...medicine and health care news

Sleep is the state of natural rest observed throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

The ear is the sense organ that detects sound. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by persistent defects in the perception or the expression of reality.

The esophagus (also spelled oesophagus/œsophagus), or gullet is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the mouth area to the stomach.

Lead poisoning is a condition, also known as plumbism or painter's colic, caused by increased blood serum lead levels.

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.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, better known by its acronym SARS, is an atypical form of pneumonia. It first appeared in November 2002 in Guangdong Province of the People's Republic of China.

Dioxin is the popular name for the family of chlorinated organic compounds comprising of Polychlorinated Dibenzo Furans (PCDF) and Polychlorinated Dibenzo Dioxins (PCDD).

The oculomotor nerve is the third of twelve paired cranial nerves. It controls most of the eye movements.

Gastroenteritis involves diarrhea or vomitting, with noninflammatory infection of the upper small bowel, or inflammatory infection of the colon, both part of the gastrointestinal tract.

Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 1 out of 11-12 women at some stage of their life in the Western world.

A tattoo is a design or marking made by the insertion of a pigment into punctures or cuts in the skin. In technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation.

Psychiatry is a medical specialty dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental illness.

The spinal cord is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column (it passes through the spinal canal).

A wart is a generally small, rough growth, typically on hands and feet. Warts are common, and are caused by a viral infection, specifically by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

The UV index is an international standard measurement of how strong the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is at a particular place on a particular day.

Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine describes alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional medicine.

Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. It involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food.

Bone marrow is the tissue comprising the center of large bones. It is the place where new blood cells are produced.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), formerly referred to as Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT) or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), is a method used to visualize the inside of living organisms.

Facial symmetry is one of a number of traits associated with health, physical attractiveness and beauty of a person or animal. It is also hypothesized as a factor in interpersonal attraction.