The largest solid organ in the body, the liver has at least 500 distinct functions. [See 5 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Your Liver] It produces bile to break down fats in the small intestine, stores glucose in the form of glycogen, processes hemoglobin and manufactures proteins and enzymes. There are several liver tests conducted to assess...
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By Professor Steven Kaplan, MD “I never get a full night’s sleep…I’ve got to get up two or three times a night.” “As soon as I lie down, I feel like I need to GO!” “When it was just once a night, I could handle it. Now it’s once every hour!” If any of these statements describe your experience,...
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This past week a big announcement came from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Steven Rosenberg, the leading authority on immunotherapy, a treatment he pioneered that uses a person’s own immune cells to fight cancer, told the world about Judy Perkins. In 2003 at age 38, Judy was diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer. “At the time I was...
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The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meets at the beginning of June each year in Chicago. It is the world’s largest oncology organization where researchers from around the world present their research findings. Here are the results of two studies presented during the first couple of days of the conference. Chemotherapy Side Effects and...
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The mitochondria in cells produce energy. In the process they form reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species, also called free radicals or oxygen radicals are used in many metabolic processes that are essential to life. For example, they are are part of enzyme reactions in the body. White blood cells, like neutrophils produce reactive oxygen...
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“I just don’t think about my diabetes. It’s too complicated and I’m too busy.” “I’ve given up on carb counting and just eat whatever.” “If my blood sugar is out of range, I just don’t care.” “Family and friends don’t support me. ” “I feel hopeless.” If these...
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A Basic Metabolic Panel is one of the most common tests that your provider can order. It is used to learn about your kidney function as well as calcium levels and glucose levels. You need to fast 8 to 12 hours before this test. What’s measured in a Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)? Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product that is filtered out of your...
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Before becoming a heart recipient, Stephanie Zimmerman, RN, MSN was a nurse practitioner caring for pediatric cancer patients. This year, Stephanie** underwent biopsies of her donated heart to find out if it has been damaged by her immune system. Then during this terrible flu season, she spent over a month with a severe case of pneumonia. Susceptibility...
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You have probably had a Complete Blood Count or CBC test done before. It is a blood test that is commonly requested at regular check-ups to give your physician an idea of your general health. The test takes six measurements. Red blood cells (RBC): Your red blood cells carry oxygen to cells and remove carbon dioxide from cells. White blood cells (WBC):...
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The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference held in Las Vegas in March is an enormous yearly event filled with marketers, vendors, health IT professionals, executives in healthcare and clinicians. At last month’s conference, an unlikely pair took the stage: mother and daughter, Kristina and Kate Sheridan, spoke about...
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In a continuation of posts on the endocrine system, we introduce four tiny glands (the size of a grain of rice) that perform a huge job. The parathyroid glands are in charge of keeping the calcium levels in your body in balance. Parathyroid Glands Location For most people, the parathyroid glands are located behind the thyroid gland (See: What does the...
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Dr. Kelly Shanahan is a doer. As she wrote about her treatment for early stage breast cancer, “Even the four months of i.v. chemo needed because of one positive lymph node didn’t slow me down: I scheduled chemo for Thursdays, did surgery…on Fridays, threw up on Saturdays, ached from Neulasta® on Sundays, and was back in the office on...
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