Clinical Trials

 

Studies of promising new or experimental therapies in patients are known as clinical trials. During a course of treatment for lung cancer, the doctor may suggest that a patient take part in a clinical trial of a new treatment. A clinical trial is only done when there is some reason to believe that the treatment being studied may be of value to the patient. Treatments used in clinical trials are often found to have real benefits.

ClinicalTrials.Gov - A Service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health

ClinicalTrials.gov, a primary resource for The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, is a registry of federally and privately sponsored clinical trials that are currently being conducted in the United States and 173 other countries around the world. The site was developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in collaboration with all NIH Institutes and the FDA following the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997. ClinicalTrials.gov provides clinical trial information for a wide range of diseases including mesothelioma. The types of data reported on the site includes each trial’s objective, whether or not participants are being recruited, progress updates, locations, contact information and more

Read More

Conventional Treatments

 

Conventional mesothelioma therapies include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. You should keep in mind that if you choose one course of action for mesothelioma treatment, you may preclude other courses. All of your options should be considered as soon as possible.

Mesothelioma Surgery

Depending on the stage of mesothelioma, surgery may be used to remove the cancer and some of the surrounding tissue. Often, however, an operation is not appropriate and the patient may undergo only minimally invasive procedures to relieve symptoms. A thoracentesis—when fluid in the chest is removed by placing a needle into the chest cavity—may be done to make a patient more comfortable. Sometimes talc or an antibiotic may be injected into the chest cavity to try to prevent the fluid from returning. These techniques are successful in controlling the fluid, at least temporarily, in as many as 90% of patients. While these procedures can help patients breathe more easily by controlling the pleural fluid that can compress the lung and cause shortness of breath, they do not cure the cancer. In the case of peritoneal mesothelioma, a needle may be inserted into the abdomen to drain the fluid. Similarly, a needle inserted into the pericardium (sac around the heart) can drain the fluid caused by pericardial mesothelioma and help relieve circulatory problems. Patients should be aware that draining this fluid may result in complications. Sometimes the cancer cells spread along the needle path, and a tumor nodule may form under the skin of that area.
Surgery for mesothelioma may be performed for one of two reasons: for palliation (to relieve pain and discomfort caused by the tumor) or to cure. Palliative surgery is typically done in cases where the tumor has already spread beyond the mesothelium and is difficult to completely remove or in cases where the patient is too ill to tolerate a more extensive operation. Curative surgery is offered when the patient is in otherwise good health and the tumor is thought to be localized and able to be completely removed. Unfortunately, microscopic spread of cancer cells into the chest wall and diaphragm are common even when such spread cannot be detected by routine tests. Therefore, given the extent of these operations and their very limited success, the exact role of surgery in treating mesothelioma is often debated.
There are two types of operations that may be offered to patients with pleural mesothelioma: pleurectomy/decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy. Pleurectomy/decortication is usually a palliative (relieves symptoms without curing the cancer) operation in cases where the entire tumor cannot be removed. This particular operation involves removal of the pleura, where the majority of the tumor is located. It is effective in controlling effusions (fluid accumulation) and decreasing the pain caused by the cancer.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a far more extensive operation and is most often used in cases of localized mesothelioma. The operation is technically difficult and performed only by surgeons in large specialized medical centers. It involves removing the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and the whole lung on the side of the tumor. The patient must be in overall good health with no other serious illnesses in order to tolerate this large operation. This operation is intended to remove all or most of the cancer and some surrounding tissues as well.

Read More

Mesothelioma Cancer Centers - Clinics

Anyone whose life has been touched by mesothelioma understands that it is necessary to locate the best care available for this rare form of cancer which often proves difficult to treat. Finding excellent doctors and other medical professionals who are noted experts in their field and who specialize in mesothelioma is essential to ensuring the most favorable outcome.
A directory of Mesothelioma Clinics and Cancer Centers is listed below by state for your convenience.

Read More

6 Knife Tricks That Will Change Your Life

Read More

Special Education Tips in ASL

Rosa Lee Timm, a person who is deaf, speaks in ASL to offer 5 helpful tips to make you a more effective advocate for your child's special education needs. She discusses the importance of keeping your records organized, writing letters to express concerns or ask questions; reviewing documents before signing them, finding expert support, and understanding the legal standard that applies to special education services.

