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Elephant man’ gets rid of 22-year-old face tumour at Delhi hospital
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NEW DELHI: Lalit Ram was in a strange predicament for 22 years—till he underwent a rare surgery for removal of a large facial tumour that looked like an elephant's trunk. While some worshipped him, thinking he was an incarnation of Lord Ganesha, others found his deformed face repulsive.
But no one understood the mental agony and pain he suffered because of the tumour, which affects a minuscule percentage of people across the world.
"The tumour started growing rapidly when I was 10 years old and soon it covered the chin, ears and a part of the chest. Children were scared of me and the elderly, including Brahmins,thronged to seek my blessings—I told them "sadaa sukhi raho" (stay happy forever)," said the 24-year-old, a resident of Madhubani in Bihar.
Ram remained confined to a cattle-shed for nearly a decade, years before his case was highlighted in a global TV series that described him as "India's elephant man". He was offered free surgery by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here.
"We were no less shocked to see the patient when he came to our hospital in September 2012. His MRI and CT angiography revealed that Ram was suffering from the most acute form of neurofibromatosis, a condition in which tumour develops on or under the skin and along the nerves," said Dr Vivek Kumar, consultant, plastic surgery at the hospital.
He said it took nearly eight hours to remove the tumour and one month of stay for post-operative care. "The tumour was rooted in the blood vessels as well as nerves of the face and the neck, which put him at a high risk of paralysis and death due to bleeding. We performed the surgery under magnification to preserve vital vessels and nerves, and arranged adequate blood to deal with any emergency," said the doctor.
During the surgery, doctors successfully excised two-third of the tumour—the overhanging growth on the right side of the face. "While operating upon him, the tumor was found to be more vascular than expected. There was extensive bleeding; medications and repeated transfusions couldn't prevent his blood pressure from falling to a dangerous level. We decided to abandon the procedure after eight hours to save his life," Dr Kumar said. The surgery, he added, was planned in a way that the face is not disfigured and the cut marks stay hidden below it.
"We managed to find a bride for him and got him married recently. He is happy and helping his father in farming," said Budhni Devi, the patient's mother.
Dr D S Rana, chairman, board of management at Sir Ganga Ram, said patients like Ram are denied treatment due to poverty and little awareness. "We hope this case would serve as an example for the many facing stigma and discrimination due to similar medical issues. I am pleased that our efforts were successful and he is married and rehabilitated," said Dr Rana.
But no one understood the mental agony and pain he suffered because of the tumour, which affects a minuscule percentage of people across the world.
"The tumour started growing rapidly when I was 10 years old and soon it covered the chin, ears and a part of the chest. Children were scared of me and the elderly, including Brahmins,thronged to seek my blessings—I told them "sadaa sukhi raho" (stay happy forever)," said the 24-year-old, a resident of Madhubani in Bihar.
Ram remained confined to a cattle-shed for nearly a decade, years before his case was highlighted in a global TV series that described him as "India's elephant man". He was offered free surgery by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here.
"We were no less shocked to see the patient when he came to our hospital in September 2012. His MRI and CT angiography revealed that Ram was suffering from the most acute form of neurofibromatosis, a condition in which tumour develops on or under the skin and along the nerves," said Dr Vivek Kumar, consultant, plastic surgery at the hospital.
He said it took nearly eight hours to remove the tumour and one month of stay for post-operative care. "The tumour was rooted in the blood vessels as well as nerves of the face and the neck, which put him at a high risk of paralysis and death due to bleeding. We performed the surgery under magnification to preserve vital vessels and nerves, and arranged adequate blood to deal with any emergency," said the doctor.
During the surgery, doctors successfully excised two-third of the tumour—the overhanging growth on the right side of the face. "While operating upon him, the tumor was found to be more vascular than expected. There was extensive bleeding; medications and repeated transfusions couldn't prevent his blood pressure from falling to a dangerous level. We decided to abandon the procedure after eight hours to save his life," Dr Kumar said. The surgery, he added, was planned in a way that the face is not disfigured and the cut marks stay hidden below it.
