For patients and caregivers, understanding clinical progression, diagnostic imaging results, and pharmacological treatment options is vital for managing acute and chronic health conditions.
Progesterone is the precursor to many hormones, including testosterone, the sex hormone that emphasizes male characteristics, and estrogen, the sex hormone that emphasizes female characteristics.
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Your blood sugar is the amount of glucose circulating within your bloodstream. Glucose enters your blood when you eat foods rich in carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose.
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Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are medicines that help reduce the acid production in the stomach. PPIs work by interfering with the mechanism that pumps acid into the stomach, states the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
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The basal ganglia tissue is composed of the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus. This area of the brain has a blood supply that can easily be blocked or suffer damage. If blood supply to the any part of the brain is interrupted, the patient suffers from a stroke.
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Lactic acid is a by-product of the process cells use to produce energy. As cells convert glucose to energy, they use oxygen. If there is not enough oxygen within the cell, the cell is still able to produce energy, but also produces lactic acid.
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Glutathione is an antioxidant formed from the amino acid cysteine, glutamate and glycine. Virtually all your cells have glutathione, but this antioxidant is most highly concentrated in your liver, pancreas, spleen and eyes. Your glutathione levels dwindle as you age.
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There are many symptoms of HIV that present in the mouth. Approximately 90 percent of HIV-positive patients will experience at least one oral disorder, according to TheBody.com, a compendium of knowledge on HIV and AIDS.
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Anesthetics are medications specifically designed to manage pain, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. General anesthesia is commonly produced by a combination of anesthetics including intravenous drugs and inhaled gasses. General anesthesia induces deep sleep and is often used during surgery.
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Abdominal hernias usually occur when there is a weakening or defect in the muscles and tissues of the abdominal wall. When strain is placed on the abdominal wall, part of the intestines can break through the weakening wall, causing a mass to protrude from the abdomen.
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Thyroid hormones help regulate physical development, facilitate energy conversion in cells and affect the way your organs function. Your body uses potassium to facilitate the proper function of nerve and muscle cells. Low potassium is associated with high levels of thyroid hormones.
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Dowager’s hump, or kyphosis, describes a condition in which there is an abnormality in the curve of the spine. Kyphosis is specifically the extreme curvature of the spinal column in the chest. The excessive curvature causes the formation of a hump on the back and shoulders of the affected patient.
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Your body needs to maintain an optimum acid-base balance, or pH level, to ensure the various processes within your body occur without problems, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. When your body’s pH level becomes high, the condition is known as alkalosis.
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Despite causing adverse effects such as nausea and appetite loss, mefenamic acid generally poses a minimal risk to a breastfed infant, MayoClinic.com says. Mefenamic acid is a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to alleviate mild to moderate pain induced by conditions such as menstrual cramps.
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Caffeine, in its various forms, is one of the most popular and widely used drugs and food additives in the world, with around 90 percent of people ingesting it in one form or another, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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