Glomerulonephritis: How to Diagnose and Prevent It at Various Levels

Glomerulonephritis is an inflammation of the glomeruli in the kidney. The glomeruli is constellation of small blood vessels in the kidney that act as a filter to remove excess fluid, electrolytes and nitrogenous wastes from the blood into the urine.

It is divided into:

  • Acute Glomerulonephritis- The symptoms develop suddenly.
  • Chronic Glomerulonephritis- The symptoms develop gradually.
  • In glomerulonephritis, the glomeruli lose their filtering capacity thus blood proteins and red cells are excreted in the urine in various quantities depending on the severity of the glomerular damage.

DIAGNOSIS OF GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Accurate diagnosis is essential in the successful treatment of glomerulonephritis.

Diagnosis is highly dependent on the clarity of symptoms, examination and investigation findings.

SYMPTOMS

  • Passage of coca-colored urine due to the presence of red blood cells in the urine. This is called haematuria.
  • Passage of foamy urine due to excess amount of proteins in the urine. This is called proteinuria.
  • Presence of peri-orbital and ankle swelling.

EXAMINATION FINDINGS

  • Peri-orbital and pedal edema.

· Elevated blood pressure.

INVESTIGATIONS

  • Urinalysis-This reveals diagnostic findings such as red blood cells, casts, white blood cells and proteins in the urine.
  • Blood test- Blood level of electrolytes, urea and creatinine. This is mainly done to assess the extent of kidney damage.
  • Radiological imaging tests-This is done usually when the blood tests suggest some level of kidney damage. E.g Renal scan or abdominal CT scan is done.
  • Kidney biopsy- This entails using a clinical procedure to extract some pieces of kidney tissues for microscopic examination. This is the only test that confirms glomerulonephritis.

TREATMENT

This is based on the following principles:

  • Treat underlying health conditions quickly.
  • Use of corticosteroids to reduce the degree of inflammation and immunological responses.
  • Dialysis- This is used for individuals with acute kidney injury or kidney failure.
  • Anti-hypertensives such as ACEI, ARBs- This is used to control hypertension in some selected individuals.

PREVENTION STRATEGIES

There are 3 levels of prevention namely: primary, secondary and tertiary.

PRIMARY PREVENTION

The aim of this is to prevent the onset of glomerulonephritis.

It entails the following:

  • Throat swab should be done for suspected bacteria cause of sore throat. If streptococcus is suspected, oral penicillin should be commenced as soon as possible.
  • Prompt treatment of individuals with bacteria endocarditis.

SECONDARY PREVENTION

This involves early diagnosis and prompt treatment of glomerulonephritis.

It specifically entails the following:

  • Routine urinalysis to be done periodically for individuals at risk of streptococci infections and for individuals greater than 40 years.
  • Periodic monitoring of blood urea and creatinine levels should be done for individuals with compromised kidney function.

TERTIARY PREVENTION

This involves activities and interventions put in place for individuals with glomerulonephritis from developing complications such as kidney failure and to reduce the disease progression.

  • Optimal control of co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
  • Reduce intake of high protein diet.
  • Restrict salt intake.
  • Cessation of smoking.
  • Regular clinic follow up by a Nephrologist.

Finally, glomerulonephritis is a very lethal kidney disease of which the onset and progression can be prevented if an individual adheres to the activities in the various levels of prevention highlighted above.

Is There a Houston Real Estate Bubble?

The real estate bubble refers to the bursting of the real estate market based on economic instability. It is what a lot of consumers worry about prior to investing their money in real estate. Realtors believe that real estate markets cannot crash because of several key factors. The real estate market is based on local or micro-local economies that are more stable than the world economy. They also believe that the real estate market is actually a compilation of local economies that have never been down since the 1960s.

