A very brief history of surgery

By James Wright, MD, MPH

When confronted with the prospect of their child having an operation, many parents are understandably concerned. Surgery is a serious undertaking and it does carry risks. However, they might take some solace in the fact that their family is experiencing this in modern times.

Surgeons are highly trained, highly skilled, and have often specialized -- meaning they have maximum experience and knowledge about the types of surgery they perform. Millions of surgeries are performed every year without incident saving countless lives. This was not always the case. The incredible success of modern surgery is built on a difficult past of trial and painful error

Adult-child conversations linked to healthy development

Frequent adult-child conversations are a reliable way to nurture healthy development in young children, suggests a recent study published in Pediatrics.

According to Dr. Fred Zimmerman, lead author of the study, the amount of language input a child receives before age 3 is “significantly and strongly associated with subsequent language acquisition.” And he is quick to point out that it’s never too early for a parent to begin conversing with their child.

Spring forward without losing sleep

On March 11th, we will turn our clocks forward one hour. For the most part, the time change comes as good news: Warmer weather is just around the corner. But the bad news is we lose an hour of sleep.

Unsurprisingly, most families have a hard time adjusting to the lost hour. It is common for many kids to experience sleep disruptions. Here are some helpful tips to make the transition a little smoother.

Smoking: 10 reasons for parents to quit

​ Along with the slew of health benefits, there are many other reasons to quit lighting up. Here are ten convincing arguments to help you quit.

1. Help the health of people around you

Second-hand smoke is linked to a number of ailments, particularly for children. Children who are frequently exposed to second-hand smoke have higher chances of developing upper respiratory conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis, to name a few.

Babies: An Overview

 In official terms, infancy is the first 12 months of life. A lot will happen in your baby’s first 12 months. Before you know it, your tiny, "helpless" newborn baby will be a person in her own right, able to move around and communicate. Most healthy, full-term newborn babies double their birth weight by four months and triple it by their first birthday. Keep in mind, though, that all babies grow at their own pace. In terms of physical development, your baby will generally develop from the top down. The first thing to develop is head control and strengthening of the neck muscles. Later, your baby's hand coordination develops, which allows her to pull herself forward before learning how to crawl. Once she has better control of her lower body, your baby can use her hands and knees to crawl. All of this happens in preparation for learning to walk.

Reproduction

Human reproduction is when an egg cell from a woman and a sperm cell from a man unite and develop in the womb to form a baby. A number of organs and structures in both the woman and the man are needed in order for this process to occur. These are called the reproductive organs and genitals.

The male reproductive system

In males, the reproductive organs and genitals include:

• testes, also called testicles: a pair of oval-shaped glands that produce sperm
• scrotum: the pouch of skin that contains the testes
• penis: the male reproductive organ, through which urine and semen pass
• prostate gland: a gland that produces some of the fluid part of semen
• seminal vesicles: a pair of glands that also produce some of the fluid part of semen
• vas deferens: a pair of ducts leading from the testes to the seminal vesicle, through which the sperm travel

Burns: Winter Safety

How to keep children safe from burn injuries during the holiday season Most burn injuries are preventable. Most burns occur during winter. Here are tips on how to prevent burns around the home. Fireplaces Fireplaces can get very hot. Gas fireplaces get hot quickly. Keep your children away from fireplaces. Always use a fire screen. Never leave your children alone near a fireplace.

Boils (Abscesses)

What is a boil?

A boil is an inflamed, painful swelling of the skin, caused by bacteria. Boils can occur anywhere on the body. They often occur in damp areas such as in the armpit and groin, and at the back of the neck. They sometimes occur in lymph nodes, often in the armpit, groin or neck.
Boils are sometimes referred to as abscesses.

Bleeding: First Aid

In most cases, when your child scrapes or cuts herself, the bleeding will stop quickly. Although the amount of bleeding may seem like a lot, most minor wounds do not result in major blood loss or complications. However, if the bleeding does not stop, you will have to act quickly to prevent too much blood loss and maybe even shock. Shock occurs when the circulatory system fails to provide enough blood to all parts of the body. Signs of shock may include:

Caring For Your Child's Fake Eye

This page contains information on:

• your child's temporary artificial (fake) eye (the conformer)
• your child's permanent fake eye

What is a conformer?

After your child's eye is removed, your child will wear a temporary fake eye called a conformer. The conformer is like a big hard contact lens or a plastic shell. Your child will wear it until the eye socket is healed and your child is fitted with a permanent fake eye.

Conformer

The conformer is an oval piece of plastic that may have an eye painted on it. Your child will wear this conformer until he is fitted with a permanent fake eye.

