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What Causes Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are a manifestation of venous insufficiency.

10 Feb 2010

What is Head Trauma?

Head trauma refers to any damage to the scalp, skull or brain caused by head injury.

10 Feb 2010

A Cerebral Aneurysm is a focal abnormality of the wall of an artery that lead to the formation of outpouchings most commonly at the level of arterial bifurcations. Intracranially they are mainly found at the base of the brain, along medium-sized arteries of the circle of Willis. They may be classified according to aetiology, location or morphology.

10 Feb 2010

What is Encephalitis?

Encephalitis is a relatively rare condition that causes inflammation of the brain. Initial symptoms usually include high temperature, headache and joint pain but as the infection progresses, more dangerous symptoms may start to develop and include the following...

10 Feb 2010

What is a Spinal Cord Injury?

The spinal cord is one long, thin bundle of nerves that spans the length of the back carrying nervous impulses to and from various parts of the body to the brain.

10 Feb 2010

What are Helminths?

Helminths are parasitic worms that cause a wide variety of infectious diseases, some of which involve the musculoskeletal system. Helminths may be classified into nematodes or roundworms, trematodes or flatworms, and cestodes or tapeworms.

10 Feb 2010

What is Lowe's Syndrome?

Lowe’s syndrome - also known as the cerebrooculorenal syndrome, the oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe, and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-5-phosphatase deficiency - represents a very rare multisystem disorder that affects the eye, the central nervous system, and the kidneys.

10 Feb 2010

What is Hodgkin's Disease?

Hodgkin's Disease (or Hodgkin lymphoma) is an uncommon cancer that occurs in the lymphatic system. It arises when developing lymphocytes develop a malignant characteristic which results in their dysregulated multiplication. These abnormal lymphocytes (called lymphoma cells) then form tumors in the lymphatic system and may progress to metastasis.

10 Feb 2010

What is Cryptococcosis?

The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans typically lives in soil but is also found in pigeon droppings. Generally the disease is acquired by inhaling contaminated dust although a large number of patients with immunosuppression develop disseminated cryptococcosis. Clinically patients may be asymptomatic or exhibit symptoms such as cough, fever, weight loss, haemoptysis and dyspnoea.

10 Feb 2010

What is Hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus refers to a build-up of fluid within the brain. This accumulated fluid places increased pressure on the brain, which can cause brain damage.

10 Feb 2010

What is Neurofibromatosis?

Neurofibromatosis describes a group of genetic conditions that lead to the growth of tumors along the nerves. In the majority of cases, these tumors are benign but they can become cancerous in some cases.

10 Feb 2010

What is Cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscles which may cause them to become enlarged and inflamed. Inflamed muscles become stretched, weak, less efficient at pumping blood and less able to maintain a normal electrical pattern. This can eventually lead to heart failure. While patients with mild cardiomyopathy may lead a near-normal life, those with severe heart failure may require a heart transplant to survive.

10 Feb 2010

What is a Barium Enema?

A barium enema, in principle, is similar to a barium meal or barium follow-through but is used specifically to obtain X-ray images of the large intestine. Unlike the barium meal and follow through procedures where a patient swallows the barium solution, the barium enema involves insertion of a small tube via the anus into the colon where the liquid is then infused.

10 Feb 2010

What is a Barium Meal?

A barium meal is a diagnostic test used to detect abnormalities of the esophagus, stomach and small bowel using X-ray imaging. X-rays can only highlight bone and other radio-opaque tissues and would not usually enable visualization of soft tissue. However, infusion of the contrast medium barium sulfate, a radioopaque salt, coats the lining of the digestive tract, allowing accurate X-ray imaging of this part of the abdomen.

10 Feb 2010

What is Angiography?

Angiography involves the use of x-ray imaging to examine blood vessels. The images generated during an angiography procedure are known as angiograms.

10 Feb 2010

An Overview of X-Linked Disorders and X Chromosome Aneuploidies

Numerical abnormalities of the X chromosome, including Klinefelter’s and Turner syndromes, have significant health implications and require targeted support.

10 Feb 2010

What is the X Chromosome?

There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body. This includes 22 pairs of autosomal or somatic chromosomes that are common to both men and women and one chromosome that differs according to what gender a person is (sex chromosomes).

10 Feb 2010

Y Chromosome Evolution

The Y chromosome is responsible for determining male gender in mammals. The Y chromosome contains the SRY gene, which is necessary for the development of the testes in males. Without this gene, no testes would develop and a fetus would grow into a female. The Y chromosome is extremely quick to evolve, with the human Y chromosome differing from that of a chimpanzee by 30%.

10 Feb 2010

What is the Y Chromosome?

There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body which include 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes that are common to both men and women and one pair of sex chromosomes that determine an individual’s gender (the X chromosome and the Y chromosome).

10 Feb 2010