The Houston real estate market has been subject to a lot of “bubble” rumors in recent years. Houston has seen a decline in its job market in the recent years, making Houston quite unpopular among professionals. Although living in Houston is fairly affordable, its lack of professional opportunities, compared to other urban areas, makes it less preferable. This may be one of the reasons behind the Houston real estate bubble. Local realtors, however, believe that the local economy is growing, and real estate sales have not declined significantly. This is accompanied by promising projections of more careers available in the years to come.

Real estate agents believe that the Houston real estate bubble has no basis at all, contending that real estate price appreciation rates may be considered high at almost 4 percent. Desirable neighborhoods in Houston still fetch high prices and may be sold even higher in a few years or when properties are developed further. Houston offers a little bit of everything, which makes it appealing to young families, especially with the insurgence of computer industries that are setting up facilities in Houston. The number of educational institutions in Houston that offer students a competitive edge over other areas also attracts a lot of individuals to Houston. Aside from these, Houston, despite being the fourth most populous city in the United States, has a fairly low crime rate. All these reasons make it quite improbable that the Houston real estate market will crash and never come back.

House Smart Resolutions for the New Year

We’re always making annual promises to lose weight, start exercising or quit smoking, but what about setting goals for the home? Getting our wishes down on paper helps to solidify plans and make things happen.

Here are some ideas to start with, see if you can add your own to the list.

Paint your home green

You faithfully recycle, but you’ve never tried composting, maybe it’s time to start thinking about more ways to create a green household. Try switching to non-toxic cleaners or organic foods. If everyone does a little…

Finish that basement

Create a project plan to finally renovate the basement. Start by designing a floor plan, determine wall and floor coverings, and then add associated costs to create a budget. Now you have a place to start.

Invest in some quality furniture or accents

Plan on how you can spend less in one area of your life in order to save for something you’ve always wanted, such as a piece of artwork or a matching bedroom set.

Time to smart-size

Downsizing or smart-sizing is becoming more and more common as children are moving out and going to college. Those large family homes are being traded in for smaller more efficient models that take less of our time and money.

Get organized

Organizing your home has a way of no cluttering your mind as well as your closets. Mentally it is easier to function in an atmosphere of clarity and order. This may be as simple as cleaning out the closets or purchasing some bookcases or other items to help you feel more organized.

It’s picture time

How about those old photographs, wouldn’t they look great displayed in an album? Maybe take another look through the digital photos and print some off (they may even make great Christmas gifts).

Take the extra special photos, have them enlarged, find some funky frames and make a collage of images. Display them in themes using color or black and white.

The Ways to Improve Fundraising

Donor management is never easy no matter how easy it may seem; there is always some information that you will need to get and some that you will need to impart in order to learn some of the best ways of it.

In the many things about donor management the one that counts to be the most important of all is improving fundraising and getting into the skills of it all for the best results. Here in this article are the ways you need to follow and imbibe to improve the fundraising program for your nonprofit or church.

1. Be Transparent with Your Donors – Though this might seem like an obvious point, it is usually the one that is most ignored, and the most important of all. What is important about transparency is your donors being able to trust you with all – from your plans to our ideas and ideologies. Also, this is an important point to note because only when they trust you will they be able to steward their money well and you must be able to show them you are doing so. By ‘transparent’ we mean both financial and program transparency.

Financial Transparency: You might not be considering financial transparency to be an important point but this should definitely be on your list of important things. It is considered important to release a note time to time which would show how you are allocating your funds, but your donors are not going to sit and read through that long document. Make sure you give your donors an easy way to digest how you are investing their money. Create a graph, chart, infographic etc. And if it looks like you spent more in say, fundraising, than expected, explain why. Your donors love your mission and giving them a peek behind the curtain creates a sense of belonging and teamwork.
Program Transparency: Program transparency is all about the IMPACT. If you can show your donors the impact their money has made in changing the lives of those you’re serving or where the money has impacted, you can be sure you’ve done your thing right. Create annual reports showing the graphs of how far you’ve come with the support, meanwhile mentioning exactly where you want more changes and where you’re striving to achieve more.

