What is Anemia?

Anemia, one of the more common blood disorders, occurs when the level of healthy red blood cells (RBCs) in the body becomes too low. This can lead to health problems because RBCs contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body's tissues. anemia can cause a variety of complications, including fatigue and stress on bodily organs.

Anemia can be caused by many things, but the three main bodily mechanisms that produce it are:

• excessive destruction of RBCs
• blood loss
• inadequate production of RBCs

Among many other causes, anemia can result from inherited disorders, nutritional problems (such as an iron or vitamin deficiency), infections, some kinds of cancer, or exposure to a drug or toxin.

What is Cancer?

"Cancer" is an abnormal growth of cells anywhere in the body. It occurs when the genes in a cell allow it to split (make new cells) without control.
There are many kinds of cancer, because there are many kinds of cells in the body, and because there are many genes that control cell growth.
Some cancers form solid growths called tumors. Others, like cancers of the blood (leukemias) travel all over the body.
Cancers may harm the body in two ways. They may replace normal cells with cells that don't work properly, and they may kill normal cells.
Sometimes cancers stay put. Sometimes they spread to nearby organs. Sometimes they shed cells into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and travel to distant parts of the body.
The farther a cancer spreads, the harder it is to control. The distant spread of cancer, called "metastasis," is dangerous, because a number of vital organs may be harmed at once.
Many things may cause cancer by affecting the genes that control cell growth. The most common causes of cancer in Rhode Island are tobacco, unbalanced diets (diets with too much fat and red meat, and not enough fruits and vegetables), and too much sunlight. We can control many causes of cancer by making good choices in our everyday lives.
The National Cancer Institute has a book, Cancer Rates and Risks, which describes the major causes of cancer in the United States. The book refers to causes of cancer as "risk factors for cancer," because "risk" reminds us that getting cancer is "ify," not "certain," when we are exposed to things that may cause cancer.


Highlights
Rhode Island’s Cancer Burdenis a comprehensive report that includes cancer rates (incidence and mortality), trends, and disparities.
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Waht is Aids

A serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Previous names for the virus include human T-lymphotropic virus-III (HTLV-III), lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), and AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV).[1][2]
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breas milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (Vertical transmission). Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.

Artificial Liver Support System

Is the only treatment for end-stage liver disease, but many patients die before receiving a transplant due to the severe shortage of donor organs. Researchers, therefore, have explored various liver assist technologies, or "artificial livers," to keep patients alive while waiting for a transplant.

San Diego, CA -- January 7, 2009 -- Vital Therapies, Inc. (VTI), a development stage company targeting liver disease, today announced patient enrollment has begun for a randomized, controlled, multi-center, Phase 2 clinical trial that will study the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device (ELAD) as a treatment for patients with Acute Liver Failure (ALF) under three protocols. The study is open for enrollment at seven U.S. sites, which will be expanded to 15 sites in the U.S. and Europe during the first half of 2009. Six patients have already been enrolled in the first protocol and four patients have been treated under the emergency use Expanded Access regulations.

Liver Biopsy

Liver biopsy is the undisputed best way to assess liver fibrosis or cirrhosis; however, it is an invasive procedure that can cause rare, but potentially life-threatening complications. Researchers have been seeking less invasive ways to diagnose liver disease, developing and testing clinical tools, like the Original European Liver Fibrosis Panel and transient elastography.

Liver Transplantation

Many clinicians are reluctant to use interferon-based therapy to treat chronic hepatitis C patients with decompensated cirrhosis (liver failure) due to the risk of severe adverse events. Such patients, however, may be in the most dire need of treatment as they await liver transplantation.
As reported at the Digestive Disease Week 2008 conference last month in San Diego, Alexandra Retana and John Wong performed a systemic review of prior studies looking at the risks and benefits of antiviral therapy for decompensated hepatitis C patients.

What is Liver

Liver is the most significant organ as it detoxifies biological waste and has regenerating capacity.The weight of the liver is 1.5 kgs. Even though, 1/2 of that weight of the liver is enough to carry out the bodily functions, the nature (God) has provided more amount of liver, depending upon its importance in the body. It has to withstand many brunts that are fall on it.
Functions of the liver:
1. Purification of the blood and storing.
2. Manufacture the bile juice.
3. Cholesterol levels management.
4. Storage of sugar, in the form of glucose and releasing it into the blood stream, for providing energy purposes.
5. Synthesizing important proteins like albumin and anticoagulants (chemicals making clotting of the blood in case of bleeding).
6. Detoxifying the drugs and chemicals that are harmful to the body.