After 22 years, UK woman wins baby brain damage case

A woman who suffered severe brain damage as a newborn baby following a botched heart operation will receive a massive payout after a judge ruled that her surgeon had been negligent.

The operation to boost oxygen levels of an infant was performed by Dr Janardan Dhasmana in May 1985. Dhasmana, who qualified from the Lucknow University in 1964, is believed to be practising in India currently.

Marianna Telles, 22, from Gwent, could receive an estimated five million pounds in compensation after her brain was starved of oxygen due to "unacceptable" delays during her treatment. Telles’ case was described as "one of the greatest scandals in the history of NHS". ,

Her lawyer Simeon Maskrey told the High Court she has had "significant physical, cognitive and behavioural" problems since the operation to treat a congenital heart defect in 1985.

He said the surgeon who performed the operation, Janardan Dhasmana, had been guilty of "technical incompetence".

Judge Mr Justice Saunders held the South West Strategic Health Authority liable and said Dhasmana had been negligent.

The amount of damages will be set at a later hearing. Some experts say they could be worth five million pounds.

Telles' family began the legal action after a public inquiry into the high number of babies that died during operations at the Bristol Royal Infirmary between 1988 and 1995.

In what became known as the "Bristol heart babies scandal", the General Medical Council suspended Dhasmana for serious professional misconduct.

The South West Strategic Health Authority had denied any breach of duty or responsibility for Telles' condition.

Telles' mother Anna Redman said after the hearing: "It is a shame that it has taken me 22 years to finally get the truth as to what happened to my daughter at Bristol."

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Symptoms of Pregnancy

The following are some common symptoms of pregnancy that you may have. These are broad descriptions, to give you an idea of what is ordinary and what should be cause for concern. Make sure if you do have questions about any symptoms of pregnancy you are having or if become worried, you should contact your doctor immediately.

You may have symptoms of pregnancy that include breast tenderness, fatigue, morning sickness, and more or nothing at all. Not every woman has every symptom during her entire pregnancy, and some women experience no symptoms at the beginning of their pregnancy. Keep your doctor informed of any changes in your body or your general well being.

Symptoms of Pregnancy

Symptoms of Pregnancy Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy. You may become easily tired or exhausted during pregnancy, especially in your first trimester.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Headaches
Another one of the symptoms of pregnancy that some women experience is intense and sometimes frequent headaches.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Implantation Bleeding
One of the symptoms of pregnancy that can cause worry for women is bleeding. The usual cause of light bleeding in early pregnancy is implantation of the fertilized egg.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Aversion to Foods, Cravings
Many pregnant women do report craving certain foods more often during their pregnancies. Some women even crave foods they once didn’t care for, or weren’t previous favorites.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Missed Period
Symptoms of pregnancy vary from woman to woman, but all women will stop having their period at some point when pregnant.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is not one of the most suspected symptoms of pregnancy early on even if you visit the bathroom more often.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Lower Back Pain
As far as symptoms of pregnancy are concerned, lower back pain is a pregnancy symptom that almost half of all pregnant women experience.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Dizziness
One of the fairly common symptoms of pregnancy is the sensation of dizziness or sometimes even feeling faint.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Morning Sickness
One of the most frequently experienced symptoms of pregnancy is morning sickness, which usually lasts for about a month for most women.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Breast Tenderness
Of the symptoms of pregnancy that cause the most discomfort, breast tenderness is one of the most painful for some women. Their breasts are very sore and tender all the time.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Constipation
Constipation is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy because food digests slower than usual due to increased progesterone levels.

Symptoms of Pregnancy Mood Swings
Mood swings are very common during the early part of pregnancy, and unlike some symptoms of pregnancy they will disappear fairly quickly as your hormones adjust.

source:momswhothink.com

World's Fattest Man Loses 230 Kgs

Manuel Uribe, world's fattest man, has dropped 230 kilograms

The world's fattest man, according to the Guinness Book of Records, proudly announced on Tuesday that he dropped 230 kilograms (570 pounds), nearly half his original weight in less time than doctors had expected.

