BEACON TRANSCRIPT –  An ophthalmologist from Greece recently declared that a 9-year-old boy permanently damaged his optical nerve after repeatedly staring into a green laser. According to the case report, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the laser left a large hole in the child’s macula and another one in the retina.

Damage Done by Green Laser Irreversible, Lead Author Wrote in Study

Dr. Sofia Androudi, ophthalmologist and an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Thessaly, wrote in the case study that the damage done to the boy’s retina is irreversible. More than that, the physician noted that, in this particular case, surgery’s ineffective, since the laser burned a considerable hole in the macula.

As Dr. Androudi explained, the macula is an area near the retina, oval in shape, with a significant role in high-acuity vision. More specifically, the macula helps the human eye distinguish certain details such as facial traits or letters on paper when reading.

Macular holes are frequently treated via surgery. However, in almost 100% of cases, patients will develop cataract.

As for the 9-year-old’s case, the examination revealed a large hole in the retina and a small one in the macula. Even more disheartening is the fact that the patient sought treatment a year after the accident. Dr. Androudi said that one or two years wouldn’t have made much of a difference because the damage done by the green laser cannot be mended.

Conclusion

A physical examination of the child’s eyes showed that the retained a 20/20 vision in his right eye and a 20/100 vision in his left eye. To put it in layman’s terms, the boy would have to stand within 20 feet of an object to see it whereas normal-sighted people would see it from 100 feet.

Image source: Flickr

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Google’s efforts to use machine learning and artificial intelligence in health care appear to have paid off. In a recent report, Google declared that its latest AI algorithm could make accurate medical predictions such as time spent in the hospital or the likelihood of death.

AI Algorithm Capable of Culling Through Patient’s Records in the Blink of an Eye

Using artificial intelligence to assist doctors in planning a patient’s treatment or to analyze disease patterns is not something new under the sun. Quite recently, one of Google AI’s peers was more successful in diagnosing skin cancer (melanoma) compared to human doctors. What AI lacks in experience makes up in processing speed.

Recently, Google’s AI and machine learning division has successfully tested a neural network-powered artificial intelligence capable of making health prediction based on the patient’s medical records.

The team said that the AI algorithm could cull through hundreds, if not thousands, of pages to make its predictions. More than that it can read scribbles at the foot of the page.

To see just how advanced Google’s AI algorithm is, here’s what happened in a hospital that accepted to test the algorithm. According to the case report, a woman with terminal lung cancer was admitted to the hospital last week.

Moreover, doctors said her lungs were filled with liquid. Based on her vitals and bloodwork, the human doctors surmised that her likelihood of death was 9.3 percent.

After feeding the same data to Google’s AI algorithm, the likelihood increased from 9.3 percent to a staggering 19.9 percent. Regrettably, the patient passed away a few days later.

Conclusion

The test performed by Google’s AI division is the first of many. So far, Google’s machine learning researchers agree that some sectors, such as healthcare, could benefit from having a powerful data processing unit.

Image source: MaxPixel 

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Last week, Kat Von D, the famous tattoo artist, managed to rile up her fans after writing on her Instagram account that she’s not going to vaccinate her unborn child. And now, a beauty blogger tears down Kat von D’s intention of raising a ‘natural and vegan child’ sharing a picture of her son struggling with measles.

Beauty Blogger Claims Vaccine Could have Ended Her Child’s Ordeal

Celebrated ink artist Kat Von D received her fair share if public backlash after she announced on Instagram that she has no intention to vaccinate her child. More that, according to Von D’s post, the infant will be born via a “drug-free” and midwife/doula home birth and in water, on top of that.

Of course, comments came pouring down like Hellfire as soon as Von D hit the ‘publish’ button. As expected, most commenters criticized the artist’s life choices, calling her post embarrassing. Others said that people making the same choices as Kat Von D puts even more lives at risk.

A commenter, who goes by the name of abonvil wrote that her choice to be openly anti-vaccines puts immunocompromised patients at risks such as small children or the elderly.

I knew the minute we announced our pregnancy that we would be bombarded with unsolicited advice. Some good and some questionable – unsolicited none the less. I also was prepared for the backlash and criticism we would get if we decided to be open about our personal approach to our pregnancy. My own Father flipped out on me when I told him we decided to ditch our doctor and go with a midwife instead. If you don’t know what it’s like have people around you think you are ridiculous, try being openly vegan. And, if you don’t know what it’s like to have the entire world openly criticize, judge, throw uninformed opinions, and curse you – try being an openly pregnant vegan on Instagram, having a natural, drug-free home birth in water with a midwife and doula, who has the intention of raising a vegan child, without vaccinations. My point being: I already know what it’s like to make life choices that are not the same as the majority. So your negative comments are not going influence my choices – actual research and educating myself will – which i am diligently doing. This is my body. This is our child. And this is our pregnancy journey. Feel free to follow me on here if you like what I’m about – whether it’s tattooing, lipstick, Animal Rights, sobriety, feminism, ridiculous gothiness, black flower gardening, cats, or my adorable husband. But if you don’t dig a certain something about what I post, i kindly ask that you press the unfollow button and move the fuck on. So before anyone of you feel inspired to tell me how to do this, I would appreciate you keeping your unsolicited criticism to yourself. More importantly, for those who have amazing positive energy to send my way, I will gladly and graciously receive it with love! X

A post shared by Kat Von D (@thekatvond) on Jun 7, 2018 at 5:19pm PDT

However, Caroline Hirons, a well-known beauty blogger, dropped the proverbial microphone after she shared a photo of her 23-year-old son. Hirons said that when her son was little, he got the measles. She also said that the disease weakened him up to the point of being carried to the hospital by two ambulances.

