FAQ: glioma vs glioblastoma

Been getting a couple questions about brain tumors lately. Obviously because of Ted Kennedy (so sad) but also because of a family member recently diagnosed with glioblastoma (also very sad). Here goes:
A glioma is a tumor that arises from cells in the brain called glial cells. Basically these are all the cells in the brain that aren't neurons; they are the "glue" that holds the neurons together. Any tumor that comes from glial cells is called a glioma. But each kind of glial cell (for example astrocytes or oligodendrocytes) can have its own tumor arise from it, and each tumor has its own name. A tumor arising from astrocytes is called an astrocytoma. A tumor arising from oligodendrocytes is called an oligodendroglioma. These are types of gliomas.
Astrocytomas comprise 80% of primary brain tumors in adults. (Primary simply means that the tumor doesn't originate as cancer somewhere else in the body and metastasize to the brain.) There is a spectrum of badness for astrocytomas. Grade IV astrocytomas are the most aggressive and have a special name: glioblastoma. (I didn't come up with this naming system, people.)
Contrary to popular belief (or my interpretation of popular belief, I guess), brain tumors rarely present with headaches. This is because there are NO nerve endings in the brain, so tumors don't cause pain. Crazy, right??? (If there was some way to get inside your skull pain-free, you could undergo brain surgery without anesthesia.) They usually present in one of two ways: with seizures (a la Ted Kennedy), or with something called mass effect. Mass effect means the signs and symptoms that arise from having a mass in the brain, since the brain really doesn't like to be pushed around inside the skull. Symptoms include mostly nausea and vomiting, though a classic sign is vomiting without nausea. One more time: headaches rarely mean brain tumor.
Hmmmm....any other burning questions about brain tumors?....

Nec fasc./Flesh-eating bacteria/Chompers

"Necrotizing fasciitis. Explain...with pictures please."
Many names for one nasty disease. Necrotizing fasciitis is a type of deep tissue infection. (Fascia is the stuff between and around all your organs and muscles and blood vessels. Fasciitis is an inflammation of the fascia. Necrotizing means it kills cells and tissues.) It's caused by toxins that are produced by certain strains of bacteria, the most common of which is Group A Streptococcus (Group A strep is also known as Strep pyogenes and as GAS). There is no one type of bacteria that causes nec fasc. The bacteria destroy the deep tissue of the body, and it's fatal if not treated quickly and effectively.
Keep this bacteria away from me, please.
You might have toxin-producing GAS all over your skin right now, for all you know. (sleep tight!) But people who carry bacteria on or in them don't necessarily develop infections. Certain people can develop infections after surgery, or because they have breaks in the skin (like with eczema), or because they have a weakened immune system. Only very rarely do people actually develop necrotizing fasciitis.
So how do I know if I have it??
There are no specific symptoms, which makes it a bugger to pick up. And it progresses rapidly and is fatal if not treated quickly enough. Initial symptoms are similar to those of a soft-tissue infection, such as pain, swelling, or redness. But the infection doesn't always occur where the bacteria get in (like an open cut on your hand). They can travel around your bloodstream and set up shop anywhere they'd like.
A rapidly fatal disease with nebulous symptoms sounds like a nightmare to diagnose.
But that's what makes medicine fun! Sometimes you can put on your monacle and play Sherlock.
This sounds familiar...where have I heard of nec fasc before?
It's in a 'Scrubs' episode, where JD correctly diagnoses his patient with it (which he calls "Chompers") after watching a Friday night TV special on it. There was a recent article in The Boston Globe Magazine about a woman from central MA who developed this infection after having a C-section, and is now a quadruple-amputee (yes, you read that right). You can read about her amazing story here.
What about those pictures?
No way am I posting pics here. Google image "necrotizing fasciitis" at your own risk.
So how do you treat it?
Surgery! All of the dead and infected tissue has to be cut out, along with a margin of healthy tissue. Plus some potent antibiotics. Still, the mortality rate is 30%.
That's gross.
Yes. It is.

Medical FAQ

So what does ringworm look like?
It looks like a reddish ring on the skin. Like this or this. It can also be lighter than the skin color. The border is usually slightly raised and red, and the center is flat and lighter (so if you run your finger over it, you can only feel the edges). It can be found in areas of lighter hair growth, or, alternately, it may be in an area with some hair (like the forearm) but have no hair growing within the ring.
So it's a worm infection?
Nope, it's a fungal infection. Unclear etiology of the name ringworm, however, except that it's in the shape of a ring.
How do you get it?
Any type of contact with kids'll do it.
Ew, get it off me!
You can use any topical (meaning you put it on your skin) over-the-counter antifungal, like Monistat.