Myopia can make your world blurry!

Myopia can make your world blurry!

You may sometimes find it difficult to read things that are at a little distance from you! The condition is identified as myopia in medical terms and should never be taken casually, being a progressive disorder. Myopia can be referred to as a nearsightedness is generally expressed with the symptoms like squinting, eye strain, headaches that may lead to blurry central vision. The condition can be very common and generally be managed with the help of contact lenses or glasses. Although myopia, if not cured or managed within initial time frame, the pathological myopia may lead to degenerative Eye Disorders, such as retinal detachment or glaucoma.

Unfortunately, more and more people are being affected by the nearsightedness and the reason behind it is not well proved. Many eye doctors answer that it might have something to do with eye fatigue from computer use and other extended near vision tasks, coupled with a genetic predisposition for myopia. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long, in comparison to the focusing power of the cornea and lens of the eye. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface. Nearsightedness also can be caused by the cornea and/or lens being too curved for the length of the eyeball. In some cases, myopia is due to a combination of these factors.

Myopia can be exhibited in a very young age for individuals with genetic predisposition.  A pathological myopia can be referred to as a condition with very high myopia, showing signs and symptoms of degenerative changes at the back of your eye; leading to the eyesight reduction. Some of the degenerative conditions that are related to myopia can be listed as follows:

Retinal Atrophy

The over stretching of retina can cause it to be thinner, leading to the retinal atrophy. The areas of retina that have been thinned down can affect the structural as well as functional integrity of eye due to major cellular loss. The condition can be judged with pale look of the retina and visibly apparent blood vessels behind the retina. If the condition is ignored for a longer period of time, it may lead to blind patches or sight loss.

Lattice Regeneration

Lattice regeneration can be attributed to the thinning of certain parts of the retina, preferably at the edge; the cause of which is yet to be identified. Some specialists think it to be because of dryness or harmful sunrays, and hence offer laser therapy and/or cryotherapy in order to prevent further progression to retinal detachment.

New Blood vessel formation

In some people new blood vessels can grow underneath the retina, generally referred to as neovascularization. It is to be noted that these vessels are very tiny as well as fragile that are susceptible to the leakage; causing retinal damage and swelling.

The traditional treatment approach is not successful in reversing the damage to the tissue; but with the great progress in the field of stem cells, it is now possible to bring back the normal vision using easy and natural process.

Stem cells are the naive cells of the body, which are able to differentiate into many types of cells if directed through proper channel. Thus, stem cells isolated from your own tissues such as bone marrow or adipose tissues can be channelized to be corneal cells, photoreceptor cells, optic nerves, muscle cells etc. in the eye to regain its normal function back.

Patients suffering from different eye related ailments are treated by implanting stem cells through retro bulbar or other effective mode to obtain maximum recovery. Advancells is excited by the prodigious prospects of stem cells in treating various diseases; hence we are constantly updating our knowledge and technology to suit unique specifications of each patient. Our principle objective has always been a cessation of disease progress and easing the quality of life to a considerable extent. We are always pledged to deliver safe treatment pattern, by offering "Autologous stem cells from your own Bone Marrow/Adipose Tissue"

Risk Factors for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Foot ulcers in diabetic patients are a result of consequential risk factors interaction. It is important to know that these ulcers don’t occur spontaneously and there are preventive methods which can directly influence the development of foot ulcers. While these foot ulcers are resulting risk factors of diabetes, this is essential to understand how and why these ulcers; which can be helpful in developing initiatives regarding ulceration prevention.

The common risk factors for ulcer formation are diabetic neuropathy, structural deformity, and peripheral arterial occlusive disease. A careful physical assessment is required which can identify patients at risk for foot ulcers and appropriately differentiate patients who already have ulcers or other Diabetic Foot complications.

Nerve damage (neuropathy) is the most common in diabetes, affecting more than 20%- 50% of people with the condition. Neuropathy may result into painful symptoms in a person’s legs, which either become typically worse at night, or may be completely painless – the person’s feet may not feel anything mostly due to numbness. A dangerous situation would be if the pain and temperature sensation; normally crucial for general protection from injury are lost due to lack of blood circulation. Thus, this may affect patient’s feet without their awareness. Although neuropathy is not only responsible for ulceration but it permits injuries to develop without being noticed.

Other risk factors contributing to the development of diabetic foot ulcers may include smoking, malnutrition, immobility, older age, deficiency in cognitive function, lack of insight, and inability to follow optimal management (such as lower extremity elevation) because of other significant co morbidities. Smoking is known to have negative effects on wound healing outcomes and essentially doubles the complication rate for any surgery or wound healing intervention as compared to nonsmokers. Metabolic syndrome is another risk factor for development of foot ulcers. It includes a combination of hypertension, abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia (hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein), and is a precursor of diabetes. Consequently, it is crucial to initiate appropriate management before a problem arises. Improper management can lead to serious and costly wound care problems.