Read More

A day in the life of a Special Education teacher

This is a profile of the SCB, or school community based special education program at James Hubert Blake high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. A team of teachers, administrators and specialists come together each day to support and teach these students.

Read More

Teaching Special Needs Children : Tips on Teaching in a Special Education Classroom

When teaching in a special education classroom, you want to make sure you have your room set up to accommodate all the needs of the students. Set your special education classroom up with help from a special needs teacher in this free video on special education.

Read More

Heart Health Awareness Month

Hearts fill our Februaries, and not just because Valentine’s Day is around the corner. February is also the month when the spotlight shines brightly on heart health as campaigns to raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases and promote heart-healthy living are featured around the globe.

Cardiovascular diseases are diseases that affect the heart and circulatory system and, according to the World Health Organization, they cause more deaths annually than any other disease worldwide.  While there are many diseases that affect heart health, three of them – coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and cardiomyopathy – are described below.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease in the United States and is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries. The arteries supply the heart with oxygen-rich blood. As the plaque, which is comprised of cholesterol and other substances, accumulates over time, it restricts the passage of blood (and therefore oxygen) through the arteries. This is a problem because a person can suffer a heart attack if the heart is deprived of the oxygen it needs.

Even if a heart attack does not occur, coronary artery disease can damage the heart and lead to other health conditions, such as an irregular heartbeat (also known as arrhythmia), and even heart failure, which happens when the heart is unable to effectively pump blood through the body.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common cardiovascular condition, with more than 3 million new cases per year recorded in the United States. When a person has high blood pressure, it means that their heart is working overtime to supply the body with the oxygen-rich blood it needs. The heart may need to exert more energy for a variety of reasons, including plaque buildup, genetic factors, and certain prescription medications.

High blood pressure can go undetected for years, causing further damage to the heart and arteries over time. If it is uncontrolled, high blood pressure and the damaged arteries it creates can lead to a variety of other health problems, such as organ and tissue damage, heart attack, and stroke.

Cardiomyopathy

Less common than high blood pressure, but still garnering 200,000 new cases per year in the United States, cardiomyopathy refers to a disease of the heart muscle itself. Cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to become enlarged or rigid, or in rare cases, causes scar tissue to replace heart muscle tissue. This damage weakens the heart and makes it difficult to pump blood effectively and maintain a steady rhythm, which can lead to heart failure and arrhythmia.

Cardiomyopathy can either be genetically inherited or acquired, meaning a person can either be born with it or develop it over time for one reason or another. There are multiple types of cardiomyopathy and the severity of the disease differs widely from person to person.

Improving Heart Health & Reducing Your Risk

Fortunately, it is possible to protect heart health and reduce your risk of developing or worsening one of these heart diseases. Some key elements of reducing your risk of heart disease and/or managing conditions like those described above include:

• Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Avoiding food with added sugar and salt
• Enjoying lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts
• Being physically active
• Not smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke
• Getting regular health checks, even when you feel healthy

As always, speak with a trusted healthcare provider if you are concerned about your heart health, think you should be tested for a specific condition, or if you have any other health concern.

So, as we exchange heart-shaped tokens of affection with our loved ones this February, let’s remember our own hearts and show them some love as well.

Read More

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

February 21-27 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week!

Awareness of eating disorders has gone up substantially in recent years. Even if health class in school doesn’t get the message across, pop culture has helped start the conversation about both the physical and emotional tolls eating disorders can have. When it comes to eating disorders, most of the focus is on women, but men are susceptible to eating disorders, too. Let’s look at two common eating disorders – anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa – and how they affect both men and women.

Anorexia nervosa, or simply anorexia, starts with a fear of gaining weight and an obsession about body weight that leads to self-starvation and excessive weight loss. For women, this is usually a dramatic decrease in food intake, or no eating at all. For men, this can be associated with compulsive exercise, frequently weighing himself, or a preoccupation with body building. No matter what gender, there is excessive dieting, denial of hunger, or thoughts of being “fat” despite continued weight loss.

Bulimia nervosa, or just bulimia, is characterized by self-induced vomiting to counteract binge eating. This eating disorder is similar for men and women, presenting as a feeling of being out of control while eating a large amount of food, then using laxatives or diuretics to purge the food out and control weight gain. For both genders, this behavior stems from an emotional insecurity about the body’s appearance. Those with bulimia can often fixate on a certain body part (abs, thighs, arms, etc.) and spend inordinate amounts of time working out.

