A 30-year-old man has died from intentionally ingesting liquefied moisture absorber, according to Korean physicians. The incident was documented in the British Medical Journal Case Reports on 26 April 2018. It is the first reported fatality from moisture absorber ingestion. The man sought medical attention 20 minutes after ingesting about 10 fluid ounces of moisture absorber solution, which contained about 300 g of calcium chloride. … Continue reading Man Dies from Ingesting Dehumidifier

A man in the UK has contracted the “worst-ever” case of super-gonorrhea. This is the first instance the infection could not be cured with standard antibiotics, according to British public health officials. The man, who remains unidentified, contracted the superbug after a sexual encounter with a woman in South East Asia late last year. The man developed symptoms about a month later, and sought treatment … Continue reading “Super-gonorrhea” Untreatable with First-line Antibiotics

If a doctor has prescribed you generic medication, you’re not alone: generic drugs are very common. Ninety percent of prescription drugs dispensed in the United States are generics. Most physicians prescribe generic medication because they are proven to be as effective as brand name medication and much cheaper. In 2014, generic medication accounted for 88% of all drugs dispensed in the U.S., but only 28% … Continue reading Are Generics as Effective as Brand Name Drugs?

Most commercially sold honey in the United States contains a label warning consumers not to feed honey to infants less than one year of age. This is because honey often contains spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism. C. botulinum feed on dead and decaying organic matter and is commonly found in soils and sediments throughout the world. Honey is … Continue reading Why can’t Infants Eat Honey?

When compared to other animal newborns, human infants are born underdeveloped. Human babies cannot walk, feed themselves, or support their own heads. Infants also lack another survival skill: the ability to shiver as a means of thermoregulation. Thermoregulation allows humans to maintain a stable internal body temperature. Healthy human adults have internal body temperatures between 97°F (36.1°C) and 99°F (37.2°C). If a human’s body temperature … Continue reading Why don’t Babies Shiver?

Infants born in America in the early 20th century could not expect to live very long. In 1900, the life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 46.3 years for males, and 48.3 years for females1. The leading causes of death in 1900 were acute diseases like pneumonia and influenza; tuberculosis; and diarrhea, enteritis, and ulceration of the intestines2. Children were particularly susceptible to these … Continue reading What is Death from “Natural Causes?”

We know that elephants never forget, but researchers know that they rarely get cancer either. Understanding why elephants are so cancer-resistant may inform future cancer therapeutics for humans. Peto’s Paradox We understand cancer as a collection of related diseases resulting from uncontrolled cell division. Intuitively, organisms with more cells should have a greater likelihood of developing cancer. However, in 1977, epidemiologist Richard Peto noticed that … Continue reading Why Elephants don’t get Cancer

Patients with narcolepsy often have trouble staying awake, including on the road. Are motorists with sleeping disorders a danger to everyone else? What is narcolepsy? According to the National Institutes of Health, narcolepsy is a chronic brain disorder that affects regulation of sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy typically have reduced alertness, a feeling of overwhelming drowsiness during the daytime, and have difficulty staying awake for … Continue reading Narcolepsy and Driving