Thursday 25 June 2015

26 June, 2015

50% of women with Endometriosis face infertility

Fifty percent of the women suffering from Endometriosis -- a condition wherein the tissue lining inside the uterus grows outside -- are likely to suffer from infertility, a study said here on Wednesday.

"Around 50 percent of women suffering from endometriosis experience infertility. The disease can influence fertility in many ways, including distorted anatomy of pelvis -- scarred fallopian tubes and altered egg quality," said the study conducted by Kshitiz Murdia, fertility and IVF expert.

Murdia is currently associated with Indira Infertility Clinic and Test Tube Baby Centre at south Patel Nagar, in central Delhi.

The study states that endometriosis leads to formation of cysts known as endometriomas or 'chocolate cysts' in the ovaries. In extreme cases, there are possibilities of the growth of endometriosis on the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen and pelvis.

"In some cases, endometriosis grows deep beneath the peritoneal lining, in the area between the vagina and the rectum. In such circumstances there is often more severe pain," Murdia added.

Murdia said endometriosis is a fast increasing disease. Its symptoms are painful periods, deep pain during penetrative sex, chronic pelvic pain and painful bowel motions or urination during menstruation.

"There also could be no symptoms at all other than having difficulty getting pregnant. There are also cases where a woman suffering from endometriosis have absolutely no symptoms," he said.

This study later stated that due to the complications caused by the disease, many women have to undergo advanced fertility treatment like In vitro fertilisation (IVF). The stage-4-endometriosis, which is known as severe endometriosis, results in extensive scarring and damaged ovaries.

Murdia said women wanting to get pregnant in such situations can go for medical therapy in which the doctor surgically removes the scarred tissue or destroys it.

"This can help increase chances of pregnancy in women. The treatment also helps restore the normal anatomy," Murdia said adding that while the effectiveness of such treatment is highly individualized, IVF work wonders for most women.


26.06.2015


Stomach cancer will be detected in a jiffy

British researchers have developed a breath test that can detect oesophageal and gastric (stomach) cancer in minutes with 90 percent accuracy.

The test has produced encouraging results in a clinical study of 210 patients, and will now be tested in a larger trial involving three hospitals in London.

Oesophageal and gastric malignancies account for 15 percent of cancer-related deaths globally.

Doctors diagnose oesophageal and gastric cancers by carrying out an endoscopy. This is a procedure where the inside of the body is examined using a probe with a light source and video camera at the end via the mouth and down the gullet.

However, the procedure is invasive and expensive. Moreover, only two percent of patients who are referred for an endoscopy by GPs are diagnosed with oesophageal or gastric cancer.

"Our breath test could address these problems because it can help diagnose patients with early non-specific symptoms as well as reduce the number of invasive endoscopies carried out on patients, which often lead to negative results," said lead author of the study George Hanna from Imperial College London.

"Diagnosis at an early stage could give patients more treatment options and ultimately save more lives," Hanna noted.

The test looks for chemical compounds in exhaled breath that are unique to patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer.

The cancers produce a distinctive smell of volatile organic compounds (VOC), chemicals that contain carbon and are found in all living things, which can help doctors detect early signs of the disease. To take the test, patients breathe into a device similar to a breathalyzer which is connected to a bag.

The compounds in their exhaled breath are analyzed by a selected ion flow tube mass spectrometer. The researchers used breath samples of patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer from 2011 to 2013.

The study was published in the journal
 Annals of Surgery.


26.06.2015










To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often

 Winston Churchill



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