Doctors and researchers are always on the lookout for new diseases and ways to treat them. In some cases, despite an honest effort from everyone involved, a disease ultimately takes the life of the patient. In the case of rare diseases that are...
Gallstones are crystalline bodies that sometimes develop in the gallbladder or bile ducts. You may have a greater chance of developing gallstones, notes PubMed Health, if you have experienced rapid weight loss, have had an organ or bone marrow...
A bone marrow transplant is a procedure used to replace damaged or abnormal bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells from a donor. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the side effects of a bone marrow transplant depend on...
The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is used to expose the body to a small dose of the bacteria responsible for causing pneumococcal disease. By providing the body with this bacteria, the body can develop antibodies to destroy it and make...
Bone marrow is a soft tissue within the long bones of the body. It houses the stem cells that give rise to the red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that provide immunity and platelets, which help blood clotting. Disorders of the...
The immune system is made up of cells that identify and eliminate foreign bacteria, viruses and fungi. A properly functioning immune system is essential for life. A number of conditions that can affect infants and young children are inherited...
Purpura are purple, red or brown colored patches that appear on the skin, organs and mucous membranes. Purpura occurs when blood leaks from the small blood vessels. Platelets, a type of blood cell responsible for clotting, are often a factor in...
Red blood cells carried oxygen from the lungs to the various muscles and organs of the body. The main component of red blood cells is the molecule hemoglobin, which binds to oxygen and later releases it. A red blood cell count is a measure of...
Stem cells have the potential to develop into most tissues found in the body. They are undifferentiated cells with the potential to renew themselves, or under certain conditions, to differentiate into various tissues or organs. Stem cells have the...
Progress has been made in the field of stem cell research over the last several decades, and the future looks even brighter. Stem cell research began with embryonic stem cells, but adult stem cells are gaining ground as the future of stem cell...
The body produces two main categories of white blood cells, granulocytes, cells containing granules suspended within their plasma and agranulocytes which have no granules. Neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils are types of granulocytes....
Osteopetrosis is a group of rare diseases in which bone is not remodeled, causing the bone to become denser but more prone to fracture. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital estimates the most severe form of osteoporosis affects only 20 babies...
Dizziness and fatigue can result from a lack of fluids or a health-related illness. According to Mayoclinic.com, dizziness and fatigue can be caused by dehydration. People who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome or one of several types of anemia...
A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure in which a donor provides a special kind of blood, called hematopoietic stem cells, to a recipient. Bone marrow transplants are usually performed under anesthesia while the blood is taken from a...