"I'm going to throw a big party," Manuel Uribe said. "I'm getting out of my house and going for a walk" in Monterrey, where he lives in northern Mexico.

Uribe, 42, weighed in at 570 kilos (1,257 pounds) at his heaviest and for five years has been bed-ridden at his home, where his mother and fiancée help him.

Doctors from neighbouring United States, Italy and Mexico for two years have been helping Uribe lose weight through dieting and exercise. His goal, he said, is dropping to a slim 120 kilos (265 pounds) in four more years.

On March 9, Uribe will be lifted out of his house on his bed by a special crane and driven around on a flat-bed truck.

"I feel great," he said. "The doctors say I'm healthier than ever."

Some 'Iodine-Fortified' Table Salt Falls Short of Recommended Levels of The Nutrient, Study Shows

Some 'Iodine-Fortified' Table Salt Falls Short of Recommended Levels of the Nutrient, Study Shows

There are fewer food sources of iodine in the American diet than there were just a few decades ago, raising the risk of iodine deficiency in a growing number of people. So says a researcher who calls himself an "iodine activist."

Even people who buy and use iodine-fortified table salt may be at risk, says Purnendu K. Dasgupta, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Dasgupta and colleagues recently tested 88 samples of iodized salt and found that 47 of them, or 53%, did not meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendations for iodine levels.

Iodine levels tended to decrease in individual containers with exposure to humidity, but light and heat had little effect.

The findings are published in the latest online issue of the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology.

"We certainly are not saying that people need to eat more salt," Dasgupta says. "But if we had mandatory iodization of all salt used in food, that would solve the problem."
Most Salt Has No Iodine

Iodized salt is now the main source of iodine in the American diet, but only about 20% of the salt Americans eat contains the micronutrient, Dasgupta says.

Increasing popular "designer" table salts, such as sea salts and Kosher salts, usually do not have iodine, and neither does salt used in most fast foods and processed foods.

Add to this the fact that iodine is no longer used in the production of commercial breads and dairy products, plus the ever-present public health warnings about restricting dietary salt, and iodine deficiency becomes a real threat for some people in the United States, Dasgupta says.

Though government nutrition surveys suggest that iodine deficiency is not a problem in the United States at the population level, Dasgupta says this may not be the case for the most vulnerable subgroups: pregnant and nursing women, babies, and young children.

Iodine is important in the production of thyroid hormones and critical to normal brain development in newborn infants and children. Iodine deficiency is the leading preventable cause of cretinism in the developing world. And at least one study suggests that children in developed countries born to iodine-deficient moms may have an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Pregnant Women Need Iodine

Boston University Medical Center endocrinologist Elizabeth Pearce, MD, tells WebMD her research suggests that about half of pregnant and nursing women are not getting enough iodine in their diets.

In her latest study, published last May, sampled breast milk from 47% of nursing mothers did not contain sufficient iodine to meet their infants' nutritional needs.

One problem, she says, is that only about a third of over-the-counter vitamins recommended for pregnant and nursing women and two-thirds of prescription prenatal vitamins contain iodine.

In 2006, the American Thyroid Association published guidelines recommending that all pregnant and breastfeeding women take prenatal vitamins containing iodine, but Pearce says few women have likely heard about the recommendation.

"It is very difficult to measure iodine deficiency in individuals," she says. "Because of this, and because pregnant and breastfeeding women are particularly vulnerable, these women should make sure that they take a vitamin with iodine."

Oral Sex Can Cause Cancer In Men

The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study. The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say.

The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co Inc, is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys.

Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in US women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too. "We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said study co-author Dr Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University.

The study was published on Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology .

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. It also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer - risks for males that generally don't get the same attention as cervical cancer.

Previous research by Gillison and others established HPV as a primary cause of the estimated 5,600 cancers that occur each year in the tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat. It's also been known that the virus' role in such cancers has been rising. The new study looked at more than 30 years of National Cancer Institute data on oral cancers. Researchers categorized about 46,000 cases, using a formula to divide them into those caused by HPV and those not connected to the virus. They concluded the incidence rates for HPV-related oral cancers rose steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, becoming about as common as those from tobacco and alcohol.

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