News Medical's "MediKnowledge" series is a selection of articles written by experts who have been invited as recognized leaders in their fields to offer opinions within the confines of their area of medical expertise.
Even if you didn’t read the Associated Press report on the “weak evidence” supporting flossing last month, you likely saw parts of the media storm that followed it and continue to roll in. A myriad of articles from journalists either backing up or shutting down the claim that there is no benefit to flossing. Tweets and Facebook posts from patients who were either grateful to never have to pick up a string of floss again, or defending their nightly regimen and pointing out their gum health.
William Coley is the grandfather of immunotherapy. He developed extracts of bacteria to treat patients, particularly children, with sarcoma.
Having been an audiologist for many years now, often the first comment made by members of the public when discussing tinnitus is “I know there is nothing you can do about it and I just have to learn to live with it”.
Sarcomas are rare tumours of connective tissue, and as a result they can affect any part of the body.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a debilitating and fatal lung disease that affects approximately 3 million people worldwide.
While many are familiar with type 2 diabetes, few are aware of prediabetes, a condition that affects 86 million Americans and often leads to type 2 diabetes.
Since 1 in 4 deaths in the UK are related to a heart or circulatory disease, addressing heart health is a concern of national importance. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men over 50, and an estimated 7 million of us are living with an undiagnosed risk factor – high blood pressure.
Demodex mites are one of the most challenging problems that ophthalmologists and optometrists face in the routine care of their patients.
Cepheid Inc., produces Xpert MTB/RIF, which is an automated, fast test for TB using molecular diagnostics. Compared to the standard test for TB in developing countries, sputum smear microscopy, it is considerably more accurate.
Giving birth is one of life’s most exciting events – one that many women want to experience with family members and capture on video. But the desire to share the delivery with others has resulted, in some cases, in a crowded delivery room of supportive (and occasionally fainting) observers.
Smoking damages nearly every organ in the body. Whilst most people are familiar of its association with lung cancer, stroke and heart disease, it also has profound effects on the body’s largest organ – skin.
While on holiday, many people opt to have a ‘fun’ temporary henna tattoo applied when they’re on the beach, by the pool or when at a festival. These are often advertised as ‘black henna’ temporary tattoos (BHTT), but there is no such thing as ‘black henna’: true henna extract is orange-red in colour.
Nitrous oxide has been used for over 100 years to manage pain during medical procedures. In numerous countries in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand, it is common to use nitrous oxide as an option in laboring women, in order to help them cope with pain. But although nitrous oxide was once available for labor in the United States, its popularity diminished in the 1970s with the advent of the epidural.
The role of an occupational therapist is often not fully understood, or is confused with the role of a physical therapist. What’s the differentiator? Cue the “your life by design” approach.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is now widely recognised as the second most common type of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer disease.
Endometriosis is a common yet poorly understood illness that affects women of reproductive age and is often under and misdiagnosed. It is believed that endometrial cells that normally line the uterus grow outside the uterus, attaching to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the lining of the pelvic cavity.
Anaphylaxis is the most extreme form of severe allergic reactions which can be life threatening and requires emergency medical treatment. It can affect anyone of any age, sex, race and stature.
The most common misconception held about art therapy, is that it involves the therapist interpreting the artwork, and deciphering and unravelling the meanings hidden within; on the contrary, it is the creator of the image, not the therapist, who has this pleasure. The role of the therapist is primarily an insightfully enabling one.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to as many as a third of injury-related deaths. When a patient presents to the emergency department with a TBI in isolation or as part of multi-system injury, he or she is stabilized, evaluated and a treatment plan is determined.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called antibiotic resistance one of the biggest threats to human health today - and international travel is contributing to the problem.