INTRODUCTION Well, gout is not really the disease of kings, at least not anymore. These days people of all classes are susceptible to the ravages of this painful malady. The purpose of this article is to review the disease from its history, its cause, symptoms and treatment. The word gout comes from the Latin Term gutta which means ‘drop’ as it was thought that diseased material was deposited or ‘dropped’ in the joints. It was likely the best observation that could be made

Did you know that 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s in 2025 and this number is expected to triple by 2050? What is Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)? Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. It is a progressive neurological brain disease characterized by accumulation of beta amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles that causes irreversible brain damage. The part of the brain first affected by this disease is associated with learning and memory. Hence the early

Our immune system wields immense power, but things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes it tries to help and succeeds. Other times, it fails and makes things worse. Gamma delta T-Cells are extremely effective at detecting and killing cancer cells. But certain subsets release IL-17, and depending on the type of cancer, that can make things worse.

The urea cycle detoxifies ammonia by converting it to urea, with arginase-1 catalyzing the final step: hydrolysis of arginine to urea and ornithine. Argininemia (arginase-1 deficiency) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by pathogenic variants in ARG1 that markedly reduce enzyme activity. Loss of arginase function limits nitrogen excretion, leading to progressive hyperargininemia, accumulation of neurotoxic guanidino compounds, and variable hyperammonemia. Unlike pr

Introduction Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, life-threatening disorder characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. For years, standard treatments acted primarily as vasodilators—opening up blood vessels to improve flow. However, these therapies often managed symptoms without addressing the underlying structural changes in the pulmonary vessels. Sotatercept (marketed as Winrevair) represents a fundamental shift in this therapeutic

​A healthy pregnant Black woman smiling gently while cradling her baby bump in a sunlit, modern nursery. She is wearing a comfortable white maternity dress, representing maternal wellness and a positive pregnancy experience. Finding out you’re pregnant is a life-altering moment often followed by a flood of questions. In an era of conflicting influencer advice, thud blog will provide clarity through the latest clinical consensus. Whether you are in your first five weeks or you

In clinical medicine, it’s easy to assume that if two patients receive the same diagnosis and the same prescription, their outcomes should look similar. In reality, that’s rarely the case. Some patients respond immediately to treatment, while others see little benefit or experience unexpected side effects. While genetics and lifestyle are often cited as explanations, another factor is gaining attention for its quiet but also very significant role: the gut microbiome. The gut

Understanding the Link Between Sleep and Hormones Sleep is a biological process that involves an active state of unconsciousness of the body where the brain is relatively in a state of rest and reacts primarily to internal stimuli 1 Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, which also includes how nerve cells communicate with each other. Your brain and body usually stay active while you sleep. Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes

By Stephen Beesley What is Cell and Gene Therapy? Cell and gene therapy (CGT) are advanced medical approaches that can treat a variety of diseases that derive from an underlying genetic dysfunction (could be either DNA or RNA). Gene therapy delivers genetic material (DNA or RNA) into a patient’s cells to correct or compensate for faulty genes, often using viral vectors such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lipid nanoparticles (LNP). This kind of therapy aims for a one-and

Gardening as one volunteer option Opening Paragraph If you're retired, soon to be joining this illustrious group, or know someone who is, you'll want to consider where and how you will spend your time when you no longer have an official job to go to each day. Retirement can bring much needed stress-reduction, and an opportunity to focus on what matters most to you. Many say, they are busier after they retire, then when they needed to report to work each day. The fact is there

By Jennifer Navarro MSN, RN, NPD-BC Hypertension High blood pressure, also called hypertension (HTN), is a very common health issue in the United States, affecting both men and women about equally. The reasons people develop high blood pressure are complicated, and it can happen to anyone, but it tends to be more severe and starts at a younger age in African American communities, often leading to more health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventio

Nowadays, medical approaches evolve quite fast, as many investments and efforts are put in place in biomedical sciences research to improve patients' health and therapies success. In recent years, an innovative approach called CRISPR-Cas9 had advanced our success in correcting the development of several genetic diseases. In this article it will be described what CRISPR-Cas9 is, how it works and a recent case study of how this lab technique has been used to remove the extra ch

Sarah Bersey BSc (Hons) Pg Dip If you are suffering from blurred vision, particularly temporary blurredness that clears after blinking, and/or light sensitivity/p hotophobia (where bright lights can feel harsh or uncomfortable) or eye discomfort in general, it could be worth finding out about Dry Eye Disease (DED). Background On The Eye: https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work/how-tears-work How Do Tears Work? When you blink, tears sprea

“I’m just tired.” A 21-year-old college student keeps cancelling plans. She sleeps for eight hours but wakes up exhausted. Her hair seems thinner than before, her nails break easily, and climbing a single flight of stairs leaves her breathless. Friends tell her she is overthinking. Family members say she is lazy or stressed. She starts believing them. She is not lazy. She is iron deficient. Approximately one in three women of reproductive age (15-49 years) worldwide is affect

Pelvic floor disorders affect millions of women, yet they remain some of the most under-discussed conditions in healthcare. Issues such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and chronic pelvic pain are often dismissed as a “normal” part of aging, childbirth, or womanhood itself. In reality, these conditions are common, treatable, and deeply connected to quality of life. Urogynecology, a subspecialty that focuses on pelvic floor health, sits at the intersection of wo

Why “High Cholesterol” Is More Serious Than It Sounds Many people casually say they have “high cholesterol,” usually followed by advice to cut down on oily foods. What often gets missed is that this simple phrase describes a medical condition called dyslipidemia, one of the leading risk factors for heart disease and stroke worldwide. Dyslipidemia rarely causes pain or obvious warning signs. That silence is exactly why it is dangerous. Problems can build quietly in the blood v

What is Prediabetes? Prediabetes is when you at a high risk of type 2 diabetes, where your blood sugars are high, but not high enough to have diabetes. It is a serious warning sign that the body is beginning to have difficulty regulating blood sugar effectively. Prediabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin, the hormone responsible for moving glucose from the bloodstream into cells for energy. When insulin is compromised, sugar builds up in the blood, increa

Introduction In this article, I will discuss the differences between normal cognitive decline associated with aging and abnormal decline. Some people think that dementia is a normal part of the aging process, but this is not true. Aging brings predictable changes in cognitive function, but not all decline is normal. Some patterns reflect healthy aging, while others signal underlying disease. There are three broad groups of cognitive decline: age-associated memory impairment,

By Anne Denk, RN, BSN Migraines affect 37 million Americans, including men, women, and children. Migraines occur due to a variety of factors. While there are multiple pharmacological treatment options, studies have shown that several alternative treatments are beneficial. Massage therapy is one of these alternative treatment options that can reduce the symptoms of migraines. Origins and Impacts of Migraines Migraine headaches occur for many reasons. Contributing factors inclu

Image obtained from https://advancedfunctionalmedicine.com.au/biofilms/ Why do some wounds heal quickly while others linger for months or even years? Why do they persist despite careful cleaning, changing of dressings and maybe even several courses of antibiotics? Slower healing wounds are linked to conditions like diabetes, poor circulation and ageing, where the body can’t repair itself as well. When these underlying problems persist, wounds can become stuck in a non-hea