AtoZ Diseases

There are different techniques of teeth whitening that are used by dentists. The overall goal of all teeth whitening is to get rid of brown and yellow staining. There are chemical whitening techniques and mild acid whitening. Bleaching is a chemical teeth whitening process in which the color of the teeth is lightened. You can perform the method yourself in home too. After one or two sessions of cleaning teeth, you can repeat the process in home. The dentist would provide you materials which are used in bleaching teeth. The home beaching is good to save time and money also.

Learn the process of bleaching of teeth from your dentist carefully and if you have doubts ask him about them. The dentist would provide you custom made tray for your teeth. Custom tray is a critical component and it ensures that the correct amount of whitening solution used for teeth whitening. You just have to use the materials and instructions properly in your home to get white fleet of teeth. The bleaching session in home lasts for two hours during the period when you have to put on the tray and solution in your mouth. This regime is followed for two or three weeks. It is often seen that people who take care of overall mens health have nice pair of teeth.

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What is this condition?

This cancer attacks the ovaries, the organs in women that produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone. There are three main types of ovarian cancer: primary epithelial tumors (accounting for 90% of all ovarian cancers), germ cell tumors, and sex cord (stromal) tumors.

Prognosis depends on the type of cancer cell and the disease stage. Unfortunately, there are few early warning signs and the disease is often advanced by the time it’s diagnosed. About 40% of women with ovarian cancer survive for 5 years.

What causes it?

The exact cause of ovarian cancer isn’t known. Risk factors include a family history of ovarian, breast, or uterine cancer; infertility; celibacy; exposure to asbestos, talc, or industrial pollutants; and a high-fat diet.

Ovarian cancer spreads rapidly throughout the abdominal cavity and, occasionally, through the lymphatic system and the blood­stream. Generally, when it spreads outside the abdomen, it enters the chest cavity, where it may cause abnormal fluid buildup in the lungs. Spread to other sites is rare.

The symptoms or warning signs of ovarian cancer

Typically ovarian cancer smptoms vary with tumor size. Some women with early­stage disease experience vague stomach upset. As the cancer develops, symptoms become more distinct, including frequent urination, constipation, pelvic discomfort, and weight loss. In advanced disease fluid builds up in the abdomen. If the tumor ruptures or becomes twisted or infected, it may cause pain. In young women, this pain may be mistaken for appendicitis. Some older women experience postmenopausal bleeding and pain.

Some types of tumors cause feminizing effects, such as bleeding between periods in premenopausal women; other types cause masculinizing effects, such as developing masculine secondary sex characteristics. Ovarian cancer that has spread to other sites may cause different symptoms.

How is it diagnosed?

The doctor performs a pelvic exam and takes a complete history. Before surgery, the doctor will take a Pap smear (although this is positive in few women with ovarian cancer) and will order many different diagnostic tests. For example, a woman may undergo abdominal ultrasound, a computed tomography scan (commonly called a CAT scan), or X-rays. A test called lymphangiography (a special X-ray of the lymphatic system) helps to investigate lymph node involvement. Mammography may be used to rule out primary breast cancer.

Usually, a surgeon performs exploratory surgery, taking cell and tissue samples for analysis.

How is it treated?

Treatment involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and, in rare cases, radiation therapy – depending on the woman’s age and the disease stage. In most cases, treatment is aggressive: the surgeon removes the uterus, both fallopian tubes, both ovaries, the omentum (part of the abdominal wall lining), and the appendix. If the tumor has matted around other organs or spread to other vital organs, complete removal of the tumor is impossible.

In rare instances, for example – a young woman with an encapsulated tumor in one ovary – the surgeon may elect to remove only the diseased ovary.

Chemotherapy can prolong life in most women with ovarian cancer, but in those with advanced disease, it can only relieve symptoms. However, prolonged remissions are being achieved in some women.

