Chagas disease is common in South America, Central America and Mexico, the primary home of the triatomine bug. Rare cases of Chagas disease have been found in the southern United States, as well. Also called American trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease can infect anyone, but is diagnosed most often in children.

The birth control shot — also called the Depo shot or Depo Provera — is an effective way to prevent pregnancy. How does the birth control shot work? Find out in this video.

The etiology of BOO is diverse and definitely gender specific. Often anatomic causes induce functional abnormality that remains somewhat unique for each individual, regardless of sex. A full appreciation of the possible etiologies of obstruction is necessary in order to identify overt and more subtle scenarios. In women, iatrogenic causes of obstruction are the most common. Other entities account for far fewer of the cases. The obstruction evaluation in women is somewhat more diverse in terms of modalities used, with no single grouping of techniques that are generally apropos. Individualized evaluation remains a tenet of analysis, and urodynamic criteria used to diagnose BOO in women continue to evolve.

BIG wart blister after freezing with liquid nitrogen

Nosebleeds are common due to the location of the nose on the face, and the large amount of blood vessels in the nose. The most common causes of nosebleeds are drying of the nasal membranes and nose picking (digital trauma), which can be prevented with proper lubrication of the nasal passages and not picking the nose.

surgical procedure used to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. Most tummy tuck patients are dealing with the effects of pregnancies and weight loss and find themselves with loose skin in spite of exercise and weight control. Each year, thousands of Americans undergo a tummy tuck to tone, firm and define the abdominal area.

Cases of some sexually transmitted diseases have reached an all-time high, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2014 to 2015, there was a 6% increase in diagnosed cases of chlamydia and a 13% increase in gonorrhea.

Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette's disorder or simply, "Tourette's") is an abnormal neurological condition characterized by motor and vocal tics. Tics are involuntary, rapid, sudden repetitive movements or sounds. Tics can be classified in a variety of ways. Motor tics can affect any part of the body including the head, neck, face, arms, shoulders, hands, feet, or legs. Facial tics, especially eye blinking, are usually the first symptoms of TS. Vocal tics are sounds that are made involuntarily. Vocal tics can include clearing the throat, coughing, sniffing, grunting, yelping, or shouting. In a few cases, vocal tics can include strange, inappropriate, or obscene words and phrases (called coprolalia). Vocal tics can also appear as constantly repeating the words of others (echolalia).

Psychological counseling can help parents learn to provide an appropriate environment for the child, especially for homework completion. Psychological counseling may also help children and their families deal more effectively with the social and emotional aspects of TS. Counseling can be an important part of treatment and should not be overlooked.

People with lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest the sugar (lactose) in milk. As a result, they have diarrhea, gas and bloating after eating or drinking dairy products. The condition, which is also called lactose malabsorption, is usually harmless, but its symptoms can be uncomfortable. A deficiency of lactase — an enzyme produced in your small intestine — is usually responsible for lactose intolerance. Many people have low levels of lactase but are able to digest milk products without problems. If you're actually lactose intolerant, though, your lactase deficiency leads to symptoms after you eat dairy foods.

The heart's conductions system controls the generation and propagation of electric signals or action potentials causing the hearts muscles to contract and the heart to pump blood.

Tension pneumothorax develops when a lung or chest wall injury is such that it allows air into the pleural space but not out of it (a one-way valve). As a result, air accumulates and compresses the lung, eventually shifting the mediastinum, compressing the contralateral lung, and increasing intrathoracic pressure enough to decrease venous return to the heart, causing shock. These effects can develop rapidly, particularly in patients undergoing positive pressure ventilation.

Dopamine is the one neurotransmitter that everyone seems to know about. Vaughn Bell once called it the Kim Kardashian of molecules, but I don’t think that’s fair to dopamine. Suffice it to say, dopamine’s big. And every week or so, you’ll see a new article come out all about dopamine.

Not all conditions that lead to heart failure can be reversed, but treatments can improve the signs and symptoms of heart failure and help you live longer. Lifestyle changes — such as exercising, reducing salt in your diet, managing stress and losing weight — can improve your quality of life.

Scientists have developed a gene editing technique which targets HIV-1 DNA. Through the technique, scientists successfully edited the virus out the genome in human cells; their study also showed the technique can prevent viral replication in cleared cells. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, the team tested patient cells grown in a lab which were no longer susceptible to HIV infection.

The human heart explained in 1 minute Video by Dr. Mo

A meningioma is a tumor that arises from the meninges — the membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord. Most meningiomas are noncancerous (benign), though rarely a meningioma may be cancerous (malignant). Some meningiomas are classified as atypical, meaning they're neither benign nor malignant but, rather, something in between.

If you’re like me, you probably hook your chest tube up to a Pleur-Evac, put it on the ground, then back away slowly. Who knows what goes on in that mysterious bubbling white box? Hopefully this will post shed some light. Isn’t this just a container for stuff that comes out of the chest? Why does it look so complicated? It’s complicated because the detection/collection of air and fluid require different setups. Most commercial models also allow you to hook the drainage system to wall suction, so you can quickly evacuate the pleural space. This requires its own setup. Because of the need to juggle air, fluid and suction, the most common commercial system includes 3 distinct chambers. If you were to simplify the device, or build one out of spare bottles and tubes, it might look like this:

Millions of sperms are deposited into the vagina during sexual intercourse. The sperms make their way through the cervix into the uterus and then on to the fallopian tubes. As they swim along this way their numbers decline. Only a few hundred sperm will get close to the egg. During the trip, sperm prepare themselves to meet the egg by subtle alterations of their heads and movement patterns. Once inside the fallopian tube, the sperm attracts the egg by releasing a chemical. The egg is surrounded by a protective covering called the zona pellucida, which allows only one sperm to penetrate it. Once inside the egg, the head of the fertilizing sperm releases its genetic contents, which fuses with the nucleus of the egg. Fertilisation is now complete. Sperm are able to survive for 2-3 days within the female's reproductive tract. The length of the time that a woman's egg can be fertilized by a man's sperm ranges from 12-24 hours.

When a deviated septum is severe, it can block one side of your nose and reduce airflow, causing difficulty breathing. The additional exposure of a deviated septum to the drying effect of airflow through the nose may sometimes contribute to crusting or bleeding in certain individuals. Nasal obstruction can occur from a deviated nasal septum, from swelling of the tissues lining the nose, or from both. Treatment of nasal obstruction may include medications to reduce the swelling or nasal dilators that help open the nasal passages. To correct a deviated septum, surgery is necessar