"We managed to find a bride for him and got him married recently. He is happy and helping his father in farming," said Budhni Devi, the patient's mother.
Dr D S Rana, chairman, board of management at Sir Ganga Ram, said patients like Ram are denied treatment due to poverty and little awareness. "We hope this case would serve as an example for the many facing stigma and discrimination due to similar medical issues. I am pleased that our efforts were successful and he is married and rehabilitated," said Dr Rana.
Thought-regulation of genes made possible
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Scientists have created the first device which allows people to turn genes in mice on and off at will using only their brainwaves. In humans, the ability to regulate the expression of genes through thoughts alone could open up an entirely new avenue for medicine.
A monitoring system that could pick up early neurological signs of an impending epileptic fit or a migraine, for example, could automatically trigger the manufacture and release of protein-based medication within the body. "Being able to control gene expression via power of thought is a dream that we've been chasing for over a decade," said Dr Martin Fussenegger from ETH Zurich, who led the research.
The study made use of a human gene implanted in mice. A tiny chamber containing human cells and an LED light was inserted under each mouse's skin. The genes had been genetically modified to be sensitive to light, which made it possible to trigger and manage their protein production through shining the near-infrared light from the LED on them.
The human test subjects were divided into three groups, and asked to either meditate, play a game of Minecraft, or watch the light coming from the mouse's body. Their brain activity was captured by a headset and analysed to establish their state of mind. The resulting signal was transmitted to the mice in the form of an electromagnetic field, which was able to light up the LED. The quantity of protein created by the guest genes depended on whether the human wearing the headset was relaxing or concentrating on playing Minecraft. Those who were asked to keep their eye on the mouse were able to see the effect their brain activity had on the red-coloured light, and thus on the genes within the implant. After some practice, this group learnt to exert conscious control over the amount of protein produced. They were able to alter their state of mind in order to change the output of the genes; a finding which gives the researchers hope that similar techniques could be used to influence implants within a person's own body.
A monitoring system that could pick up early neurological signs of an impending epileptic fit or a migraine, for example, could automatically trigger the manufacture and release of protein-based medication within the body. "Being able to control gene expression via power of thought is a dream that we've been chasing for over a decade," said Dr Martin Fussenegger from ETH Zurich, who led the research.
The study made use of a human gene implanted in mice. A tiny chamber containing human cells and an LED light was inserted under each mouse's skin. The genes had been genetically modified to be sensitive to light, which made it possible to trigger and manage their protein production through shining the near-infrared light from the LED on them.
The human test subjects were divided into three groups, and asked to either meditate, play a game of Minecraft, or watch the light coming from the mouse's body. Their brain activity was captured by a headset and analysed to establish their state of mind. The resulting signal was transmitted to the mice in the form of an electromagnetic field, which was able to light up the LED. The quantity of protein created by the guest genes depended on whether the human wearing the headset was relaxing or concentrating on playing Minecraft. Those who were asked to keep their eye on the mouse were able to see the effect their brain activity had on the red-coloured light, and thus on the genes within the implant. After some practice, this group learnt to exert conscious control over the amount of protein produced. They were able to alter their state of mind in order to change the output of the genes; a finding which gives the researchers hope that similar techniques could be used to influence implants within a person's own body.
Kissing bug' disease: Should you be worried about chagas?
It might not have the profile of Ebola, but chagas can still be lethal.
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Researchers at the annual gathering of tropical medicine experts have warned of a deadly disease from abroad that is threatening world health. They weren't talking about Ebola, but chagas, the "kissing bug" disease.
Called a silent killer because it's often hard to diagnose in the early stages, chagas is a parasitic infection that can lead to serious cardiac and intestinal complications and even death. It typically spreads through blood-sucking "kissing" bugs that bite on people's faces during the night and is estimated to affect seven to eight million people worldwide.
The disease can also be spread from blood transfusions, organ transplants and congenital transfer from mother to child, according to the CDC. Until recently it was considered a problem only in Mexico, Central America and South America. Over the past few years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen cases across half the United States, but in most cases the victims were believed to have been infected abroad.
