Gastric Bypass surgery

The Risks and Benefits Associated With Gastric Bypass Surgery

Although diet and exercise are undoubtedly the safest methods of weight loss available, and the preferred ones, they simply do not work for every person who tries them. As it becomes clear that obesity causes or exacerbates some of the most deadly of diseases, the importance of reducing body weight becomes clear.

However, not everyone is helped by and traditional methods of weight loss. For varying reasons, other surgical methods may be required to help a person lose weight.Surgical Alternatives for Weight LossThere are several surgical alternatives for weight loss. These alternatives include gastric bypass surgery and gastric band surgery. However, studies have shown that gastric bands not have the same level of benefits as gastric bypass surgery, and in fact may have more complications involved. Gastric band surgery involves the insertion of a band around a person's stomach, which divides the stomach into two parts.

By placing this band around the stomach, a person feels full far more quickly and can hold less food in his or her stomach. This surgery may have varying degrees of success, although it may be considered less drastic than gastric bypass surgery.Gastric bypass surgery involves the creation of a smaller stomach pouch which bypasses directly into the digestive system, skipping part of the small intestine.

This surgery can be either laparoscopically or through a large incision the stomach. This type of surgery generally involves a four to six day stay in the hospital. It is not done in any except the most severe circumstances.Candidates for Gastric Bypass SurgeryTo be a candidate for gastric bypass certain a person must meet several qualifications. First of all, a person must have been obese for five or more years. This indicates that the person's weight cannot be lost easily. Second of all, a person must be between the ages of 18 and 65. Gastric bypass surgery cannot be performed on a person that is below or above this age group.

The third and fourth qualifications have more to do with a person’s mental situation, then his or her physical one. The third qualification is that the person must not be an alcoholic. Lastly, the person cannot have untreated depression or other psychiatric disorder.What to ExpectA person undergoing gastric bypass surgery can expect to lose approximately one third of his or her excess weight within the first one to four years. Some of this weight loss may be regained if a person does not also attempt to change his or her habits after the surgery.There are many risks a person must undertake if getting a gastric bypass surgery as well.

First of all, as with any other surgery, there is a risk of infection. There's also a risk of ulcers or a hernia developing. Nausea and vomiting after eating can also be side effects of gastric bypass surgery. Any person considering this type of surgery should consult his or her doctor regarding these and other risks.

Heart Failure Symptoms

Recognising Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms

Congestive heart failure symptoms, or simply heart failure symptoms, is a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the normal needs of the body's tissues. Congestive heart failure interferes with the kidney's usual function of eliminating excess sodium and other waste from the body. Congestive heart failure can affect either the right side, left side or both sides of the heart.

There are many diseases that can impair pumping efficiency and symptoms of congestive heart failure including fatigue, diminished exercise, shortness of breath, and swelling. Today, however, there are many effective measures that can be utilized to improve the symptoms, and the survival, of patients with congestive heart failure.

While all cardiac conditions carry similar symptoms of chest pain and difficulty breathing, congestive heart failure has a very specific set of symptoms and lab results, giving doctors a firm set of clues upon which to base a definite diagnosis.Dyspnea, or difficulty breathing, coupled with severe edema (when the body retains fluid to the point of holding the imprint of an object that is pressed into the skin for several minutes) are generally the first symptoms pointing to congestive heart failure. Heart failure results in the heart not being able to efficiently pump blood throughout the body; as a result, fluid accumulates rather than being removed and causes the body to swell as if it were a water balloon. Non-pitting edema, or fluid retention that does not hold an imprint, is not caused by heart failure and indicates that another diagnosis should be made. The patient may also produce a frothy pink sputum when they cough.

In addition to the symptoms related to the fluid accumulation, general weakness and malaise, particularly during times of physical exertion are frequent symptoms of patients suffering from congestive heart failure, and should not be ignored. This is caused by a lack of nutrients and oxygen from the blood to the body tissues, and can result in permanent damage to the internal organs if they are left without these vital elements for a prolonged period of time. Anuria, or a lack of urination, is also evidential of heart failure as fluid accumulates in the tissues rather than being excreted as normal.

