₦airaland Forum

Dam12:
A 3-year-old girl in China will finally be able to lift her head from the pillow after receiving the world’s first full skull reconstruction surgery via 3D printing technology. The toddler, referred to as “Han Han,” underwent 17 hours of surgery at the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province in China after suffering from a rare condition that caused her head to grow four times the normal size. The procedure, translated from Chinese as “whole brain shrinking plastic surgery,” involved a full 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of a new titanium skull to reposition her brain.

“CT results showed that Han Han’s brain was filled 80 percent with water,” said Dr. Bo of the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province, 3Dprint.com reported. “If she was not sent to hospital for treatment, Han Han would not have survived the summer. We had to first eliminate the infection in Han Han’s head because the brain wound area was too large, and we needed to do skin graft surgery and insert a shunt to help eliminate the infection, and remove the fluid from her brain.”

She was first diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus at the age of 6 months. This type of hydrocephalus is present at birth and can either be caused by events or influences that occur during fetal development, or genetic abnormalities, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Typically in congenital hydrocephalus, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Excessive accumulation of CSF leads to abnormal widening of spaces in the brain called ventricles. This creates potentially harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain.

In infancy, the most notable symptom of hydrocephalus is a rapid increase in head circumference of an unusually large head size. For Han Han, the pressure of the excess fluid on the brain made her head weigh more than half her body weight, so much so she struggled to lift it from the pillow or get out of bed. The toddler also developed medical problems, such as a thinning skull and poor blood supply. This prompted the family to take immediate action.

Chen Youzhi, Han Han’s father, was left to scramble for cash after the toddler’s mother left when she was 1 year old. Youzhi was able to collect 100,000 Chinese Yuan in donations from family and friends to meet the goal of 400,000–500,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $64,000–$80,000) to pay for his daughter’s surgery. It was through online donations that Youzhi was able to get his daughter the life-saving surgery that would change her life.

Surgeons were able to use 3D data and a CT scanner to create models for 3D printing three titanium mesh skull implants that would together replace Han Han’s entire top portion of her skull. During the procedure, her scalp was peeled away from her skull and then attached to protective saline pads. Drainage tubes were then put in her head to slowly release the CSF. Lastly, the surgeons took the three 3D-printed titanium implants and inserted them into her head to recreate a new skull for her.

The world’s first 3D printer full skull reconstructive surgery was successfully completed once Han Han opened her eyes and was breathing before being transferred to the ICU for recovery. As she continues to grow, the titanium implants will become surrounded by her own bone, which will lead to the strengthening of the top of her skull. She is expected to make a full recovery.

3D printing has helped improve the lives of many infants like Han Han, including Gabriel Mandeville. The infant with epileptic seizures started to forget the fundamental things he was learning. Gabriel successfully underwent hemispherectomy treatment with a 3D-print brain replica to ensure his mental development and to help him become seizure-free.

The evolution of 3D printing has led the medical world to envision a new kind of future. Medical 3D printing began with devices such as hearing aids. Now there are 3D-printed implants, bone replacements, and soon human tissue. Advancements in 3D printing have helped change how people view medical illnesses.

Dam12:
Mere months ago, a 21-year-old South African man became the first person in the world to successfully receive a penile transplant — and now, he and his girlfriend are expecting. Dr. Andre van der Merwe, who performed the procedure at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town back in December, announced the news during a recent lecture, adding this is one of the greater markers of long-term transplant success.

The initial procedure took Merwe and his team of surgeons nine hours to complete, thinking the transplant would take two years to become fully functional. Three months after the initial procedure, the patient already appeared to be making a rapid recovery. And now it seems the patient has recovered full use of the organ.

The patient in question underwent the transplant after sustaining injuries during a ritual circumcision; the patient’s entire penis had to be amputated in order to save his life. The New York Post reported on a similar incident in 2014, where a man not only lost his penis during the ritual, but he was beaten and outcast from his community for speaking out about it.

