What is the connection between malignant neoplasms and crabs?

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The more common term for malignant neoplasms, cancer, is Latin for crab, and the word "carcinogen," meaning a cancer-causing agent, comes from the Greek word for crab, "karkinos." What is the connection between these two seemingly unrelated things?
Cancer, both the disease and the astronomical constellation, derive from the Latin cancer or cancrum, meaning crab. The astrological sign, of course, is said to resemble a crab and the disease was so named by the ancient Greek physician Galen (129-200 A.D.) who noted the similarity between a certain type of tumor with a crab as well—the swollen veins around the tumor resembling the legs of a crab.

Old English adopted cancer directly from Latin and used it for a variety of spreading sores and ulcers. This early sense survives in the modern word canker. From c.1000 in a manuscript called Læce Boc (Leech Book), collected in Oswald Cockayne’s Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England, Vol. II, 1865:

Gemeng wið þam dustum, clæm on ðone cancer.
(Mix with the dust, smear on the cancer.)

And from Wyclif’s 2 Timothy, 1382:

The word of hem crepith as a kankir

The word was being applied specifically to the disease we today call cancer by the beginning of the 17th century. From Philemon Holland’s translation of Pliny’s Historie of the World:

Cancer is a swelling or sore comming of melancholy bloud, about which the veins appeare of a blacke or swert colour, spread in manner of a Creifish clees.

The astronomical sense of cancer is from the Latin name for the constellation of the crab. The name was known to the Anglo-Saxons, but only as a Latin name and was not assimilated into English until the Middle English period. It appears in Ælfric’s De Temporibus Anni, written c.993, in a list of the constellations of the Zodiac:

Feorða • Cancer • þæt is Crabba
(Fourth, Cancer, that is the crab.)

The Anglicized name appears c.1391 in Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe:

In this heved of cancer is the grettist declinacioun northward of the sonne...this signe of cancre is clepid the tropik of Somer.
(At this first point (head) of cancer is the greatest declination northward of the sun…this sign of cancer is named the tropic of summer.)

(Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition)  (+ info)

How can I find a kidney specialist that will work with me on payments?

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I have been to doctor after doctor, hospitals and clinics about my kidney. I stay with kidney stones, urinary tract infections and and kidney infections. They all tell me the same thing "see a kidney specialist" I cant afford to just take 100.00 to 200.00 all at one time out of my pay check, so are there specialist out there that will let you make payments?
Do you have any insurance at all? Try checking with your local health clinic its possible to get some help with the payments through the state,or look on the net @ your states options they may have the income guidlines alreay posted.
Or call around or get referral from PCP and ask if theres anyway they will work with you.  (+ info)

What are the symptoms of kidney failure?

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I have a kidney transplant for 26 yrs. so far but my blood pressure has been a little bit up like 110/90 but it's always been this way. My cholesterol has been going up but my doctor say it's because I've been taking Prednizone all my life. Out of curiosity, I just want to know what is the most that a kidney can last. I have my mom's kidney because I have no sibblings.
According to statistics, by 10 to 15 years, about 50% of transplanted kidneys are still functional. Rates improve if the kidney comes from a living relative.
The signs and symptoms of kidney failure vary, depending on whether the failure is acute or chronic.
Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys suddenly stop filtering waste products from your blood. The signs and symptoms may include:
Fluid retention
Bleeding, often in your stomach or intestines
Confusion
Seizures
Coma
Chronic kidney failure
According to the National Kidney Foundation, almost 20 million adult Americans have chronic kidney disease and another 20 million are at risk of developing it. Over time, chronic kidney failure can lead to congestive heart failure, weak bones, stomach ulcers and damage to the central nervous system. Unfortunately, signs and symptoms often don't appear until irreversible damage has occurred. They include:
High blood pressure
Unexplained weight loss
Anemia
Nausea or vomiting
Malaise or fatigue
Headaches that seem unrelated to any other cause
Decreased urine output
Decreased mental sharpness
Muscle twitches and cramps
Bleeding in the intestinal tract
Yellowish-brown cast to the skin
Persistent itching
Sleep disorders
End-stage renal disease  (+ info)

Is there a link between kidney problems and developing astigmatism in 4 year old?

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My 4 year old daughter passed 2 eye exams in previous year and then failed her 4 year screening and went to the eye doc the next day.

He measured her eyes with a machine and said that she has astigmatism on her eyes.

She has kidney damage to her "good" kidney and a duplex kidney on the other side.

Is there a link between kidney problems and developing astigmatism in 4 year old?
BTW she is having her yearly kidney scan today, keep her in your prayers please.
I can think of virtually no connection.

Young children's eyes can change rapidly anyway,
astigmatism is only a variant on short or long-sight,
and children's eye-testing at that age can be somewhat variable of itself.

If the refraction is a significant shift, outside unlikely possibilities will be considered by any competent examiner:
developing cataract...? Very unlikely, but not unheard-of, especially if there are other genetic or congenital anomalies present.
Keratoconus? Again, a rare inherited condition.

