Week 17 By the 17th week of pregnancy, the baby is becoming more active in the womb and may have become large enough for the mother to start feeling the first flutters of movement in her tummy. The baby now weighs about 150 grams and is still growing quickly. Fat stores will soon begin to develop underneath the baby’s skin […]
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Glaucoma results from raised intraocular pressure. The pressure usually builds up due to blockage in the drainage of the aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eyes. Raised intraocular pressure The anterior chamber of the eyeball is filled with aqueous humor that provides nutrients to the structures of the eye including the lens and the cornea. It also creates […]
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Inflammatory breast cancer spreads more rapidly than other cancers. Treatment usually includes chemotherapy, followed by surgery and then radiotherapy. Further treatment with biological therapy or hormonal therapy may be prescribed if tests suggest this may be beneficial. Chemotherapy With many forms of breast cancer, chemotherapy is administered after a tumor is surgically removed in order to target and destroy any […]
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Paruresis is an embarrassing condition which severely limits the quality of life of the person concerned. It is best defined as the inability to urinate unless in a completely private setting. The affected person can sometimes pass urine only at home and when there are no guests. It is thought to be very common, a phobic condition ranking second to […]
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Dialysis is a life saving process. The decision to carry out dialysis may be made in the case of either chronic or acute illness. Acute or sudden illness Examples of acute conditions where dialysis may be used include: Metabolic acidosis or a change of the blood pH to acidic. Usually, this condition can be treated by neutralizing the acidic blood […]
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The vocal cords guard access to the respiratory tract, and are responsible for phonation. Wounds to the vocal cords are thus serious in terms of immediate and long-term consequences, and require careful and adequate treatment to preserve life and to maintain function. Causes of vocal cord injury Penetrating neck injury is responsible for up to 70% of laryngeal injuries, and […]
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Color blindness or color vision deficiency affects about 2.7 million people in Britain. In many individuals, the condition is mild and a person is unaware there is a problem with their color perception until it is detected during a vision test. Other people, however, may notice that they see slightly different shades or hues of colors to those that other […]
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Ribavirin, the nucleoside analog 1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide, is a broad spectrum direct antiviral agent. This drug was discovered more than 40 years ago and is efficient both in vitro and in vivo against several RNA or DNA viruses. Structure and analogues Ribavirin represents a water-soluble, guanosine nucleoside analogue that mimics other purines, including inosine and adenosine. Structure-activity relationship studies reveal that the […]
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Rheumatic fever represents an autoimmune disease following infection with group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), which is one of the most ubiquitous of human pathogens. The disease is characterized by multiple focal inflammatory lesions of the connective tissue structures – particularly of the heart, blood vessels and joints. Rheumatic fever remains one of the major causes of childhood cardiac disease in […]
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Diagnosis of hives or urticaria is often made on clinical examination of the lesions which are caused by exposure to an allergen. Outline of hives diagnosis Diagnosis of hives usually involves Obtaining a detailed clinical history of the patient's experience of the condition including information about possible triggers, and the location, severity and duration of lesions. The patient is asked […]
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