both mother and father are carrying the MSUD gene, then all their kids would bear a twenty-five percent likelihood of developing the disorder and a fifty percent likelihood of being carriers of this disorder.

Symptoms of MSUD:

MSUD is present in a characteristic type and numerous less prevalent types. Each type appears to vary in how severe it is and its typical traits. Yet, all sub forms of the disorder could be due to mutations in any one of the six genes employed for building the BCKD protein complex.

• A child having this disorder could seem normal subsequent to delivery. However, in 3-4 days time, the symptoms start appearing which comprise of diminished craving for foods, feeling fuzzy and sweet odour urine. The typical odour is the consequence of high levels of amino acids present in the urine due to which the disorder derived its name.
• In case not treated, the situation generally deteriorates. The child would undergo seizure attacks, enter a state of coma and death could occur in the initial couple of months of its life.

Diagnosis & Tests:

In certain states, all the infants in a span of a day’s time after their delivery undergo screening for MSUD. Blood sample is drawn from the child’s heel for analysis of elevated levels of leucine.

Treatment of MSUD:

• Treatment generally comprises of dietetic curbing of the three amino acids namely, leucine, isoleucine and valine which has to be commenced quite soon for averting damage to the brain.
• Infants having the disorder are given a special fortified formulation that has no presence of the three amino acids.
• Such children when they become adults have to be watchful of their dietetic intake for life long and steer clear from meat products, eggs and nuts.
• In case elevated levels of the 3 amino acids are detected in the person, then intravenous administration of a solution could assist the body is using up the three amino acids for synthesising protein.
• Gene therapy additionally appears to be the imminent cure for those having MSUD wherein substitution of the mutated gene with a normal replica facilitates the cells in generating a efficient BCKD protein complex and for breaking down the excessive amino acids.

MSUD is rarely found with one among 1, 80, 000 newly born having MSUD, though in certain populaces it is more prevalent.

Diagnosis & Tests:

• The doctor would conduct a detailed physical examination that would reveal one having soaring fever, swelling in joints and lymph nodes, throat soreness and pinkish rashes.
• An echocardiogram would be conducted for detecting the inflamed lining of the heart or the lungs. X-rays done on the bones could reveal any form of alterations in the wrist, spine, feet or joints of the finger. A CAT or CT scan or ultrasound could reveal any form of liver or spleen enlargement.
• Blood analysis would involve a test that reveals the measurement of the blood cell count of particular cells: classically the white blood cell count and platelet count is high whereas the red blood cell count is mostly plummeting (anemic condition).
• The erythrocyte sedimentation rate or sed rate is another prevalent blood analysis done on individuals having inflammatory conditions wherein the rate at which the red blood cells settle to the base of the tube is checked. Usually, the blood cells settle quicker or the sed rate rises during inflammation.
• The CRP or C reactive protein and ferritin are other kinds of blood tests that could reveal rising levels when one has adult Still’s disease.
  o Blood analysis for rheumatoid factor and ANA (antinuclear antibodies) are generally negative among individuals having adult Still’s disease.
• Liver function tests could aid in ascertaining the way in which the liver working. Particular liver enzymes could show elevated levels during adult Still’s disease.

Treatments of Adult Still’s Disease:

A wide array of drugs are administered for treating adult Still’s disease with the kind of drug being given on the basis of the severity of the symptoms experienced and if any side effects are felt.

• NSAIDs
  Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and several others) or naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox among many more) aid in allaying inflammation. Such drugs are mostly beneficial in curbing mild-ranging symptoms. In case one is taking NSAIDs, one would require undergoing blood analysis on a regular basis for monitoring the functioning of the liver as increased dosages of NSAIDs could have a damaging effect on the liver.
• Glucocorticoids
  These are corticosteroid medicines (for instance prednisone) which assist in subduing the system’s immune response for individuals having fever shot-ups, extreme joint problems or complications in the inner organs. Though beneficial in treating adult Still’s disease, such drugs make the body more susceptible to infections and would raise the chances of osteoporosis.
• Methotrexate
  The medicine methotrexate or Rheumatrex has been effective in treating a small series of individuals having adult Still’s disease. It could additionally be employed as a ‘steroid-sparing means’ translating to the fact that in case one is taking methotrexate, then lesser dosages of corticosteroids would be enough in controlling the condition.

Biological response modifiers

Some of the drugs are not the benchmark treatment for adult Still’s disease has been cited to be beneficial for this disease. One set hinders tumor necrosis factor-alpha or TNF-alpha – an immune system cell that plays a part in inflammation. TNF blockers comprise of infliximab or Remicade, adalimumab or Humira and etanercept or Enbrel. Though smaller-scaled studies have shown potential, it is unclear if TNF blockers offer long-standing efficacy in curbing the condition.

Other investigational drugs like cyclosporine or Sandimmune and anakinra or Kineret have additionally proven to be effectual among small populace of individuals.

Still’s disease is called as systematic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and there is presently no cure for it though treatment could allay the symptoms to a certain extent and aid in averting complications.

