Conjoined twins separated. But while that operation is always challenging, this one was particularly bad. The girls were
joined at the top of the head, and their brains were merged -- and shared common blood vessels. It took
eight-eight hours of surgery to separate them, most of which was spent rerouting blood vessels. Both girls survived the operation. This is only the sixth time this operation has been attempted and only the second time that it has succeeded. (Vertical craniopagus is, mercifully, exceedingly rare.)
The operation was only possible at all because the surgeons have spent the last four months practicing it with virtual-reality software on computers (presumably using models based on MRI). Anyone have any idea what software package they used?
posted by Steven Den Beste
on Apr 10, 2001 -
14 comments
Cool eyeball science Quick summary of interesting research on the output of the eyeball. 3 really cool things: 1, we know much more about the output of the eyeball now than a few years ago; 2, they've got a neural network doing visual processing like the eye; 3, most of what you see your brain makes up!
posted by daver
on Mar 28, 2001 -
8 comments
Sex Diseases Increasing in People 50+ The incidence of AIDS in people 50 and older is growing at a rate twice as fast as for people younger than 50, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But that's largely been ignored by the health-care profession, say longtime health educators.
posted by jhiggy
on Mar 16, 2001 -
3 comments
Scientists test hallucinogens for use in treating mental illness: Hallucinogenic drugs like LSD and peyote — derided as toys of the hippie generation — are increasingly drawing the interest of neurologists and psychiatrists who want to test the idea that they may be valuable tools in treating a range of mental disorders. The researchers involved in the new work are not suggesting that people start medicating themselves with hallucinogens. Still, Dr. David E. Nichols, a professor of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry at Purdue, believes the drugs' potential should be investigated. Nichols, an expert on hallucinogenic drugs, said there were reports that symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, like washing one's hands dozens of times a day, subside under the influence of psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms. (Note: it's a New York Times link, free registration required.)
posted by jhiggy
on Mar 14, 2001 -
31 comments
In light of the possible
spread of foot and mouth disease virtually anywhere--I was wondering how restricted UK citizens are. Is travel in the countryside difficult or impossible? Isn't it interesting how quickly movement is restricted and meat taken off the table?
posted by aflakete
on Mar 14, 2001 -
18 comments
Vaccine Prevents AIDS in Monkeys and could lead to human medicine. Exciting huh? Anyway, if that should happen, how much do you think they'll charge for treatment, considering the conspiracy theories and all that?
posted by tiaka
on Mar 9, 2001 -
11 comments
One word...Plastics. New techniques for restoring bones. Speaking of broken bones, is everyone else dreading the full media coverage of Ronald Reagan's slow liquefaction over the next several years.
posted by ritualdevice
on Jan 15, 2001 -
12 comments
A fine football story for the year... Oklahoma won the National Championship, and Penn State did not do so well, however the local hero walks out of the hospital to get on with the rest of his life. Granted the injury was a bruise and Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli saved his life, but my question is how long before we'll see the successful repair of spinal cord injuries? Will
Christopher Reeve walk again?
posted by brent
on Jan 5, 2001 -
4 comments
"I wanted to be a mother who bakes. But then I found out it's illegal." While I can understand being afraid of a Hepatitis or E. Coli outbreak, I can't help but think this is simply another example of a school district of applying really stupid rules to a situation.
posted by ookamaka
on Jan 1, 2001 -
10 comments
Think your life sucks? This moron has spent his entire adult life growing his fingernails. It has cost him dearly. The hand is question is a misshapen claw. He has permanent nerve damage from the weight, resulting in permanent deafness in his right ear. But at least he's famous. (via
joerogan.net)
posted by Optamystic
on Dec 27, 2000 -
12 comments
Is Bill Really that bad? Giving away money steadily, tens of millions of dollars at a time, Mr Bill Gates has become the single most influential force trying to reverse the growing health crisis afflicting the world's poor. With his wife, Melinda, he outspent the United States Government last year by nearly $US300 million ($538 million), to fight global health threats such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
posted by murray_kester
on Dec 25, 2000 -
52 comments
Déja vu "A mysterious epidemic, hitherto unknown, which had struck terror into all hearts by the rapidity of its spread, the ravages it made, and the apparent helplessness of the physicians to cure it." — on syphillis, in the 16th centruy.
