According to the World Health Organization, a mind-boggling 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 (or 67% of the world’s population) are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (see below). If you ever have had a fever blister or cold sore, you have been most likely infected with the HSV-1 virus.
The COVID-19 drama continues to have twists and confusions. Recent guidelines promulgated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on May 13, 2021 have raised questions concerning the appropriateness of wearing masks indoors and in public.
“Exercise is “good for you.” How many times have you heard that? Others announce; you need a “balanced program” that includes muscle strengthening, bone strengthening stretching and aerobic—cardio activities. But how do you make sense of and begin a balanced exercise program? How many steps are enough, what muscle groups should be strengthened or how hard and how often should you work out? People opine about the many benefits of exercise; but what are they?
There is a definite need for better control of high blood pressure in the United States. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), “roughly 39 million Americans are at risk for serious health issues due to uncontrolled high blood pressure,” which includes an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, vision loss and kidney disease.
Sitting at a computer all day is roughly equivalent to you sitting in an airplane that flies from New York to Paris. If you took your shoes off during the flight, you may have experienced difficulty putting them on because of swollen feet and ankles.
Every year millions of infants (6% of worldwide births) are born with serious birth defects. In the United States, birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality accounting for one in every 5 infant deaths. They afflict about three per cent of the babies born in the US.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disease that’s passed down from parent to child. This genetic disorder causes the body to make abnormal red blood cells (RBC’s). Hemoglobin is the protein in the RBC’s that delivers oxygen to all parts of the body and sends carbon dioxide to the lungs to be exhaled from the body.
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier have ignited a scientific revolution. In 2020, both shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their pioneering work in gene editing (also called genome editing or genetic engineering). This innovative technology, CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to more easily and accurately repair or enhance an organism’s faulty DNA.
A cardiac stress test evaluates the health of the heart. Sometimes called a treadmill stress test, it contrasts how the heart functions at rest compared to how it functions with activity. Either a treadmill or a stationary bicycle is commonly used by the person to put the heart under increased, physical stress.
Among the several hundred coronaviruses, seven cause human disease. Four of them cause mild symptoms such as the common cold. However, three of them have emerged in this century and globally to bring about severe illness and deaths.