The Post added septic shock causes many fatalities, the problem most severe in the Eastern Cape. There, a reported 500 men had died as of 2014 since 2006, including 85 in 2013. Quartz added “thousands of young men undergo ritual circumcision, without anaesthetic, as part of initiation in the bush — and those who have not been circumcised are ridiculed.”

“There is a greater need in South Africa for [penile transplants] than elsewhere in the world, as many young men lose their joysticks every year due to complications from traditional circumcision,” Merwe said. “…This is a very serious situation. For a young man of 18 or 19 years, the loss of his penis can be deeply traumatic. He doesn’t necessarily have the psychological capability to process this. There are even reports of suicide among these young men.”

VICE reported representatives from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Greenland suggested ritual circumcision is a form of genital mutilation; it’s in direct conflict with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. These rights state, “Children should have the right to express their own views and be protected from traditional rituals which may be harmful to their health.”

Even when the ritual is done safely, VICE added, it’s not entirely. One midwife was found guilty of neglecting postoperative care for a newly circumcised infant, and the infant bled to death. While circumcision has its benefits — it reduces risk of disease, like HIV, and “improves sexual pleasure” — the American Academy of Family Physicians explains adequate anesthesia is required for safety purposes.

As countries debate the persistent rituals, the success of this one man’s penis transplant could prevent future botched circumcisions, possibly even award young men to opt for the ritual at all.

Dam12:
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis (SP) is a parasomnia, or an undesired event that comes along with sleep. It is known to occur just after falling asleep or upon awakening in the morning.

Sleep paralysis episodes can fall into three categories: intruder, incubus and vestibular-motor.
SP episodes are most often accompanied by hypnagogic experiences (visual, auditory, and sensory hallucinations, which occur during the transition between sleeping and waking), which consistently fall into three categories:3

Intruder: sounds of doorknobs opening, shuffling footsteps, a shadow man, humanoid, alien, or sensed threatening presence in the room
Incubus: feelings of pressure on the chest, difficulty breathing with the sense of being smothered, strangled or sexually assaulted by a malevolent being. The individual believes they are about to die
Vestibular-motor: spinning, falling, floating, flying, hovering over one’s body or another type of out-of-body experience.


What causes sleep paralysis?
During normal sleep, your body is relaxed, and your voluntary muscles do not move; this prevents self-injury from acting out dreams.

What happens during SP is that the body’s transition to or from REM sleep is out of sync with the brain, like a hiccup. A person’s consciousness is awake while the body remains in the paralyzed sleep state.

During an episode of sleep paralysis, the areas of the brain that detect threats are in a heightened state and overly sensitive. The everyday non-threatening sounds, sensations, and other stimuli simply ignored by the brain during a normal sleep-wake cycle become a nightmare of epic proportion during SP.

Additionally, a disruption or fragmentation of the REM cycle of sleep is correlated to SP.

SP can be a symptom of medical problems such as narcolepsy, clinical depression, migraines, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension and anxiety disorders. When SP occurs in otherwise healthy individuals and in the absence of narcolepsy, it is referred to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP).

Signs and symptoms of sleep paralysis
Signs and symptoms of SP include:

Not being able to move or talk can be very frightening during sleep paralysis, particularly as you are completely conscious throughout the experience.
The inability to move the body when falling asleep or immediately upon waking up; lasting for seconds or several minutes
Being consciously awake
Being unable to speak
Having hallucinations and sensations of a frightening nature. Descriptions include a humanoid, shadow man, demon, or other non-human being with murderous intentions
Feeling pressure on the chest, bed moving, door opening or shuffling footsteps
In spite of remembering clearly the details of the SP event, an individual cannot be sure what was real and what was a dream5
Having difficulty breathing
Feeling as if about to die
Sweating
Headaches, muscle pains and paranoia.
Tests and diagnosis of sleep paralysis
Neither SP nor ISP episodes are considered a medical diagnosis, but rather are classified as a parasomnia.

