What happens right before a C-section?

Cesarean section is the surgical procedure designed to deliver the fetus through the abdomen. It is the only way to deliver a baby when it cannot be delivered through the vagina. Anything that prevents vaginal delivery leads to cesarean section. Conditions such as contracted pelvis, large baby, anatomical abnormalities of the birth passage and obstructed labor prevent safe delivery of the fetus vaginally. These abnormalities leave cesarean section as the only hope to deliver the baby safe without damaging the mother as much as possible.

The preparations for the cesarean section are carried out from the moment the obstetrician decides to deliver the baby by a cesarean section. Then the mother is managed accordingly and a date for the C-section will be booked. The preparations for a C-section are started from the day before the surgery. You will be advised to stay without eating anything. The duration should be not less than 6 hours. This is done to keep your stomach empty at the time of the surgery to prevent regurgitation and aspiration of stomach contents. On the night before the C-section, you will be also given some other medications. These medications include an anxiolitic to ease your anxiety and an anti-emtic to prevent vomiting during the surgery. These medications will help you to sleep well at night.  

Usually an elective cesarean section is done in the morning. They will give you another dose of anxiolytic and anti-emetic. Before you are sent to the operation theatre, the doctor will check you to see how you and your baby are doing. He will check everything you need to undergo a surgery is present. For example, the presence of crossed matched blood is checked. C-section is a surgery that can lose a lot of blood. Therefore, blood should be preserved to give to the mother if such thing happens. He will also explain the procedure and answer any questions that you have. Then you will be sent to the operation theatre.

After you arrive to the theatre, the surgery will not be started right away. Still there are some procedures that you will have to undergo just before the surgery. The obstetrician and the anaesthetist will double check your medical records. Then you will be taken to the anaethetic room where you will be given anaesthesia. An intravenous cannula will be inserted and you will be connected to a saline drip. Usually, C-sections are performed under spinal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia only anesthetizes the body below the waist line. Then you will be taken to the operating theatre. During this whole time you and your baby’s vital signs will be checked to see whether you two are doing fine. Just before the surgery a urinary catheter will be inserted and the perineal area will be shaved. Meanwhile, you will be connected to various machines to monitor your vital signs throughout the procedure.

C-section is a surgical procedure designed to deliver the baby abdominally when it cannot be done through the vagina. Sometimes the procedure is done when the parents specifically request to deliver the baby by a C-section. Like any other medical procedure, C-section also has some complications. Above mentioned pre-operative preparations are carried out thoroughly to minimize these complications. 

Medical conditions that can lead to a reduction in appetite

Reduction of appetite is an important symptom in medical practice. It is paid more attention because it can indicate an underlying serious illness. Most of these illnesses have treatment at their initial stages. Therefore, it is important to identify them before they advance. Any disease can give rise to reduction of appetite, but a significant reduction of appetite is a characteristic feature for some diseases.

Physicians consider several parameters when analyzing reduction of appetite. The duration is one among them. As mentioned earlier, any illness can result in reduction of appetite, but it is considered serious when it becomes significant. If you are having reduction of appetite for weeks or months, it is considered significant. Your physician will also inquire regarding the type of foods that you have reduced appetite for. The amount of food that you take for a meal is also inquired. Through this information, the physician will confirm the presence of reduction of appetite and the extent of the condition. Reduction of appetite and reduction of weight go hand in hand. So, it is important that you keep track of your weight to help the diagnostic process.

There are several illnesses that can give rise to reduction in appetite. Not only physical illnesses but also psychological illnesses can result in loss of appetite. It is a typical symptom of malignancies and tuberculosis. Loss of appetite is a diagnostic criterion for depression as well.

Malignancies

Reduction of appetite, loss of weight, fatigue and lethargy are characteristic features of malignancies. These symptoms are known as constitutional symptoms. The reason for most of these non-specific symptoms including reduction of appetite is the loss of balance between endogenous cytokines and their natural antagonists. 

Reduction of appetite is subjective, but loss of weight can be measured objectively. Therefore, physicians use the amount of weight lost during a certain period of time to quantify the severity of reduction in appetite.

