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May 31, 2010

Smoking is Highly Addictive in Kids (Teens and Babies) [video]

All it takes is one cigarette a month. A recent study in Pediatrics that tracked the course of addiction to smoking among a group of sixth-graders found that smoking only one cigarette a month was all it took to become dependent. In the study titled " Early Course of Nicotine Dependence in Adolescent Smokers ," the researchers found that one cigarette a month or one cigarette a week was enough to keep addiction satisfied, but as time goes by, the child has to smoke cigarettes m…
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May 26, 2010

A New Method of Allergy Testing (Multi-Array Chip Technology)

A MIT researcher has developed a new and possibly more accurate blood test for allergies using multi-array chip technology. The paper is titled " Multidimensional analysis of the frequencies and rates of cytokine secretion from single cells by quantitative microengraving " and is published in the journal Lab on a Chip. This chip technology uses a microscopic engraving process to create thousands to millions of tiny wells (or multi-array) on a chip where a different "blood tes…
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Botox - A National Security Threat???

Botox which is commonly used for cosmetic and medical reasons can also pose a national security threat according to a story in the June 2010 Scientific American. Before this claim can be dismissed out-of-hand, consider that consumer demand for botox is fueling a proliferation of illegal botox distributors. Botox, which is botulinum toxin made by a bacteria in food gone bad, is actually a lethal poison which could potentially be used as a potent biological weapon in large enough quantities…
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May 25, 2010

Is Cancer Contagious? Well... it depends...

The literal answer to this question is YES... Cancer CAN be literally contagious, but only if you are a tasmanian devil, hamster, or a dog. I am excluding transmission of a vector that may lead to cancer like HPV. Rather cancer itself being contagious. Fortunately, cancer has NOT been found to be contagious in humans... yet... At this time, the only cancers I am aware of that is contagious are found in the animal world. And even in that world, there are only 4. 1) Devil facial tumour di…
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May 23, 2010

Genetic Cause for Stuttering?

It appears that at least in some individuals, their stuttering may be caused by a genetic mutation, specifically a missense mutation in the N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase gene (GNPTAB), which encodes the alpha and beta catalytic subunits of GlcNAc-phosphotransferase protein (part of the lysosomal enzyme–targeting pathway). Other genetic mutations causing stuttering was found in the GNPTAB, GNPTG, and NAGPA genes. These genes encode enzymes that generate the mannose-6-phosphate …
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Vaginal Premarin Cream for Recurrent Nosebleeds?

It is an old trick of the trade where a physician may prescribe vaginal premarin cream to treat recurrent nosebleeds . The premarin (estrogen) cream (just as it does when placed vaginally) causes the nasal mucosa lining to thicken thereby "burying" the superficial blood vessels that are often the culprits for recurrent nosebleeds. Application is by rubbing the cream 2-3X per day to the anterior wall of the nasal septum ( Kiesselbach's plexus ) where 90% of nosebleed sources ar…
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May 22, 2010

New Simple Blood Test In Newborns Can Predict Allergy Risk!

Researchers in Australia have discovered a certain protein extracted from umbilical cord blood can predict the allergy risk a given newborn has in the future. The research titled " Protein kinase Czeta: a novel protective neonatal T-cell marker that can be upregulated by allergy prevention strategies " was published in 2007 in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. The protein called "Neonatal T-cell Protein Kinase C zeta" (PKCzeta) was lower in children who ha…
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May 21, 2010

Dr. Chang to be Featured in TV Medical News Program on CBS

On May 21, 2010, a video crew came to our office to film a segment on Dr. Chang and what he does (or rather a very small part of what he does) as an otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon. Dr. Chang along with 9 other practices will be featured in a medical news television show "American Health Front" that will air on June 5, 2010 at 7PM on Channel 9 (WUSA-TV CBS). The main focus of what Dr. Chang talked about are the different causes of nasal obstruction and their treatment …
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May 20, 2010

Botox for Chronic Cough

There have been a few reports that discuss the use of botox to achieve significant improvement, if not cure, in adult patients with a chronic cough due to sensory neuropathy. In one report , researchers presented 4 case studies in which cough relief occurred after a median of 7 injections with a mean dose of 4.0 Units per treatment session for a mean duration of 25.7 months. In  another report, Mayo researchers performed botox injection in 22 patients among which 50% reported improvement i…
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May 19, 2010

Can Earwax Be Made Into a Usable Candle?

