Dysbiosis is a condition caused by an imbalance in the bacterial community (microbiome) of the human gut. Dysbiosis disrupts the ecoystsem of the gut, resulting in symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and indigestion, among others. What is dysbiosis? Dysbiosis, also called dysbacteriosis, is a condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The body has colonies of beneficial bacteria called microbiota. These […]
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A pregnant woman who is HIV-positive can pass the virus onto her baby during pregnancy, during childbirth or through breastfeeding. This mother-to-child transmission, also referred to as perinatal transmission, is the most common route of HIV infection among children. When a woman is diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy, treatment with a combination of antiretroviral medications can reduce the risk of […]
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Many hormones that are important to energy homeostasis have been found to be secreted by the gastrointestinal tract, which is thus the largest endocrine organ in the body. These hormones regulate food intake and energy expenditure, and have been studied extensively in the context of treating obesity. Among these is peptide YY (PYY), a 36 amino acid peptide, which is […]
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The kidneys are the specialized organs that filter and purify the blood by removing excess water, salts and waste products. A kidney biopsy involves taking one or more tissue samples of the kidney for clinical tests. This can be useful in diagnosis where other methods such as blood and urine tests, imaging and physical exams are not. In most cases, […]
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HPV infections can affect genital areas, mouth, throat, head, and feet. These infections often show no signs in the early stages unless a patient develops warts but these are usually caused by the the lower risk types of HPV. The risk with the more serious types of HPV infection is that the higher risk types can linger in the body […]
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Researchers around the world are exploring ways that they can minimise the risk of graft vs host disease (GVHD) occurring in patients who have received a bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. The disease tends to develop as a result of differences in the tissue between the donated and the host cells. The cells from the graft (i.e. donation) view […]
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Changes to the breast are common during pregnancy and such changes are often an early sign that a woman is pregnant. Examples include tenderness of the breast and nipple and an increase in breast size that makes the breasts feel heavy. Breast tissue is also present in the armpit and some women find the tissue under their arms also increases […]
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Hand osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints of the hand. Its main symptoms are stiffness, swelling, and pain. Image Credit: Orawan Pattarawimonchai/Shutterstock.com Sometimes, bony nodules develop on the fingers at the middle joint (Bouchard’s nodes) or last joint Heberden’s nodes). Patients with osteoarthritis may feel a deep ache at the base of the thumb, along with some swelling […]
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Butter is a dairy product containing a large amount of edible fat. It is prepared by churning the cream obtained from milk. Butter may be obtained in a semi-solid form by whipping the cream. The standard proportion of butter to milk is 1:20. The amount of butter obtained in this process varies with the milk quality and fat content. Nowadays, […]
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Sesame seed allergy is estimated to occur in up to 2 out of every thousand people who consume this food. Many of these individuals first present with an anaphylactic reaction to sesame seeds. The incidene of sesame seed allergy is approximately half that of a persistent allergy to cow’s milk. Sesame seeds – Image Copyright: taa22 / Shutterstock Symptoms The […]
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