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Menopause symptoms: Am I normal?

Most people associate the menopause with hot flushes; however there are many other potential symptoms that a woman might experience during this time in her life. Most of these symptoms are completely normal and vary from woman to woman; so don’t worry if you, or someone you know, are experiencing different symptoms and timings to your female friends of a similar age.

14 May 2012

Norovirus Classification

As a viral culture system is not available, the genetic analysis represents the principal method to classify norovirus strains.

18 Feb 2012

Norovirus Transmission

Noroviruses are positive-sense, non-enveloped RNA viruses, which are a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis.

18 Feb 2012

Norovirus Diagnosis

Diagnosis of norovirus infection, one of the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis, can be presumed based on the clinical presentation.

18 Feb 2012

What is Norovirus?

Sporadic and epidemic acute infectious nonbacterial gastroenteritis represents a common disease in developed and developing countries alike.

18 Feb 2012

Melatonin in Humans

Melatonin is purported to play a myriad of roles in humans. The most important of these is maintaining the sleep-wake cycle or the circadian rhythm.

20 Nov 2011

Melatonin in Mammals

Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland. The pineal gland was described for the first time by Herophile, in the third century. He speculated it to be the sphincter that regulated flow of thought in the ventricular system of the brain.

20 Nov 2011

Melatonin in Plants

Melatonin was first discovered in bovine or cow pineal gland. It was then found in many species of animals including humans. Melatonin is widespread and most extensively studied in vertebrates, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, bony and cartilagenous ﬁshes and birds.

20 Nov 2011

Melatonin Side Effects

Melatonin in itself is known to cause very few side-effects in the short term. When taken as pills externally for up to 3 months, healthy people do not show side effects. Melatonin is generally safe within recommended doses.

20 Nov 2011

Melatonin in Medicine

Orally administered melatonin, available as pills is rapidly absorbed and the blood levels peak 60-150 minutes after ingesting the pill. After a typical pulse of secretion from the body’s own pineal gland the peak takes longer and is lesser pronounced than when pills are administered (350-10,000 times).

20 Nov 2011

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland. The pineal gland is a small gland that lies within the brain. It acts as a “chronobiotic” in the body. This hormone in other words helps in maintaining the normal circadian rhythms.

20 Nov 2011

Melanin Human Adaptation

Melanin is a brown pigment that occurs in the form of intracytoplasmic granules inside melanocytes.

20 Nov 2011

Melanin and Disease

Melanin is a vital pigment producing compound responsible for determining the colour of skin and hair. A deficiency in melanin can lead to several disorders and diseases. For example, a complete absence of melanin causes a condition called albinism. Melanin deficiency has previously been associated with various genetic abnormalities and congenital defects.

20 Nov 2011

What is Melanin?

Melanin is a complex polymer derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Melanin is responsible for determining skin and hair colour and is present in the skin to varying degrees, depending on how much a population has been exposed to the sun historically.

20 Nov 2011

Mastitis and Breast Cancer

Women who develop mastitis often fear they are at risk of breast cancer, which may either occur alongside mastitis symptoms or mimic them. Careful examination of any symptoms is therefore required to ensure that no cancer is present in the breast.

13 Nov 2011

Mastitis Diagnosis

A diagnosis of mastitis is based on the patient’s symptoms and a breast examination. A sample of the patient’s breast milk may also be taken and sent for analysis.

13 Nov 2011

Mastitis Complications

Mastitis is a painful condition of the breast that usually develops when a woman is breastfeeding.

13 Nov 2011

Mastitis Causes

Milk stasis can develop when the breast is not completely emptied of milk at the end of breastfeeding sessions. This can occur if the baby’s mouth is not properly attaching to the breast during feeding or if feeding sessions are missed or infrequent. Milk stasis can also develop in cases where women favour one breast for feeding because the other nipple is sore or injured, for example.

13 Nov 2011

Mastitis Symptoms

Mastitis refers to inflammation that occurs in the breast, usually in women who are within their first three months of breastfeeding. Mastitis usually only affects one breast and symptoms develop rapidly.

13 Nov 2011

What is Mastitis?

Mastitis is infection of the breast tissue, which causes pain and swelling in the affected breast. Women with this condition may also experience fevers and chills. Usually, the condition affects women who are breast feeding and this is refereed to as lactation mastitis. However, mastitis may also occur in individuals who are not breastfeeding.

13 Nov 2011