Modem Medicine Research Articles

The development of keratoplasty

Corneal disease is a serious threat to human health. After recognizing the human cornea and corneal disease in early times, people began to hardly explore its treating method and eventually keratoplasty became one of the effective means. With the advancement of modern medicine and the development of molecular biology, keratoplasty had been greatly improved quantitatively and technically, and stem cell technology also begun to be used in keratoplasty. Although Chinese keratoplasty was already at the forefront of the international, there were still some problems to be solved, such as donor problem, its legal and ethical problems etc., the solution to which need to draw the experience of its history.

“It's Your Most Precious Thing”: Worst‐Case Thinking, Trust, and Parental Decision Making about Vaccinations*

Vaccines are often heralded as one of the greatest success stories of modem medicine. Yet public concerns have surfaced recently, in part because of the declining incidence of many target diseases, but also in response to increasing questions about safety. Public health messages designed to encourage vaccination often assume that parents are unaware of the risks and consequences of the diseases; that those who harbor doubts or reservations about vaccine safety are irrational, emotional, or laboring under misconceptions; or that skeptics are being manipulated by a well-orchestrated campaign by antivaccination groups. This project explores how parents assess probabilistic information on vaccine risks and benefits and what may drive them to consider some possible outcomes as worst cases, leading them to deviate from official recommendations. Semistructured interviews with 20 parents indicate that parents employ both probabilistic and possibilistic thinking, but that the contextual factors that influence their interpretation of that information vary. Trust is an especially important contextual factor; parents struggling with vaccination decisions describe the importance of trust at multiple levels-in the vaccine, in their doctor, and in the broader public health policy network.

Management of the oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS by traditional healers and care givers

In many communities of South Africa, traditional healers are often the only means of health care delivery available. The level of knowledge and ability to recognize oral lesions of 32 traditional healers and 17 care-givers were assessed after a two-day workshop. The data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire, complimented by enlarged clinical photographs of the common oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS. Prior to the workshop, 46 (93.9%) of the 49 respondents had never had any formal information on oral health and 43 (87.8%) were unfamiliar with the symptoms of oral diseases. Thirty-five (71.4%) recognized bleeding gums from A4-size photographs and 11 (22.4%) recognized oral thrush. The recognition of other oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS were; oral hairy leukoplakia (41.0%), angular cheilitis (43.6%), herpes virus infection (56.4%), oral ulcerations (56.8%), and in children, parotid enlargement (27.3%), and moluscum contagiosum (56.8%). Traditional healers and caregivers constitute an untapped resource with enormous potential. A positive bridge should be built to link traditional healing with modem medicine in the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

Medical practice in Graeco-Roman antiquity

The roots of modern medicine can be traced back to the 5th century BC when Hippocratic rational medicine originated on the Greek islands of Cos and Cnidos. In this study we examine the way in which practitioners conducted their profession in Graeco-Roman times, as well as their training. Medical training was by way of apprenticeship with recognized doctors, but no qualifying examinations existed and the standard of practice thus varied enormously. Even in the Roman era the vast majority of medical doctors were Greek and in private practice as itinerant physicians. Civic doctors in the paid service of local communities appeared in Greek society from the 5th century BC onwards, but much later in Rome - probably as late as the 4th century AD. Rome's unique contributions to medicine lay in public health measures (e.g. their aqueducts, public baths and sewages systems) and an excellent medical service for their armies and navy. Hospitals (valetudinaria) were established for military purposes and for slaves on large Roman estates from the 1st century BC, but civic hospitals for the general public originated as late as the 4th century AD. The Greek medical schools of Cos and Cnidos were eventually superseded by the school of Alexandria in Egypt and towards the end of the Roman Empire by that of Carthage in northern Africa. Its gradual demise in the Christian era lowered the curtain on original medical endeavours during antiquity.

Organsaving treatment of microinvasive cervical cancer of Т1A1stage

Introduction. Now the cervical cancer wins first place in the world and the second main place in the Russian Federation among all malignant new growths of female genitals. Thus in our country, on the average only at 10% of patients fixed preinvasive stage of tumoral process, that is absolutely inadequate to opportunities of modem medicine and testifies to a low level of screening.

저강도 초음파의 관절염 치료 적용성 평가

Nowadays chrome degenerative diseases such as arthritis are increasing rapidly, even though acute infectious diseases are decreasing due to the advance of modem medicine. Although many of remedies are developed for arthritis healing, there is no precise medical prescription, and pathogenesis is not examined exactly. In this study, we confirmed gene expression of BMP 1A, BMP 2B, osteonectin and MGP which are genes related With bone formation in osteoblast by using ultrasonic stimulation. Through this study, we also evaluated the fact that ultrasound could be applied to arthritis healing by making activated osteoblast induce remodeling of cartilage. As a result of this research, BMP 2B and MGP have higher rates of expression in specific ultrasound mode. In conclusion, it is expected that ultrasound could be used efficiently for healing arthritis if we use ultrasounds according to symptoms of arthritis on reasonable terms.