Radiation therapy is generally not used for ovarian cancer because it depresses the bone marrow, which could make chemotherapy less effective. Radioisotopes have been used as secondary therapy, but they can cause intestinal problems such as blockages.

Intravenous administration of drugs called biological response modifiers – interleukin-2, interferon, and monoclonal antibodies – is currently being investigated.

What can a woman with ovarian cancer do?

If you are premenopausal and must have both ovaries removed, be aware that you’ll have an early menopause and may experience hot flashes, headaches, palpitations, insomnia, depression, and excessive perspiration.

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What is this condition?

Acute pyelonephritis is a sudden inflammation of kidney tissues and is one of the most common kidney diseases. With treatment and continued follow-up care, most people get well, and extensive permanent tissue damage is rare.

What causes it?

Acute pyelonephritis is caused by bacterial infection of the kidneys. Those bacteria usually are normal intestinal and bowel organisms that grow readily in urine. The most common of them is Escherichia coli, but Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Strepto­coccus faecalis may also cause such infections.

In most people, the infection spreads from the bladder to the kidneys, where it can create colonies of infection within 24 to 48 hours. Infection may also be spread by hospital procedures such as catheterization, cystoscopy, or urologic surgery. The disorder may also result from blood-borne and lymphatic infections, as well as several kinds of urinary obstructions that make it difficult for the person to urinate.

Who gets the infection?

Pyelonephritis occurs more otten in women, probably because the urethra is shorter in women than in men, and because the urinary tract lies close to the vagina and the rectum. This allows bacteria to reach the bladder more easily. Women also lack certain antibacterial secretions men produce in this body region. Incidence increases with age and is higher in sexually active or pregnant women and in people with other kidney diseases or diabetes.

What are its symptoms?

The doctor will ask about such things as urgent, frequent or burning urination. The person’s urine may appear cloudy and have a fishy odor. Other common symptoms include a temperature of 102° F (38.8° C) or higher, shaking chills, flank pain, poor appetite, and general fatigue.

These symptoms can develop rapidly over a few hours or a few days. Although the symptoms may disappear within days, even without treatment, residual bacterial infection is likely and may cause symptoms to recur.

How is it diagnosed?

After learning about the person’s symptoms, the doctor will order a urinalysis. Typical findings include pus cells and, possibly, some red blood cells; significant numbers of bacteria; and a slightly alkaline urine pH.

A plain X-ray film of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder may reveal stones, tumors, or cysts in the kidneys and the urinary tract. X-rays with contrast dyes may reveal asymmetrical kidneys.

How is it treated?

The doctor will choose an antibiotic specifically designed to fight the persons infection. For example, E. coli may be treated with Gantrisin, NegGram, and Macrodantin or Furadantin. If the infecting organism can’t be identified, the doctor will prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic, such as Amcill. If the person is pregnant, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics with caution or urinary analgesics such as Phenazodine.

The person’s symptoms may disappear after several days of antibiotic therapy. Usually, the person takes antibiotics for 10 to 14 days. Follow-up testing includes a new urine culture 1 week after drug therapy stops, then periodically for the next year to catch any remain­ing infection.

Most people with uncomplicated infections respond well to ther­apy and don’t suffer reinfection. In infections resulting from an obstruction, antibiotics may be less effective, and the doctor may recommend corrective surgery. People who have a high risk of recurring urinary tract and kidney infections, such as those undergoing prolonged catheterization or maintenance antibiotic therapy, require long-term follow-up.

What can a person with acute pyelonephritis do?

If you are diagnosed with this kidney infection, here are some helpful suggestions:

• Drink plenty of fluids to help empty your bladder of contaminated urine. However, don’t drink more than 3 quarts (3 liters) a day because this may reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotics you’re taking.
• Follow the diet you are given to prevent kidney stone formation.
• Complete prescribed antibiotic therapy, even after symptoms go away. Get long-term follow-up care if the doctor says you are at high-risk for more infections.

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