The bacteria Mycobacteria tuberculosis causes tuberculosis. Although tuberculosis, or TB, primarily affects the lungs, it can spread through the blood stream to other sites, a circumstance called extrapulmonary or disseminated tuberculosis.
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The aorta, the main artery carrying blood to the body, runs through the middle of the abdomen. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) results from a weak spot in the abdominal segment of the aorta that causes it to bulge. Rupture of the bulge is a life-threatening emergency because of internal bleeding.
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The pelvis is the bony structure of the hips, specialized to support the spine bones and to protect the abdominal organs. The pelvis consists of the three bones that make up the hips; the sacrum, a fusion of five separate sacral vertebrae; and the coccyx or tailbone, a fusion of four small vertebrae.
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The diaphragm muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen contracts and relaxes to move air in and out of the lungs. Hiccups or hiccoughs occur when the diaphragm spasms rhythmically. With each contraction of the diaphragm, the vocal cords suddenly close, causing the “hiccup” sound.
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Tendinitis and arthritis both result from inflammation of the tissues at joints, causing pain and hampering the ability of the joints to move smoothly and easily. However, they affect different tissues at the joints, result from different factors and have different treatments.
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The evaporation of sweating from the skin’s surface cools the body to maintain a normal body temperature. Nerves of the sympathetic nervous system control the output of sweat glands to regulate how much sweat they produce. Eccrine glands, found all over the body including the armpits, secrete a watery, cooling sweat.
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The Mirena and copper ParaGard intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are the only types approved for contraceptive use in the United States.
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Tuberculosis, or TB, primarily affects the lungs but the causative bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can spread to other parts of the body, including the kidneys, bladder and urinary tract.
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Controversy surrounds the usefulness of the prostate serum antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer screening and the interpretation of its results. Factors such as age, race, medical history and even the type of PSA test used can greatly affect the results and muddle the interpretation.
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The first trimester of pregnancy lasts from fertilization to the 13th week. During this time the embryo will implant, form the fetal part of the placenta and develop all its organs. Your body will pump out hormones and produce more blood cells to support the pregnancy.
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Puberty--the biological transition to adult reproductive appearance and function--takes place through a defined process of steps. Doctors measure the stage of puberty using a standard called the Tanner stages.
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Chamomile is a herb that closely resembles and is closely related to the common daisy. Scientifically, chamomile is called Matricaria recutita or Chamomilla recutita. There is no reputable evidence that chamomile can induce labor.
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In artistic gymnastics, judges score a gymnast’s routines on the various events. The gymnast must meet certain requirements in his routine, according to his competitive level. The judges evaluate the presence and technical performance of those requirements to calculate a score.
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Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of radiation that acts as a mutagen, an agent that causes mutations in DNA. Exposure to ultraviolet light causes chemical changes that alter the shape of your DNA, and the process that corrects DNA’s shape can also cause changes to the DNA code.
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