«Costochondritis is characterized by pain and tenderness in the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. It is the most common cause of chest wall pain and primarily affects adults over 40 years. When swelling accompanies the pain and tenderness, the condition is called Tietze syndrome. Tietze syndrome is rare and generally affects people under the age of 40.»

«Costochondritis is a condition that causes chest pain due to inflammation of the cartilage and bones in the chest wall. Also called Tietze's Syndrome, costochondritis occurs when there is inflammation at the junction of the rib bone and breastbone (sternum). At this junction, there is cartilage joining these bones. This cartilage can become irritated and inflamed. Depending on the extent of the inflammation, costochondritis can be quite painful.»

«Deep brain stimulation with electrical pulses may offer hope for patients trapped in a minimally conscious state.»

«Keeping a healthy weight may help people live longer by limiting brain exposure to insulin, say US scientists.»

«Scientists have discovered how mutations in two key proteins may lead to autism.»

«Symptoms of mental retardation and autism have been reversed for the first time in laboratory mice.»

«Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when temperature surrounding is very different. This process is one aspect of homeostasis: a dynamic state of stability between an animal's internal environment and its external environment (the study of such processes in zoology has been called ecophysiology or physiological ecology). If the body is unable to maintain a normal temperature and it increases significantly above normal, a condition known as hyperthermia occurs. The opposite condition, when body temperature decreases below normal levels, is known as hypothermia. ~[...]»

«The normal core body temperature of a healthy, resting adult human being is stated to be at 98.6 degrees fahrenheit or 37.0 degrees celsius. Though the body temperature measured on an individual can vary, a healthy human body can maintain a fairly consistent body temperature that is around the mark of 37.0 degrees celsius. ~[...]»

«Background: Dyshidrotic eczema is a recurrent or chronic relapsing form of vesicular palmoplantar dermatitis of unknown etiology. Dyshidrotic eczema also is termed pompholyx, which derives from cheiropompholyx, which means "hand and bubble" in Greek.»

«In 2006, a pathogenic variant of the common intestinal organism Blastocystis was discovered in patients who were experiencing chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Most species of Blastocystis inhabit humans with no symptoms. The discovery of a pathogenic variant of Blastocystis is significant, because Blastocystis is related to Entamoeba, a similar organism with pathogenic variants that kill over 100,000 people each year. Recent research has shown that Blastocystis infections may be undetectable using existing clinical methods. Medical case reports from the Middle East, Europe, and United States suggest that infection with this variant may already be widespread and misdiagnosed as one of several functional disorders. HYPOTHESIS: A more virulent or transmissible type of Blastocystis emerged in the Middle East in the 1980's, and was transmitted to Europe and the United States by military and more significantly vacation and business travel. The lack of adequate tests made it impossible to detect the infection. Transmission to the larger population resulted in rising inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) rates in Europe in the 1990's. The relationship between IBD and autism is explored, along with the possibility that the same pathogen causes both conditions. SUPPORTING DATA: Serological and epidemiological findings are presented supporting the hypothesis. Blastocystis survives sewage treatment, shows low host specificity, and can be spread by many animals. Several communities which have been studied due to high autism rates are located close to rivers which receive large quantities of sewage effluent, such as South Thames (England), Olmsted County (Minnesota, USA) and many communities in Oregon (USA). CONCLUSIONS: Scientists from other countries represent the first line of defense against emerging infectious diseases, but their publications on Blastocystis are not well known in the United States and Europe. With the publication of corroborating research by Western scientists in core scientific journals, it is hoped that an appropriate response from the public health system will be forthcoming. Investigation into the existence of infection in the groups mentioned with sensitive and specific tests should be performed. Such tests could include a serum antibody test and a Polymerase Chain Reaction test specific to the pathogenic variant.»