Sir William Osler then and now: thoughts for the osteopathic profession.

Canadian physician Sir William Osler (July 12,1849, to December 29, 1919) has been considered by many to be the father of modem medicine. His contributions to medicine were formidable, though they have been eclipsed by more recent advances in medical science and technology. Dr Osler's contributions to the humanistic aspects of medicine continue to be of great interest and use to clinicians, however. The author discusses the life of Sir William Osler and the humanistic impact he had in three areas: medical education, patient care, and the concept of professionalism within the field of medicine. Furthermore, the author suggests that many aspects of Dr Osler's wisdom are of particular relevance within the tradition of osteopathic medicine. A discussion of the continued relevance of Oslerian thought to the evolving practice of osteopathic medicine is also provided.

Clinical Usefulness of Korean Red Ginseng in Postmenopausal Women with Severe Climacteric Disturbance

The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical usefulness of Korean red ginseng (RG) on various postmenopausal syndromes. Total plasminogen inhibitor-l (tPAI-l) in peripheral blood from 9 postmenopausal women with climacteric syndromes (CS) was measured before and 3 months after treatment with daily oral administration of 6 g RG and that from 8 postmenopausal women without any CS was also measured as healthy controls. Blood samples were collected in the early morning on the bed-rest. Psychological conditions of postmenopausal women with CS were measured before and 3 months after treatment with RG using simplified menopausal index (SMI). In addition, OKETSU (blood stagnation) syndrome scores and KI deficiency (generalized energy stagnation) scores proposed by Terasawa et al., were recorded before and 3 months after treatment with RG in postmenopausal women with CS and in healthy postmenopausal women. OKETSU syndrome scores and tPAI-l levels in postmenopausal patients with CS were significantly (P<0.001 and P<0.01) higher than those in healthy postmenopausal women without CS. Similarly, SMI scores and KI deficiency scores in postmenopausal patients with CS were about three-fold higher than those without any CS. When RG was administered for 3 months, KI deficiency scores and OKETSU scores as well as SMI scores declined around the levels of healthy postmenopausal women. Although tPAI-1 levels significantly (P<0.05) decreased after treatment with RG, those did not reach the levels of healthy postmenopausal women. Clinical usefulness of administration of RG to postmenopausal women with CS was confirmed from evaluation not only by modem medicine but also by traditional KAMPO medicine.

Plexiglas (polymethylmethacrylate) implantation: technique, pre-clinical and clinical experience.

Over the past few decades, a great scientific effort has been made to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This reflects a trend in modem medicine toward optimizing quality of life, reducing health-related lost working hours, and minimizing costs of chronic treatments. It also reflects a revived interest in diseases that can be studied using novel equipment and that can be cured using minimally invasive techniques. In an effort to further minimize surgical trauma, novel endoscopic techniques are beginning to challenge the standard therapeutic approach to GERD.

면역약침(免疫藥鍼)을 이용(利用)한 방광암(膀胱癌) 치험(治驗) 1례(例)

In oriental medicine bladder cancer had been called `溺血(Hematuria)`, 血淋(Blood Stranguria)`, 濕熱河注(Downward Flow of Damp-heat)` and so on. The symptoms are Hematuria, Oliguria, Lower abdomen pain, febrile sensation and Anemia etc. These are similar to the symptoms of bladder cancer by modem medicine. I have experienced a bladder cancer patient who was diagnosed as stage Ⅲ. She has been treated bladder cancer with Immunity herbal acupuncture and Her clinical and objective symptoms have been better. Therefore I report this results.

