Rabies infections in people are rare in the United States. However, worldwide about 50,000 people die from rabies each year, mostly in developing countries where programs for vaccinating dogs against rabies don't exist. But the good news is that problems can be prevented if the exposed person receives treatment before symptoms of the infection develop.
TELOMERES are to chromosomes what plastic caps are to shoelaces—they stop them fraying at the ends. Unlike shoelaces, though, chromosomes replicate themselves from time to time as the cells they are in divide. This shortens the telomere and, after 50-70 such divisions (a number known as the Hayflick limit, after its discoverer), a chromosome can grow no shorter and the cell it is in can divide no more.
What Is It?
Every second counts when seeking treatment for a stroke. When deprived of oxygen, brain cells begin dying within minutes. There are clot-busting drugs that can curb brain damage, but they have to be used within three hours of the initial stroke symptoms. Once brain tissue has died, the body parts controlled by that area won't work properly. This is why stroke is a top cause of long-term disability.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) occurs when a man has repeated problems sustaining an erection. Without treatment, ED can make sexual intercourse difficult. The condition, sometimes called impotence, affects an estimated 15 million to 30 million men in the U.S. While the topic was once taboo, awareness has skyrocketed with recent advances in treatment for ED.
Elderly people who shop as frequently as every day are more likely to live longer than less frequent shoppers, with men appearing to benefit more from the activity than women, according to a new study from Taiwan published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health recently.
It is not a single disease but a symptom of an underlying condition. Nearly 36 million Americans suffer from this disorder. In almost all cases, only the affected person can hear the noise.
A mother's diet during pregnancy can alter the DNA of her child and increase the risk of obesity, according to researchers.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. But there are conflicting reports about how much alcohol, if any, it is safe for a pregnant woman to drink. New research published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth looked at the amounts of alcohol women drank during their early pregnancy and showed the effect this had on their babies.
The World Health Organization estimates some 2.6 million stillbirths occurred worldwide in 2009, the overwhelming majority in developing countries. This first comprehensive set of estimates appears as part of a series of articles on stillbirths published in the British medical journal, The Lancet.