Last article, we looked at how bacteria and viruses differed. Some of these differences, such as viruses being unable to cause harm unless they invade a living host, have a bearing on the nature of the infections that they cause, …
Perform a google search on “the most important medical breakthroughs” and you are likely to find items such as “Man Walks Again after Being Chopped in Half” or “Teen lived 118 days without Heart”. But in terms of having an …
A single blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma skin cancer later in life. Other types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are directly related to long-term sun exposure. Children …
Recently, several reports of infections caused by “flesh eating bacteria” have appeared in the news. Such infections have been responsible for amputations as well as death. In one instance, the infection appears to have developed after a serious cut was …
Some old wives’ tales, such as arthritis resulting from cracking knuckles, have not held up to scientific scrutiny. Others have stood the test of time, such as the idea that drinking cranberry juice can help fight urinary tract infections. The …
What do Michael J. Fox, Mohammed Ali, and more than a million people in the U.S. have in common? All have a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system known as Parkinson’s disease. It is named after the English doctor …
Over the past decade, the incidence of West Nile virus disease (WNV) was highest in 2006 when 4269 cases were reported with 177 deaths attributed to this illness. This year, a total of 693 cases of WNV have been reported …
Hip and knee joint replacement is a procedure that has been performed on millions of Americans since it was introduced around 40 years ago. In most cases, joint replacement is performed because of arthritis. The common feature of the various …
