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MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: If you are pregnant, you can take folic acid to help prevent certain birth defects in your baby. Folic acid and folate are two forms of the same B vitamin. Folate is the form that occurs naturally in foods, while folic acid is the man-made form, added to multivitamins and fortified foods. Your body needs folic acid to help make new cells including, brain cells, blood cells, and DNA, and RNA, the genetic material inside your cells. During pregnancy, you need even more folic acid, because your baby's body needs it too. Folic acid helps your baby's brain and spinal cord develop normally. Taking folic acid can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your developing baby, called an embryo at this stage. The neural tube begins as a tiny oval-shaped piece of embryonic tissue, which folds into a tube about 28 days after conception. When this tube closes properly, it continues to develop into your baby's brain and spinal cord. If the neural tube does not close, due to the lack of folic acid in your diet, your baby may have a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida, or anencephaly. In spina bifida, the neural tube fails to close at the bottom. As a result, the parts of the spine that enclose and protect the lower spinal cord do not completely form, allowing the cord to protrude. Children with this defect often require surgery, and have permanent disabilities, including leg paralysis, developmental delays, and nervous system problems. In the condition called anencephaly, the neural tube fails to close at the top, preventing large parts of the brain and skull from developing completely. Babies with this defect are unable to live, and usually die before birth or soon after. Folic acid may also protect against other birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate, and atrial septal defect, which is when a hole between the right and left upper chambers of the heart fails to close during development. Because the neural tube develops so early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she's pregnant, experts recommend all women who are able to become pregnant, take a daily multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. During pregnancy, the need increases to 600 micrograms of folic acid each day. Experts recommend you take this multivitamin in addition to the food folate in your diet, because your body does not absorb folate found naturally in food as easily as the man-made folic acid. Caregivers will often prescribe even 1,000 micrograms of folic acid daily to assure these minimal levels are covered. Even more may be required in some groups of women, including those with previous miscarriages, and those women deficient in a folic acid metabolic enzyme. Talk with your caregiver about the optimal dose for you.
"Medical illustrations are essential during trial for any medical malpractice case. The people at MLA have the uncanny ability of creating medical illustrations that simplify the most complex of medical concepts and human anatomy to a lay audience. The exhibits of MLA allow experts to easily describe complex concepts and human anatomy in a manner that could
not be done otherwise.
In addition, their custom illustrations show in great detail the extent of
injuries suffered and the devastating effects they have had on the client's
anatomy. These custom illustration can show, side by side, the body before
and after a catastrophic injury. The effect of this juxtaposition is
unmatched by any testimony that can be adduced at the time of trial.
Even jurors after trial have commented on the ease with which they grasp
medical concepts and anatomy once the MLA exhibits were introduced and
used by my experts. Even judges who have "seen it all" are thoroughly
impressed by the detail and sophistication of the illustrations.
"Whether it's demonstrating a rotator cuff tear, neck movement a few
milliseconds after rear impact, or a proposed lumbar fusion, the Doe Report
represents an instant on-line database of medical illustration for
health-care and legal professionals.
Illustrations can be purchased 'as is' or modified within hours and sent
either electronically or mounted on posterboard. An illustration is worth a
thousand words, as juries perk up and look intently to capture concepts
that are otherwise too abstract. Start with good illustrations, a clear and
direct voice, a view of the jury as 12 medical students on day one of
training, and your expert testimony becomes a pleasure, even on cross
examination. An experienced trial lawyer should also emphasize these
illustrations at the end of trial, as a means of visually reinforcing key
concepts covered.
As a treating physician, I also use these accurate illustrations to educate
my own patients about their medical conditions. The Doe Report is an
invaluable resource, and its authors at MLA have always been a pleasure to
work with."
Richard E. Seroussi M.D., M.Sc.
Diplomate, American Boards of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and PM&R
Seattle Spine & Rehabilitation Medicine
www.seattlespine.info
"You and your company are wonderful. Your service, turnaround time, quality
and price were better than I could have asked for. Please add me to your
long list of satisfied customers."
Robert F. Linton, Jr.
Linton & Hirshman
Cleveland, OH
"A few words about The Doe Report: recently in a brachial plexus injury
case, we used an image from The Doe Report to demonstrate the injury. We
downloaded the PDF file image, and were amazed at the quality. The hard
copies that you sent were even more clear. As well, we could not have been
happier when you customized the image and reversed the injury from the left
shoulder to the right shoulder, which is where our client's injury was.
The speed and cost-effectiveness of the product made it the perfect tool for
our purposes. We will use The Doe Report again in future cases."
Andrew Needle
Needle Gallagher & Ellenberg, P.A.
Miami, FL
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.