...medicine and health care news

Estrogens (also oestrogens) are a group of steroid compounds, named for their importance in the oestrus cycle, and functioning as the primary female sex hormone.

Leukemia (leukaemia in Commonwealth English) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes).

The echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. Using standard ultrasound techniques, two-dimensional slices of the heart can be imaged.

Yeasts constitute a group of single-celled (unicellular) fungi, a few species of which are commonly used to leaven bread, ferment alcoholic beverages, and even drive experimental fuel cells.

Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis is an infectious tick-borne disease, caused by the Borrelia spirochete, a gram-negative microorganism.

Cluster headaches are rare, extremely painful and debilitating headaches that occur in groups or clusters.

The diet frequently recommended for people who suffer from diabetes mellitus is one that is high in dietary fibre, especially soluble fibre, but low in fat (especially saturated fat) and sugar.

An influenza pandemic is a large scale epidemic of the influenza virus, such as the 1918 Spanish flu.

The amygdala (Latin, corpus amygdaloideum) is an almond-shape set of neurons located deep in the brain's medial temporal lobe.

Emphysema is a chronic lung disease. It is often caused by exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke.

In general use, "sugar" is taken to mean sucrose, also called "table sugar" or saccharose, a disaccharide which is a white crystalline solid.

The menstrual cycle is the set of recurring physiological changes in a female's body that are under the control of the reproductive hormone system and necessary for reproduction.

A nociceptor is a sensory receptor that sends signals that cause the perception of pain in response to potentially damaging stimulus.

Trachea is a common biological term for an airway through which respiratory air transport takes place in organisms.

Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets).

Chagas disease is a human tropical parasitic disease which occurs in the Americas, particularly in South America.

Teeth (singular, tooth) are structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) form a class of lipoproteins, varying somewhat in their size (8-11 nm in diameter) and contents, that carry cholesterol from the body's tissues to the liver.

Renal cell carcinoma, also known by the eponym Grawitz tumor, is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule.

Road-traffic safety aims to reduce the harm (deaths, injuries, and property damage) resulting from crashes of road vehicles traveling on public roads.

Lactose intolerance is the condition in which lactase, an enzyme needed for proper metabolization of lactose (a constituent of milk and other dairy products), is not produced in adulthood.

Acne is an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland).

A tic is a sudden, repetitive, stereotyped, nonrhythmic, involuntary movement (motor tic) or sound (phonic tic) that involves discrete groups of muscles.

The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions.

The human skeleton is made of individual or joined bones, supported and supplemented by a structure of ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage and other organs.

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (i.e. accelerate) chemical reactions. Enzymes are biochemical catalysts.

Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis) is a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS).

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble steroid hormone precursor that contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes.

Acupuncture is one of the main branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The technique involves the insertion of needles into "acupuncture points" on the body by trained practitioners.