As recently as 2012, scientists expressed worry about the "globalization" of chagas.
Now a team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is challenging that assumption. During a presentation at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in New Orleans, epidemiologist Melissa Nolan Garcia said her team had been following 17 Houston-area residents who had been infected.
At least six of them appeared to have been infected locally as they had had insignificant travel outside the United States. Most of the patients spent a lot of time outdoors or lived in rural areas where the bugs are thought to live. The Baylor group also collected 40 kissing bugs near homes in 11 central-southern Texas counties and found that half had fed on human blood as well as that of a dozen kinds of animals ranging from dogs to raccoons.
The researchers analyzed blood donors in Texas between 2008 and 2012 and found that one in every 6,500 donors tested positive for exposure to the parasite - a figure that is 50 times higher than the Centers for Disease Control estimate.
"We were astonished to not only find such a high rate of individuals testing positive for chagas in their blood, but also high rates of heart disease that appear to be chagas-related," Nolan Garcia said in a statement released by the tropical medicine society.
The researchers said that while the number of cases is growing, physicians' awareness of the disease is lagging. When caught in the early stages, the disease can be treated with two drugs, nifurtimox and benznidazole, but if asymptomatic infections are allowed to progress they can lead to serious complications. Many of those who are now recognized as having the disease were flagged after they donated blood and had never been treated for the disease before that.
Virginia was identified by the Baylor researchers as one of the states having a higher number of cases but health officials in the state this summer cautioned that news reports of the disease being prevalent in the area are overstated.
Called a silent killer because it's often hard to diagnose in the early stages, chagas is a parasitic infection that can lead to serious cardiac and intestinal complications and even death. It typically spreads through blood-sucking "kissing" bugs that bite on people's faces during the night and is estimated to affect seven to eight million people worldwide.
The disease can also be spread from blood transfusions, organ transplants and congenital transfer from mother to child, according to the CDC. Until recently it was considered a problem only in Mexico, Central America and South America. Over the past few years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen cases across half the United States, but in most cases the victims were believed to have been infected abroad.
As recently as 2012, scientists expressed worry about the "globalization" of chagas.
Now a team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is challenging that assumption. During a presentation at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in New Orleans, epidemiologist Melissa Nolan Garcia said her team had been following 17 Houston-area residents who had been infected.
At least six of them appeared to have been infected locally as they had had insignificant travel outside the United States. Most of the patients spent a lot of time outdoors or lived in rural areas where the bugs are thought to live. The Baylor group also collected 40 kissing bugs near homes in 11 central-southern Texas counties and found that half had fed on human blood as well as that of a dozen kinds of animals ranging from dogs to raccoons.
The researchers analyzed blood donors in Texas between 2008 and 2012 and found that one in every 6,500 donors tested positive for exposure to the parasite - a figure that is 50 times higher than the Centers for Disease Control estimate.
"We were astonished to not only find such a high rate of individuals testing positive for chagas in their blood, but also high rates of heart disease that appear to be chagas-related," Nolan Garcia said in a statement released by the tropical medicine society.
The researchers said that while the number of cases is growing, physicians' awareness of the disease is lagging. When caught in the early stages, the disease can be treated with two drugs, nifurtimox and benznidazole, but if asymptomatic infections are allowed to progress they can lead to serious complications. Many of those who are now recognized as having the disease were flagged after they donated blood and had never been treated for the disease before that.
Virginia was identified by the Baylor researchers as one of the states having a higher number of cases but health officials in the state this summer cautioned that news reports of the disease being prevalent in the area are overstated.
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2014 Kiss of Love protest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kiss_of_Love_protestKiss of Love protest is a non-violent protest against moral policing started in Kerala and later spread to other parts of India. The movement began when a ...'Kiss of Love' protests rattle Modi's conservative India | Reuters
in.reuters.com/article/2014/11/.../india-kissing-idINKCN0IU1QB201411...1 day ago - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A mass-kissing campaign against moral policing in a city in Kerala has swept the country, advertised via Facebook, ...
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