Symptoms of Adult Still’s Disease:

Majority of the individuals having adult Still’s disease show a permutation of the below mentioned signs and symptoms:

• Fever shooting up to no less than 102F or 38.9C on a day-to-day basis that would last for seven days or more. The fever generally rises in the later part of the afternoon or in the early dusk hours. At times, a person could daily undergo two shoot-ups of fever. The in-between time periods between these fever shoot-ups, the temperature would mostly normalise.
• Pinkish coloured bumps or flattened rashes could intermittently surface and subside during the fever and would generally appear on the trunk region, arms or limbs. Any form of friction like when one rubs one’s skin could trigger the onset of the rash.
• Muscular aches related to adult Still’s disease generally rise and drop along with the fever, though the intensity of the pain could be extreme enough to hinder routine chores.
• Soreness in the throat.
• Swelling up of the lymph nodes in the neck region.
• Enlargement of the liver or the spleen.
• The lining of the heart or the lungs gets inflamed.

Those experiencing any of such symptoms do not essentially have adult Still’s disease. The signs and symptoms of such a disorder could however be analogous to those of other conditions like communicable mononucleosis – a kind of cancer known as lymphoma or other rheumatic conditions inclusive of rheumatoid arthritis.

When is medical assistance requisite?

In case one is having soaring fever, rashes and painful joints that have prolonged for no less than fourteen days, then visiting a doctor is imperative in order to ascertain the reasons behind them. Additionally, in case one has adult Still’s disease and is coughing, experiencing respiratory distress, chest pain or any other atypical symptoms then one must contact the doctor.

Causes of Adult Still’s Disease:

Though there is uncertainty regarding what causes adult Still’s disease, the condition could be elicited due to a viral or bacterial infection.

Risk Factors:

The occurrence of this condition in adults is observed to mount two times: firstly in between the years of fifteen to twenty-five years and once again in between 36-46years of age. Hence, age appears to be the key risk factor in this condition. Both the sexes are at equal risk of developing this disorder. Several adult Still’s disease cases among families are infrequent; hence it is not likely that such a condition is heritable.

Prevalence

Progeria cases amount to nearly one in four to eight million new births affecting duo sexes analogously and noticed in all races and across the globe.

Trademark Features

• Though they appear healthy, infants having Progeria start exhibiting several traits of hastened aging at about eighteen to two years of age.
• Progeria signs could consist of failure to grow, loss in fat content in the body and hair, aging noted on the skin, rigidity in the joints, dislocated hips, wide-ranging atherosclerosis, heart ailments and stroke.
• All these infants have a strikingly analogous appearance, in spite of being from varying ethnic settings.
• Infants with Progeria face fatality due to atherosclerosis – a kind of cardiovascular disease at about 13 years of age on an average (ranging in the ages from eight to twenty-one years).

Association between Progeria and Aging

• Infants having progeria have a genetic predisposition to untimely, progressive cardiovascular ailments. Demise is almost entirely due to prevalent cardiovascular ailment and one of the leading reasons of death globally.
• Those ailing from cardiovascular ailment, the familiar occurrences for Progeria infants are elevated blood pressure, stroke, angina – chest pain due to inadequate blood circulation to the heart, enlargement in the heart, and all related conditions to aging.

Progeria Causes

• HGPS occurs due to mutation in the gene known as LMNA that manufactures the Lamin A protein that is the compositional scaffolding holding together the nucleus of a cell.
• Scientists presently have found strong links between the flawed Lamin A protein and the instability of the nucleus that appears to herald the process of untimely aging noted in Progeria.

Probing the Genetic Link

• HGPS is not generally hereditary. The gene variation is nearly at all times a chance happening that is quite atypical.
• Infants having other forms of progeroid syndromes that are not HGPS could have ailments that are passed down from parents to their offspring.
• Yet, HGPS is a random autosomal dominant mutation wherein a family having one kid with HGPS, non-twin siblings have similar likelihood of getting HGPS much alike any other infant in any other kin – an occurrence of nearly 1 in four to eight million. In quite atypical cases, nearly once every hundred cases of Progeria (regularity of approximately one in four hundred million deliveries), HGPS could be heritable in nature.

Progeria Diagnosis & Treatment

• With the discovery of gene mutation, the scientists are analysing particular genetic variation or mutation in the Progeria gene leading to HGPS.
• Subsequent to a preliminary clinical assessment by observing the child’s appearance and past medical records, a blood sample is drawn for testing the presence of the Progeria gene.
• For the foremost occasion, there is a state-of-the-art, scientific means of diagnosing kids that would lead to more precise and earlier detection for aiding in providing these kids appropriate care and tending.
• The Progeria Research Foundation has set up a Medical and Research Database for providing doctors and kin with medical suggestions for tending to heart ailments, dietetic intake and other medical issues for assisting these kids lead a fuller and enhanced quality of life.

Bollywood’s new move releasing in December 2009 is based on a story of a 13 year old boy suffering from Progeria, being played by Indian mega-star Amitabh Bachchan.

