World Heart Day: 5 Steps To A Healthy Heart

Cardiovascular diseases are the World's largest killers, claiming 17.3 million lives a year. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.

Follow the tips given below to avoid heart problems and related diseases :-

Spend less time in front of TV: A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who spent more than two hours day on screen-based entertainment, had a 125 per cent increase in risk of heart attacks.

Avoid high fructose foods: HFCs or High-fructose corn syrup, also known as corn sugar, is the most common added sweetener in processed foods and beverages. Although it is chemically similar to table sugar or sucrose, some studies have linked it to increased triglyceride levels, which can boost your heart attack risk.

Quit smoking: Smoking damages the lining of your arteries, and makes it narrower. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood making the heart pump harder to supply the oxygen.

Get enough sleep: According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, too little sleep can promote calcium buildup in the heart arteries, leading to the plaques that can then break apart and cause heart attacks and strokes.

Get some exercise: The American Journal of Medicine and the British Heart Foundation second that exercising just for half an hour every day, cuts down your chances of dying of a heart attack by 60 per cent.

Cranial Nerves Mnemonic

 I-Olfactory

II-Optic

III-Oculomotor

IV-Trochlear 

V-Trigeminal 

VI-Abducens 

VII-Facial 

VIII-Acoustic (Vestibulocochlear) 

IX-Glossophrayngeal 

X-Vagus

XI-Spinal Accessory 

XII-Hypoglossal

"OOOTTAFAGVSH"

[On Old Olympus Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops]

or

[Oh, oh, oh, to touch and feel very good velvet...ah, heaven]

You have I nose. You have II eyes. (I - Olfactory; II -- Optic) 

 

Cranial nerve 1 - Olfactory

The olfactory nerve is responsible for the sense of smell.
How is it tested? Place a smelly object (a lemon or a dirty sock) under the nose with the eyes closed.  The patient should be able to recognize that a smell is present.  The patient's ability to determine the source of the smell (a dirty sock) is less important.

Cranial nerve 2 - Optic

The optic nerve is responsible for the sense of sight.  Lesions of this nerve can cause full or partial blindness.
How is it tested? Using a wall eye chart, determine the visual acuity (how sharp images appear far away).  Also, having the patient look directly forward, check the ability to see things at an angle (peripheral vision). With an opthalmoscope (the doctor's eye-looking device), look within the eye at the optic disk.  Does the disk have sharp borders or are they raised and blurry (from papilloedema).

Cranial nerve 3 - Oculomotor

The oculomotor nerve is responsible for movement of the eyelids, dilation of the pupil, and coordinated movement of the eyes.
How is it tested? Is one of the eyelids drooping?  Do the eyeballs move in all four directions (up, down, left, and right) together?  Are the pupils the same size?  Do both pupils shrink when light is shined at the eye?

Cranial nerve 4 - Trochlear

The trochlear nerve is responsible for rotation of the eyeballs.
How is it tested? Do the eyeballs move in all four directions (up, down, left, and right) together?

Cranial nerve 5 - Trigeminal

The trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensation of the face and movement of the chewing muscles.
How is it tested? With the eyes closed, can the patient feel light touch on both sides of the face?   Does the patient have difficulty chewing?

Cranial nerve 6 - Abducens

The abducens nerve is responsible for movement of the eyes to the side.
How is it tested? Do the eyeballs move in all four directions (up, down, left, and right) together?

Cranial nerve 7 - Facial

The facial nerve is responsible for the muscles of the fac.
How is it tested?  Does the face appear symmetric when the patient smiles or frowns? Can the patient whistle or "pucker" the lips?
 

Cranial nerve 8 - Vestibulocochlear

The vestibulocochlear nerve is responsible for the sense of hearing and balance.
How is it tested? Can the patient hear with both ears?  Does the patient have normal balance? Can the patient stand on one foot?