The Environment, The World System &amp; The Muslim Scholar

The causal link between the environmental crisis and scholarly activitiesmay seem untenable at first glance. After all, what could scholars do, onemay ask, to improve the environment? Common sense suggests that this isthe domain of environmental science and engineering, not the task ofhumanities and social sciences; scholars ought not to be occupied with howmany species are disappearing, as that seems to be the domain of biologists.If pollution is getting out of control, it must be due to the irresponsibility ofpolicy makers whose inefficiency may seem to be the cause of it.If the humanities and social science scholars venture out of theirspecializations, they will find that they have everything to do with therapidly deteriorating environment. By seeing the world holistically, theycan identify the impending environmental crisis and help save theenvironment by studying the causal factors of its destruction. Conversely,they should bear in mind that their absence from this field will leaddirectly to its further deterioration. A better future lies in the activities ofthose scholars whose efforts can help create an environment conducive tosustaining the quality of life, not with the scholars who are preoccupiedwith choosing routes to economic and political modernity that will yieldmaximum economic growth and material wealth.Shifting from economics to political science, one finds that ‘security’,a notion central to the field, has acquired a different meaning. It is notmilitary security or internal security of one or several states alone thatdefines the field, but environmental security, which is common to thewhole planet. Deforestation exists because there is a market for timber,which is not due to the needy people who want to build a shack to live in,but due to the profit seekers whose activities have become devoid of ethics.Market is supposedly apolitical but it is also unethical. The populationexplosion, which is a direct result of certain distinct developments in the.field of modem medicine, is at the core of environmental destruction. Ittook 130 years for the world population to grow from one to two billion butit will take just a decade to climb from five billion to six billion! The debate ...

Intravascular catheter-related infections: a preventable challenge in the critically ill.

In modem medicine, central venous catheters (CVCs) have a pivotal role in the management of critically ill patients. The most serious complication of effective CVC placement is catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). Microbial colonization and CRBSI are the byproducts of the interaction of 4 factors: (1) microbial factors (hydrophobicity and exopolysaccharide production), (2) host factors (such protein adhesins as fibrin and fibronectin that attach to the catheter surface), (3) catheter material (hydrophobicity, surface charges, thrombogenicity), and (4) iatrogenic factors (total parenteral nutrition, interleukin-2). The organisms most frequently associated with CRBSI are Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida spp. CRBSIs were traditionally diagnosed through semiquantitative or quantitative cultures of the catheter tip. However, the diagnosis can be achieved without catheter removal through cultures of blood specimens collected simultaneously though the CVC and a peripheral vein. Currently, the most effective method of preventing a CRBSI is the use of a CVC coated with antimicrobial agents. Intravenous administration of vancomycin for 7 days is adequate for an uncomplicated CRBSI caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci, and at least 10 days of therapy with beta-lactams is required for an uncomplicated infection caused by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus. CRBSI caused by Candida albicans or Candida parapsilosis can be treated with at least 14 days of therapy with fluconazole or amphotericin B. In the case of Candida krusei, only amphotericin B is effective.

Study of the interaction of ibuprofen with various polymers

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are widely used in modem medicine for the treatment of various disorders. A special place in this group belongs to ibuprofen, which has been used since 1969 and is recognized as an effective low-toxicity analgesic. At the same time, ibuprofen is not free of disadvantages inherent in all drugs capable of inhibiting the cytoprotective isoenzyme cyclooxygenase. The main drawbacks are a decrease in the level of prostaglandins in the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and the related ulceration effect, which is especially pronounced in the case of prolonged administration of these nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [ 1, 2]. Since ibuprofen is available without special prescriptions and can be used by patients for a long time without regulation, medicinal forms of this drug must be developed so as to exhibit minimum side effects [3]. There are several commonly accepted methods used by 9 modem pharmacy in order to reduce the irritating action of drugs. This goal is mostly achieved by using supplementary components improving the solubility of the drugs or restricting the area of contact between drug and mucous membrane. Various high-molecular-weight compounds (polymers) are among these substances. The purpose of this work was to study the interaction of ibuprofen with various polymers and select substances providing a maximum decrease in the irritating effect of this drug.

History, Concept and Position of Self-Help Groups in Germany

Those responsible for medical care only reluctantly concede the true existence of the duality between highly technical medical support and compassionate medical support. The latter does not receive its fair share of attention. In view of the tremendous expansion of technological quick-fix medicine - driven in part by the demands of patients themselves - the situation will not change. This huge deficit of modem medicine led to the growth of self-help groups. The maxim of self-help groups in the United States - `Doctors know better than we do how a sickness can be treated. We know better than doctors how sick people can be treated as humans' - expresses in a nutshell, the complementary relationship between self-help groups and medical care. The author's twenty-five years of practical experience in furthering the self-help movement and its work are the background for outlining the development of group self-help, and the current threat of resistance to the dynamic potential of self-help groups. Furthermore, it makes it possible to describe a time-tested model for cooperation between self-help groups and their professional support workers that augments the autonomous group meetings primarily with a so-called general meeting. This mobilizes self-development without leading to new dependencies. The future of medicine and presumably also of psychotherapy is no longer imaginable without dynamic self-help groups.

