Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death due to fires. It produces injury through several mechanisms, including thermal injury to the upper airway, irritation or chemical injury to the airways from soot, asphyxiation, and toxicity from carbon monoxide (CO) and other gases such as cyanide.

Helping Babies Born with Drug Addiction. see to learn more

New dental fillings could allow your teeth to heal themselves.

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.

Hemothorax is the presence of blood in the pleural space. The source of blood may be the chest wall, lung parenchyma, heart, or great vessels. Although some authors state that a hematocrit value of at least 50% is necessary to differentiate a hemothorax from a bloody pleural effusion, most do not agree on any specific distinction. Hemothorax is usually a consequence of blunt or penetrating trauma. Much less commonly, it may be a complication of disease, may be iatrogenically induced, [1] or may develop spontaneously. [2] Prompt identification and treatment of traumatic hemothorax is an essential part of the care of the injured patient. The upright chest radiograph is the ideal primary diagnostic study in the evaluation of hemothorax (see Workup). In cases of hemothorax unrelated to trauma, a careful investigation for the underlying source must be performed while treatment is provided.

CIN is a rare disorder and occurs when kidney problems are caused by the use of certain contrast dyes. In most cases contrast dyes used in tests, such as CT (computerized tomography) and angiograms, have no reported problems. About 2 percent of people receiving dyes can develop CIN. However, the risk for CIN can increase for people with diabetes, a history of heart and blood diseases, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). For example, the risk of CIN in people with advanced CKD (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 30 mL/min/1.73m2), increases to 30 to 40 percent. The risk of CIN in people with both CKD and diabetes is 20 to 50 percent.

Diuretics, sometimes called water pills, help rid your body of salt (sodium) and water. Most work by making your kidneys release more sodium into your urine. The sodium then takes water with it from your blood. That decreases the amount of fluid flowing through your blood vessels, which reduces pressure on your vessel walls.

There have been rapid and remarkable changes over the recent past in treating Parkinson's disease. The development of new drugs and an understanding of how best to use them and the older drugs have significantly improved the quality of life of people with the disease. There are two general approaches to the treatment of Parkinson's disease with medication. The first approach attempts to increase the levels of dopamine in the brain and the second approach attempts to improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease by other means. Most patients with Parkinson's disease can initially be treated with drugs that adequately alleviate their symptoms. If or when medications are not sufficiently effective, new, highly effective and safe surgical treatments are also available.

A diagnosis of sarcoidosis is established on the basis of compatible clinical and radiologic findings and histologic evidence of the presence of noncaseous epithelioid cell granulomas in one or more organs and the absence of causative organisms or particulates (16). Granulomas of known causes and local sarcoidlike reactions must be excluded. Granulomatous lesions may result from many conditions, including tuberculosis, berylliosis, leprosy, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, Crohn disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, and fungal disease. Moreover, local sarcoidlike reactions may be seen in lymph nodes that drain a neoplasm or a site of chronic inflammation (19). Such reactions also have been seen in patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapy (23). If biopsy of lymph nodes or pulmonary or pleural tissue is necessary for diagnosis, one of three techniques may be used: transbronchial biopsy, CT-guided biopsy, or surgical biopsy (24). The use of a surgical technique may be warranted when the results of biopsy with another procedure are not definitive and biopsy of mediastinal lymph nodes, lung, or both is required. This can generally be done with minimally invasive procedures, such as cervical mediastinoscopy, the Chamberlain procedure (a parasternal minithoracotomy for biopsy of the aortopulmonary window or para-aortic nodes), or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical biopsy (25).

The Steri-Strip™ brand offers an extended line of adhesive skin closures to meet your needs. Our versatile, cost-saving, non-invasive Steri-Strips™ have many applications and come in a variety of sizes. Options include reinforced, elastics, "blend-tone," an antimicrobial and a waterproof wound closure system.

A cataract is a cloudiness of the normally transparent lens that is situated behind the iris. The lens focuses light rays on the retina at the back of the eye to produce a sharp image of what we see. When the lens becomes cloudy, the light rays cannot pass easily through it, and the image becomes blurry. It would be equivalent to having the lens in your camera becoming murky.

Hiatal hernias occur when contents of the abdominal cavity protrude through the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm. Factors that contribute to the development of a hiatal hernia include an enlargement of the esophageal hiatus due to developmental defects, an increased abdominal thoracic pressure gradient, and the depletion of elastic fibers in the phrenoesophageal membrane with aging. There are four different types of hiatal hernias and management varies depending on the type. Type I, also known as a sliding hernia, is a simple displacement of the gastroesophageal junction into the thoracic cavity. The stomach remains in the abdominal cavity. This is the most common type of hiatal hernia, accounting for about 95% of all hiatal hernias. Types II-IV are classified as paraesophageal hernias. Type II occurs when the gastroesophageal junction maintains its position but the gastric fundus herniates through the diaphragmatic hiatus. Type III has both the gastroesophageal junction and the stomach herniate above the diaphragm. When more than 30% of the stomach is herniated into the thoracic cavity, it is termed a “giant” paraesophageal hernia. A patient has a type IV hernia when other organs, such as the colon, in addition to the stomach herniate above the diaphragm.

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Smoking kills, but what exactly is smoking doing to your body that kills it?

First, the damaged cartilage is cleaned out. Then the new cells are put into place, secured with a special membrane sewn over the defective area. Within six hours, the new cells cling to the damaged area and begin to grow.

This procedure describes proximal humeral fracture fixation with an angular stable plate (A). Sometimes, these implants are not available. Standard plates provide an alternative option, for example the modified cloverleaf plate (B). Presently, the specific indications, advantages, and disadvantages of angular stable and standard plates are being clarified. There is some evidence that angular stable plate provide better outcomes. In addition to type and technique of fixation, the quality of reduction, the soft-tissue handling, and the characteristics of the injury and patient significantly influence the results. There is no evidence that the use of angular stable plates will overcome these other factors.

Reactive arthritis is a painful form of inflammatory arthritis (joint disease due to inflammation). It occurs in reaction to an infection by certain bacteria. Most often, these bacteria are in the genitals (Chlamydia trachomatis) or the bowel (Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia). Chlamydia most often transmits by sex. It often has no symptoms, but can cause a pus-like or watery discharge from the genitals. The bowel bacteria can cause diarrhea. If you develop arthritis within one month of diarrhea or a genital infection – especially with a discharge – see a health care provider. You may have reactive arthritis. - See more at: https://www.rheumatology.org/i-am-a/patient-caregiver/diseases-conditions/reactive-arthritis#sthash.PukaaQhj.dpuf

Brain Dissections & Meninges

Most minor cuts can be treated at home -- but do you know when you should see a doctor?

The Watchman can be inserted in less than an hour and could save your life.