Conclusion

The beauty blogger explained that her son was dehydrated and withering away. It took four IV bags to rehydrate the child. To end her post, Hirons wrote that a simple vaccine could have spared her child of having to fight for his life.

Image source: Wikipedia

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – A Florida woman given only three months to live says that she managed to win the battle against cancer with the help of experimental treatment. Judy Perkins of Port Lucie now lives a cancer-free life. The woman said if not for a one-in-a-million shot experimental treatment, she would have died.

Experimental Treatment Based on Reverse Engineered White Cells

During a recent BBC interview, Judy Perkins, a 52-year-old woman from Port Lucie, Florida, shared her life’s story.

Two and a half years ago, the woman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Following the grim diagnosis, underwent surgery. As part of her cancer treatment, Judy has had a total mastectomy as all as having all her lymph nodes removed.

Post-surgery, the woman had several rounds of hormonal and chemotherapy. Sadly, the doctors told Mrs. Perkins that all attempts to keep her cancer from spreading failed.

Before the experimental treatment, Judy’s cancer had spread to her liver and chest. The doctors had given Judy three months to live.

As the Florida woman recalls, soon after she received the devasting news, she was approached by Dr. Steven Rosenberg from the National Institutes of Health.

Rosenberg wanted to sign up Mrs. Perkins for a highly experimental treatment. The woman agreed, regardless of the outcome.

As the doctor explained, the first step of Mrs. Perkins therapy was to study her white cells to see which ones can detect genetic mutations. Step two was growing these white cells in the lab and reprogramming them to fight against cancer.

Conclusion

The last of the therapy was injecting those cells back into the patient. Over the course of several days, Mrs. Perkins has been injected with approximately 90 billion reprogrammed white cells.

The experimental treatment proved to be successful. Mrs. Perkins is now cancer free.

Image source: Pixnio

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – A team of Chinese surgeons has recently had to remove a foot-long eggplant from a 50-year-old man’s abdomen. The patient told his doctors that he deliberately inserted the eggplant in his anus in an attempt to alleviate his constipation.

Eggplant Was Found Near the Hear During Surgery

Because the medical has always been a source of fascination, here’s the story of a 50-year-old man from China who drove to the hospital because the abdominal pain was too much for him.

As it turns out, the reason why the unnamed man’s belly was hurting was a foot-long eggplant that was pressing on his cardiac muscle.

Apparently, he has been for some time suffering from chronic constipation. Unable to alleviate the condition, the man sought a more ‘natural’ remedy.

And so, two days before going to the hospital, the Chinese man inserted an eggplant in his anus.

CT and X-Ray scans revealed that the object went passed the bowels and somehow got stuck between his lungs and heart.

The ER doctors explained that the object’s unusual position is due to the bowel, which sort of carried the object all the way to his heart.

During surgery, the doctors discovered that the foreign object was resting on his heart muscle.

Fortunately, the surgeons were able to remove the eggplant from the man’s upper abdomen.

Conclusion

The latest medical report suggests that the patient’s condition is stable. Moreover, the patient is expected to make a full recovery.

Given the object’s position, the Chinese man will need to take swelling meds as part of the eggplant irritated his left lung.

When asked about the unusual treatment, the man told his doctors that the eggplant should have worked as a laxative, curing his chronic constipation.

Image source: Flickr

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – A Scotland medical tribunal found a Dundee-based gynecologist guilty of gross misconduct. The tribunal established that Dr. Vaishnavy Laxman is responsible for the decapitation of an infant. Court documents suggest that the Scotland OB-GYN specialist used the wrong technique when delivering the baby.

Scotland OB-GYN Said Baby was Dead on Delivery

Last week, the members of a Dundee medical tribunal concluded that Dr. Vaishnavy Laxman was guilty of an infant’s accidental decapitation during delivery.

According to the court documents, in March 2014, Laxman, who was on a 24-hour call, was paged for an emergency delivery. Her patient was a 30-year-old, whose name has not yet been released.

As the doctor’s taped confession reveals, during the delivery procedure, Laxman had decided to apply a different technique, given that it was a breech birth. More specifically, the fetus came legs first.

The medical tribunal reveals that the Scotland OB-GYN specialist attempted to pull the infant’s leg to remove him from the womb. Unfortunately, during the said procedure, that consistent with Dr. Laxman’s pulling the infant by the feet, the child’s head became detached.

After the procedure, a team of surgeons performed a cesarean section to remove the infant’s head. Possibly in an attempt to cover up her medical faux-pas, Dr. Laxman’s colleagues sew the head to the body so that the patient could hold him.

During her preliminary hearing, the Scotland OB-GYN specialist declared that the baby was already dead and that performing an emergency C-Section would have put the mother at risk.

Conclusion

Nevertheless, the Dundee medical tribunal found Dr. Laxman guilty of medical misconduct, arguing that her lack of judgment led to the death of the infant.

 

The Scotland OB-GYN was barred from duty and could lose the right to practice medicine.

Image source: Flickr