The term video ("video" meaning "I see", from the Latin verb "videre") commonly
refers to several storage formats for moving pictures: digital video formats, including Blu-ray Disc,
DVD, QuickTime, and MPEG-4; and analog videotapes, including VHS and Betamax. Video can be
recorded and transmitted in various physical media: in magnetic tape when recorded as PAL or
NTSC electric signals by video cameras, or in MPEG-4 or DV digital media when recorded by
digital cameras.
Quality of video essentially depends on the capturing method and storage used. Digital television
(DTV) is a relatively recent format with higher quality than earlier television formats and has
become a standard for television video. (See List of digital television deployments by country.)
3D-video, digital video in three dimensions, premiered at the end of 20th century. Six or eight
cameras with realtime depth measurement are typically used to capture 3D-video streams.
The format of 3D-video is fixed in MPEG-4 Part 16 Animation Framework eXtension (AFX).
In the United Kingdom, Estonia, Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Hungary and New Zealand,
the term video is often used informally to refer to both Videocassette recorders and
video cassettes; the meaning is normally clear from the context.
Mesothelioma:
Mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that
covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.
Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may
also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that
surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles,
or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing
the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.
Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases
the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important
issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung
and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be
suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic
examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies.
It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis),
which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy,
radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests
for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Signs and symptoms:
Symptoms or signs of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years (or more) after exposure to asbestos.
Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space
(pleural effusion) are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to
ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma may include
bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the
mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the
neck or face.
These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.
Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:
Chest wall pain
Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
Shortness of breath
Fatigue or anemia
Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)
In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax,
or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.
Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage.
Symptoms include:
Abdominal pain
Ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
A mass in the abdomen
Problems with bowel function
Weight loss
In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
Low blood sugar level
Pleural effusion
Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
Severe ascites
A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually
found only on one side of the lungs.
