Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[Flibble]

StevieBee said:

How it works with blood transfusions I don't know!

Incidentally blood works becasue there are fewer antibodies, so it's easier to get a match that the body will accept. The main ones are the ABO blood group and Rh type, but there are many more than that. Also type O blood has no AB antibodies at all, which means it will work with any ABO type because there's nothing "foreign" for the host to react to.

Also often they separate out the red blood cells which increases the quality of match as there are fewer cell types to match then.

[captain_cynic]

theplayingmantis said:

glazbagun said:

On an equine theme, do riot police and their horses have any link to the cavalry of old, or have police horses always been civil in nature?

cavalry chargers of old were way stockier than police horses. proper units, think suffolk punch type, sort of. so i guess not, but may be wrong. but not my field of equine experience.

This has made me wonder, how many horse breeds have died out since we've stopped using them as the main form of transport?

[theplayingmantis]

captain_cynic said:

theplayingmantis said:

glazbagun said:

On an equine theme, do riot police and their horses have any link to the cavalry of old, or have police horses always been civil in nature?

cavalry chargers of old were way stockier than police horses. proper units, think suffolk punch type, sort of. so i guess not, but may be wrong. but not my field of equine experience.

This has made me wonder, how many horse breeds have died out since we've stopped using them as the main form of transport?

Lots probably, much like certain hunting dogs like the once ubiquitous Talbot.

[Europa1]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

popeyewhite said:

I think the patient takes a cocktail of drugs to aid new organ acceptance.

And often stay on a regime of immunosuppressants indefinitely.

Indeed. As I understand it (hopefully I'll find out before too much longer) there is a cocktail of immunosuppressants, plus a cocktail of drugs to counter the side-effects of the immunosuppressants, and a cocktail of drugs to counter the side effects of that cocktail. As it was explained to me, the patient is swapping one set of symptoms for another.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Europa1 said:

Indeed. As I understand it (hopefully I'll find out before too much longer) there is a cocktail of immunosuppressants, plus a cocktail of drugs to counter the side-effects of the immunosuppressants, and a cocktail of drugs to counter the side effects of that cocktail. As it was explained to me, the patient is swapping one set of symptoms for another.

Yes. My father is in this situation ever since he had a kidney transplant.

[SpeckledJim]

Europa1 said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

popeyewhite said:

I think the patient takes a cocktail of drugs to aid new organ acceptance.

And often stay on a regime of immunosuppressants indefinitely.

Indeed. As I understand it (hopefully I'll find out before too much longer) there is a cocktail of immunosuppressants, plus a cocktail of drugs to counter the side-effects of the immunosuppressants, and a cocktail of drugs to counter the side effects of that cocktail. As it was explained to me, the patient is swapping one set of symptoms for another.

My granddad was, at 87, on a huge combination of drugs but was maintaining a very good standard of living. Active, busy and happy.

One of the drugs he was on was apparently to do something about his swollen feet. His feet had stopped swelling, so he stopped taking that drug, and didn't tell anyone. Thought nothing of it.

What he hadn't understood was that without that particular drug, all the rest of the drugs were badly out of balance, and were quickly poisoning him.

Dead from multiple organ failure inside two weeks. All from that one small, simple mistake.

[Exige77]

OpulentBob said:

Why do I feel queasy (and sometimes faint) at gore, blood, descriptions of surgery etc?

I grew up shooting. I have killed and gutted/plucked/skinned many things. I have cut my own leg down to the bone and wrapped it up with gaffer tape because I was busy working. I have been stabbed (not deliberately) in the eye and driven myself to hospital whilst barely able to see.

Yet the thought of organ donation, the sight of an autopsy on Silent Witness, my friend describing her broken leg and operation, all make me feel sick. Twice I've fainted, luckily whilst sitting down. What is it about other people's squidgy pulsating bits that completely disables me?

My daughter had a case a couple of weeks ago. Teenager hung him self. Ambulance crew had managed to get his heart going and to nearest hospital. Unfortunately his brain was severely damaged and after a few days it was decided it was a no go.

He had an organ donor card and his family also agreed to salvage what they could. Apart from his issue, he was fit, healthy and young. He needed to be kept alive until all the various recipients where ready. This was in Surrey and recipients where all over including heart recipient in Birmingham.

Ambulance bikers where on standby. Several surgical teams where ready to go. First surgical team went in. Normally, as you can imagine, they do stuff carefully and limit the damage but in this case they just removed the whole front of his torso so the various teams could get in and remove their various parts as quickly as possible and send them to the various waiting recipients.

The organ harvesting surgery is very different from regular surgery. I’m very happy I didn’t have to witness it. I’m with Opulant Bob.

[Jonboy_t]

I’ve never used one so it may be a slightly ignorant question, but why do gamers need the tv screen on when they’re playing on one of the virtual reality headsets? I’ve got a few friends who have them and I’ve only ever seen them playing on it with the game on the screen too.

[kowalski655]

Jonboy_t said:

I’ve never used one so it may be a slightly ignorant question, but why do gamers need the tv screen on when they’re playing on one of the virtual reality headsets? I’ve got a few friends who have them and I’ve only ever seen them playing on it with the game on the screen too.

