Adam Yauch Cancer

Adam  Yauch, a founding member of the pioneering rap band Beastie Boys, died Friday after a nearly three-year battle with cancer, the band’s publicist said.

A torrent of Twitter messages from entertainers lauded Yauch, 47, as a visionary musical artist, filmmaker and humanitarian.

“He stood for integrity as an artist. What a loss. He was a very good man,” said actor Ben Stiller.

Everything came to a halt, however, on July 20, 2009, when Adam “MCA” Yauch announced that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland. On Friday, May 4, that cancer tragically claimed Yauch’s life.

When MCA first announced that he was battling the disease, he lamented the effect that his health would have on the Beasties’ upcoming plans, but remained optimistic that immediate surgery would lead to a full recovery. “I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows,” he said in a written statement at the time.

Adam Yauch cancer

“It’s a pain in the neck, because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.”

“I started feeling this little lump in my throat, like you would feel if you have swollen glands or something like that, like you’d feel if you have a cold, so I didn’t really think it was anything,” he said then in a video to fans.

Yauch, a self-taught bassist and vocalist, underwent surgery to treat the tumor that year.

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CTE

CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a progressive degenerative disease, diagnosed post-mortem in individuals with a history of multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. A variant of the condition, dementia pugilistica (DP), is primarily associated with boxing.

CTE has been known to affect boxers since the 1920s. However, recent reports have been published of neuropathologically confirmed CTE in retired professional football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma. This trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau.

These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement.  The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.

The forensic pathologist who first identified chronic brain damage as a factor in the deaths of some NFL players flew to San Diego on Thursday to participate in the autopsy of former All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau.

The pathologist, Bennet Omalu, assisted in the autopsy conducted by the San Diego County medical examiner because of his experience with NFL players and brain injuries, the sources said.

 

Omalu’s involvement, less than 24 hours after Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, may help determine whether the future Hall of Famer’s suicide could be related to the growing link between football and concussions.
Omalu, the chief medical officer for San Joaquin County (Calif.), is credited with identifying Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurological disorder stemming from repeated head trauma in several deceased NFL players. CTE can lead to erratic behavior also associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Progeria

Becky Reid and Charlotte Okines are planning a sponsor run for the Progeria Family Circle. The route goes from Yorkshire to Kent. They will run 10 marathons in 10 days! Starting on April 5th, they hope to finish their 438 km long run on 14th of April 2012.

Progeria also known as  “Progeria syndrome” is an extremely rare genetic condition where in symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age.

The disorder has very low incidences and occurs in an estimated 1 per 8 million live births. Those born with progeria typically live to their mid teens and early twenties. It is a genetic condition that occurs as a new mutation (de novo), and is rarely inherited.

A Although the term progeria applies strictly speaking to all diseases characterized by premature aging symptoms, and is often used as such, it is often applied specifically in reference to Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS).

progeria

Charlotte always had a tough time dealing with her sisters condition, progeria. For a long time, she tried to block out what was happening. It was very difficult for her to feel so helpless.

 But in 2010 she helped to organise and host the UK’s first Progeria reunion, which was repeated again in 2011. This was a life-changing experience for her.

 

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ALS Disease

ALS disease or Amyotrophic Horizontal Sclerosis disease is really a electric motor neuron disease sort due to the degeneration regarding nerves which are located in the vertebrae cord’s ventral horn. ALS can be a progressive condition which can usually turn one’s health and usually results in loss of life because it episodes the anxiety and the muscles of your individual.

ALS disease, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease in American English, is a form of Motor Neuron Disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input.

The condition is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the New York Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939. The disorder is characterized by rapidly progressive weakness, muscle atrophy and fasciculations, spasticity, dysphagia,dysarthria, and respiratory compromise. Sensory function generally is spared, as is autonomic and oculomotor activity.

Treatment for ALS disease would require a team of well-trained medical professionals. This would include neurologists, physical therapists, dietitians, speech therapists, psychiatrists, an army of caregivers and many others. They would have to collaborate as each system is related with the other, and oftentimes, their areas overlap.

ALS-Disease

1-Medication prescribed to patients with ALS would be based on the  symptoms exhibited. The main goal of the pharmacological therapy would be to reduce the symptoms and slow down nerve damage.
2-Physical therapy would be needed to slow down muscle atrophy as much as possible. It is also needed to reduce muscular spasms and cramping.
3-Speech therapy would be needed since the use of vocal cords would soon be diminished. Writing would be moot as well since the patient no longer has the function of his hands.
4-Family support. There is nothing better than having the love and care of those that are important to you. Family support would help the patient have the courage to go through his condition because he knows that people are there for him.

ALS can never be cured. People suffering from ALS disease are under palliative care because no amount of medication or treatment could reverse the degenerative process.

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Birth Control Recall

Pfizer has recalled about one million packages of birth control pills after manufacturer has announced that the drugs might not contain enough hormones to prevent pregnancy. So instead of calling them “birth control pills,” it might be more accurate to refer to them as “one-a-day useless hormone candy.”

Each packet birth control contains 28 days’ worth of the prescription, with 21 pills containing the active ingredient that prevents pregnancy and seven placebo pills. The pills are normally color-coded to note the difference.

Women are supposed to take the pills in order and not mix the placebos with the active pills. Doctors say taking three placebos or more in a row negates the pregnancy protection.

“Women who are potentially on this particular product need to be aware of (the recall) and take this quite seriously,’’ said Dr. Steven R. Goldstein, a New York University professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

The packaging mistake worries Kendra Mifflin even though she takes a different brand of the pill.

The problem affects 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and 14 lots of generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets. Both products of birth control are manufactured by Pfizer and marketed in the U.S. by Akrimax Rx Products.

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