To diagnose COPD, your doctor will probably do the following tests: Medical history and physical exam. These will give your doctor important information about your health. Lung function testsLung function tests, including an FEV1 test. These tests measure the amount of air in your lungs and the speed at which air moves in and out. Spirometry is the most important of these tests. Chest X-rayChest X-ray. This helps rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, such as lung cancer.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is defined as progressive, chronic airflow obstruction due to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. The majority of patients have components of both, although one of these entities will frequently dominate the clinical picture. Emphysema�airspace enlargement distal to the terminal bronchioles due to destruction of alveolar septa. Chronic bronchitis�chronic airway inflammation and bronchospasm. Clinically defined as productive cough lasting for at least 3 mo over 2 consecutive years. Although COPD is irreversible, patients with acute exacerbations do have reversible bronchospastic and inflammatory components.

These are amazing 100 facts about the human body, see how many you know!

An enlarged spleen may cause: No symptoms in some cases. Pain or fullness in the left upper abdomen that may spread to the left shoulder. Feeling full without eating or after eating only a small amount from the enlarged spleen pressing on your stomach. Anemia. Fatigue. Frequent infections. Easy bleeding.

The principal signs of cerebellar dysfunction are the following: Ataxia: unsteadiness or incoordination of limbs, posture, and gait. A disorder of the control of force and timing of movements leading to abnormalities of speed, range, rhythm, starting, and stopping.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the brain and spinal cord. Early MS symptoms include weakness, tingling, numbness, and blurred vision. Other signs are muscle stiffness, thinking problems, and urinary problems. Treatment can relieve MS symptoms and delay disease progression.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), in which there is a persistent communication between the descending thoracic aorta and the pulmonary artery that results from failure of normal physiologic closure of the fetal ductus (see image below), is one of the more common congenital heart defects.

3D animation video of Varicose Veins Sclerotherapy Treatment

Sinus infections caused by viruses can use home (over-the-counter, OTC) treatments such as pain and fever medications (acetaminophen [Tylenol]), decongestants, and mucolytics. In addition, some health-care professionals suggest nasal irrigation or a sinus rinse solution to help relieve symptoms of sinus infections, even chronic sinusitis symptoms.

Watch as this wireless brain implant allows a paralyzed monkey to walk again

A giant abdominal wall hernia can develop from an existing ventral or incisional hernia, sometimes arising after one or more failed repair attempts. These hernias may also result from a traumatic injury where the abdomen was required to be left open and healing was delayed. In giant abdominal wall hernias, multiple loops of intestines and sometimes other abdominal organs reside within the hernia sac. The abdominal wall muscles then become conditioned to this and retract reducing the available space inside the abdomen.

Beating Heart during surgery

Most babies will move into delivery position a few weeks prior to birth, with the head moving closer to the birth canal. When this fails to happen, the baby’s buttocks and/or feet will be positioned to be delivered first. This is referred to as “breech presentation.” Breech births occur in approximately 1 out of 25 full-term births.

MRI scan of a 23-week-pregnancy

A patient suffering from Diabetic gangrene and maneged by "myiasis"

This device could save thousands of lives from heart failure.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by flukes (trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. After malaria and intestinal helminthiasis, schistosomiasis is the third most devastating tropical disease in the world, being a major source of morbidity and mortality for developing countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. (See Epidemiology and Prognosis.) [1] More than 207 million people, 85% of who live in Africa, are infected with schistosomiasis, [1] and an estimated 700 million people are at risk of infection in 76 countries where the disease is considered endemic, as their agricultural work, domestic chores, and recreational activities expose them to infested water. [1, 2] Globally, 200,000 deaths are attributed to schistosomiasis annually. [3] Transmission is interrupted in some countries. [2] (See Etiology and Epidemiology.)

Check out the remarkable bond between the mother and her baby.

To understand congenital heart defects, it's helpful to know how a healthy heart works. Your child's heart is a muscle about the size of his or her fist. The heart works like a pump and beats 100,000 times a day. The heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side of the heart receives the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body. The heart has four chambers and four valves and is connected to various blood vessels. Veins are blood vessels that carry blood from the body to the heart. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the body.

This coating prevents blood from sticking on medical devices