Neurological Disorders: ASD & More

ASD, ADHD, OCD

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder related to brain development that impacts and often halts social and communicative/interactive growth.

Some Symptoms of ASD are:

• Perform repetitive actions
• Don’t respond to their names by 12 months
• Don’t get interested or attached to discussions
• Avoid eye contact and isolate themselves
• Have delayed speech and language skills
• Have trouble understanding others’ emotions and feelings and communicating.
• Repeat words and phrases

The above are a list of some of the symptoms of ASD, however, especially at such a young age, these can just be misunderstood as the child being a late bloomer, an introvert or just not very social, which can make them undetected, preventing the use of early interventions.

One in 160 children are on the spectrum and are diagnosed with ASD.

• Autism (ASD)
• ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

These neurological disorders are found in people during childhood and are continued throughout adolescence and adulthood. However, if children get early interventions in the beginning of their diagnosis, they can often adapt better and develop their communication and social skills to a much higher level.

Autism:

• More than one million cases per year in India.
• A disorder that can’t be cured, but treatment can help.
• Therapies are some of the primary ways to help people with autism. These therapies help them convey how they act and express themselves.

ADHD:

• More than ten million cases per year in India.

• People with ADHD often have trouble paying attention and controlling impulsive behaviors.

• People with ADHD often fidget, forget or lose things and have trouble interacting with others.

OCD:

• More than one million cases per year in India.
• Excessive thoughts and obsessions lead to repeated behaviors and compulsions.
• People with OCD may face anxiety if they’re compulsive behaviors are not performed.

It’s important to understand that for any of these disorders, the treatments can only be generalised to a small extent as each person may have different triggers and may need different ways of intervention and treatment. However, one of the main treatments that people with these disorders use, are different types of therapy.

Robotic surgery

What is Robotic Surgery?

Robotic Surgery is a type of surgery where contrary to normal surgeries, we don't make large incisions and the incisions are very minimal and are very surgically precise.In robotic surgery, the surgeon uses controls to manipulate the specialized surgical instruments.

When was Robotic Surgery invented and who invented it?

In 1990, the AESOP system produced by Computer Motion became the first system approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for it's endoscopic surgical procedure. And in 2000, the da Vinci Surgery System became the first robotic surgery system to be approved by the FDA for general laparoscopic surgery. Although the AESOP system came first, the da Vinci Surgery System is credited with being the godfather/creator of robotic surgery.

What procedures are being done by Robotic Surgery?

• Coronary Artery Bypass
• Cancer tissue removal from nerves, blood vessels and important body organs
• Hip replacement
• Kidney removal and transplant
• Gallbladder removal

Advantages of Robotic Surgery:

• Enhances precision, flexibility and control during procedures
• Fewer complications; such as surgical site infections
• Less pain and blood loss
• Quicker recovery
• Smaller, less noticeable scars
• Shorter hospital stay

Disadvantages of Robotic Surgery:

• As the equipment and it's maintenance is high cost, the cost for the operations and procedures are also very high.
• It's hard to learn the actual programs and softwares of the machines and how to use the machines.
• The machines will have to keep being replaced and improved, so nothing is permanent or long-term.

Risks

• Often, the patient's position is forced to change to accommodate the robot and this can lead to casualties like nerve damage and partial paralysis in some limbs. 
• Potential for infection, bleeding and cardiopulmonary risks of anesthesia.
• Potential for human error and distraction while operating the machine.
• Potential for mechanical error in the machine itself.
• The energy source of the machine can cause unintended burn injuries from the cautery device.
• Overall the risks in robotic surgery also seem to be associated with open and human led surgery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Robotic Surgery is a great 21st century innovation, and will continue to save people's lives. And one thing everybody can agree upon is that robotic surgery is going to continue advancing and as time goes on so will robotic surgery and it's applications.

The time I saw John Cena

It was the summer of 2015 and when and my family had gone to Singapore for a vacation. We had reached the Singapore airport and were pretty jet-lagged. Then we took a taxi to the hotel that we were staying at and reached at around 5:00-5:30 am. Then as we entered the hotel, the one and only John Cena was leaving. I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. He had two of the hotel's security guards escort him out. And he was wearing a black baseball cap and sunglasses (even though it was around 5:00-5:30 am). The two security escorts behind him were pointing to him, doing his signature hand sign and mouthing his name to my family and I. At first I didn't believe that it was him, but then I looked back at him again and that's when I realized that I had just seen John Cena. My family and I didn't say 'hi' to him because he pretty seemed tired and so were we.