Both of these eating disorders can have severe emotional and physical effects. But what if you start to recognize those symptoms in a friend or family member? How do you start that difficult conversation in hopes of getting them help? This is how the National Eating Disorders Association recommends approaching the subject:

• Set a time to talk – don’t rush the conversation, set aside a time away from distractions to discuss your concerns
• Communicate your concerns – share specific examples of when you were worried and why you think those instances may be indicating a problem
• Avoid conflicts – it’s common for a friend to refuse to acknowledge the problem. Stay calm and re-emphasize your feelings of concern, make sure they know you’re there as a support system rather than an accuser.
• Avoid placing blame – try not to use “you” statements like, “you are acting irresponsibly.” Instead, shift the focus onto yourself with statements like, “I’m concern about you because you haven’t been eating much.”
• Don’t give simple solutions – statements like, “If you would just start eating again, everything would be great,” don’t help and only exacerbate the situation
• Encourage talking to a professional – whether it’s a doctor, a counselor, a nutritionist, or another healthcare professional. If you feel comfortable, offer to go to their first appointment together. Dealing with eating disorders is difficult for both sides, so don’t be afraid to talk to someone about you, as well as your friend.

Read More

Understanding Chiari Malformation

Chiari malformations, also known as Arnold-Chiari malformations, are a defect in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. Normally, this part of the brain is housed in a space at the bottom of the skull, above the funnel-like opening to the spinal canal, called the foramen magnum. In people with Chiari malformations, the cerebellum is located below the foramen magnum.

The resulting pressure on the cerebellum and brain stem may affect functions controlled by these areas, such as balance, and block the flow of spinal fluid.

Causes

• Primary or congenital (more common): Caused by structural defects during fetal development, such as genetic mutations or lack of proper vitamins or nutrients
• Acquired or secondary (less common): Spinal fluid is drained excessively from other areas of the spine either due to injury, exposure to harmful substances, or infection.

Classification

Chiari malformations are classified by the severity of the disorder and the parts of the brain that protrude into the spinal canal.

• Type I (acquired): the lower part of the cerebellum (cerebellar tonsils) drops down with no brain stem involvement. May have no symptoms and be noted accidentally when a patient is having tests for a separate issue.
• Type II (classic): involves the extension of both cerebellar and brain stem tissue. The nerve tissue that connects the two halves of the cerebellum (cerebellar vermis) may be partially or completely absent.
• Type III (most serious): Not only the cerebellum and brain stem, but part of one of the brain’s fluid-filled cavities (the fourth ventricle) protrude. This usually causes severe neurological defects.
• Type IV (cerebellar hypoplasia): involves an incomplete or underdeveloped cerebellum. In this rare form of Chiari malformation, the cerebellar tonsils are located in a normal position, but parts of the cerebellum are missing.

What are the symptoms of a Chiari malformation?

Many patients have no symptoms and a Chiari malformation is found by accident. But, the following symptoms may be present:

• Neck pain
• Balance problems
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness or other abnormal feelings in the arms or legs
• Dizziness
• Vision problems
• Difficulty swallowing
• Ringing or buzzing in the ears
• Hearing loss
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Headache (made worse by coughing or straining)
• Issues with hand coordination and fine motor skills

Symptoms in babies and children:

• Vomiting, irritability when being fed, excessive drooling, a weak cry, gagging or vomiting, arm weakness, a stiff neck, breathing problems, developmental delays, and an inability to gain weight

Diagnosis

In order to determine if a Chiari malformation is present, the doctor will first check the following to see if anything is out of the ordinary:

• Cerebellar functions: memory, cognition, balance
• Spinal cord functions: touch, reflexes, sensation, and motor skills

The doctor might want the patient to have an X-ray, CT scan or MRI to conclusively determine if a Chiari malformation is present.

How are Chiari malformations treated?

There are few ways to treat Chiari malformations, and some cases may require no treatment at all.

• People with no symptoms: need no treatment
• Mild symptoms (like pain): treated with analgesics
• More severe symptoms: surgery

Although rare, Chiari malformation is a neurological defect that can affect the daily routine of those afflicted by it. Timely diagnosis and treatment are sought to improve quality of life for these patients.