The doctors could now decipher the reason behind how the lady got maggots in her nose. The women explained her side of the story explicating that a housefly had entered her nose a day prior to the nose bleeding commencing. She visited two hospitals where she was advised to have some tablets and nose drops, but regrettably none of the doctors could detect that the larvae of the housefly were the core cause of the problem.

The woman has been insistent regarding the bleeding was because of the fly, though her claims went unheeded, with others thinking that she was over-hyping the situation. Her bleeding continued until the time she was treated.

On gaining entry in the nose, the fly laid its eggs inside. The doctors managed to remove nearly forty maggots from the woman’s nose. The worms had commenced foraging on her flesh that had lead to bleeding, immense pain and discomfort. The doctors cleared the wound and the woman was declared in fine condition if there were no chances of further infection.

The fly is known to lay eggs in clammy, damp locations. The eggs then fertilize in a period of eight to twenty hours evolving into maggots. Instantaneously, these maggots commence scavenging on the location where the eggs were formerly laid down. Usually, maggots plague an open injury.

In yet another case cited earlier during the year, the doctors hailing from a state-run hospital were appalled by the sight of a patient who had been admitted with a wide open hole that was much alike the size of a tennis ball found in his head that was teeming with maggots. The worms had gnawed their way through the skin of the head, the muscles beneath and had managed to make their course up into the skull. The doctors removed more than four hundred maggots from the skull cavity.

This occurrence is extremely rare cited in one among every five lakh live births. This occurs in the preliminary stages of twin pregnancies wherein one fetus swathes around and encases the other one. The dominating fetus shows normal development, whereas contrarily its twin fetus evolves into a sponging form that leeches off its host twin’s supply of blood and nutrients. This freeloading parasitic twin lacks a brain and has majority of its inner organs incapable of independent functioning.

Normally, both the twins face imminent mortality prior to birth. However, this was not the condition in this cited case. If both twins do manage to survive, the scrounging twin develops to such an extent that it starts to have a disparaging effect on the host. In such cases surgical intervention is needed.

The growth is noted to reach such a level that the host twin could appear pregnant, as was the situation that was cited in Sunju’s case. His abdominal area had swelled up to such a degree that he appeared to be nine months pregnant and was facing respiratory distress. The man mentioned herewith experienced significant amount of discomfort throughout his lifetime due to his distended stomach. However as his condition deteriorated, he needed hospitalisation wherein the doctors perceived that they would be surgically removing a gigantic tumor. Largely, the tumor size was so enormous that it was exerting pressure on the diaphragm and hence was the reason behind his breathlessness. Due to the utter size of the tumor, the doctors underwent great difficulty in operating on it. The doctors were already apprehensive about being faced with a host of issues during the operating procedure.

The doctors soon spotted the tumor when the operation commenced, however, there was gallons of excessive fluids being spurted out when the patient was incised deeper. There was sheer astonishment and shock for the doctor carrying out the procedure who could literally shake hands with someone inside the patient’s body.

The parasitic twin showed the presence of bones, limbs, genitalia, some extent of hair growth and jaws.

At initial peek, one would comprehend that the male patient had given birth, though it was not actually the case. The doctors had successfully removed the parasitic twin brother of the patient that has existed within him for close to four decades.

This horrendous condition was cited in a 51-year old man named Jose Mestre, whose condition commenced with a small tumor formation on his lips during his adolescent years that eventually grew to form a blood-inundated tumor leading to an obliterating effect on his face.

Due to his staunch religious beliefs, the man declined any form of surgery in order to treat this appalling facial defacement. However he has now renewed hopes due to the assistance and guidance of a British doctor and the latest medical technology.

The tumour had grown to a massive fifteen inches long and was weighing a massive twelve pounds. The growth of the tumor had lead to the loss of vision in one if the eyes and made the task of eating increasingly arduous. With the aid of novel technology, the case of Jose can be treated with the employment of ultrasound waves that lead to coagulation of the blood prior to surgery, as he was reluctant to agree to blood transfusions due to his religious beliefs.

Jose’s examination was carried out by two doctors in Britain, one being the consultant plastic surgeon, Dr. Loshan Kangesu and the other Dr.Ian Hutchison. Dr. Hutchison helms the ‘Saving Face’ Charity and believes that this operation would help resolve the problem significantly and a whole lot can be accomplished via this operation.

Dr. Hutchison believes that major sections of the lesions amounting to nearly eighty percent would be removed during the procedure. The issue of dealing with the underlying mutilation of the nose, lips and tongue would then need to be worked on. This grave kind of facial maiming is an extremely rare observance that indicates to the presence of a condition known as haemangioma that arises due to the anomalies that occur in the capillaries and veins on the face.

Opportunely, Jose agreed to, in principle to partake in Dr. Hutchinson’s investigative operations to be carried out one of the smaller sized lesions in a hospital in London. If matters work out, the major sections of the tumor could also be removed and a facial reconstruction operation would be carried out that would last for twelve hours.

The operation costs are borne by Dr. Hutchison’s ‘Saving Face’ charity foundation in the UK that is devoted to global diminution of facial diseases and damage.