2. Optimize our Donor Experience – Your donors shouldn’t be there for just one years or only a period of time, and that is possible only if you manage to optimize the donor experience convincing them that there are things that’ll help you stay in contact for more than one donation period. Try personalization (which definitely does no longer mean just hey and the first name); it is always recommended to stay in touch with the donors through emails, letters and phone calls. You can segment based on last gift amount, last gift date, a specific campaign – anything. And then create fundraising messaging around each category.

3. Audit Your Systems – Thought this is not important? Wrong!!! One of the most important points to be considered to improve fundraising is to audit your system – audit on your end – use the right set of tool and the right techniques. Keep the audit impartial and keep it clear – this will help you understanding how far you’ve come with your fundraising program and exactly how far you will be able to go with it.

Fundraising for churches, charities and non profits is the thing that does the most benefit and an increase in the finds over a stipulated period of time is exactly what they’re striving for. It is therefore recommended that you use these set of tips mentioned above and create a draft accordingly of you new ideas and plans for an increase in the funds.

Civil Rights Attorney – Fighting For the Justice You Deserve

The ultimate goal of a civil rights attorney is to make sure that those who are not treated fairly are given justice. In Los Angeles and the rest of the United States, there are laws in place which state that businesses and the government cannot discriminate against citizens over certain factors, such as gender, race, sexual orientation, or age. If you live in Southern California and feel you may be the victim of discrimination, you might need to see a Los Angeles civil rights attorney.

There are tons of Los Angeles civil rights attorneys. If you do a search on Google, you will find an (seemingly) enumerable number of attorney’s to choose from. But, as with many services, it’s often best to talk to people who’ve had good experiences with the attorney’s service. You can’t get a list of former clients, but what you can do is talk to people and ask for recommendations of attorneys with which they’ve had great experience with.

You should also meet with the attorney and have a serious consultation. Ask them any questions you have and tell them your story fully and truthfully (without getting too emotional). Make sure you understand how they charge and what you might expect to pay. Finally, understand that you are not required to accept services from any attorney, although you may be charged a fee from some law firms for the consultation.

Other questions you might find useful to ask are inquiries about their background, including where they went to school, which states they have practiced law in, and how long they have been practicing law in California. You want to make sure that whomever you choose as your lawyer, that they have particular experience dealing with your type of case. If you’re dealing with a firm, make sure that the person you have a consultation with is the person who will be handling your case, as many firms have several lawyers who handle the workload. This will ensure that you are given the best chance possible of winning your case.

After you’ve decided upon a good Los Angeles lawyer, you will likely feel much more secure in your situation with the support of a professional who understands your situation and is willing to fight for your rights.

Overview of Utility Locating Services

Before the start of any project – construction or excavation, it is wise to perform utility locating on the site. This is the first step that has to be done if you are planning a project that will require digging up through the ground.

Hiring professionals to map underground utilities will lead to speeding up the construction project. You no longer have to dig carefully and slowly. It is always better to prevent a problem to occur than to handle it. We are able to see, localize and identify the type of utility in the ground, using advanced methods. There are several reasons why utility locating has to be performed before any project. They all point to delivering time, money and safety:

  • Localization of utility lines for further planning
  • Preventing interruption during work
  • Avoiding repair costs…

Except identifying underground utilities, you will get a full covering of your storage tanks, gas pipes and voids. You’ll want to scan for any dangerous material in the ground, that can be harmful to anyone who will be digging through. Having a full coverage package means no need to worry further.

Do you know that some of the utility lines can be re-routed or placed in a different location? Many of them might be old or not effective anymore. So, you need to replace those old utility lines with new ones. This can be done by utility company who has a lot of experience in the field.