Highlights from the CBC's 1996 Ideas shows on AIDS in historical perspective, available in real audio for downloading or streaming. I remember stopping the car and listening to the whole thing four years ago: "The programs underline how a whole series of biological, psychological and social factors shape the public's perception of disease, and society's response to it. The strengths and limits of past approaches to detecting sexually transmitted diseases are explored, in order to shed light on approaches that could be used to control AIDS today."
posted by sylloge
on Dec 1, 2000 -
0 comments
AIDS Project Los Angeles can help you observe World AIDS Day
and get a start on those pesky holiday cards. For $5 each, APLA will personalize and send your choice of holiday cards to friends, family or clients! Cards are also available in sets of ten for $25 to be mailed by you.
posted by CrazyUncleJoe
on Dec 1, 2000 -
0 comments
AIDS? SHMAIDS! Have you heard the news?
"A growing group of bio-medical scientists claim the cause of AIDS is still unknown. These heretics do not believe in a lethal AIDS virus. They claim that the virus is indeed harmless. Most of them think AIDS is also not sexually transmitted; it probably has toxic causes. People die because they are poisoned to death by antiviral drugs. Part of the AIDS dissidents even question the existence of a virus entity. These skeptics say that the AIDS virus has never really been isolated, and the AIDS tests are worthless..."
Yeah. And my childhood dog really
did go live on a nice farm after he was hit by a car.
posted by kristin
on Dec 1, 2000 -
16 comments
Everyday life for a teenager with AIDS: Stephanie Lee Ray, a 12-year-old with AIDS, is proving the doctors wrong. She was not supposed to live past age 5, so she lives for every moment. She wants to play and grow and go to school. She has felt the effects of people's ignorance about the disease. She has suffered disapproving stares and comments.Rather than feel sorry for herself, she prefers to educate people to make wise choices. She knows that her life really counts. (The story is almost 2 years old, and the wonderful pix aren't archived with it, but it's worth reading anyway, especially for the feel of a life when any cold or simple fever can become a life-threatening crisis.)
posted by jhiggy
on Dec 1, 2000 -
0 comments
Eric is fat! After a month of gorgeing himself for The Fat Project, Eric has finally achieved his goal of 30 lbs. in 30 days. Nicole, on the other hand, isn't faring so well. Updates every few hours today.
posted by isildur
on Oct 30, 2000 -
7 comments
Memorial to those who died of heroin. This is what I got in email today, after, I guess, they found my half-completed story on such a topic:
"I was looking on the internet on Google for heroin drug overdose. You can see my daughter's before and after picture on www.ourwall.net. Click on Cheryl Dean born July 11, 1979 overdosed on Oct 5, 1997. Cheryl didn't die but she can't walk, talk, move legs arms or hands is blind and on a feeding tube. She had a cardiac arrest and didn't get enough oxygen to the brain in time."
posted by Mo Nickels
on Oct 8, 2000 -
42 comments
I want to be injected with respirocytes. They're little mechanical devices that do the same job as your red blood cells, but they're 236 times more efficient.
This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time, and could certainly be very useful. Among the examples they give for people who could benefit are firefighters (too much smoke? just hold your breath!), deep sea divers (tune the respirocytes to remove N2, and no more long decompression times), and choking victims (this one should be obvious).
posted by CrayDrygu
on Sep 27, 2000 -
10 comments
I was astounded, but maybe I'm just naive. According
to
a
Beyond 2000 article, low oxygen content in aircraft cabins,
which contributes to the majority of air travel woes, is mostly
due to penny-pinching. Great, skimping on air! What's next? ...
umm ... ahhh ... Oh gee, I have nothing worse to compare it to!
posted by quirked
on Aug 4, 2000 -
24 comments
Doggy PPO/HMO , I saw on the news tonight where local companies are offering Healthcare plans for their pets as an added employment bonus. "Annual exams and annual vaccines are provided in FULL at NO charge. Extensive veterinary services are provided at significantly reduced fees. Office visits are only $15.00 which is a significant savings for United Pet Care members." How cool is that?
posted by 120degrees
on Jul 12, 2000 -
1 comment
Chop Chop!!! Circumcision seen to help prevent the spread of AIDS. Unfortunately, that's a little late for those already infected. You just have to hope that the people understand that it is male circumcision, and not female that helps protect.
posted by da5id
on Jul 11, 2000 -
4 comments
Use MetaFilter to prevent Alzheimer's disease. It seems that a love of reading may help reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.
People with more education, in contrast, seem at lower risk of Alzheimer's. A study presented Sunday of Swedish twins where one twin had Alzheimer's and the other was healthy suggests a love of reading [metafilter.com], as a child and adult, might be protective.
posted by DragonBoy
on Jul 9, 2000 -
0 comments
Anchors away! Abortions at sea. Another example of people trying to evade the confines of national laws.
posted by Ezrael
on Jun 22, 2000 -
0 comments