The conformer helps the eye socket heal properly. The conformer also helps the eyelid  keep its normal shape. Your child should wear the conformer all the time. If it is not causing problems, do not take it out.
The conformer should not hurt your child. You will not hurt your child or damage the socket by moving the conformer. If it falls out, you can put it back in.

How the Body Works

// How the Body Works Heart An interactive teaching aid illustrating the anatomy and function of the

L’usage de la mémoire rend maître rend maître

Le mois passé, la revue Science publiait une étude

Le mois passé, la revue Science publiait une étude intéressante qui risque d’entraîner des répercussions sur l’enseignement en classe. Les chercheurs ont comparé quatre approches différentes liées à l’étude des manuels utilisés par le programme de sciences d’une université. Ces approches incluent la lecture du texte une fois, l’étude répétée du texte en quatre blocs de cinq minutes, la schématisation conceptuelle tout en étudiant le texte et l’étude à l’aide des tests de pratique de la mémorisation.

Le risque d’obésité chez les bébés est lié à l’introduction des aliments solides

L’introduction des aliments solides à votre bébé trop tôt pourrait augmenter ses risques de devenir un tout-petit obèse, d’après une étude parue dans le journal médical Pediatrics.
Des chercheurs de Harvard Medical School et du Children’s Hospital Boston concluent que les bébés nourris aux formules à qui on a donné des aliments solides avant l’âge de quatre mois ont six fois plus de

How dangerous is spoiled food produce?

BEIRUT: With the recent confiscations of expired food, concern is high over the effect on public health, but what is the real risk? The Daily Star spoke to some experts to find out about the potential health effects.
First, once you’ve eaten food that contains harmful bacteria, there is little you can do to prevent food poisoning symptoms from occurring, but symptoms are unlikely to be life-threatening.
Food can contain a variety of bacteria, depending on the source, and because expired products are automatically confiscated for destruction, no tests have been made on the latest spoiled foods.
However, according to Nadine Zeeni, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Lebanese American University, meat is the biggest culprit for harmful bacteria, with the most common being e.coli, salmonella and campylobacter jejuni.

Building partially collapses in Burj Hammoud

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BEIRUT: Part of a building that was still under renovation collapsed in the Beirut suburb of Burj Hammoud Friday.

Part of Burj Hammoud building collapses onto parked cars Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Mar-24/167809-part-of-burj-hammoud-building-collapses-onto-parked-cars.ash

BEIRUT: Two elderly women escaped death Friday when a wall of a building under renovation fell on their parked car in the Beirut suburb of Burj Hammoud, eyewitnesses said.
The uninhabited building’s wall fell due to what local residents said was a “poor foundation.”
The wall crushed two cars parked on the street, causing heavy traffic congestion and damaging an electricity pole, cutting off power in the neighborhood. Two women who were in a car escaped before the wall fell on their vehicle.

Italian, Slovenian peacekeepers honored at UNIFIL ceremony

BEIRUT: The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon honored Slovenian and Italian peacekeepers Saturday in a ceremony in the southern city of Tyre where UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra reaffirmed the troops’ commitment to maintaining the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.
During the ceremony, which took place at the Roman Hippodrome in south Lebanon, Serra awarded U.N. Peace Medals to 1,112 Italian peacekeepers and 14 troops from Slovenia.

March 14 list wins Order of Engineers by-elections Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Mar-26/167948-march-14-list-wins-order-of-engineers-by-elections.ashLebanon News

BEIRUT: The list backed by the Future Movement-led March 14 coalition, the Progressive Socialist Party and Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya, won Sunday’s by-elections for five seats on the Beirut Order of Engineers’ council. According to official results announced Sunday night, candidates George Feghali, Jahida Itani, Michel Matta, Marwan Sharrouf, Mughir Sinjaba won the five council seats with 4,642, 4,710, 4,576, 4,573 and 4,620 votes respectively.

Best Babes of the Week: March 23

Okay, this would be one of those times where we need to get our inner alpha male on. Here's a rarely given chance to party with the likes of Sam Pinto or Stef Prescott, even more so in the shores of Boracay and on a weekend. We're not gonna blow it. We're gonna pack our bags and catch the next flight out. FHM nation, kita kits sa Bikini Heaven party bukas!

Katrina Halili Confirms Pregnancy!

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Katrina Halili, our two-time Nation’s Finest, finally confirmed that she is three months pregnant! Congratulations are in order, aren't they?

“Blessing po ito eh,” reveals Katrina, still visibly startled during her Startalk interview with Ricky Lo last Saturday. “Ito na ang ibinibigay sa akin na bagong chapter sa buhay ko.”
Life and career-altering this may be, it’s still a little bundle of joy now living inside a fine woman’s body. We’re certainly glad she feels that way.