History, Concept and Position of Self-Help Groups in Germany

Those responsible for medical care only reluctantly concede the true existence of the duality between highly technical medical support and compassionate medical support. The latter does not receive its fair share of attention. In view of the tremendous expansion of technological quick-fix medicine - driven in part by the demands of patients themselves - the situation will not change. This huge deficit of modem medicine led to the growth of self-help groups. The maxim of self-help groups in the United States - `Doctors know better than we do how a sickness can be treated. We know better than doctors how sick people can be treated as humans' - expresses in a nutshell, the complementary relationship between self-help groups and medical care. The author's twenty-five years of practical experience in furthering the self-help movement and its work are the background for outlining the development of group self-help, and the current threat of resistance to the dynamic potential of self-help groups. Furthermore, it makes it possible to describe a time-tested model for cooperation between self-help groups and their professional support workers that augments the autonomous group meetings primarily with a so-called general meeting. This mobilizes self-development without leading to new dependencies. The future of medicine and presumably also of psychotherapy is no longer imaginable without dynamic self-help groups.

Urticaria and angioedema: Diagnostic and treatment considerations

Urticaria and angioedema are common-and commonly frustrating-problems for physicians and patients alike. Patients often are in considerable distress with pruritus and uncomfortable lesions. They are frightened about their condition and frustrated when modem medicine cannot pinpoint the cause of the symptoms. Both urticaria and angioedema may be categorized as acute and chronic conditions. The dividing line between acute and chronic forms is relatively arbitrarily set at 6 weeks. A thorough history and physical examination may provide clues to the underlying cause, but in the majority of patients, the cause is rarely identified. One is more likely to discover the cause of acute than of chronic urticaria. A multitude of laboratory tests can be performed, but they often do not provide a diagnosis. It is not appropriate to do a large "screening" battery oflaboratory tests. The dermal mast cells and their mediators playa central role in chronic urticaria. Chronic urticaria may have an autoimmune aspect. Recent evidence reveals that 50% of patients with chronic urticaria have a cutaneous autoimmune disorder mediated by autoantibodies to the high-affinity IgE receptor on mast cells. Biopsy may be necessary and may help with treatment.

Preserving the Foundations of Modem Medicine - Through the Traditions of lbn Sina (980-1037 AD)

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/30-1-16286Four challenges face educators and leaders of medicine at the turn of the 21st century and third millennium.Professionalism - The foundation of the profession must continue to rest in universities and academic health centers.Education - Global networks of communication must be developed to facilitate the sharing of high quality information. Quality of care - Principles of quality management and health service delivery must be designed to ensure quality in health at an affordable cost. Social values - Human rigbts, tolerance, and respect for others must be perceived as core values in medicine for the preservation of health and the continuation of scientific progress. Similar challenges confronted ibn Sina at the beginning of the second millennium and William Osler, 100 years ago. A review of these issues may offer guidance to us as we confront similar challenges in the context of current-day realities in medicine and health care. Presented al the Fourth International and 30th Annual Convention of the Islamic Medical Association of North America, July 26-August 1, 1997, Amman, Jordan.

Socio-economic Health Differentials

A large and expanding literature demonstrates the existence and persistence of socio-economic differences in health. This literature is extensive, but very little of it examines the individual's experience of health. This article argues the need for research into socio-economic differentials in health from a qualitative perspective, and draws on research from this perspective to present and discuss several issues of relevance to health differentials. These include talking about health, contact with health professionals, views on modem medicine, the meaning of health, control and fatalism, smoking and health, diet and food, exercise and fitness and the healthy body. Findings illustrate considerable differences in the ways people from upper and lower socio-economic positions understand and experience health and illness, and also demonstrate how their health-related concerns are embedded in the fabric of everyday lives. Further research from this perspective has potential for improving our understanding of socio-economic differentials in health. In closing, the article offers some directions for future research, and identifies three issues: the type of qualitative approach adopted; the nature of linguistic accounts; and the need for a theoretical framework, to which future research should attend.

AIDS and STDs In Africa: Bridging the Gap between Traditional Healing and Modem Medicine

AIDS and STDs In Africa: Bridging the Gap between Traditional Healing and Modem Medicine. EDWARD C. GREEN. Boulder, CO and Oxford: Westvlew Press, 1994. xi + 276 pp. photographs, tables, bibliography, Index.

Book reviews

Books review in this article:J. Busfield, Men, Women and Madness. Understanding Gender and Mental DisorderJ. Lewis and H. Glennerster, Implementing the New Community CareS. Marans et al. The Pollce‐Mental Health PartnershipWilliam G. Rothstein (ed) Readings in American Health Care: Current Issues in Socio‐Historical PerspectiveD. Lupton, Food, the Body and the SelfS.J. Williams and M. Calnan (eds) Modem Medicine. Lay Perspectives and Experiences.D. Kelleher and S. Hillier (eds) Researching Cultural Differences in Heaith