Rheumatoid Arthritis by Lisa Jimas
My mother was diagnosed at age 40, they sat me down in a room and said she would be crippled by the time she was 50. I must say, this year she is turning 62 and is not crippled. She does have rheumatic nodules on her elbows and the deformation of her hands and feet […]
Assessment of the Biological Effects of Smoking Cigarettes by Jessie Kuehler
Cigarette smoking can have major negative biological effects on the human body. It is common knowledge that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also cause many other types of cancer as well. Along with cancer, smoking can also cause disease. The poisons from cigarette smoke can most commonly cause cardiovascular disease and respiratory […]
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Laura Gaynor
Living with COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease causes suffering for a person and also shortens a person’s lifespan. COPD is an umbrella term that describes lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis (What Exactly is COPD). Ninety percent of cases diagnosed for COPD are caused by inhaling cigarette smoke (Plenty of People Get COPD) over […]
Biological Effects of Ethyl Alcohol by Derrick Brauner
Ethyl Alcohol also known as Ethanol and commonly referred to as alcohol, grain alcohol, or spirits has for ages been used for medicinal purposes as well as for pleasurable consumption, often consumed within specific social contexts and is used within ceremonies of many of the world’s religions. Alcohol’s molecular formula is C2H5OH, which is one […]
Sickle Cell Anemia by Tiffany Hawkins
The National Institutes of Health explains that Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic disease where the sickle hemoglobin gene is passed down from both parents to the child. According to the Mayo Clinic, the abnormal gene that is passed down from each parent creates a “condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells […]
CONGENITAL HEART DISORDER: AORTIC STENOSIS by SHEENA PATEL
Eight out of every 1000 newborns arrive with mild to severe congenital heart defects. These defects are abnormalities in the heart’s structure that are present at birth, which develops during the earlier weeks of pregnancy. Some are related to genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, but the cause of most congenital disorders is unknown. These […]
Shingles by Chelsea Godwin
Shingles are caused by the varicella-zoster virus; which is the same virus that causes chicken pox. This viral infection causes an extremely painful skin rash that can appear anywhere on the body; although, it most commonly appears on either side of the torso. After one gets chicken pox, this virus remains inactive in the body […]
Fetal Circulation by Kayla Colona
The fetal circulatory system works differently than it does after birth. The placenta is the organ that develops during the pregnancy and is implanted into the endometrium of the mother’s uterus. The fetus gets all of its nutrients, oxygen, and life support because the umbilical vein transports it through the placenta to the fetal body. […]
Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy by Emily Greer
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is the third most common human myopathy affecting approximately 1 in every 20,000 people. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is in most cases an inherited autosomal dominant pattern disease characterized by muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy). Generally, an affected person inherits the deletion from one affected parent, although there are cases where there is […]
What is Post Polio Syndrome? by Kristen Coleman
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is an illness that causes symptoms to reappear in individuals who had recovered from polio decades earlier. After recovering from polio, some survivors find themselves afflicted again, facing a serious condition called post-polio syndrome. PPS is a condition in the nervous system that affects muscles and nerves. What are the symptoms of […]