Cranial nerve 9 - Glossopharyngeal

The glossopharyngeal nerve is responsible for the sense of taste and movement of the tongue.
How is it tested? Can the patient taste the difference between sour, sweet, and bitter?  When the patient opens her mouth and says "Ahhhh..." does the roof of the mouth move up symmetrically?  Does the tongue lean to one side?  Is there difficulty swallowing or eating?

Cranial nerve 10 - Vagus

The vagus nerve is responsible for movement of the laryngx and affects voice.
How is it tested? Is there unexplained hoarseness of the voice?  Is there difficulty swallowing or eating?

Cranial nerve 11 - Accessory

The accessory nerve is responsible for movement of the shoulder and some neck muscles.
How is it tested? Can the patient "shrug" the shoulders?  Do both shoulders rise equally?

Cranial nerve 12 - Hypoglossal

The hypoglossal nerve is responsible for movement of the tongue.
How is it tested? Does the tongue deviate to one side?  Is there difficulty swallowing or eating?

Foramina of the Skull and Structures Passing

Foramen Ovale:

Mnemonic: MALE
1. Mandibular Nerve (CN V3)
2. Accessory meningeal nerve
3. Lesser petrosal nerve
4. Emissary vein (Cavernous sinus to
pterygoid plexus)
5. Occasionally anterior trunk of middle
meningeal artery

Foramen Spinosum:

Mnemonic: MEN
1. Middle meningeal artery and vein
(posterior trunk)
2. Emissay vein
3. Nervus spinosus (Meningeal branch of
mandibular nerve)

Foramen Lacerum:

Mnemonic: MEIG
Structures passing whole length:
1. Meningeal branch of Ascending
pharyngeal artery
2. Emissary vein
Other structures partially traversing:
3. Internal carotid artery
4. Greater petrosal nerve

Carotid Canal:

Internal carotid artery (ICA) and venous and
sympathetic plexus around it

Foramen Rotundum:
Maxillary nerve (CN V2)

Stylomastoid Foramen:

1. Facial nerve (CN VII)
2. Posterior Auricular artery (Stylomastoid
branch)

Internal Acoustic Meatus:

1. Facial nerve (CN VII)
2. Vestibulo-cochlear nerve (CN VIII)
3. Nerves intermedius or pars intermedia of
wrisberg
4. Labyrinthe vessels

Hypoglossal canal:

1. Hypoglossal nerve
2. Meningeal branch of Hypoglossal nerve
3. Meningeal branch of Ascending
Pharyngeal artery
4. Emissary vein (Sigmoid sinus to internal
jugular vein)

Jugular Foramen:

1. Anterior part: Inferior Petrosal Sinus
2. Middle part: 9,10,11 MAP
a. CN IX (Glossopharyngeal nerve)
b. CN X (Vagus nerve)
c. CN XI (Accesory nerve)
d. Meningeal branch of Ascending
Pharyngeal Artery
3. Posterior part:
a. Internal Jugular vein (IJV) – Sigmoid sinus
junction
b. Emissary vein (Sigmoid sinus to occipital
vein)
c. Occipital artery
Mastoid canaliculus (entry) and
Tympanomastoid fissure (exit):
Auricular branch of vagus nerve
Tympanic Canaliculus
Tympanic branch of CN IX (Glossopharyngeal
nerve)

Incisive Foramen:

1. Greater palatine vessels
2. Nasopalatine nerves

Greater Palatine Foramen:

Mnemonic: GAP (Greater and Anterior Palatine Vessels)
1. Greater Palatine vessels
2. Anterior Palatine vessels

Lesser Palatine Foramen:

Middle and Posterior Palatine nerve

Superior Orbital Fissure:

1. Lacrimal nerve
2. Frontal nerve
3. Trochlear nerve
4. Occulomotor nerve
5. Nasociliary nerve
6. Abducent nerve
7. Superior ophthalmic vein

Foramen magnum:

Mnemonic: MAVer
1. Medulla oblongata
2. Ascending parts of spinal accessory
nerves
3. Vertebral arteries