Read More

Hospital Marketing is Becoming Increasingly Important

Changing health systems and uncertain financial situations are forcing hospitals around the world to better promote themselves to patients and referrers in order to stay competitive. However, marketing measures vary greatly across institutions and countries.

Fotos: Sebastian Forkath

Promotional newspaper at Jianhe County Hospital in China

A Growing Global Trend
A freeway winding through the lush mountains of China’s remote Guizhou Province is flanked by brightly colored billboards advertising care in private hospitals. They are mostly about andrology – medical services for men – but some showcase skin or diabetes treatments. Most of the other billboards praise the region’s famous liquors. High-profile hospital advertisements like these are still a rare phenomenon in China, but they are part of a growing global trend.

While healthcare institutions have been rather reluctant to adopt promotional activities in the past, attitudes are changing. “Most hospitals in the U.S. still spend less than one percent of their total operating revenues on marketing, whereas most retail businesses spend upward of 10 percent,” said Patrick Buckley, a leading U.S. healthcare marketing expert. However, the share of hospital income spent on promotion is very likely to rise in the coming years.
 

“Most hospitals in the U.S. still spend less than one percent of their total operating revenues on marketing.”

Patrick Buckley, U.S. healthcare marketing expert

Directing Patient Flows Towards Your Hospital
Buckley sees marketing as an “absolute necessity,” especially for U.S. hospitals: “The U.S. healthcare system is more competitive than many others.” And competition is what drives marketing. Ironically, patients are rarely eager buyers. Most would rather stay away from what hospitals offer. “However, when a person does have a health-related event that requires treatment, you definitely want your hospital to be at the top of his or her mind,” writes Buckley in his book.1 “Moreover, hospitals and health systems are continually affected by external forces over which they have no control: politics; changes in government regulations; declines in reimbursement; the growth of alternative medicine; the rise of consumerism.” In this changing environment, marketing is one way for hospitals to control patient flows.

Jianhe County Hospital uses flyers to build its image.

Different Styles of Raising Awareness 
This is also true outside of the U.S. A study on private hospitals in Brazil, for example, found that administrators think marketing is highly important. A well-planned and well-implemented marketing strategy might lead to “the attraction of new clients, which generates higher billing and a higher capacity of investment,” say the study’s authors.2 Another study carried out recently in India suggests that marketing in developing countries could influence patients’ hospital choices by addressing such issues as quality of treatment, transport convenience, and cost.3 In many European countries, however, practitioners are a key target group because they act as gatekeepers by referring patients to hospitals.

Of course, the way marketing is conducted varies greatly. The Brazilian study found that clinics with inferior infrastructure and less equipment employ simple forms of promotion, such as direct mailing or newspaper advertisements. Only hospitals with better infrastructure can use more expensive media, such as television. This is different in a richer country like the U.S., as Buckley observes: “Typically, the biggest component of a hospital’s advertising is TV, as it provides an opportunity to convey emotion and to build image. Yet, online advertising is definitely increasing.” Numbers are hard to track, says Buckley, but he estimates that digital advertising makes up around a quarter of hospital advertising spending in the U.S.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          "People want content.”

Patrick Buckley, U.S. healthcare marketing expert

What Matters Most To Customers
In addition to experimenting with shiny billboards along highways, private hospitals in China are also trying out media advertising and social media. Public hospitals, on the other hand, are not allowed to advertise directly. Instead, they try to cooperate with local media so that they receive positive coverage (such cooperations between public institutions and state media are common throughout China) or they promote themselves via their own websites – though the results are sometimes underwhelming.

A sample study conducted by experts from Shanghai's Fudan University found that only a third of China’s public hospitals currently have their own websites, and that information on medical care and insurance policies often fails to meet the demands of increasingly aware consumers.4
“People want content,” Buckley agrees. Therefore, hospitals should not cling to “vanilla” campaigns, as he calls them (advertising only their advanced technology and concern for patients), but rather should talk about what matters most to their clients: quality and safety.

Read More

How To Create Bootable Usb Flash Drives To Install Windows

This thread about How To Create Bootable Usb To Install Windows. It’s really simple if you follow these steps below. First of all you need to download program to perform this action.
I recommend you to use Rufus or Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool to perfom this job. Download links listed with both methods so let me guide you instruction of both programs to create bootable usb flash drives.​

How To Create Bootable Usb Flash Drives On Rufus:

Download Rufus from here:

Download Rufus 2.5 (843 KB)

Rufus Official Website

1. Connect/Attach your USB flash drive with PC/Laptop (make sure it’s empty or don’t any necessary data)
2. Open Rufus and make sure all these settings shown in screenshot.
3. Browse by click on on small disk icon to locate the windows .iso from hard drive & press Open.