Usually to see to load up the game before going into VR. Also lets others watch you play(best not done when playing Virtual Girlfriend VR *) or make a prat of yourself.
The graphics card outputs to both screen & VR (on PC at least)so will mirror it, and its not worth the hassle turning it off

* NSFW if you google it!

[kowalski655]

theplayingmantis said:

glazbagun said:

On an equine theme, do riot police and their horses have any link to the cavalry of old, or have police horses always been civil in nature?

cavalry chargers of old were way stockier than police horses. proper units, think suffolk punch type, sort of. so i guess not, but may be wrong. but not my field of equine experience.

Certainly for schock(Heavy) cavalry, as they would charge into contact whereas Light Cavalry(Hussars, Uhlans,etc) would use smaller faster horses for scouting

[Huntsman]

Trojan Records got its name from Duke Reid's Trojan van in Jamaica, does anyone know what model of Trojan van it was?

[Exige77]

Exige77 said:

OpulentBob said:

Why do I feel queasy (and sometimes faint) at gore, blood, descriptions of surgery etc?

I grew up shooting. I have killed and gutted/plucked/skinned many things. I have cut my own leg down to the bone and wrapped it up with gaffer tape because I was busy working. I have been stabbed (not deliberately) in the eye and driven myself to hospital whilst barely able to see.

Yet the thought of organ donation, the sight of an autopsy on Silent Witness, my friend describing her broken leg and operation, all make me feel sick. Twice I've fainted, luckily whilst sitting down. What is it about other people's squidgy pulsating bits that completely disables me?

My daughter had a case a couple of weeks ago. Teenager hung him self. Ambulance crew had managed to get his heart going and to nearest hospital. Unfortunately his brain was severely damaged and after a few days it was decided it was a no go.

He had an organ donor card and his family also agreed to salvage what they could. Apart from his issue, he was fit, healthy and young. He needed to be kept alive until all the various recipients where ready. This was in Surrey and recipients where all over including heart recipient in Birmingham.

Ambulance bikers where on standby. Several surgical teams where ready to go. First surgical team went in. Normally, as you can imagine, they do stuff carefully and limit the damage but in this case they just removed the whole front of his torso so the various teams could get in and remove their various parts as quickly as possible and send them to the various waiting recipients.

The organ harvesting surgery is very different from regular surgery. I’m very happy I didn’t have to witness it. I’m with Opulant Bob.

Just an update if anyone is interested (proud Dad moment)

My daughter just had a letter from the NHS transplant service thanking her for her assistance with the transplant and wanted to her her know what happened to the donated organs:

A gentlemen in his 40s received a kidney after a twelve year wait for a match.

A gentleman in his 60s received a kidney after a 7 year wait for a match.

A lady in her 40s received a pancreas after a 2 month wait.

The liver was split and part was given to a gentlemen and part to a baby boy. A small unused part was placed into a research programme.

A gentlemen in his 40s was given a life saving heart transplant.

Rather humbling and well worth doing.

[anonymous-user]

Absolutely. Bravo.

[FredericRobinson]

Can you register a child in the UK under a surname other than that of either parent, eg under the Icelandic '-son' system?

[V8mate]

FredericRobinson said:

Can you register a child in the UK under a surname other than that of either parent, eg under the Icelandic '-son' system?

Yep. A child can be registered with any surname you fancy, as long as the named parents agree.

[SpeckledJim]

V8mate said:

FredericRobinson said:

Can you register a child in the UK under a surname other than that of either parent, eg under the Icelandic '-son' system?

Yep. A child can be registered with any surname you fancy, as long as the named parents agree.

Off the back of that question, is it required that a child have a surname?

Or for that matter, any name at all?

[AstonZagato]

SpeckledJim said:

V8mate said:

FredericRobinson said:

Can you register a child in the UK under a surname other than that of either parent, eg under the Icelandic '-son' system?

Yep. A child can be registered with any surname you fancy, as long as the named parents agree.

Off the back of that question, is it required that a child have a surname?

Or for that matter, any name at all?

When my kids were born (this is going back a couple of decades), I was told I had to register their births within a certain number of days - 14 if I recall. If I didn't, then I was committing an offence apparently. You needed to give the child a name to register its birth, I was intrigued to find out what happened if I just waited.

[V8mate]

SpeckledJim said:

Off the back of that question, is it required that a child have a surname?

Or for that matter, any name at all?

Well a birth has to be registered by law, and I doubt that a blank entry in the name fields would be accepted.

[SpeckledJim]

V8mate said:

SpeckledJim said:

Off the back of that question, is it required that a child have a surname?

Or for that matter, any name at all?

Well a birth has to be registered by law, and I doubt that a blank entry in the name fields would be accepted.

Does it have to be ‘English’’?

Can my next son, instead of Judy as planned (no judgements please, it’s 2019), be “+ #”?

Pronounced Plus Hash.

[simoid]

SpeckledJim said:

Does it have to be ‘English’’?

Can my next son, instead of Judy as planned (no judgements please, it’s 2019), be “+ #”?

Pronounced Plus Hash.

Presumably it’ll need to go into a compootah form somewhere? The French have a list of approved names eh