Colorectal cancer occurs in children when growth and reproduction of abnormal cells form in the lining of their colon or rectum. The abnormal cells are the cancer cells and they rapidly multiply and invade normal tissue. They may spread to other...
Breast cancer is a tumor that develops from any of the cell types within the breast. There are several types of breast cancer that differ in their originating cell type, invasiveness and aggressiveness. Breast-cancer screening is a preventive...
The decision to start a family often involves a number of considerations for both parents. Will you move to a larger apartment or to a detached, single-family house with a yard? Will one parent stay home with the child? In addition to these common...
Diabetes Insipidus (DI) is a failure of the kidneys to conserve water along with the production of copious amounts of dilute (insipid) urine, leading to dehydration and a persistent cycle of thirst, water drinking and frequent urination. This is...
While there is no true way to prevent hemochromatosis, a step that you can take to dramatically reduce the risk of developing excess iron in the blood is receiving a genetic screening. Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease, although it is...
MRSA, which is also known as methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, is a type of bacteria that is resistant to many different antibiotics, including methicillin. This bacteria can be particularly dangerous if it gets into a wound or some other soft...
The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for regulating the donation of various human cells and tissues, including sperm. Title 21 in the Code of Federal Regulations, part 1271, subpart C, specifically defines who is legally permitted to...
The breasts are hormonally-regulated tissues that undergo a series of growth and development cycles throughout life. Breast cancer, the uncontrolled proliferation of cells within the breast, is a progressive and devastating disease that can be...
Growth and development of a woman's breasts is a process that begins before birth and culminates in pregnancy and lactation. Growth of tissues within the breast are tightly regulated by a number of factors within the body, including circulating...
Genetic diseases are caused by defects in genes, segments of DNA that govern specific characteristics in a person. Common genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease aren't always inherited, but may occur as a spontaneous...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2008, approximately one in every 10 American adults reports that they suffer with depression. One of the current theories concerning the reason for depression suggests that people...
Human development is a carefully choreographed process that relies on the movement, behavior and development of millions of cells. Central to proper development are thousands of genes that control cell behavior and guide organ and tissue...
Poor fetal growth, also called intrauterine growth restriction or IUGR, is diagnosed when a baby in the womb is too small for its gestational age. According to the March of Dimes, about 10 percent of fetuses suffer from poor fetal growth and this...
Heart disease, an umbrella term for a number of diseases that affect the heart, is the leading cause of death in the United States. Heart disease develops when the heart is no longer able to efficiently pump blood throughout the body to oxygenate...
Gluten, the name for a group of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye, is one of the eight most common food allergies in the United States, according to the American Celiac Disease Alliance. Three separate gluten-related disorders display...
Each cell within the human body contains thousands of genes, which collectively make up the genome. Specific sequences of chemicals called nucleotide bases link together to form long stretches of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, called chromosomes....
People with celiac disease have adverse reactions to the proteins that are found in wheat, barley and rye, collectively called "gluten." However, not everyone with the genetic predisposition for this autoimmune condition gets it. Still, blood...
Breast cancer often develops within the glandular tissue of the breast, leading to the development of a tumor that can eventually spread throughout the body and prove fatal. Through years of cancer research, doctors and researchers have worked to...
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune cells of the body attack and destroy the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. Hereditary factors, diet and viral infection contribute to the risk of developing type 1 diabetes....
Many people are aware of the dangers resulting from high cholesterol including heart disease, heart attack and stroke. What most don't realize is this condition can begin in childhood; it isn't a medical problem confined to adults. Having your...
The National Human Genome Research Institute reports that newborn screenings are the most widespread type of genetic testing. All states are required to screen for at least 21 disorders, but some states test for even more. The positive side to...
All states in the U.S. offer newborn screening, which involves testing a small sample of a newborn's blood obtained for various genetic conditions. The number of conditions tested for varies from state to state, but new developments in testing...
It is possible to test a baby's DNA before birth. Known as prenatal genetic testing, this is generally performed when there is a family history of a genetic syndrome or features of a genetic syndrome have been during the pregnancy. Prenatal...
The availability of genetic testing has boomed recently. Consumers can now order genetic tests via the Internet without a doctor's involvement. Although these tests are designed to help people by providing more information about their health...
When prenatal screening identifies features of a genetic syndrome or there is a family history of genetic disease, a woman's health care provider may suggest prenatal genetic testing. Highly accurate, prenatal genetic testing can diagnose a baby's...
The Food and Drug Administration regulates the donation of eggs and other tissues under Chapter 21 of the Code of Federal Regulation Parts 1270 and 1271. Under this law, the FDA requires prospective egg donors to be evaluated using specific...
Did you ever have a friend that could bend his thumb all the way back to his wrist or can you do it yourself? If so, you've witnessed at least one effect of being "double jointed." The term double jointed describes a condition known as...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that there will be 106,100 new cases of colon cancer in the United States in 2009. Information about colon cancer is often grouped with information about rectal cancer. The colon and the rectum are...
Imagine a time when the health of your child was a complete mystery until the day of delivery. Amniocentesis was first developed in the late 1950s as a way of determining the sex of a child but was not used until the 1970s for the diagnosis of...
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that causes severe lung damage and nutritional deficiencies. Cystic fibrosis affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, saliva and digestive juices. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and...