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Do You Have The Tremors? - Parkinson's Disease
All body movements happen when neurotransmitters carry messages from the nerve
cells to the muscle cells. In Parkinsonʼs disease about 70-80% of the cells that produce
dopamine (a chemical released to send signals between nerve cells) are degenerated
or do not function properly. Thus, the message does not reach the muscles properly and
motor movements get affected.
Parkinsonʼs disease is a neurological condition characterized by tremors, difficulty in
body movements, stiffness and imbalance while walking. Since this disease is
progressive the symptoms become more prominent with time! While Parkinsonʼs
disease is know as the disease of the old the onset of it during an early age (around
30-40 years) goes unnoticed and undiagnosed, this is known as young onset
Parkinsonʼs disease. The causes of Parkinsonʼs disease are not know and neither is its
cure and it deeply has an impact on the the diseased due to psychological stress and
trauma! It makes life difficult, especially for young patients, leaving them worried about
their jobs, future, family and social life. Young patients thus go through completely
different psychological stages upon gaining the knowledge of their problem. They are
first in a stage of denial, hoping that the doctors are wrong and then follows the
depression and at last the last stage where they try to tackle the disease!
A Parkinsonʼs patient can function quite well on medication initially however the affects
soon start to where off after the first few years. There are “on” and “off” periods when
the motor movements may or may not be affected. Also the side effects of the
medication could get troublesome, such as hallucination, involuntary movement of the
body, depression, etc. For the first few years the motor skills are not affected that
severely but the depression is known to bring the personʼs life to a stand still when
recently diagnosed.
Deep Brain Stimulation is a interventional treatment for the condition, but researchers
are still not able to comment on the epidemiological data about itʼs incidence. DBS
involves implanting in the brain, electrodes, which send electrical impulses to areas in
the brain that control motor movements and block abnormal nerve signals. The device
can be controlled to adjust the impulse by a remote control. It is usually recommended
to go through DBS only after 5-8 years of medication. If done too early, it reduces the
medications impact and if too late the impact of the DBS is reduced. DBS gives back
the patient their dignity and helps them become independent once again. The
pacemakers batteries need to be recharged every 4-5 years however there are more
permanent alternatives that last about 20 years. The only set back about DBS in the
expense which is a astonishing amount of 4-5 lakhs excluding hospital charges! Also
there are many risks involved if the surgery goes wrong, thus it is advised to not
undergo surgery in a hospital which has experienced less than 200 surgeries...
Dealing with Parkinsonʼs disease demands determination and will power. Alternative
therapies are also proving beneficial, such as yoga and physiotherapy.
Also family and support play an extremely important role in the recovery of the patient for they
would probably need help in day to day activities and loose hope, thus from will power,
support from family and right treatment, Parkinson's disease cannot override life!
Source: Untimely Tremors - The Week-Health
Article Name: Unseen Titanic
Author Name: Hampton Sides
Publishing Details: National Geographic Magazine, April 2012 Issue
By: Simran Yadav
Class: XI – A
“Unseen Titanic”
Titanic was a passenger ship that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, USA. This year April, a century has gone by since the luxury steamship met its catastrophic end in the North Atlantic, plunging two miles down to the ocean floor. She was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in the disaster. In the decades since her demise, Titanic has inspired countless books and several notable films, numerous science articles while continuing to make headlines, particularly since the 1985 discovery of her resting place off the coast of Newfoundland.
In the article under review, Unseen Titanic, the author Hampton Sides takes us through a brief journey about seeing titanic in different way. He describes challenges and excitement of the team of explorers, scientist and photographers who made the feat possible. The author describes how the project of unseen imagery of titanic was a result of an ambitious multi-million-dollar expedition undertaken in 2010, how it was captured by state-of-the-art robotic vehicles that flew at various altitudes above the abyssal plain in long, preprogrammed swaths two miles deep. It describes how with side-scan and multi-beam sonar as well as high-definition optical cameras snapping hundreds of images a second, the robots systematically “mowed the lawn,” as the technique is called, working back and forth across a three-by-five-mile target area of the ocean floor. These ribbons of data were digitally stitched together to assemble a massive high-definition picture in which everything has been precisely gridded and geo-referenced. There are lots of scientific challenges which one starts pondering about after going through the article. How does one go down 2 miles deep? What is the future of titanic, will the rust eat it away, will explorer Ballard’s vision of painting the titanic under water save it? Should the world allow unregulated plundering of the treasure that titanic holds between her decks? Should a tourist trip and dive to titanic go on … and many more such questions.
After reading the article I am convinced that we should use remote imaging technology to turn the Titanic into an underwater electronic museum. This way we would be able to save the titanic and also make it possible for numerous enthusiasts in the world to see the so far unseen sides of Titanic. I recommend that this article and associated breathtaking imagery should be seen by all especially the budding explorers, scientists, and photographers.