In neither case is there a need to rush to diagnosis, this can just be "watched", just as a simple changing Rx will be.

Best wishes,
Optometrist, retired.


  (+ info)

Is there a correlation between kidney function and body odor?

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I need to see a neurologist. The doctor is concerned about my kidneys. My family is concerned about my strong odor. Is there a connection between kidney function and body odor? Please let me know. Thank you.
Dominee does depression play a part in this?
yes - when your kidneys do not function properly waste products and excess fluid then build up inside the body and can cause a foul body odor and breath that smells like urine.

You would usually have symptoms like persistent fatigue or shortness of breath; loss of appetite; increasingly higher blood pressure; pale skin; excessively dry, persistently itchy skin.

#1 & 2 causes for bad body odor are Diet and hormone level. **ALCOHOL consumption is included in diet...as well as all other beverages like soda and sugary juices.

If you have no other real symptoms ... i would put money on diet.  (+ info)

What are kidney stones and why is she passing another?

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My mom is starting to pass another kidney stone. She isn't much of a coffee or soda drinker though. What causes a kidney stone and how might we try to prevent this from happening again? The last time she passes one was just over 8 years ago right after she had my little sister. Any advice or information on what kidney stones are would be helpful.
kidney stones come in different forms. The most common ones are made of calcium, but there are two other types. They are common and happen to many people. The passing of them is the most painful part, and she can have them tested to see what kind it is and they can tell her how to change her diet to prevent them (she would have to catch it in a strainer or a coffee filter and take it to her urologist). I have had kidney stones 3 times, and I'm only 27. I actually have one currently that has to be surgically removed. If you google kidney stones, you will find a lot of information. Prevention really depends on the type of stone, though, so the only person that can really tell her how to prevent them is the doctor.  (+ info)

What options to remove a kidney stone if it is as big as a crab apple?

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My mother got diagnosed with at kidney stone today, it is as big as a crab apple, she won't be able to pass it like they usually want a person to with kidney stones. Am very worried about her options of getting it removed. Please any advice, anyone gone through this same experience? Her body is full of infection, she is on an IV of antibiotics and taken them orally also. thank you.
I know several people who have had lithotripsy to break up the stones into small pieces that are then passed in the urine. Here's a link with more information:

http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=87

It is non-invasaive so it won't put your Mom under additional stress. I hope she feels better soon.  (+ info)

What are the negative outcomes of donating a kidney to someone?

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For males and females.
No, I'm not donating a kidney. I don't have anyone to donate one too. Is there no consequences to donating a kidney? I heard that if a female donates a kidney, she is not able to have children.
What are the consequences, for males and females?
There's really not any extremely serious long-term risks associated w/ living kidney donation. Here is information from the National Kidney Foundation:
"What are the long-term risks of donation?
You will have a scar from the donor operation- the size and location of the scar will depend on the type of operation you have."

"Some donors have reported long-term problems with pain, nerve damage, hernia or intestinal obstruction. These risks seem to be rare, but there are not currently any national statistics on the frequency of these problems.:

"In addition, people with one kidney may be at a greater risk of:
high blood pressure
Proteinuria
Reduced kidney function"

Also, it does not keep women from becoming pregnant. Here is what the same site says:
"Pregnancy after donation is possible but is usually not recommended for at least six months after the surgery. Living donors should talk to their physician about pregnancy and have good pre-natal care"

There were no statements made for men vs. women when it comes to donating.

No, a person who donates a kidney does not have to go on dialysis.

I can't think of any negative outcomes. The donor is giving life to another person, so it all seems pretty positive to me. I'm a kidney/pancreas recipient, but did not have a living donor.  (+ info)

What is the life expectancy of a man living with one kidney?

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After a few bouts of severe back pain my husband went to the E.R and was told he had kidney stones. After a CT scan the doctor told him that he also had a 4cm mass in his kidney and that he had to have that kidney removed. The other kidney is ok. He just had bariatric surgery 3 months ago and has lost 93lbs so far. He up until this point had been on track with the exception of a few vitamin deficienties.
ALWAYS get a second opinion. He may only need to have a portion of the kidney removed. Make sure it is 100% necessary to have the whole kidney removed.

He can live a full life with one kidney. He needs to stay healthy to avoid illness that will affect the kidneys (ie sugar).

Good health to you and your husband!  (+ info)

What is the fastest way to cure a small kidney stone?

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My doctor is not sure if it is a stone inside my kidney. But my doctor is sure there is something like a stone 2 pcs. inside my kidney. What is the fastest way to get rid off the stone or the substance inside my kidney.

Thank you........I have at least 6 months before re-checking. By the way what are the symptoms?
The only way is to try and flush it by drinking a lot and I mean a lot of water it will be painful to pass but much better and much less painful than losing a kidney.  (+ info)

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