Patients may suffer from an altered mental status due to toxins accumulating in the body.As soon as the physician suspects heart failure based on the physical evidence, blood samples will be sent to the laboratory. BNP, or Beta-natriuretic peptide, is excellent for screening in suspected cases of heart failure. This hormone is produced in greater quantities by the failing heart muscle as fluid levels rise, with a level between one hundred and five hundred pg/mg suggesting congestive heart failure and greater than five hundred being fairly diagnostic; however, an elevated BNP should not be considered to be sufficient evidence upon which to base a decisive diagnosis, as conditions like renal failure, ventricular strain, tumors or hypoxia can also cause BNP levels to rise too. Arterial blood gases may be tested to determine the degree of hypoxemia.

A decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, proteinuria (protein in the urine), and a mild azotemia (elevated blood urea level) becomes evident in early to moderate disease. An increased serum creatinine, hyperbilirubinemia (increased bilirubin in the blood) and dilutional hyponatremia (decreased serum sodium levels) are also evidence that the patient is suffering from a more advanced case of heart failure.Radiology can also perform imaging studies to evaluate the condition of the heart. A chest x-ray will usually reveal cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart) and pleural effusion (fluid around the heart).

An echocardiogram is performed to study the internal structures of the heart to evaluate for any structural abnormalities, as in the case of mitral stenosis. This provides confirmation to determine the underlying cause of congestive heart failure, particularly in suspected cases of valvular heart disease. Physicians are very like detectives, in that once these tests have all been run they will gather these pieces of evidence together to form a fairly accurate picture of the patient's condition, allowing for an accurate diagnosis leading to proper treatment.Today there are many effective measures that can be used to improve the symptoms, and the survival, of patients with congestive heart failure.

Anesthesia

What you Need to Know About Anesthesia

If you have been thinking about having cosmetic surgery, you’ve probably devoted a lot of time to thinking about the benefits and possible risks of the procedure. One aspect of surgery your may have overlooked is the matter of anesthesia. Most surgery requires some form of anesthesia for pain relief. Before you have any type of cosmetic procedure, you should learn more about the type of anesthesia you will need and what using that kind of pain relief will mean.

There are three different types of anesthesia that may be used during cosmetic surgery:• Local• Regional• GeneralWhat is Local Anesthesia?Local anesthesia involves injecting a numbing agent into a localized area. The area that will be affected by the surgery receives anesthesia to block pain sensation. Local anesthesia is only used during surgeries that are fairly minor and that only involve a small area of the body. In many cases, you will be able to remain awake and alert during the procedure. However, some surgeries require the use of sedation that will allow you to relax or even sleep through the surgery.

What is Regional Anesthesia?Regional anesthesia also involves blocking sensation to a limited area of the body. Instead of injecting an anesthetic directly into the affected area, doctors inject a pain blocker into the nerves in the spinal cord. This allows for pain relief in a larger area of the body, such as the legs, abdomen and arms. If this type of anesthesia is used during your surgery, you will probably receive some type of sedation to allow you to relax and sleep during the procedure.What is General Anesthesia?General anesthesia is used during many types of major or invasive surgeries.

This type of anesthesia is administered by injection into a vein or through inhalation. Unlike the other types of pain relief, general anesthesia affects both your body and your brain. Patients are rendered completely unconscious so that they do not experience pain during surgery. Before You Have SurgeryWhile most people spend a great deal of time considering different aspects of their surgery, anesthesia is usually only an afterthought. Before you have any type of cosmetic surgery, from a minor procedure such as laser hair removal to an invasive treatment such as a body lift, you should always discuss a pain management plan with your doctor.

Discuss your medical history with your doctor and be sure to explain any and all medication you may be currently taking. Talk about what kind of anesthesia you will need during the procedure and the effects it may have. Many patients experience both extreme grogginess and amnesia as they are emerging from general anesthesia, and you should ensure that you receive the appropriate aftercare during this time.

Shure Headphones

Shure Headphones... You Deserve The Best!

Shure headphones. As a company, this top quality company has long been known among musicians and the music industry for their incredibly high quality microphones that have become somewhat of a standard for recording or live performance.With all the brands out there,

why Shure? What's so special about their Ipod type earpieces?Making use of their powerful Sound Isolating technology in their earphones to provide a unique quality... that's far beyond what the most expensive earbuds can offer, and beyond what even the best headphones could give.Isolation was originally created as an in-ear monitoring system for musicians during live performances (it allowed them to hear their performance clearly without cheering from the crowd, venue or interference of the other instruments.)