Determining whether the experience is SP or not is based an individual’s medical history and description of the event. A clinician would then evaluate if further workup were necessary to explore the possibility of an underlying cause.

Treatment and prevention of sleep paralysis
Sleep Paralysis is more likely to occur under conditions of unmanaged stress and irregular or inconsistent sleep patterns. For this reason, stress management, maintaining a regular sleep schedule and observing good sleep habits will reduce the likelihood of sleep paralysis.

Keeping bedtime and wake-up times consistent may help you to sleep better. Aim to get good daylight exposure during waking hours.
Tips for better sleep:

Keep your bedtime and wake-up time consistent even on holidays and weekends
Improve your sleep environment. The mattress, bedding and sleepwear should be comfortable. Keep the bedroom clean, dark and cool
Reduce your light exposure in the evening and use night-lights for middle of the night bathroom trips
Get good daylight exposure during waking hours
Use the bed only for sleep and sex
Avoid napping after 3pm and limit naps to no more than 90 minutes
Do not eat a heavy evening meal or eat 2 hours before going to bed
Do not sleep with the lights or television on
Abstain from evening alcohol or caffeine products
Exercise daily, and no later than 2 hours before bedtime
Practice a bedtime ritual with a calming activity such as reading or listening to relaxing music
Avoid viewing electronics at least 1 hour before going to bed.
Additional measures to help prevent SP include:

Manage coexisting depressive or anxiety disorders
Reduce intakes of stimulants
Practice meditation or regular prayer
Avoid back sleeping
Avoid napping between the hours of 8-10am.
Individuals who have experienced an episode of sleep paralysis should be reassured they are not under spiritual attack or going insane. It is important to talk about the experience with a trusted friend or clinician.

Understanding the physiology of sleep and the mechanism for sleep paralysis is an important step to overcoming it.

Ongoing stress and disruption in the sleep cycle can have serious health implications. Maintaining good sleep habits are not just necessary for sleep paralysis management, but for overall health and wellness.

Dam12:
What are Blackheads?

Blackheads, also known as open comedones are tiny, dark spots that appear on the surface of your skin. Blackheads are blocked pores (hair follicles) in the skin that are filled with skin debris or keratin and sebum, an oily substance. Blackheads occur mainly on the face and nose and are a common problem among adolescents especially those with oily skin. Blackheads can be called first stage acne, before bacteria enters the clogged pores.

Common Causes of Blackheads

Here are the main causes that lead to blackheads-

* Stress

* Hormonal changes
* Inheritance
* Unclean skin
* Cosmetics
* Smoking
* Alcohol
* Caffeine

Natural Tip to clear Blackheads

Follow these simple, natural tips to clean your pores and banish blackheads using easily available ingredients at home.

Tip 1

Tomatoes have natural antiseptic properties that dry up blackheads. Take a small tomato, peeled and mashed, then apply it over the blackheads before going to bed. Leave overnight and then wash your face with clean water in the morning.

Natural Tip to clear Blackheads: Tomatoes

Tip 2
Lemon is another natural ingredient that is effective in treating blackheads. Squeeze few drops of lemon juice in a bowl, add salt and stir the mixture well. Wash your face with warm water and apply the mixture on the blackheads. Leave for some 20 minutes and wash your face again with warm water.

Natural Tip to clear Blackheads: Lemon

Tip 3
Apply a thin layer of toothpaste over the blackheads, leave for 25 minutes and wash your face gently with warm water. Repeat this remedy for two weeks to be free from blackheads.

Tip 4

Honey has antiseptic properties that work wonders for both oily skin and blackheads. Apply honey onto the affected area and wash off with warm water after 15 minutes.


Tip 5
Prepare a mixture of baking soda and water to make a paste. Apply gently to the affected part, allow to dry for few minutes and then rinse it off with warm water to remove away the oil and dirt that causes blackheads.

