WeirdMedical™

Keep an eye on dads as well as the kiddies!

A recent study found that children can consume up to 6,000 calories on Christmas day, December 25. This includes all the snacks, cookies and meals found between family dinners and treats Saint Nick leaves behind. The study was performed by experts for the Carnegie Weight Management based in Leeds Metropolitan University. They found on average, 956 calories for dinner 587 for desserts on top of breakfast lunch and treats. While children were the most indulgent Men were also found to be gluttons. While this may not be the weirdest display of human nature, it is definitely not healthy.

Source: Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1236388/Obesity-warning-children-eat-6-000-calories-Christmas-Day.html)

Note about your family:  Watch-out for each other during this special time of the year!

Talk about sneezing your head off…

A 12-year-old girl from Virginia, Lauren Johnson, has developed a weird disorder. As reported last Wednesday, Lauren has been sneezing 20 time a minute, 12,000  times a day for over two weeks. Currently, her worst side effect is a raw nose from the incessant use of tissues.

Lauren’s syndrome is referred to as “Machine Gun Sneezing” during which victims cannot stop sneezing. She is one of less than 40 known cases in the world, doctors have tried 11 medical therapies and hypnosis, nothing has worked so far. Her weird condition began after she caught a common cold.

Source: "Ah-ah-achoo! The girl who sneezes 12,000 times a day has doctors baffled," Daily Mail, UK

Just imagine…they have tried everything from conventional medicine to hypnosis therapy…any ideas for Lauren?

Nobel winners uncover a connection…

The 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine went to three scientists who discovered an  enzyme called telomerase that allows cells to divide indefinitely. In general, cells have a limit on the number of times they can divide and over time this causes degradation of organic structures, or aging. In an article published by WIRED Aaron Rowe reveals that the scientists realized that they could persuade cells into producing telomeras.

However, there is a catch.

Currently cells in adults divide roughly 80 times before they die off, which limits susceptibility to cancer. When cells produce telomerase they continue dividing, which eventually leads to a higher probability of developing cancer.

Chromosomes

Mark Muller, a cancer and telomerase researcher at the University of Central Florida, stated that “Ninety percent of all cancer cells are telomerase rich.” Further, he posits that telomerase inhibitors could fight cancer itself and allow the cancer cells to essentially die off.

While currently the telomerase enzyme causes a Catch 22 of immortality and cancer, ethical and other pragmatic issues aside, it may be that in the future drugs may be able to combat cancerous cells without attacking all telomerase-rich cells, allowing mankind to achieve immortality in a safe manner.

Ready to rise above mere mortality?

Time to take notes from your great grandma!

In these troubled times people will find that they are required to be more resourceful with their lives. Home remedies offer an economical option for many ailments. From Netty pots to Epsom salt soaks there are many weird options that can save a trip to the doctor, and may also protect you from MRSA or H1N1. Who wouldn’t want a peppermint oil rub for a headache?

Here’ are some from the blog “Forgotten Medical Cures” to improve the iron deficiencies in your blood…

Wish to try:

– iron nails soaked in water?
– using iron utensils as well as skillets and pans?
– even viscous black strap molasses?

And only for the bold…spinach cooked with ox blood and silver beets…an acquired taste! Read more…

Rare…“Fetus in fetu”?

Not a completely unheard of situation but doctors in China have just recorded one of the rarest. A case of “fetus in fetu” in a 1-year-old girl. Her Parasitic twin became trapped in her abdomen and continued to develop over the last year, creating a huge bulge and major health risk.

According to Wikipedia this occurs in only 1 of 500,000 live births***.

One-year-old girl has baby in stomach (Source: NEWS.com.au)

Now awaiting surgery, this girl will have a weird story to tell!

Something’s causing twins in a remote Indian village…

In Kodinji, a small village in India with about 15,00 people, there are 230 sets of twins. This is four times the the standard rate of twins occurring naturally. It’s no wonder the village has been dubbed “twin village” by locals.

A local doctor has hypothesized that increased rate of twins could be caused by the water near the village, although no formal studies have been performed.  According to current knowledge, there are no pollutants, toxins or other unnatural chemicals that the villagers interact with.

Two Twins from Kodinji Village (Source: Reuters)

While it remains to be seen what the cause of this is, we do know that just growing up there can sometimes be difficult. Twins can have difficult lives with people often confusing one person with another. And at least one boy, not a twin, feels a little left out in a village that makes twins trendy. (Source: Reuters “Doctors baffled by Indian village of over 200 sets of twins“).

Regeneration is just not for frogs anymore!

Developed by researches from University of Twente, this is a first for stereolithography. Biodegradable and resorbable polylactic acid (PLA) can now be used to create three-dimensional scaffolding for new organs. Organ cells grow around and throughout the PLA structure. As the PLA resin simultaneously breaks down and absorbs, no foreign resin material is left behind leaving a perfectly-formed new organ in its place. A very unique and weird development.

Read more by clicking on the image below…

Biodegradable synthetic resin replaces vital body parts (Source: University of Twente)

This is for YOU – biotech and medtech professionals!

Take a break from our bleak economic news to have a little ooky fun.

From odd medical relics to amazing medical discoveries – get a peek into the future of medical care…if we dare.

Stay tuned for your mini-mental holidays by April Fools Day!

With weird regards  -

Your WM Team