The first step in any preventive care is patient education. There are treatments available for DFU which can help in managing the severity of foot ulcers. Moreover, despite the advances in treatment options, the outcomes for the patients with DFU’s have not improved. The successful treatment is hindered by the lack of targeted therapy that hones in on the healing processes deregulated by diabetes. In that regard, PRP can be a promising tool, being capable of bypassing the underlying abnormal healing mechanism as well as accelerating the initial healing stages such as inflammation, secretion of immune cells and proliferation of damaged cells.

With the advancing technology, the treatment implementing Platelet Rich Plasma, is gaining popularity as a biological booster to accelerate body's delayed healing mechanism and maximize cell proliferation. The use of PRP is a very efficient technique being employed since 1990's to promote healing of the soft tissues as well as wounds and is categorically attracting many doctors, due to it's incredible outcomes; that have been observed through various clinical trials The PRP is a platelet concentrate with liquid plasma portion containing various essential growth factors, important to promote cell recruitment, multiplication as well as specialization, for faster healing. 

Lifestyle interventions to keep your liver healthy

Our lifestyle plays a very crucial role in maintaining one’s health. A liver is apparently a very important organ performing many different functions that are required to continue smooth functioning of our body mechanism. In order to maintain such a crucial organ in its functional state, it is thus utmost important to understand different good as well as bad lifestyle inventions, which influence smooth functioning of liver. Apparently, one should try to avoid parameters that are dangerous for liver and accept good habits, which can maintain it in a better form.

Alcohol poisons and promotes inflammatory responses in the liver. If alcohol abuse continues, it can lead to permanent scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). However, over three-fourths of the liver can be damaged before symptoms occur. If more than two alcoholic drinks are consumed each day, serious Liver Damage will eventually occur. The individual will tire more quickly since his blood is dirtier, and he will become more susceptible to infections, as well as brain and kidney dysfunction. Alcohol also thickens the blood and slows its circulation. It reduces the liver’s capacity to cleanse the blood from impurities and pathogens. Since any amount of alcohol burdens the liver and compromises its efficiency, why drink it at all?

Smoking and Tobacco consumption, smoking as well as tobacco consumption is suppose to be the major inducer of three major adverse effects on the body, which have been identified as increase toxin effects, immunological effects as well as oncological effects. It has known to increase the cytotoxic potential, leading to cellular death of the liver and fibrosis. It can thicken the blood to considerable extent that promotes the oxidative stress of hepatocytes.

Overeating, obesity, and excessive visceral fat (the fat stored in the abdominal organs) also damage the liver. Overeating generates more free radicals. Free radicals are unsteady molecules that are responsible for damaging the cellular membrane and DNA. As one of the primary function of liver is to detoxify our body from the free radicals, overeating magnifies this free-radical assault on the liver; leading to the functional reduction of the organ.

What can you do to save your liver?

Avoid alcohol and other risk factors for hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), such as poor personal hygiene, poor sanitation, intravenous street drugs, unsafe sex, body piercing, and tattooing. If working in a medical setting, use gloves when handling body fluids or drawing blood; consider the advantages and disadvantages of the hepatitis vaccine.

An individual who is obese or has a “pot-belly” needs to work on losing weight. If the liver has been infiltrated with fat, slow, steady, and permanent weight-loss is much kinder to the liver than fast weight-loss. Permanent weight loss, however, can reverse NAFLD. Rapid weight-loss promotes inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. Judicious weight loss has other benefits to offer. In an obese individual, even a modest weight loss will significantly improve blood-sugar levels and cholesterol and blood fat profiles.

Green leafy vegetables are high in antioxidants that help to protect the liver from the free-radical damage, it incurs by processing toxins. Chlorophyll (the green pigment of plants) reduces toxin absorption from the gut, thereby reducing the toxin load the liver has to handle. Chlorophyllin, a water-soluble derivative of chlorophyll, reduces the formation of DNA adducts from heterocyclic amines which damage the colon. (*a DNA adduct is a perverting junction of DNA and a cancer-producing molecule). Chlorophyllin also reduces the development of aflatoxin B1, a carcinogenic mold that damages the liver. Legumes offer special benefits to the liver. Soybeans, in particular, improve the antioxidant activity of the liver.

Thus, once the damage is done, it is very difficult to reverse the process with current therapeutic interventions; which suggest liver transplant as the only possible cure. Apparently, many people are already in a queue to get a suitable organ donor for their liver ailments, and even though they get an organ, it is highly unpredictable, whether the procedure is accepted by the body or not? However, with the technological innovations and scientific advancements, some of the alternative medicines such as Stem Cells Therapy can now be offered to stop further progression of liver damage and with the possibility of regenerating already damaged part to a great extent, in order to restore the liver function back.