Tip 6

A mixture of oatmeal and yogurt is good for the skin and helps banish blackheads. Mix 2 tablespoons of oatmeal with 3 tablespoons of yogurt, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and olive oil to it, mix all these ingredients well till it forms a paste. Apply the mixture on the face, leave for 10-15 minutes and wash your face with cold water.


Tip 7
Raw eggs are an effective home remedy to get rid of blackheads. Beat one to two egg whites, mixed with one tablespoon of honey. Apply this mixture over the area of blackheads, leave for 30 minutes and wash off with warm water.

Tip 8

Prepare a mixture of equal parts of cinnamon powder and limejuice to form a thick paste. Apply the paste to the affected parts and leave on overnight and then wash off your face with warm water in the morning.

Dam12:
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are made of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together to form small “pebbles.” They can be as small as grains of sand or as large as golf balls. They may stay in your kidneys or travel out of your body through the urinary tract. The urinary tract is the system that makes urine and carries it out of your body. It is made up of the kidneys, the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder (the ureters), the bladder, and the tube that leads from the bladder out of the body (the urethra).

When a stone travels through a ureter, it may cause no pain. Or it may cause great pain and other symptoms.

What causes kidney stones?
Kidney stones form when a change occurs in the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other things found in urine. The most common cause of kidney stones is not drinking enough water. Try to drink enough water, enough so that your urine is light yellow or clear like water (about 8 to 10 glasses a day). Some people are more likely to get kidney stones because of a medical condition, such as gout.

Kidney stones may also be an inherited disease. If other people in your family have had kidney stones, you may have them too.

What are the symptoms?
Kidney stones often cause no pain while they are in the kidneys, but they can cause sudden, severe pain as they travel from the kidneys to the bladder.

Call a doctor right away if you think you have kidney stones. Watch for severe pain in your side, belly, or groin or for urine that looks pink or red. You may also feel sick to your stomach (nausea) and may vomit.

How are kidney stones diagnosed?
You may first find out that you have kidney stones when you see your doctor or go to an emergency room with pain in your belly or side. Your doctor will ask you questions about your pain and lifestyle. He or she will examine you and may do imaging tests such as a CT scan or an ultrasound to look at your kidneys and urinary tract.

You may need more tests if you have more than one stone or have a family history of stones. To find out the cause of your kidney stones, your doctor may order a blood test and ask you to collect your urine for 24 hours. This can help your doctor find out if you are likely to have more stones in the future.

Kidney stones may not cause any pain. If this is the case, you may learn you have them when your doctor finds them during a test for another disease.

How are they treated?
For most stones, your doctor will suggest that you take care of yourself at home. You may need to take pain medicine. You’ll need to drink enough water and other fluids so you don’t get dehydrated. Your doctor may give you a medicine to help the stone pass.

If a stone is too large to pass on its own, or if it gets stuck in the urinary tract, you may need more treatment. About 1 or 2 out of every 10 kidney stones need more than home treatment.

The most common treatment is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). ESWL uses shock waves to break a kidney stone into small pieces. The bits can pass out of your body in your urine. Other times, a doctor will need to remove the stone or place a small flexible plastic tube (called a stent) in the ureter to keep it open while stones pass.

How can you prevent kidney stones?
After you have had kidney stones, you are more likely to have them again. You can help prevent them by drinking plenty of water, enough so that your urine is light yellow or clear like water, about 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. You may have to eat less of certain foods. Your doctor may also give you medicine that helps prevent stones from forming.

Dam12:
Those of us with straight hair yearn for curly locks and wavy kinks, although straight and silky hair is more popular.

It’s not asking for the impossible because you can step into a Hair Salon and get your hair chemically treated for permanent straightening which can last up to a year. Of course you pay for the treatment which is definitely not cheap, and your hair texture also pays due to chemicals and hot irons.

These are some methods to get the kinks and curls out of hair, at home, using ingredients from your shelves.