Can you make a candle out of ear wax? Well according to a scene in the movie Shrek, it sure can. However, in reality, earwax can not produce a candle that's any good. This "myth" was attempted to be reproduced by the friendly gang of Mythbusters (a serial show on Discovery Channel), episode 136 (air date: Dec 28, 2009). Earwax was collected from Tory’s ears and ignited alongside paraffin and beeswax which are two common materials used for candles. The earwax burned with som…
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May 17, 2010

Lemierre's Syndrome on CT Scan

Lemierre's Syndrome is a constellation of signs involving the bacteria Fusobacterium necrophorum. The syndrome usually begins with tonsillitis that progresses to an infected clot in the adjacent jugular vein. Bits of the infected clot break off and spread throughout the body spreading the infection. If it gets bad enough, sepsis may occur. Here is a CT scan showing the key sign of a clotted off jugular vein indicating Lemierre's syndrome (red arrow). A normal appearing jugular vein …
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May 16, 2010

Bad Breath Found to be Related to Types of Bacteria Rather Than Bacterial Amount

Researchers in Japan investigated whether bad breath was caused by the types of bacteria found in people's mouths as opposed to the overall amount of bacteria. In their research which was published in the May 2010 journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology they found that there exists four types of bacterial community compositions. The two parameters for bad breath (the concentration of volatile sulfur compounds in mouth air and the organoleptic score) was noticeably lower in on…
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WP: Anatomy of Tinnitus

I recently came across this interesting webpage published by the Washington Post describing the biological pathways that results in tinnitus or ringing of the ears , complete with pictures. It also describes how we " hear " which is actually not with our ears, but with our brains. Tinnitus is becoming a much more common problem with loud noise exposure whether via military service in the Gulf from all the gunfire and explosions or listening to personal music players (iPod) too l…
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May 14, 2010

Hidden Costs of Allergy Shots

Many people know what allergy shots are and do. What many may not realize are the hidden costs associated with them and it behooves a patient interested in getting them to know what they are getting into, not just in terms of medical, but also financial. For those who don't know... Allergy shots are typically 1-2 injections administered to the upper arm once a week for a period of years… potentially as long as 5-10 years. These shots are given in an attempt to “cure” a person of their …
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RANDOM: Media Confuses PA Students with Med Students in Medical Error

So I read this disturbing news report on MSNBC titled " Needle error puts 50 people at risk in N.M. " where "MED" students improperly pricked multiple patients while testing blood sugar during a health fair. Later in the article , the story stated "Students from UNM's physician assistant program conducted the free blood sugar tests during the cultural center's American Indian Week Pueblo Days." I should hope that a reputable news media outlet like MSNB…
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May 12, 2010

TV Show "Glee" Character Rachel Has Laryngitis? Tonsillitis?

On May 11, 2010, Glee aired its eighteenth episode titled "Laryngitis". In this episode, Rachel suffered from a lost voice which was attributed to tonsillitis or is it laryngitis . It was a bit confusing as it would seem her lost voice was attributable to laryngitis (title of the episode), but than she was diagnosed with tonsillitis by the TV doctor which really has nothing to do with laryngitis. I guess it is possible that she had TWO conditions going on at the same time even tho…
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May 10, 2010

LECTURE: Dr. Chang Guest Lecturer on Spasmodic Dysphonia INOVA Fair Oaks

Dr. Chang will be a guest lecturer for the Northern Virginia Spasmodic Dysphonia Support Group. The lecture will be held on October 20, 2010 from 7-9PM at INOVA Fair Oaks Campus, Medical Plaza Building, Conference Room A. The lecture topic is on Spasmodic Dysphonia , a laryngeal dystonia that results in altered vocal quality due to involuntary muscular spasms of the voicebox. The support group leader is Paula Cooper (Email: paulakcooper2004@yahoo.com). Dr. Chang provides botox injection…
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May 09, 2010

Storybooks to Help Prepare a Child for Surgery

Children love stories and as it so happens, there are a few books to help prepare a child for surgery so that hopefully everything won't be as strange or scary. All these books can be purchased from Amazon.com. The first group is for tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy . The last group is for ear tubes placement .
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May 05, 2010

New Video on Tonsil Cryptolysis to Address Tonsil Stones

A new video has been uploaded describing a minimally invasive technique to address tonsil stones called tonsil cryptolysis . This technique accomplishes the same thing as laser cryptolysis but at lower cost and increased safety. Just like laser cryptolysis, this procedure can be done awake without any sedation using only local anesthesia (the caveat being that the patient must have minimal/no gag reflex with easy visualization of the tonsils). Watch the video below or on YouTube . Read mor…
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May 01, 2010

Home Remedies Preferred Over Drugs for Kids' Coughs and Colds

In the May 2010 volume of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins published an article entitled " Over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children: Are they helpful? " The blunt answer is that they do not! At least before the age of 2 years, one should stick to "home remedies" to address a young child's cough and cold. Such home remedies include humidity, saline spray, and bulb suctioning of the nose. When they are a bit older an…
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