Even though cancers are generally considered to cause loss of appetite, some cancers do not give rise to this characteristic feature. For example esophageal carcinoma is a malignancy with preserved appetite. This feature is also used for the diagnostic process of cancer. For example, both esophageal carcinoma and stomach carcinoma can give rise to difficulty in swallowing, but physicians can differentiate the two by the presence of reduction of appetite. As mentioned earlier, if the patient is having an esophageal cancer, there will be no reduction in appetite. On the other hand, gastric carcinoma is a well known malignancy to cause significant reduction in appetite.

Tuberculosis

Reduction in appetite is a characteristic feature of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a common disease in the developing world. The initial symptoms of tuberculosis can be very non specific. Therefore, there should be a high degree of suspicion to diagnose tuberculosis based on these non specific symptoms. Loss of appetite is a common symptom among them. It is usually associated with other constitutional symptoms such as loss of weight, fever, night sweats, etc.

Depression

Not only medical conditions, but also psychological conditions can cause reduction in appetite. Depression is one such psychological disorder. It is one of the diagnostic criteria of depression according to the ICD 10 classification.

Apart from malignancies, tuberculosis and depression there are many other diseases that can give rise to reduction in appetite. Even simple viral fever, cold, gastroenteritis can have reduction of appetite. So, it is an important symptom that can be used to identify many illnesses. 

Possible causes of genetic mutations in animals

Genes carry tons of information regarding structure and function of the animals. Almost everything in animals’ body is controlled by the genes. The skin color, the height and even the emotions are primarily controlled by the genes. Genes are situated in almost all the cells of animals. Each cell has a copy of genetic materials. Most of the genetic material is contained within the nuclei of the cells, but a very little amount is contained within the mitochondria.  These genes express proteins that finally control the function of those cells. Genes are the main control centre of a cell.

Any change in the structure of the genome is called a mutation. The genome is composed of nucleotides. Information is stored according to the nucleotide sequences. A single change in arrangement of these nucleotides results in a mutation. As a result, a defective protein is made instead of a correct one. The structure or the function of the cell is changed according to the gene involved. Most of these mutations give rise to abnormal animals, but some has contributed to the evolution of present animals. Therefore, mutations can be harmful or helpful according to the outcome of the mutation.

As mentioned earlier, a single change in nucleotide sequence can give rise to a mutation. These changes can occur at any time during life. Some mutations occur when the cell is replicating (dividing). Some mutations occur as a result of an outside force. As mentioned earlier, even a change in one nucleotide can result in a mutation. Therefore, even a very little force from outside can change the genome. There are many such causes of genetic mutations in animals.

Mutations Occurring During Cell Replication

Cell replication results in production of two identical cells. In order to achieve this task, a copy of each and every part of the cell should be synthesized, so they can be equally divided among the two daughter cells. This involves the synthesis of genetic materials as well. Anything that interferes with this process gives rise to a mutation.

Ultraviolet Light

Ultraviolet light may be the commonest cause of mutations in animals. The rays of the sun contain light. Some part of sun light is composed of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light has the ability to act on animal cells and change the structure of genetic materials. Skin is widely opened to the sun light. Therefore, it is at a high risk of developing mutations. This is why people are advised to use sun cream when they are going out.

Nuclear Radiation

It is a well known fact that nuclear radiation gives rise to mutations. This is proven by the deformities seen among the victims of nuclear bomb explosions (E.g.: People of Hiroshima). Radiation is also used in medicine for various purposes. It is used in radiology for imaging. It is also used as a therapeutic material to kill cancer. Unwanted exposure to any of these procedures can result in mutation.

 Chemicals

Chemicals can also cause genetic mutations. Chemicals can enter the cells and directly damage the genome. This finally results in mutations. Examples of chemicals that can cause mutations are hydroxylamine, alkylating agents, base analogues etc. Oxidants can also cause mutations. That is why people are advised to eat fruits with anti-oxidant. Vitamin C and E contained within fruits act as antioxidants and prevent formation of mutations.

Mutations usually results in deformities, but rarely, they are helpful for development of new structures or functions of an animal that helps in evolution of animals. Knowing the causes of mutations is important to understand the behavior of genes.