Water and utility lines may not cause more damage than power lines can do. However, the interruption will be the same. This will lead to more delays, repair costs and legal consequences. Electromagnetic equipment is used for detecting signals from beneath the ground. Power lines can be detected anytime, regardless of the season. This is not a case for identifying water lines because they sometimes require a combination of different methods: electromagnetic method or Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) or both of them. This radar uses a high-frequency radio signal that is transmitted into the ground and then the signals are returning back to the recipient in a digital form.

During construction excavation, locating the utilities before you start is a best practice. Damaging any critical utility services such as water and power lines or gas piping during construction is costly and most probably dangerous. Just think that something as simple as digging a hole to plant a tree has a potential to damage a property or even cause a loss of life.

Maximize the Potential of Your Business Presentation

Business presentations are a collateral reflection of who you are. A glimpse of your personality could be seen in the ways and the content of your presentation.

The way you carry yourself, the way you speak, deliver your sentences, tackle tricky questions with confidence and successfully convey your message, speak volumes about your personality.

Still, there are much more ways in which you can support your business presentation to reach its maximum potential.

HIGHLIGHT YOUR SUPERPOWER

A positive way to keep your audience attentive to you is to show them that you are worth their time and trust. Rather than speaking about your achievements and future goals, speak about your credibility because if even little points will exist with which the crowd will not feel connected to then the tables will instantly turn.

Talk about your goals within the first few minutes of the presentation

Choose your presentation design which corresponds with your goals, which should be introduced to your audience as early as possible. This will help your audience to correlate what you are expressing with the ‘why’ and ‘what’ you want to achieve.

Never underestimate the impact of a powerful image/quote

A business presentation is usually a collection of fertile ideas, knit together as one to illustrate a larger picture. So, the smart use of different images/quotes to introduce different ideas will supply more power to your presentation. Vocalizing the quotes or speaking few important words out loud will bring your presentation to life, especially if the presentation has numerous bar graphs, bullet points, and pie charts.

GIVE YOUR AUDIENCE THE POWER TO BRAINSTORM OVER YOUR QUESTIONS

One of the unbeatable ways to make your presentation more interactive is to begin it with a question which you, yourself will answer. Like you can start with “I asked myself what all can my team will be able to do and contribution for making this project a success?”. So, based on this question you can build up your presentation. Be alert to all the questions from your audience as they are icebergs of curiosity. The more you will suffice your audience, the stronger their trust will grow in you.

Be ready to tackle tough questions

Always be confident and logical at answering the questions from the audience. There will always be questions whose responses if given without solid facts and coherence, will put your image down in your crowd’s eyes. If you know your topic as well as you’re your audience, then always keep your business binary clean and do not ever shelve any question from the audience.

KEEP YOUR OWN QUESTIONS READY IF NOBODY ASKS YOU ANY

It could be a possibility that your audience is shy or somewhat hesitant to ask you questions about your presentations. Always remember, if you face this kind of a situation, then always compose a question to yourself because ‘zero curiosity’ turns into ‘zero interest’ overnight.

Take your crowd on a final journey

Always take your crowd on a final journey before you wrap up the presentation. Highlight all the important points and tell the crowd how they will be productive if given proper attention by the appropriate crowd.

Keeping the immense support in mind which we get from the PowerPoint presentations, one should also be able to support her/himself equally well during the closing moments of the presentation because humans invented the PowerPoint and not vice versa.

Making Use of Your Doctor

When a busy person goes to see his doctor, it is because he wants to get better. This may sound obvious – but often things happen so quickly, or the tests and treatment sound so complicated, that one can lose sight of one’s original goal. It can even happen that one ends up feeling worse than one was before!

Here are some practical hints to help you get the best possible treatment from your own doctor. Decide before you actually go to see your doctor, in what way you are feeling unwell. Plan how you will describe these symptoms to your doctor. Thinking about them beforehand and even writing down exactly what bodily changes you feel which make you think that you are unwell, will help clarify things in your own mind and so will help your doctor get a clearer picture of what is going on. Remember – doctors can only diagnose from the information which you, the patient, reveal to them!

