Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a rare, severe type of hemorrhagic fever which affects both humans and non-human primates. Caused by a genetically unique zoonotic (that is, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family, its recognition led to the creation of this virus family. The four species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.
Vitamin E is one of the most widely used supplements, taken regularly by nearly a quarter of adults ages 55 and over. But recent research suggests that it may not do as much good in preventing cancer and other diseases as once thought, and it might actually cause harm.
Warts, also called verrucas, are small growths caused by human Papilloma viruses. The viruses invade skin cells and encourage them to multiply thus creating thickened areas of skin. Warts usually occur on the hands or feet and are generally harmless. However, some types affect the genitals and are more serious. Thus the source of infection is other infected individuals. These occur both in adults and children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a new device that is intended to prevent ruptures of descending thoracic aneurysms by making a new path for blood flow. The GORE TAG Endoprosthesis System is the first endovascular grafting system approved to treat aneurysms of the thoracic aorta, the main artery that carries blood in the body.
As part of an agency-wide initiative to speed development of new medical products through the science of pharmacogenomics, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final guidance titled “Pharmacogenomic Data Submissions.”
Mice that lack a protein made by the PCSK9 gene have only half the “bad” cholesterol of normal mice, which researchers say may lead to new drugs for humans.
The proportion of U.S. women who develop diabetes during pregnancy — that is, gestational diabetes — appears to be increasing, which may be a reflection of the well-documented obesity epidemic, researchers from Denver report.
Acupuncture and exercise can help relieve pelvic pain during pregnancy, Swedish researchers said.
More than 2 out of 5 infertile women would use technology that enables them to choose the sex of their unborn babies if it were freely available, a survey shows.
Gerontology is the study of old age, stressing the social and behavioral looks of aging. Although aging is a lifelong process and changes in its effects on individual people, old age has been generally stated as beginning at the age of 65.