Q: While you’re in the office, your doctor will test your vitals, reflexes, senses, and muscle strength. They will also ask you questions regarding your medical history, and about how you are feeling. Prepare for your appointment by making a list of your symptoms, including when you experienced them and how severe they were. A neurological exam will involve the use of medical hammers and flashlights, and can be done in your doctor’s office. This painless exam is used to assess your motor skills, sensory skills, coordination and balance, hearing and speech, vision, nerve function, and mental clarity. This can help your doctor rule out other potential medical conditions, as well as determine which tests may be useful moving forward. Lab tests will help rule out other medical conditions when diagnosing an MND.  Laboratory tests—run on substances including blood, urine, and other bodily substances—are generally painless, although they may involve a small prick to draw blood. An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging test) involves lying down inside a large machine for 15–90 minutes. The procedure will generate an image of the interior of your body that doctors can use to assess muscles and diagnose MNDs. An MRI can be used to rule out diseases that affect the spinal cord and brain. Your doctor may allow you to use pillows, blankets, and headphones to make yourself more comfortable during your MRI. A biopsy may be needed to make a definitive MND diagnosis. This will involve the removal of a small muscle sample through a needle or tiny slit. Your doctor will use a local anesthetic to help with any pain.  Once the tissue sample has been removed, doctors can study the muscle tissue and examine it for signs of MND. You may experience soreness in the area of your biopsy for a few days afterward. Doctors will also suggest an EMG in order to examine muscle disorders, or disorders of peripheral nerves. This procedure involves the insertion of a thin needle electrode with a recording instrument into one of your muscles. Testing usually lasts about an hour. Your doctor may give you a local anesthetic to help with any minor pain. A nerve conduction study is very simple. It involves the placement of electrodes on the skin. Through these electrodes, your doctor can measure the impulses in your nerves and detect any abnormalities. A nerve conduction velocity study is usually done in conjunction with an EMG. For this test, electrodes will be attached to different areas of your body. Your doctor will stimulate a pulse in your brain, and the electrodes will measure the amount of muscle activity generated by the pulse. This information can help your doctor diagnose upper motor neural dysfunction caused by MNDs. This procedure is totally painless. MNDs are incurable, but you can work with your doctor to manage the symptoms of your MND and live as comfortably as possible. Ask your doctor about physical therapy, which will help with muscle stiffness. If your mouth is effected by the MND, your doctor can refer you to a speech therapist.  Ask your doctor about the two drugs that have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of MNDs: Riluzole (or Rilutek), and Radicava (Endaravone). These medications increase survival rates and slow the rate at which MNDs destroy tissue. Your doctor can also prescribe other medications to help with common side effects of MNDs, including muscle cramps and drooling.
A: Ask your doctor for a physical exam. Undergo a neurological exam. Allow your doctor to draw blood and run other laboratory tests. Ask your doctor to perform an MRI. Undergo a biopsy to confirm nerve disease. Undergo electromyography (EMG) to diagnose lower neuron disorders. Ask your doctor to conduct a nerve conduction velocity study. Request a transcranial magnetic stimulation test to study your brain. Create a treatment plan with your doctor after diagnosis.

Q: Copy cells A1 through B5 and paste in cells C1 through D5. This will copy the formulas you previously entered. You can calculate the future value of an account with a varying interest rate and additional monthly payments using an amortization table. These can be found online by searching for "compound interest amortization tables."
A: Predict results by changing the variables. Use an amortization table.

Q: When you squeeze it, a ripe apricot should indent slightly beneath your fingers, but it should not be overly soft. You can also smell near the fruit’s stem, since a ripe apricot will have a sweet scent.  Although the color of the fruit will depend on the variety, a ripe apricot should be uniform with no green patches.  Avoid fruit with large bruises, as these will be mushy and have no flavor. This rinse will help to remove any bacteria from the fruit. Rinse the apricots under cool running water and pat dry. Washing the apricots before you boil them keeps contaminants from cooking into the fruit. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil, then drop the apricots into the water for between 30 seconds and 1 minute. This keeps the skins from becoming tough during the freezing process.  Do not overcook the apricots, especially if you are planning on freezing the fruit while it is fresh. If you are peeling the apricots, you don’t have to blanch them. However, it does make removing the peels easier. If you are freezing a large quantity of apricots, you may want to blanch them in smaller batches, depending on the size of your stock pot. After the apricots have boiled for 30-60 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove the apricots from the boiling water. Plunge them into ice-cold water right away to immediately stop the cooking process, then drain them and pat them dry. If you blanched the apricots, or if they are especially ripe, you should be able to easily remove the skins with your fingers. Otherwise, you can use a sharp paring knife to peel the fruit. If you’re pureeing the apricots, you will need to remove the skins. Use a small paring knife to slice through the fruit, sliding it around the pit. Twist the halves of the apricot to separate it, then use your fingers or a spoon to scoop out the pit.  If you’re freezing the apricots fresh, you can leave them in halves, or you can cut them into quarters or slices if you prefer.
A:
Choose fruit that is fully ripe but still firm. Wash the apricots with a mixture of 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Blanch the apricots in boiling water if you are leaving the peels on. Dip the apricots in ice-cold water after you blanch them, then drain and dry. Peel the apricots unless you plan to leave the skins on. Slice the apricots in half and remove the pits.