Don’t underplay your symptoms – either because you feel that the symptoms are trivial, or because you are frightened that they will cause the doctor to suspect that you have some serious disease. This may sound silly but I have met patients who did not reveal to their doctor that they had a lump in the breast “because it might have been cancer”. It is far better to voice one’s fears to the doctor, get him or her to do a full examination and reassure you that you have no serious cause for worry(or, on the other hand, detect in its early stages some major ailment) rather than keep one’s symptoms hidden.

At the same time, don’t exaggerate your symptoms either.

Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing Laser Resurfacing Treatment

Gone are the days when you had to undergo invasive cosmetic surgery to take years off your skin. Today, laser resurfacing treatment helps to do away with wrinkles, fine lines, blemishes and the appearance of pores in a faster and more efficient way. Here are a few things to keep in mind, when opting for laser resurfacing procedure.

The Time When You Have Laser Treatment Conducted

Laser treated skin is more sensitive to sun exposure for at least one year after you perform the procedure. Many surgeons recommend going in for acne scar treatment and other kinds of skin treatment during the winter months. This is because, daytime hours are shorter and you spend most of your time indoors.

Laser Treatment May Or May Not Hurt

Most patients and doctors tell you that the pain can resemble a rubber band snapping against your skin. But all in all, it depends upon the area and depth of treatment, the laser and an individual’s endurance level. Some types of skin treatment require an anesthetic injection or intravenous sedation.

Choose Your Laser Treatment Professionals Wisely

It goes without saying that skin tightening, microdermabrasion or laser hair removal is the most effective and result oriented when performed by a qualified professional. An amateur won’t be able to offer accurate and desirable results. Opt for a professional based on their qualification, experience and training.

Your Skin Reacts To Certain Medications after Laser Treatment

Make sure your practitioner is well aware about your medical history and the kind of supplements and medication you are currently taking. A surgeon, who is unaware about your situation, can unknowingly prescribe medications which can cause skin reactions. It is best to keep all your cards on the table to avoid complications and speed up recovery.

Consider Going In For Multiple Treatments

Sometimes you may need more than one treatment to feel satisfied with the results. In these situations you need to be patient, take your prescribed medications and ensure you follow the doctor’s advice to the T. Once the treatment is complete, you are sure to be rewarded as the results you obtain are long lasting.

If you are thinking about going in for a laser treatment, make sure you consult a knowledgeable and well experienced professional who knows the nuances that go into these kinds of procedures. Rest assured, you get the skin you want and look younger even though age tells you otherwise.

Dubai Health Care Statistic News

An international trade builds one alternative to exporting service is to import customers. Cross border travel for medical services in Dubai is a growing market in health care delivery, stimulated by demand from aging consumers in affluent nations. UAE can offer inexpensive but high quality treatment in modern hospitals is creating a boom in health care tourism in Dubai. The biggest and the most significant part of the health care system in Dubai takes place in dentistry. Lots of people all over Europe and Dubai residents prefer make their glam smile in Dubai. They can even combine dental treatment and recuperation with a vacation.

Nobody has collected the complete worldwide statistic about how many people travel to Dubai for dental and medical care related reasons every year or how many they spent. But UAE general report pointed out that in 2000, medical patients alone spent over 27$ billion. If the medical travelers from around the world spent in UAE even half as much that year, the total business in 2000 alone would have been in excess of 40% billion.

More importantly, Dubai is growing rapidly and turning out to be an immense opportunity for nations to come and have their dental treatment there. Most insurance companies in Dubai have already accredited hospitals and private clinics where visitors can seek emergency medical treatment. Now a few hospitals in Dubai are going a step further – they are getting themselves accredited by the Join Commission Accreditation of Health Care organization. A full accreditation from this organization allows a hospital to pitch for the insurance traffic too. Traveling has never been so healthy before.