Radiology Hints

Increasing voltage (kV) decreases contrast and increases exposure, making the film darker. Increasing milliampere-seconds (mAs) increases exposure, making the film darker.

 

Biochemistry Notes - Scanned

These scans are from my notes which ended at the beginning itself....may be of some help.

Screening for Lp(a)

Patients at high to moderate risk of cardiovascular disease should be screened for elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) and take niacin to bring their Lp(a) level under 50 mg/dL, according to a consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society.

Lp(a) is a plasma lipoprotein consisting of a cholesterol-rich LDL particle with one molecule of apolipoprotein B-100 and a molecule of apolipoprotein A. About 20% of people are thought to have plasma Lp(a) levels over 50 mg/dL; there are no gender differences in Lp(a) concentrations, but racial differences have been observed, with whites and Asians having lower levels while black and Hispanics generally have somewhat higher levels.
Since lifestyle appears to have little impact on an individual's Lp(a) level, the EAS consensus panel recommends that 1 to 3 g of niacin (nicotinic acid) daily is the best treatment for lowering Lp(a) levels. However, the group acknowledges that there have not been randomized, controlled trials selectively targeting plasma levels of Lp(a) and calls for further studies in both primary- and secondary-prevention settings to better define which patients should be targeted for treatment and what the target level of Lp(a) should be.

Kerala Medical PG Allotment Notice

The final round allotment process for the PG Medical Courses
2010 which is scheduled on 26.06.2010 and 29.06.2010 is postponed, in
the light of the judgement dated 24.06.2010 of the Hon’ble High Court
in WP(c) 13474/2010. Further information regarding the allotment
process shall be published in the website later.
Since the cut-off date for admission process is 30.06.2010, as
prescribed in the time schedule approved by the Hon’ble Supreme
Court, there may even be a chance of conducting the allotment
process on 29th and 30th of June 2010 for service and non-service
candidates respectively. Therefore the candidates are advised to have
a close watch on the information provided through the website from
28.06.2010 onwards.

Brain Tumour Risk in Relation to Mobile Telephone Use: Results of the INTERPHONE International Case–Control Study

Abstract

Background The rapid increase in mobile telephone use has generated concern about possible health risks related to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from this technology.
Methods An interview-based case–control study with 2708 glioma and 2409 meningioma cases and matched controls was conducted in 13 countries using a common protocol.
Results A reduced odds ratio (OR) related to ever having been a regular mobile phone user was seen for glioma [OR 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70–0.94] and meningioma (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.68–0.91), possibly reflecting participation bias or other methodological limitations. No elevated OR was observed ≥10 years after first phone use (glioma: OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.76–1.26; meningioma: OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.61–1.14). ORs were <1.0 for all deciles of lifetime number of phone calls and nine deciles of cumulative call time. In the 10th decile of recalled cumulative call time, ≥1640 h, the OR was 1.40 (95% CI 1.03–1.89) for glioma, and 1.15 (95% CI 0.81–1.62) for meningioma; but there are implausible values of reported use in this group. ORs for glioma tended to be greater in the temporal lobe than in other lobes of the brain, but the CIs around the lobe-specific estimates were wide. ORs for glioma tended to be greater in subjects who reported usual phone use on the same side of the head as their tumour than on the opposite side.
Conclusions Overall, no increase in risk of glioma or meningioma was observed with use of mobile phones. There were suggestions of an increased risk of glioma at the highest exposure levels, but biases and error prevent a causal interpretation. The possible effects of long-term heavy use of mobile phones require further investigation. 


http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723258?src=mp&spon=34&uac=126137EG