This corporation from Illinois now brings this technology to the average user. By using various pieces that block the background noise and direct a high-performance definitive sound straight into the ear.Shure has designed their devices to create a separate listening area within the ear by having the earbuds fit directly into the ear canal.

The soft, flexible sleeves on these are able to mold to your ear shape and therefore create a seal around the ear. This way, all outside noise is completely blocked out and your ears feel comfortable in every respect, meaning there is no listening fatigue or irritation from the earbud (s).Isolation vs CancellationWhen comparing noise cancellation technology (which many cans have) and isolation technology, sound isolating technology is better in many respects. First, you get a pristine high-definition sound from the earphone design.

Cancellation headphones are usually battery driven, heavier and of course much larger than earbuds. Second, this cancellation technology makes use of a process that cuts off certain frequencies within the music, and therefore brings in unwanted noise of a different sort (hissing, cracking etc.) This technology does not tamper with the original highs and lows of the music, but provides the best quality directly into the ear.Specific Models:Shure's earphone products all come with isolating technology, and each model is created with a specific genre and user in mind. The SE modular earphones from Shure are ideal for all kinds of music listening, whether it be your MP3 device, hi-fi, Ipod or computer.

The E-Series: E2, E3, E4, E5 and E500PTH are designed specifically to provide the ultimate in top quality for gamers, delivering all the tiniest of elements and sounds straight into your ear during your gaming experience. You can listen only to what you want to listen to, so you can fully immerse yourself in the game world. Isolating technology is the best choice to listen to music traveling on the bus, exercising, driving or any activity outside of a controlled environment.Wireless HeadphonesTheir product line ranges are also wireless and cordless, which has an incomparable advantage compared to wired sets.

Too many times have cords become entangled and broken through regular use, rendering the them useless. They produce excellent wireless sets for convenience, quality and affordability.The ultimate quality continues to be delivered through Shure products, and this is just a small fraction of what they are producing.

SONY PLAYSTATION

The Best Sony Playstation 2 Game Ever Created

God of War II for the Playstation2 is a 3rd person action game that has won awards for its brilliance. While the original God of War game was amazing, the updated version has bettered it and in doing so, created a must-have game on Playstation2.Enter a world of Greek legend where you become Kratos, an evil brute, recently crowned the new god of war.The game is beautifully paced, giving you seemingly endless areas to explore with truly believable atmospherics in a way not seen before.

To complete the mission, you'll have to fight some fearless creatures, uncover the answers to problems that bar your way, fight your way past seemingly unbeatable boss characters, and prove that you're the most brutal being ever created.God of War II really does emphasize combat over everything else and gives you more combos to perfect, new moves and an array of weapons than you would have dreamed to own in the first title. While God of War I only offered you one weapon, GOW2 gives you several, which can be made stronger with attack power and special moves and abilities.

Choose your own style of combat, with levels that offer up constant surprises. Re-playability is excellent as well - you can store your upgrades for the second time around, giving you several options when meeting tough foes again.For those of you interested in how this game was made the second CD has a detailed guide. Everything is shown, blowing the lid off the secrets of how such an amazing game came to happen.

The graphics and sound of GOW2 is truly awe-inspiring. The orchestral soundtrack definitely helps you to get into the game, and always feels in perfect sync with whatever you are doing, blending nicely with the action.The animations are spectacular, with fine attention to detail, and a camera that doesn't cause problems and instead gives an improvement in gameplay massively - always keeping you visible and able to view all the action. Even the voice-overs are great, and the sound effects bring it to life.

The fantastic lighting and special effects of the game, along with the core visuals and backgrounds, additionally add to it's already impressive appearance, and help to make God of War II truly the most beautiful game ever to grace the Sony Playstation2.God of War II is for only for mature gamers, but it is definitely the best action-packed game on the Playstation2 and a must see experience in its own right. Its non-stop nature, huge re-playability and unbeaten atmosphere make GOW2 the greatest Playstation2 game you can own.