Initial and Later Symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy

When the body cannot produce the protein called Dystrophin, the condition may lead to a severe muscular damage and weakness. The prevalence of this deficiency has increased significantly, with number of people noted to be affected with this problem, which is found to be further weakening the chief muscular functions of body, resulting into muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, depending upon the extent of damage and the location affected, Muscular Dystrophy can be categorized into many different types, holding several different symptoms, such as damaged as well as weakened muscles, problems in walking, swallowing, muscular coordination, etc. Till now, more than 30 different types of muscular

Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure or effective way to fulfill the requirement of dystrophin, as of now the only available treatment modalities for the same can be noted as physiotherapy and implementation of some supportive equipment, such as braces, wheelchair, etc. However, certain treatment like Stem Cell Therapy is quite helpful to an extent to improve the quality of life by reducing overall dependability, stopping the disease progression and attaining symptomatic relief from the problem.

Different types of muscular dystrophies can be noted as:

Duchene muscular dystrophy: This is the common type of muscular dystrophy. Generally, boys are more affected rather than girls. Although this disease is actually inherited, about one-third of boys with Duchene muscular dystrophy don't have a family history of the disease, possibly because the gene involved may be subjected to sudden abnormal change or mutation as a result of external and internal factors.

Signs and symptoms that can be relevant to the DMD may include:

•    Frequent falls

•    Difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position

•    Trouble running and jumping

•    Waddling gait

•    Walking on the toes

•    Large calf muscles

•    Muscle pain and stiffness

•    Learning disabilities

Becker muscular dystrophy: While, signs, and symptoms are similar to those of Duchenne muscular dystrophy; the disability can be linked with milder outcomes along with relatively slower progression of disability. The symptoms generally start to be expressive during the teenage, but are usually noted by the mid 20’s.

Limb-girdle Dystrophy: In this type of Muscular Dystrophy, hip and shoulder muscles are usually affected. People with this type of muscular dystrophy may have difficulty lifting the front part of the foot and so may jaunt frequently. Its onset usually begins in the childhood or the teenage.

Myotonic Dystrophy is also known as Steinert’s disease, and is identified as the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. It affects both men as well as female equally and the symptoms are generally expressed any time between early childhoods to adulthood till 40’s. The symptoms can be related to the myotonia, causing abnormally prolonged spasm and/or stiffening of the muscles after use. The disease may as well affect the central nervous system, heart, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Although, daily living is not affected, those with Myotonic dystrophy have decreased life expectancy.

Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy (FSHD):  The kind of muscular dystrophy is linked with the facial muscles, muscles of the shoulder blades, and upper arm bones. This kind of muscular dystrophy is expressive during teenage to early adulthood, affecting both males as well as females equally. The severity of the disease can be mild to complete disabling, affecting the ability to chew, swallow, and speech.

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Your peg can decide the Health of your Liver

We live in a world, where our population comprises of maximum talented youths. But the sad part may be that their lifestyle is confined only to gizmo gadgets, discos, pubs and alcohols.  Activities like night outs, lounging in the pubs, unnecessary show offs by smoking and drinking have become very common elements of urban lifestyles. However, it is a matter of concern that these malpractices are the principal causes of increasing health issues of the society.

Today, alcohol is widely available and aggressively promoted throughout our society; and continues to be regarded as a normal part of routine lifestyle.  However those who are indulging into unnecessary addictions should note that even a small amount of alcohol can have serious effects on your body. The studies have proved that even passive smoking, for that matter can cause life threatening complications to your near and dear ones.

While risking your health, liver is the one which is less immune to your alcohol adventure. The liver is a large organ who plays vital role in your body. It filters the blood of toxins, breaks down proteins, and creates bile to help the body absorb fat. When a person drinks alcohol heavily on a regular basis, the body starts to replace the liver’s healthy tissue with scarred tissue. And this is called alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis, which leads to a situation where your liver will stop functioning properly. Whatever is the reason behind being alcoholic, once you start, it is obvious to face number of potential health risks. Studies are evident to prove that young people who drink heavily may put themselves at risk for a range of potential health problems.

 It has been evident that between 10 and 20 percent of heavy drinkers develop liver cirrhosis. Alcoholic liver cirrhosis is the most advanced form of liver disease that’s related to drinking alcohol. The disease may start with a fatty liver and leads to the progressive damage of liver; ultimately causing liver cirrhosis. In general, the condition can be diagnosed with the physical examination or blood tests; however liver biopsy is generally performed to find out the level of tissue scarring. Although the liver cirrhosis is generally referred as the chronic stage of liver failure and liver transplantation with the matched donor is the only possible treatment for the same so far available.

With the advent of Stem Cells technology, some positive changes have been observed for the patients who have been suffering from the diseases. Stem cells are the naive cells of the body, which can be differentiated to become any cells, if treated with proper growth conditions. This remarkable potential of stem cells has been exploited by the medical science as a possible cure for a variety of debilitating diseases. Researchers have observed positive differentiation of stem cells in hepatic lineages and thus restoration of liver function back to a great extent. This was evident with improved liver function diagnostic tests.

At Advancells, they are exploiting the most potent stem cells isolated from patients own bone marrow or adipose tissue or may be both depending upon the assessment. They are providing very comprehensive, individualized treatment pattern, which is best suited for the patients undergoing treatment. In about 2/3rd of the patients, they have observed long lasting improvements in liver function, causing less tiredness, increased secretion of liver enzymes.