Treating Essential Tremor

Essential tremor is a condition in which an individual develops a rhythmic, involuntary movement of the hands or other part of the body. It may be progressive or non-progressive. While often mild, it may become more severe as age advances. It is not associated with any neurological or other disease which could be the cause

Drug Metabolism

Drug metabolism is the term used to describe the biotransformation of pharmaceutical substances in the body so that they can be eliminated more easily. The majority of metabolic processes that involve drugs occur in the liver, as the enzymes that facilitate the reactions are concentrated there. Diabetic patient injecting herself with insulin shot at home.

Genetic Testing and Personalized Medicines

Traditional medical practice often applies the same treatments to all patients with the same disease, regardless of genetics and other contributing factors. However, this has many limitations as there are copious factors which contribute to disease, all which affect the effectiveness and safety of drugs. Personalized medicine is an emerging form of treatment which aims

Intracellular Antibody-Mediated Degradation

Intracellular antibody-mediated degradation is a neutralization mechanism for viruses that have entered cells. Antiviral immunity can still be produced after infection because the antibodies remain attached to the virus and mediate an immune response capable of disabling the pathogen. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock Intracellular antibody-mediated degradation is dependent on the intracellular antibody effector

Causes of a Low Sperm Count

Oligospermia is a condition in which the sperm count is below 15 million/ml semen. Many reproductive and non-reproductive causes have been reported, but the cause remains unexplained in most cases. It is the cause of infertility in approximately a third of couples seeking assisted reproductive techniques in order to conceive. Etiology Some common etiologies include:

What is Lymphadenopathy?

Lymphadenopathy refers to the enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, the bean-shaped glands found in the neck, armpits, chest, groin, and abdomen. Lymphadenopathy may occur in just one part of the body, in which case it is referred to as “localized” or it may be present in two or more body areas, in which

Neural Mechanisms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is an adaptive response that is of great benefit to all life forms. It triggers fear learning, i.e., survival instincts that alert an organism to its surroundings and the dangers that prevail in it. However, extreme anxiety that is inappropriate to a circumstance and is prolonged is a negative emotion, labeled as a social

Curettage (Dermatology)

Curettage is the term used to describe surgical scraping, which may be used to clean a body cavity of foreign matter, to remove diseased tissue such as tumors or growths or to obtain a biopsy that can be used for diagnosis. It involves the use of a small, spoon-shaped tool with a very sharp edge

Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocado refers to the fruit of the avocado tree (Persea americana), which is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed. The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree that is native to South Central Mexico, classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. Image Credit: Ninja Artist / Shutterstock The following are

Prostate Cancer Cell Dormancy and Activation

Even though patients can present clear bone scans at the time of diagnosis, it is believed that up to 60% of patients with early-stage cancer have circulating tumor cells. However, the presence of these cells may not always result in the development of additional tumors. Image Credit: Javier Regueiro / Shutterstock What is prostate cancer?

Why do humans have an Appendix?

The appendix is a worm-shaped tube attached to the large intestine in the human body. It is an organ that is credited with very little significance and often removed indiscriminately to avoid complications due to infection. However, modern researchers believe that the appendix has many key functions in the human body and it protects the

Analyzing Mitohormesis

When ingested by humans, micro-doses of toxins result in a positive adaptive immune response in cells and organs, whereas higher-doses have detrimental effects. This biphasic response is known as hormesis and comes from the Greek word which translates as ‘to impel’. There are many examples of hormesis. For example, moderately low consumption of red wine

Blood Clotting Process

Blood flows through the blood vessels to deliver the needed oxygen and nutrients to the different cells in the body. The blood clotting process or coagulation is an important process that prevents excessive building in case the blood vessel becomes injured. It plays a crucial role in repairing blood vessels. What is Blood Clotting? Otherwise

Gram Positive Bacteria

Gram positive bacteria are cells that take up  a purple color in the Gram stain procedure. Their cell wall structure includes a thick peptidoglycan layer and teichoic acids. Credit: Katryna Kon/Shutterstock.com Gram staining was developed in the 1800s as a quick and simple procedure to  distinguish between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. It is

Counterfeit Medications

A counterfeit medication or drug is defined as a pharmaceutical product that is produced and sold with the intention to deceive the consumer about the origin, authenticity or efficacy of the product. This has the potential to be dangerous for consumers as the formulation may contain unusual ingredients or quantities of the ingredients, which can

Urine Analysis / Urinalysis

Urine analysis, also known as urinalysis, encompasses all the analytical tests carried out on a urine sample. It usually involves three forms of analysis: Physical – Assessment of the color, cloudiness and concentration of the urine Chemical – Examination of the chemical constituents of the urine using a test strip Microscopic – this allows one

Hiring the Right Pharmacy Team

A quality team of employees working in a pharmacy is an important factor in providing the best medical care to patients and ensuring the pharmacy is able to run effectively. However, hiring the right people can be a stressful process for many pharmacy owners and managers because there are many different details about the candidates’

What is Actinic Cheilitis?

Cheilitis is a state of inflamed lips that happens due to three factors—infection of the lip and skin conditions, nutritional deficiency, or allergy, toxin, medication, and injury. The lip surface consists of hairy skin, vermilion border, oral mucosa, and vermilion. The vermilion part of the inferior or lower lip becomes dry, cracked, diffused, and inflamed

What is Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera has been widely used as a potent natural remedy for a lot of conditions, including insect bites. What is Aloe vera? Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) is a succulent plant used in alternative medicine. With a total of 420 various plant species of Aloe vera, it has been popular in Indian medicine for

Eyelid Cancer Surgery

The primary treatment for most eyelid tumors involves surgical excision or other forms of surgical removal. The type of surgical procedure chosen depends upon: The type of cancer (squamous cell carcinomas require a larger margin of excision and possibly adjuvant therapy, compared to basal cell carcinomas) The tumor characteristics: Size Location Stage Primary or recurrent