GPS SYSTEM

GPS Tracking Solutions

In the first part of this series of 10 articles I explained the differences between GPS Navigation Systems and GPS Tracking Systems, and how they are two completely different of implementations of Location Based Services. In this second article I will develop some additional concepts related to the elements that constitute a GPS Tracking System.

There are 3 main parts to a GPS Tracking System:- A GPS device or GPS Tracker, which receives the location information and then delivers it to a software application.- A data transmission system, which takes the information provided by the GPS Tracker, and delivers it to the software application.-

A Software Application, which presents to its users the data recollected by the GPS Tracker in several formats including maps and reports.This article will present the main components of a GPS Tracking Solution, and will start expanding on the first component: GPS Trackers. It will take me this article and the next one to go in detail over GPS devices.

GPS DevicesIn this section I will define what a GPS Device, and how they work; after that I will present the types of GPS Trackers, including most of the features that these devices offer, and my opinion in regards to each type.At its simplest definition, the GPS device, or better the GPS tracker, is the component in charge of receiving the information about the location of the vehicle, and providing this data to the GPS Tracking Application through the Data Transmission System (which will be explained in coming articles).

GPS Trackers are usually small boxes (metal or plastic) that can be the size of a man's wallet, or a little bigger. All of them need at least one antenna (GPS antenna), and most of them need an additional antenna to enable the data transmission module. So this leads to a first classification of GPS Trackers:-Full satellite trackers. This type of trackers will use satellites to receive and transmit data.-Hybrid trackers. This type of trackers will use satellites to acquire location (we will see some variations here later in this article), and another method to transmit the data (a data modem, a data port to download the data, etc).On the next article I will expand on these concepts.So, the main task of a GPS Tracker is to provide information of the location of a vehicle or an asset, or a person.

The location of the units is usually acquired from the GPS satellites, but there is another method based on triangulation with cell towers to calculate locations. Getting the location from satellites is the most accurate mechanism, providing a minimal margin of error most of the times (from 2 up to 50 feet). GPS location can be acquired anywhere in the world. The only down side for this location technology is that the GPS antenna has to have a view to the sky. For example, if the vehicle gets into a garage, most probably there will not be GPS locations available.Getting the location based on a triangulation with the cell towers (those that are also used by our cell phones to transmit voice and data) has a bigger margin of error (up to a few hundred feet), making it a not very accurate location mechanism. This type of location also requires the presence of the named cell towers to work.

The upside of this mechanism is that it will perfectly work within buildings, which is not the case for GPS satellite location. Some GPS Trackers are designed to work with both location mechanisms, creating a new concept called Assisted GPS (AGPS).There are mainly three types of GPS Trackers: Passive Trackers, PING Trackers, and Live Trackers. Also, there are some GPS Trackers that have more features than other - not just a location of the vehicle.

In this article I have dissected a GPS Tracking solution into three main components: a GPS Tracker, a data transmission system, and a GPS Tracking application. I have also started exposing the details of GPS Trackers, specifically the two main ways to locate a vehicle. Finally, I introduced two more elements to consider in GPS Trackers: types of trackers and advanced features of a GPS device.

VOIP Via Staelite Internet

VoIP Via Satellite Internet



VoIP has revolutionized the way telecommunication is done. Voice over Internet protocol allows voice packets to be sent over Internet bandwidth enabling cheap communication. There are many companies which offer voice over Internet services and some of the leading ones are Vonage, Skype, Yahoo and Net2Phone. Consumers can access VoIP over Internet connections like broadband and DSL.

Satellite Internet is a new technology that has become very popular in recent times and VoIP providers are able to offer services to customers in remote regions using it. It will still take some time until VOIP by satellite is ultimately stabilized and customers can enjoy the full benefits.Some of the challenges faced by service providers include packet loss, jitters and limited bandwidth.

Service providers like Hughes and Skyframes which have their own satellites are teaming up with the VoIP providers to offer voice services to customers. Designing a VoIP network would require details on the bandwidth requirement for VoIP data. Satellite Internet providers are facing challenges on the bandwidth capacity that would be required to offer VoIP services via satellite channels. G.729 (b) encoding with a 40 b payload and header compression would require 10 Kbps of bandwidth. Packet loss is another challenge faced by service providers offering satellite VoIP services.

