Increase in rates of Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD)

In the past few decades, the rates of Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) have skyrocketed. With this increase, however, there has been little explanation, in turn resulting in massive amounts of speculation regarding the cause. Whether it be a man looking for attention, persons personally affected by the disorder, or the scientific community, a wide variety … Read more

Inborn error of metabolism (IEM)

The term “inborn error of metabolism (IEM)” was firstly presented by Sir Archibald E. Garrod, in the 1908 during his studies on alkaptonuria (1). Since then, the number of diseases caused by IEM has increased, due to new identification techniques for the various biochemical phenotypes, and, since then, more than five hundred different IEM have … Read more

Identifying and treating nail fungus

And so it begins. A white or a yellow dot under your nail, eventually causing its discoloration and distortion. Affecting approximately 10% of the American population, nail fungus is an infection that is easy to get and more difficult to cure, given the fact that nails grow slowly and the fungus is stuck under the … Read more

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a condition, which can be caused by a brain injury, or abnormal brain development that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing. The onset of Cerebral Palsy can happen before, during, or immediately after birth. Cerebral Palsy primarily affects fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning. Further more, … Read more

Evidence Based Public Health – Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s ability to produce insulin is impaired. According to the World Health Organization, 422 million people were diagnosed with diabetes in 2014 and 1.5 million deaths were caused by diabetes. By 2030, it is projected that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death (World Health Organization, … Read more

Perioperative cardiac risk assessment

This patient is presenting for elective orthopaedic surgery with increased risk factors for coronary artery disease. His risk factors for underlying coronary disease and increased cardiac risk factors are: Active smoking Hypertension Hyperlipidaemia Type 2 diabetes Lack of physical activity In addition to identifying pre-existing cardiac disease it is also important to define the severity … Read more

Stages of stress from birth to adolescence

In medical terms, the definition of stress is most clearly described as the body’s reaction to stimulus, which creates mental and physical effects on equilibrium in the body. Most thoughts when talking about stress are automatically referred to adults and their day to day schedules. However this statement is not true. Despite these false allegations, … Read more

Genetic markers in Type II diabetes mellitus among Indian population

Abstract Present review is written to relate the various genetic markers in type II Diabetes Mellitus(DM) among Indian population.Genes play a vital role in the development of Diabetes Mellitus. Type II diabetes is often a polygenic disorder with multiple genes located on different chromosomes being associated with this condition which include  environmental factors which also … Read more

Dietary fibre and the risk of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in males and the second in females worldwide (Torre et al., 2015). There were approximately 1.4 million cases of colorectal cancer, and 693,900 deaths in 2012, with the incidence rate being higher in men compared to women (Torre et al., 2015). Colorectal cancer is most prevalent … Read more

HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South Africa is an extremely unique country with their history of apartheid and democracy coming soon after. But, no one really knows what to expect next of the “Rainbow Nation”.  One troubling factor the country cannot seem to shake is the unprecedented HIV/AIDS epidemic. South Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world … Read more

Dr. Omalu – Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

In September of 2002, Dr. Bennet Omalu met the corpse of the National Football League (NFL)  player, Mike Webster. What Dr. Omalu did not realize is,  Mr. Webster would help him change the NFL and medical world forever. On September 24, 2002, Steelers’ Offensive lineman, Mike Webster, died of what doctors considered “a heart attack”. … Read more

Syphilis – a devastating disease

When most people think of life-threatening or life-shortening sexually transmitted diseases, they immediately think of HIV or AIDS. However, there are certain circumstances where even the most common STD’s can lead to death or life-shortening consequences. A good example of this is syphilis. Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by spirochete Treponema pallidum and is … Read more

Validity and reliability of a Portuguese Version of the SXI

Abstract OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to validate and determine the reliability of a Portuguese version of the Summated Xerostomia Inventory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which employed volunteers suffering from hyposalivation. Each patient responded to the Portuguese version of the questionnaire in the form of an interview. This … Read more

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC)

In the last decade renal tumors incidence increased especially renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Following RCC incidence rate per year is approximately 20%. Many subtypes of RCC should be considered for their clinical importance, variable prognosis and variable management strategy because they have different prognosis and subsequently require different management plans. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma … Read more