Pain Intensity May Help Differentiate Between Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

Skin carcinoma is the most common form of cancer. 80% of them develop on the skin of face and neck and therefore can be detected early! One in five Caucasians will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime, while 1% of population in western countries develops skin cancer yearly. Risk factors for skin cancer are spending a lot of time in the sun or have been sunburned; having light-colored skin, hair and eyes; having a family member with skin cancer; or age over 50. The two most common types are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Itch is the most commonly reported symptom in both types of skin cancer. However, recent study performed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, USA, and published in the journal “Archives of Dermatology” has found that pain is more common with squamous cell cancer.

Researchers looked at data from nearly 500 patients treated for either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Itch was the most common symptom reported in both skin cancers - 43 percent of patients with squamous cell and 33 percent of those with basal cell reported the symptom. Pain was much more common in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (almost 40 percent) than in those with basal cell carcinoma (nearly 18 percent), the investigators found.

The results of this study suggest that a simple assessment of pain intensity will aid in the clinical diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma and lead to appropriate treatment for these cancerous lesions that are more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma. In the United States only, about 4 million cases of basal cell and squamous cell cancers are diagnosed each year.

REF: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=671802

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Common ENT problems in children and their treatment

Children are susceptible to ENT conditions because many structures within the regions of ear, nose and throat are immature and are prone to improper functioning. For example, the Eustachian tube in kids is shorter and does not open effectively until the child reaches puberty resulting in frequent middle ear infections. Data shows that more than 80% of children will have at least on ear infection by their age of 3! Further, sinuses are only fully developed with the age of 8 years and tonsils and adenoids are often too large and only shrink in the teens. Younger children also frequently do not complain of their symptoms, which result in many conditions being inadequately managed or left completely undetected.

Some of the most common ENT conditions that may affect your child:

1. External Ear Infections – swimming, sweating and excessive cotton bud usage predispose to painful bacterial infections of the skin of the outer ear canal. 
 Symptoms include severe pain in the ear.
2. Middle Ear Infection (Otitis Media) - upper respiratory tract infections (like in blocked nose) can track up the immature Eustachian tube and infect the middle ear. Symptoms include pain in the ear, fever and hearing loss.
3. Fluid in the Middle Ear (Otitis
 Media with Effusion, OME) - one of
 the functions of the Eustachian tube is
 to allow air flow from the nose into the middle 
ear so as to equalize the atmospheric pressure in the
 middle ear compartment. If this tube cannot perform this 
function effectively, fluid will fill the middle 
ear space in your child. Undetected, this condition may lead to permanent hearing loss. 
 Common causes of ineffective Eustachian tube functioning include large adenoids and sinusitis.
4. Allergy - up to 30% of children demonstrate symptoms of nasal allergy such as runny and blocked nose, sneezing and itchiness. The most common allergen in the world is the house dust mite. This is particularly observed in Dubai as many summer months kids exclusively spend indoors. Children can also be allergic to certain foods or spices.
5. Sinusitis - the maxillary sinus is the most often infected sinus in children, as maxillary sinuses are developed at birth while the rest of the sinuses develop later. Symptoms include persistent nasal discharge, blockage, cough and facial pain. 

6. Snoring and Sleep Apnea 
- palatine tonsils are adenoids in children are often enlarged. This results in narrowing of the upper airway causing nasal obstruction and mouth breathing. During sleep, snoring is loud with choking 
or gasping spells. Sleep is of poor quality and children wake up tired listless and sweaty. When the condition is severe and prolonged, behavioral changes such as irritability, temper tantrums and poor concentration are commonly observed.

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Sasa Janjanin M.D., Ph.D. is double European Board-certified in ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery. He extensively trained in complete surgical and medical treatment of patients with disorders and diseases of the head and neck. However, his major expertise is in facial plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery; problems related to thyroid and parathyroid glands; skin cancer; kid’s ENT problems; nose, sinus and snoring complaints; and sport and diving-related ENT problems.

Exercise or Meditation Can Reduce Acute Respiratory Infections

New research suggests that regular exercise or meditation may be among the best ways to reduce acute respiratory infections, such as cold or flu.

A small study of 149 active and sedentary adults aged 50 years and older compared the preventive effects of moderate exercise and mindful meditation on the severity of respiratory infections, such as cold and flu, during a full winter season in Wisconsin, USA. The researchers found that those participants who started a daily exercise routine had fewer bouts of respiratory infections and missed fewer days of work. The investigators also found that those doing mindfulness meditation, which focuses on paying attention to your body and emotions, were more protected against illness.

The study was published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine, with prof. dr. Bruce Barrett as the lead author of the study.

The results showed a 40 to 50 percent reduction in respiratory infections! In comparison to that, flu vaccines - which are one of the most well-proven and beneficial interventions against flu - protect at a level of 50 to 60 percent and only for a few strains of flu virus.

It was not clear how physical and mental workouts could help ward off sickness. While the study uncovered an association between the mind and body activities and less illness, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. One hypothesis is that both exercise and meditation might make people less susceptible to illness by reducing their stress levels.

The flu virus is associated with about 36,000 deaths and half a million hospitalizations in the United States every year. And illnesses caused by other viruses, such as the one responsible for the common cold, are to blame for 40 million days of missed work and school every year.

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REFERENCE:

Exercise, Meditation Can Beat Back Cold, Flu, Study Finds

Researchers report that both also appear to cut down on sick time and sick days at work

THURSDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that regular exercise or meditation may be among the best ways to reduce acute respiratory infections.

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=666526

Coblation treatment for snoring

What causes snoring?

Snoring affects millions of people, and is not just affecting the people who are sleeping in the same room with snorer, but also a snorer itself! Habitual snorers can be at risk for serious health problems. Obstructive sleep apnea is an illness that is often associated with chronic snoring, and is characterized by long interruptions of breathing during sleep that are caused by partial or total obstruction or blockage of the airway. Prolonged suffering from obstructed sleep apnea will result in higher blood pressure and may cause enlargement of the heart, with higher risks of heart attack and stroke. Furthermore, it has recently been suggested that simple snoring, even without concomitant obstructive sleep apnea, may be harmful in and of itself causing carotid artery atherosclerosis.

The cause of snoring is the physical obstruction of the flow of air through the mouth and nose. The walls of the throat vibrate during breathing, resulting in the distinctive sounds of snoring. Air flow can be obstructed by a combination of factors, including: obstructed nasal airways, poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue, bulky throat tissue, and long soft palate and/or uvula (the dangling tissue in back of the mouth) – one of the most common causes of snoring.

Coblation Treatments of Uvula and Soft Palate

If the cause of your snoring is long soft palate and/or uvula, you may be helped by coblation treatment. Coblation treatment works by inserting a needle like probe into the soft palate and heating it with radiofrequency waves, performing "debulking" which will result in overall reduction in the size and thickness of the soft palate and even the uvula. Over a 6-week period, shrinkage and moderate scarring will occur in treated areas, which will stiffen the palate making it less prone to vibration thereby reducing a person's snore.

Procedure is performed in the office under local anesthesia, and immediately thereafter you can go home! You will be seated, the back of your mouth will be numbed up with a local anesthetic, and a small injection of the soft palate with lidocaine will be performed. After 10 minutes to allow adequate anesthetic effect, a coblation probe will be inserted, and your soft palate will be treated on different spots for about 10 seconds. And this is it! Couple of days thereafter you may feel some pain in your mouth (similar to when you burn your mouth with the hot soup), which can easily be treated with painkillers. Also, you should gently rinse your mouth with saline after every meal for about 1 week to help keep the wound area clean.

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