Packet loss causes degradation in voice quality. The protocol used for voice traffic transmission is UDP/IP and if the data packets are corrupted they cannot be retransmitted. TCP/IP protocol allows retransmission of data packets. It is important to maintain very low bit error rates to offer high quality voice services to customers.

Jitters are another technology hurdle that is faced by satellite VoIP service providers. It is used to calculate the delays in packet arrivals that happen because of network delay. If this factor is not within acceptable limits the quality of voice becomes poor and the receiver may not be able to enjoy a good conversation. Jitter buffers are used to overcome this hurdle and ensure that there is less delay in the network.

Researchers and scientists are working relentlessly to overcome all hurdles that come in way of experiencing a smooth voice call through satellite Internet.VoIP by satellite is not ideal because of some more factors. Latency factor refers to the time delay in locating the Geo-stationary satellite and the speed of light. There is a delay of 280 msec because of latency factor. Traffic congestion in the network also affects the quality of VoIP service.

This can result in voice packets being dropped, delayed or reaching the receiver out of sequence. Compression technology is another parameter for delivering high quality VoIP service. There are two compression technologies that are followed as industry standards. The G.729 codec uses bandwidth of 18Kbps and RTP uses around 10 Kbps per second. If service providers are able to cope with the technological challenges of VoIP over satellite, it will not be long before remote areas of the United States can connect with the rest of the world.

Vista

Tweak a Myriad of Windows Vista Features

Daoisoft today announces the newest version of its Windows Vista tweaker and optimizer, DTweak 3.0, and reminds about the availability of a special 11% discount on its acquisition in autumn. Designed especially for Windows Vista, DTweak offers you a powerful arsenal of tools and tweaks to enhance your computer's performance, responsiveness and stability.

It will also protect your privacy by cleaning computer and internet tracks and help you customize the look and feel of Windows to your preferences and computer habits.DTweak includes Registry Cleaner, Disk Cleaner, Disk Defragmenter, Hard Drives Monitor and many other tools, plus an impressive choice of optimization and customization tweaks for Firewall, Internet Explorer, Windows Media, Windows Mail and other applications coming in Windows Package. To use these tools and tweaks, you are not required to have technical knowledge or special skills.

Beginners will love it. However it will also serve well for power users who can tweak many advanced parameters, such as CPU cache or I/O Cache Memory.DTweak is the first program of its kind to be specially tailored for the requirements of Windows Vista.

It runs well on the new OS, providing you with the best computational experience ever!About DaoisoftFounded in 2006, Daoisoft is a privately-held development company, specializing in computer productivity software for Windows OS. Daoisoft is an author of such popular products as XTweak, HDD Observer, and DTweak. Many unique features of the latter program and its regular updates made DTweak nothing but a real bestseller since the date of its first release.

Registry Cleaners: Avoiding a Pc Crash

Before you can win the battle, you have to know what enemy you’re dealing with. In PC-lingo, registry errors are the ultimate ‘bad guy.’ Though they aren’t as famed as viruses and spyware, they can be just as detrimental to your operating system and files.

Registry errors are directly related to your computer’s functionality-or lack thereof for many. Consider the following facts you may have deemed as partial truths before taking registry error action: • Spyware that isn’t wholly found and removed may obstruct a computer’s performance, igniting error messages. • Don’t tamper with your system files and data entries, unless you’re a PC tech of course. Any deletions may result in unforeseen errors and computer crashes. • Registry errors don’t necessarily present themselves in ‘error messages.’ Your computer may face snail-paced start-ups, Web-surfing speeds or even lock up altogether.

• Cleaning up your Windows Registry isn’t a one-stop fix. It’s vital to back-up your files and create a restore point to prepare yourself ‘just in case’ your computer crashes. • Errors are inevitable: With the number of software programs we download, install and uninstall over a given time period, it’s impossible to avoid some clogs every once in awhile. Many have turned to registry cleaners, software programs that find and fix errors that may take their toll on your PC’s operating abilities.

6StarReviews.com notes Registry Mechanic as an intuitive choice for computer owners, as this software program identifies problems and tweaks them as opposed to deleting a troubled file path. This registry cleaner also helps prevent further registry mishaps through their Registry Pruning feature-it deletes empty, nonessential subkeys which ultimately increases your PC speed. Remember: discreet registry errors wreak havoc, especially when left untreated.