• Chop a bunch of celery leaves and extract juice by blending and straining through a muslin cloth. Store this in a bottle overnight. Next day apply the juice to length of hair and scalp. Comb with a broad toothed comb so that all the hair is covered and leave it on for an hour. Rinse hair well. Blow dry gently, using a circular brush with natural bristles.

• A very popular technique is to mix ½ cup of water with ½ a cup of milk and pour this into a spray bottle. Comb out the tangles before starting. Spray this milk on hair and scalp. Comb again. Leave milk on for ½ hour before washing gently with water. Comb with a broad toothed comb. Repeat this technique 2 -3 times a week. Can blow dry with and brush for a finished look.


• Another trendy tip is coconut milk treatment – extract milk from 1 coconut by first grating and then blending the tender fruit or meat of coconut. Add the juice of 1 fresh lime to this. Mix well and keep in the refrigerator. Next day a creamy layer has formed – use this on hair and scalp. Cover the head with a hot towel and keep for an hour. Wash with water and comb with a wide toothed comb. Repeat 2-3 times a week for good results. Blow drying is an option.

• Take a cup of “Fuller’s Earth” or “Multani Mitti” and mix 1 egg white and 2 spoons of rice flour to this. Add water to make a paste which should be runny enough to coat the hair but not flow at the same time. Leave for ½ hour and comb with a wide toothed comb. Repeat this 2 -3 times. Wash hair with water and a gentle shampoo after 2 hours.

Hair Straightening Side Effects
Hair straightening is a common trend nowadays. People straighten their hair to make it look more stylish and beautiful. However, it has some side effects that can damage the hair that are caused by the heat and chemicals while straightening the hair. Here are some of the side effects caused due to hair straightening:

• Dryness of hair is the most common side effect of hair straightening. The heat and chemicals that are used can damage the hair and losing the natural moisture in the hair to a great extent can make the hair look dull and frizzy.
• Allergy is another risk that is commonly associated with hair straightening. The allergy is mainly caused due to the chemicals that are used during hair straightening. Allergy sets off itching on the skin and scalp, redness of scalp, scalp rash and itching of the eye. In such cases you should consult a doctor immediately to address these side effects.

• Straightening hair can make your hair styles monotonous. In cases of permanent straightening, you can hardly change your hairstyle and it is impossible to do different hairstyles at times.


• Hair straightening can also cause hair fall. The use of poor quality chemicals and improper techniques to straighten hair can break the hair from the roots. It also makes the hair follicles become weak and leads to continuous falling of hair.
Hair Straightening for Men and Women
The methods for hair straightening are almost the same for both men and women. You can straighten your hair either by visiting a beauty salon or you can just do it by yourself at home. People usually go to salon if they want to do a permanent straightening as it has more to do with chemical products to straighten the hair and the effect lasts longer. For temporary hair straightening, people prefer to straighten their hair at home by using a hair straightener. The cost for hair straightening differs from one beauty salon to another; it also depends on the thickness, length and type of the hair.


The result of these tips may not be as finished and neat as a salon straightening, but you are saving on the expense and hair from effects of harsh chemicals.