4. You can see windows .iso has been imported and volume label has been added.

5. Click on > Start
6. Warning message will popup to get your permission to perform action. and it will format Usb flash drive before copying files.

7. Wait until files loaded from image then copying progress is start shortly.

8. Now wait few minutes to let it done.

9. Now press > Close.
10. Unplug Usb flash drive & plugin again. hopefully it’s all yours, now you can install windows through Usb flash drive.

How To Create Bootable Usb Flash Drives On Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool:

Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool from here:
Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool

Official Website

Download & install the program – no activation it’s free.

Connect/Attach your USB flash drive with PC/Laptop (make sure it don’t have any necessary data)
2. Open > Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool and click > Browse
3. Locate the windows .iso from hard drive & press Open.


4. Now press > Next

5. Select > USB Device

6. Press > Begin Copying

7. Press > Erase USB Device < to do let it format USB flash drive to free up space.

8. Press > Yes < to format USB flash drive & let it start copying.

9. See it’s Formatting & Copying files too shortly.

10. Backup Completed. All Done.
11. Now > Close < it and Unplug Usb flash drive & plugin again. hopefully it’s all yours, now you can install windows through Usb flash drive.

Alright! i hope you really appreciate this instruction tutorial.
Share it if anyone need help related to this topic, feedback if you like my work. Thanks!

Read More

Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016

Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016 Is a Top 10 Browsers Collection. In This Pack 14 Browsers Added That Install Silently. All Browsers Contain Original Condition & Setup We Just Make Them Silent To Install With One Click Only. These Browsers Are Not Portable. And Also We Added Some Extra World Top & Best 10 Software’s Bonus Pack That Are Fully Silent & Activated

About Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016:
Release Date: 28 November 2015
Language: English-EN
Type: Installer & Pack
Publisher: Computer Worms Team
Developer: Muhammad Sadeem

Browsers List:
Mozilla Firefox 43.0
Google Chrome 46.0
Opera 33.0
Safari 5.1.7
Torch Browser 42.0
Comodo Dragon 45.6
Maxthon Cloud Browser 4.4.8
SeaMonkey 2.39
Avant Browser 2015 Build 28
UC Browser 5.4
Tor Browser 5.0.4
Flock 2.6.1
Deepnet Explorer 2016

Extra Software’s Bonus:
VLC Media Player 2.2.1
IDM 6.25 Build 3
WinRar 5.30
uTorrent Pro 3.4.5
Skype 7.15
UltraISO 9.6
USB Disk Security 6.5
Ad Block 2016 For Browsers
Foxid PDF Reader 3.5

Screenshots:

Operating System: All Windows [86/64 Bit]

Checksum:
File – Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016.iso
SHA1 – 894a413f1e65b282d81995366c667a8f02663819
MD5 – 6b685b5ea35cd9506194e6772a19f9b8
MD4 – 40ebd63baa40af57fcfa4a154edf1379
CRC32 – 3ee84f5f

NOTE! Please Do Not Extract ISO Image. Installer Will Not Work After Extracting ISO
FIRST METHOD WITHOUT BURNING CD/DVD:
1. Install UltraISO & PowerISO
2. Right Click On “Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016.iso”
3. And Goto UltraISO/PowerISO Menu’s >>> Click On “Mount To Drive .?.”
4. Open My Computer And You See A New CD Drive With The Name Of “BROWSERS PACK 20”
5. Now Double Click On “BROWSERS PACK 20” And Start Using Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016
6. Done! Thanks For Choosing

OR
If Your Using Windows 10 Then:
1. Right Click On “Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016.iso”
2. Goto>> Open With..>> Windows Explorer
3. Now Open Browsers.exe And Start Using
4. Done & Enjoy 

SECOND METHOD BY BURNING CD/DVD:
To Use Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016 Burn It To CD/DVD Disk With Any ISO Burner

Note: You Can Also Burn It Using Windows Image Burning,
Right Click On “Gold AIO Browsers Pack 2016.iso” And Click On “Burn disc image”

Download Links:

Direct | Openload | Mediafire | Kickass Torrent

Read More