taken from Mind Our English - The Star

COULD you tell me which of the following sentences are correct?

1. I saw him today.

2. I have seen him today.

3. I didn’t do any work today.

4. I haven’t done any work today.

5. We went to Singapore twice this week.

6. We have been to Singapore twice this week.

7. I didn’t have a holiday this year.

8. I haven’t had a holiday this year.

If all the sentences are grammatical, could you tell me what are the differences in meaning? –

1 & 2 – You can use both sentences, but in different contexts. Sentence 1) “I saw him today.” is more common. You can say that if you met a friend by chance or by prior arrangement earlier in the day, or you can say that in reply to a question like: “Have you seen Amin lately?” and you reply: “Yes, I saw him today, in the canteen.

Sentence 2) “I have seen him today.” is used only in certain contexts. For example, if a friend knows that you are in the habit of visiting your father who is in hospital, every day, he may ask you: “Have you seen your dad today?” and your answer can be:“Yes, I have seen him today. He seems much better than he was yesterday.” “I have seen him today.” is a confirmation that you have done what you habitually do every day.

3 & 4 – Since “today” is not over yet, you can’t use the simple past tense and say: “ I didn’t do any work today.”(sentence 3) because you might do some work later in the day. But you can say: “I haven’t done any work today.” (sentence 4) because it means that up to now (e.g. 2pm today) you haven’t done any work, but you may do some later.

5 & 6 – These two are similar to 3 & 4. “This week” is not over yet, and you may go to Singapore a third time, so “We have been to Singapore twice this week.” (sentence 6) is the correct sentence to use. It states the situation more accurately, i.e. up to now this week, we have been to Singapore twice. We may go again, who knows?

7 & 8 These two are similar to 3 & 4 as well as 5 & 6. You can’t say: “I didn’t have a holiday this year.” (sentence 7) because this year is not over yet. You can say “I didn’t have a holiday last year.” because last year is over and done with. So when talking about not having a holiday this year, you have to say “I haven’t had a holiday this year.” (sentence 8) Who knows, later in the year, you might have one.

Having said all that, I think it can still be argued that – if you are saying sentence 3 at 11.59pm today, or sentence 5 very late on Saturday this week, or sentence 7 very late on Dec 31 this year – you may be right!

Examination

Gynaecology is typically considered a consultant specialty. In some countries, women must first see a general practitioner (GP; also known as a family practitioner (FP)) prior to seeing a gynaecologist. If their condition requires training, knowledge, surgical technique, or equipment unavailable to the GP, the patient is then referred to a gynaecologist. In the United States, however, law and many health insurance plans allow/force gynaecologists to provide primary care in addition to aspects of their own specialty. With this option available, some women opt to see a gynaecological surgeon without another physician's referral.

As in all of medicine, the main tools of diagnosis are clinical history and examination. Gynaecological examination is quite intimate, more so than a routine physical exam. It also requires unique instrumentation such as the speculum. The speculum consists of two hinged blades of concave metal or plastic which are used to retract the tissues of the vagina and permit examination of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus located within the upper portion of the vagina. Gynaecologists typically do a bimanual examination (one hand on the abdomen and one or two fingers in the vagina)to palpate the cervix, uterus, ovaries and bony pelvis. It is not uncommon to do a rectovaginal examination for complete evaluation of the pelvis, particularly if any suspicious masses are appreciated. Male gynaecologists often have a female chaperone (nurse or medical student) for their examination. An abdominal and/or vaginal ultrasound can be used to confirm any abnormalities appreciated with the bimanual examination or when indicated by the patient's history.

Diseases

The main conditions dealt with by a gynaecologist are:

1. Cancer and pre-cancerous diseases of the reproductive organs including ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, and vulva
2. Incontinence of urine.
3. Amenorrhea (absent menstrual periods)
4. Dysmenorrhoea (painful menstrual periods)
5. Infertility
6. Menorrhagia (heavy menstrual periods). This is a common indication for hysterectomy.
7. Prolapse of pelvic organs

There is some crossover in these areas. For example, a woman with incontinence may be referred to a urologist.

What are the symptoms of UTI?

Not everyone with a UTI has symptoms, but most people get at least some symptoms. These may include a frequent urge to urinate and a painful, burning feeling in the area of the bladder or urethra during urination. It is not unusual to feel bad all over -- tired, shaky, washed out -- and to feel pain even when not urinating. Often women feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone, and some men experience a fullness in the rectum. It is common for a person with a urinary infection to complain that, despite the urge to urinate, only a small amount of urine is passed. The urine itself may look milky or cloudy, even reddish if blood is present. Normally, a UTI does not cause fever if it is in the bladder or urethra. A fever may mean that the infection has reached the kidneys. Other symptoms of a kidney infection include pain in the back or side below the ribs, nausea, or vomiting.

In children, symptoms of a urinary infection may be overlooked or attributed to another disorder. A UTI should be considered when a child or infant seems irritable, is not eating normally, has an unexplained fever that does not go away, has incontinence or loose bowels, or is not thriving. Unlike adults, children are more likely to have fever and no other symptoms. This can happen to both boys and girls. The child should be seen by a doctor if there are any questions about these symptoms, especially a change in the child's urinary pattern.

How is a UTI diagnosed?

To find out whether you have a UTI, your doctor will test a sample of urine for pus and bacteria. You will be asked to give a "clean catch" urine sample by washing the genital area and collecting a "midstream" sample of urine in a sterile container. This method of collecting urine helps prevent bacteria around the genital area from getting into the sample and confusing the test results. Usually, the sample is sent to a laboratory, although some doctors' offices are equipped to do the testing.

In the urinalysis test, the urine is examined for white and red blood cells and bacteria. Then the bacteria are grown in a culture and tested against different antibiotics to see which drug best destroys the bacteria. This last step is called a sensitivity test.

Some microbes, like Chlamydia and Mycoplasma, can be detected only with special bacterial cultures. A doctor suspects one of these infections when a person has symptoms of a UTI and pus in the urine, but a standard culture fails to grow any bacteria.

When an infection does not clear up with treatment and is traced to the same strain of bacteria, the doctor may order some tests to determine if your system is normal. One of these tests is an intravenous pyelogram, which gives x-ray images of the bladder, kidneys, and ureters. An opaque dye visible on x-ray film is injected into a vein, and a series of x-rays is taken. The film shows an outline of the urinary tract, revealing even small changes in the structure of the tract.

If you have recurrent infections, your doctor also may recommend an ultrasound exam, which gives pictures from the echo patterns of soundwaves bounced back from internal organs. Another useful test is cystoscopy. A cystoscope is an instrument made of a hollow tube with several lenses and a light source, which allows the doctor to see inside the bladder from the urethra.