Dam12:
Food and healthy nutrition are tied to fertility health as shown in preconception nutrition researches. There are nutritional needs for both men and women. A recent large study found that unlike other factors that cannot control such as age and genetics, eating certain foods and avoiding others is something you can do yourself without medical intervention. For eight years, the Harvard study followed 17,544 married nurses without any history of infertility as they tried to become or became pregnant. The research found that by changing five or more aspects of their diet (and exercise) habits, women with irregular or absent ovulation, which is responsible for 18 to 30 percent of infertility cases, reduced their risk of infertility by 80 percent.
It is necessary to know the baby-making nutrients so it wouldn’t take long before you hold that precious creature in your arms. Let’s get to know them, shall we?
• Folic Acid: The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that women of childbearing age obtain 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folate or folic acid each day. This B vitamin helps reduce a baby’s risk of neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. Your doctor or physician may increase your daily intake if your family has a history of neural tube defects. Folic acid may be obtained naturally through dark green leafy vegetables (i.e. spinach), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals. These foods can be supplemented with a prenatal vitamin which usually contains 800microgram of folic acid. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin allowing your body to flush out excess amounts.
• Calcium: It is recommended that women get at least 1,000 milligrams (three 8oz glasses of skim milk) of calcium a day if they are considering getting pregnant. Calcium may be obtained from natural sources such as cheese, low-fat yogurt, salmon, sardines, and rice.
• Zinc: Sunflower seeds are high in nutrients like zinc, which is one of the most important nutrient for male and female fertility says Brisbane-based naturopath and author of Making Babies. Sunflower seeds are also full of protein, which is important for a fertility diet.
• Iron: Studies have shown that women who do not get sufficient amounts of iron may suffer anovulation (lack of ovulation) and possibly poor egg health, which can inhibit pregnancy at a rate 60% higher than those with sufficient iron stores in their blood.
When the blood does not get enough iron, anemia or an insufficient number of red blood cells, may develop. Since it is these red blood cells that deliver oxygen to all of the body’s tissue and organs including the ovaries and uterus, this deficiency may cause the eggs stored in the ovaries to weaken over time and become unviable. Worse yet, should conception occur, anemia makes it impossible for the growing fetus’ cells to divide and grow properly. This may result in a miscarriage in some cases.
Increasing the iron in your diet can make all the difference (eating beans, eggs, tofu vegetables). Also include foods that help the absorption of iron like oranges, strawberries, and tomatoes.
It is important to note that, there are also a number of foods you should avoid if you really want to increase your pregnancy prospects.
FOODS TO AVOID
Excess red meat: Too much red meat increases the amount of ammonia in the body, which can interfere with the implantation of the egg in the uterus. Red meat can also be harmful for men as it increases acidity and affects sperm activity; sperm perform better in alkaline conditions.
Caffeine: Research has shown that more than 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day may reduce fertility by 27 percent; therefore, it is important to stay off caffeine (including chocolate). Caffeine also impedes upon the body’s ability to absorb iron and calcium.
Refined sugar and Trans fat: Too much refined sugar can lead to insulin resistance, which can cause polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that affects ovulation and is one of the leading causes of female infertility. Consume less cake, cookies, cocktails, candies and other foods containing refined sugar.
A professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Willet M.D. explains that trans fats (found primarily in foods such as commercial baked and snack foods, animal products, French fries and some margarines) increase insulin resistance.
Non-organic chicken: Conventionally raised chicken is full of antibiotics and hormones, which can have a detrimental effect on hormone balance and health.
Alcohol: The National Health and Medical Research Council recommend that women trying to get pregnant should not drink alcohol at all because there is enough evidence that alcohol has a negative effect on fertility. Heavy drinking affects fertility, increasing the length of time it takes to get pregnant and reducing the chances of having a healthy baby.
Nutrition is sort of like an orchestra: you need to have all factors in place for the best result, says Walter Willet. Wish you a healthy conception!!!

skondo09:
nt comprehensive, so nt comprehendable

hayqinsbFX:
CIC DOESNT CARE ABOUT YOUR NYSC CERTIFICATE.

mwgirl:
Please, is any one familiar or has heard about a man called Dr okolosie who says he helps people to get work permit to work in NGOs in USA, CANADA etc.

fabuloustee:
U can it depends on your school policy, I changed mine after receiving 5 days lectures, I told my student advisor I wasn't happy with my course and I want something else bla bla bla, it was changed with new admission letter for Me, I think most schools here u can change ur course within 10 days in class OR better still call ur school international deptmt if u can change ur course on arrival, if their reply is positive then u don't need to change anything with ur visa app

hayqinsbFX:
i guess youre waiting for a decision on your application. could yoou holla whenever u get it

Dam12:
Hello folks, quick one. Can anyone who has done transfer of ownership of a landed property pls put me thru the process cos I will like to use my mum's land as my home tie. Thx in anticipation