Prognosis: Positive! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Liquid proteins

One of the methods of reducing chronic back pain is spinal fusion surgery. This requires removal of the damaged disc and then fusing the two vertebrae that were on either side of that disc. Metal plates and bone fragments from other parts of the body would be inserted to assist the re-growth process.

This operation is both invasive and requires a long period of recuperation. Doctors have narrowed down the proteins within the body that will tell it to heal its own bones and have found a way to artificially reproduce them.

This is produced in liquid form into which they will dip some bio-compatible sponge matter, before placing the sponge where they require the bone growth to occur. This then triggers the body to start healing itself and bring forth the bone growth.

The positive prognosis for patients is that now they have a surgical option that is less invasive and can reduce the recovery period down from six months to two.

Answer: A method of recording images in the digestive tract

Standard endoscopy involves the insertion of a camera, attached to a tube, twenty feet into a person's small intestine to check for such things as ulcers, tumours and internal bleeding. This has worked well for a number of years but the step forward appears to have arrived straight out of the 1966 movie "Fantastic Voyage" - a camera which is inserted into a pill and swallowed.

It is then guided through the small intestine where it is able to look into areas that standard endoscopy cannot. The pill comes with flashing LEDs that illuminate in time with the pictures being taken, usually at a rate of two per second. Using blue tooth technology the images can then be transferred to hard drives.

Answer: Proteins secreted by identical immune cells cloned from a unique parent cell

The drug is administered intravenously and the dosage is dependent upon a number of factors including the height and weight of the patient and the type of cancer being treated. It works by attaching itself to the cancer cell and then blocking the signals that tells the cancer to grow. It also tends to make the cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapy and, in the process, a whole lot easier to kill. All in all a positive prognosis but at $30,000 for an eight week treatment it does not come cheap.

Answer: No

The needle does have a number of advantages such as a wide range of products and dosages for patients, however, it can be a daunting process for a number of people, it can prove to be an inconvenience at times and it is not a very social instrument. Other options available for diabetics include an insulin pen, which works much the same way as a needle, or a jet injector which uses pressurised jets of air to send a fine spray of insulin into the skin.

The disadvantage of the latter method is that is does require constant maintenance and it may cause bruising. Alternatively clients can use external or implanted pump systems to deliver dosages throughout the day which can be increased at meal times. Doctors are currently working on insulin patches, inhalers, nasal sprays and insulin pills but the constant thorn to these is getting the dosages correct or, in the case of patches, getting a sufficient amount absorbed through the skin.

Answer: Weight loss

Bariatric surgery was introduced to combat obesity by reducing the size of the stomach. Initially this meant removing a portion of the stomach or redirecting the small intestines toward a small stomach pouch. The leap forward has been the use or insertion of a laparoscopic band (lap band) rather the removal of body parts. Lap banding involves the insertion of a silicone band through some small incisions in the abdomen which is then tightened to limit the amount of food that can pass through. You could say that it's now a cinch to lose weight. (Yes I know it's a terrible pun but it is fully intended).

The positive prognosis is a less invasive form of surgery with a much faster recovery time. However, bariatric surgery does not come without its share of risks.

The most common are gastric dumping syndrome (vomiting, bloating, diarrhoea), incisional hernia and infections and the sudden loss of weight may bring forward gallstones or the increased lithogenicity of bile. In an effort to head off any correction notes, I agree that the moderating of blood pressure may be an indirect benefit of this surgery, however, weight loss remains as the primary driver of the operation.

Answer: It changes the image of the blood from white to a dark colour

The traditional angiogram will use a dye injected into the body after which a catheter is inserted near the groin and worked toward a position near the heart. At this point an x-ray is taken and it will do a good job of highlighting any clogged arteries.

However, it doesn't effectively show an equally serious problem and that is the plaque buildup that can occur on the walls of the coronary and carotid arteries as well as the aorta. By using technology to turn the blood black on the MRI it makes the blood a part of the background.

The artery walls remain white and, in the process, will highlight areas of plaque buildup and not just the clogged arteries. The positive prognosis here is that potential problems can be identified earlier and dealt with more efficiently.

Answer: One that reduces the activity of the body's immune system

Protopic is one of the trade names for Tracomlimus (or FK-506) a drug, discovered in 1984, that is predominantly used to lower the risk of rejection in patients who have undergone allogeneic organ transplants. Since then it has also been developed to treat skin conditions such as eczema and vitiligo as well as the eye inflammation, uveitis.

The positive prognosis here is that patients with eczema may be able to do away with the age old remedy of cortisone cream, a steroid based treatment that comes with a range of side effects including burning and thinning of the skin as well as making blood vessels visible near the surface of the skin.

Answer: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

In 1984 when HIV was isolated the world was informed that a cure for the disease was imminent. Almost thirty years later the world is still waiting. The encouraging news has been the development of protease-inhibitors which hold up the growth of the virus once it has entered a cell. Since then, advances have been made in the creation of entry inhibitors which, as the name implies, work toward stopping the virus from attaching itself to the entry points of a cell and thereby blocking its replication cycle.

It is important to note that this is not a cure but the positive prognosis is that it aids (no pun intended) in the better management of the disease and improving the quality of life for the patient.

Answer: True

The important part here is to catch the disease early and from there a range of treatments can be brought to bear, including drugs, radiation and/or surgery, to defeat it. Developments have moved forward in magnetic resonance spectroscopy that are able to provide medical staff with much more detailed information to reduce some of the estimated guesswork that had previously been used in assigning treatment.

The information that can now be provided includes the exact location of the tumour as well as its chemical makeup and how aggressive it may have become.

The positive prognosis is that radiologist can now zone in on the tumour with greater accuracy and apply a more appropriate dosage of treatment.

Answer: Heart

The Jarvik-7 was an artificial heart that was inserted into the body of a retired dentist called Barney Clark. Miraculously, Mr Clark managed to live for another 112 days with this implant. The Jarvik 2000, however, moves away from being a replacement organ to one that assists an organ. Thanks to the science of miniaturization this device can be inserted into the left ventricle of the heart where, instead of mimicking the beating of the heart it uses a spinning rotor, much like a propeller, to push blood from the left ventricle into the aorta in the event of heart failure.

The positive prognosis here is that it will prolong the lives of those patients on waiting lists for heart transplants as well as those who may be considered too weak or too old to be given a replacement heart.