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Intestinal malrotation is a developmental anomaly that occasionally causes an unusual array of symptoms in adults. The delay in diagnosis that is common in patients with malrotation frequently results in a ruptured appendix. Appendicitis should be considered when characteristic signs and symptoms are present, even if the location of abdominal pain is atypical.
Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening complication of certain types of bacterial infections. Often toxic shock syndrome results from toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, but the condition may also be caused by toxins produced by group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria. Toxic shock syndrome historically has been associated primarily with the use of superabsorbent tampons. However, since manufacturers pulled certain types of tampons off the market, the incidence of toxic shock syndrome in menstruating women has declined. Toxic shock syndrome can affect men, children and postmenopausal women. Risk factors for toxic shock syndrome include skin wounds and surgery.
Kawasaki disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body, including the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Kawasaki disease is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome because it also affects lymph nodes, skin, and the mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose and throat. Signs of Kawasaki disease, such as a high fever and peeling skin, can be frightening. The good news is that Kawasaki disease is usually treatable, and most children recover from Kawasaki disease without serious problems.
Before the angioplasty procedure begins, you will receive some pain medicine. You may also be given medicine that relaxes you, and blood thinning medicines to prevent a blood clot from forming. You will lie on a padded table. Your doctor will insert a flexible tube (catheter) through a surgical cut into an artery. Sometimes the catheter will be placed in your arm or wrist, or in your upper leg or groin area. You will be awake during the procedure. The doctor will use live x-ray pictures to carefully guide the catheter up into your heart and arteries. Dye will be injected into your body to highlight blood flow through the arteries. This helps the doctor see any blockages in the blood vessels that lead to your heart. A guide wire is moved into and across the blockage. A balloon catheter is pushed over the guide wire and into the blockage. The balloon on the end is blown up (inflated). This opens the blocked vessel and restores proper blood flow to the heart. A wire mesh tube (stent) may then be placed in this blocked area. The stent is inserted along with the balloon catheter. It expands when the balloon is inflated. The stent is left there to help keep the artery open
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disease affecting the digestive system, sweat glands, upper and lower respiratory tracts, and the reproductive tract, but progressive lung disease continues to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality [1]. CF is characterized by abnormal transport of chloride and sodium across the respiratory epithelium, resulting in thickened, viscous airway secretions [2]. Over a highly variable time course ranging from months to decades after birth, individuals eventually develop chronic infection of the respiratory tract with a characteristic array of bacterial flora [3], leading to progressive respiratory insufficiency and eventual respiratory failure. The rate of progression varies widely, depending in part on genotype (including gene modifiers) as well as environmental factors. Registry data from CF Centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe indicate a median survival of about 41 years [4]. Females with CF appear to have higher morbidity and mortality than males [5]. This "gender gap" is modest but consistent across many populations and is hypothesized to be due to the pro-inflammatory effects of estrogens.