medicine

Ozempic, semaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist originally developed for type 2 diabetes and now widely used for weight management.

Penicillin allergy is the most commonly reported drug allergy, although true allergic reactions are less common than self-reports suggest.

First responders aim for the chain of survival: early recognition, early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care.

CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, combines chest compressions with rescue breaths to maintain circulation in cardiac arrest victims.

Defibrillators deliver electrical shocks to restore normal heart rhythm in cases of cardiac arrest.

BMI, Body Mass Index, is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

Acetaminophen is an analgesic and antipyretic, the most common active ingredient in over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol.

The blood-brain barrier limits the entry of many drugs into the central nervous system.

Antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from a fatal infection into a manageable chronic condition.

Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that can cause chronic liver disease and are leading causes of liver cancer.

Tuberculosis remains one of the world's leading infectious killers, with around 1.3 million deaths annually as of 2023.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing flu-like illness and occasionally severe complications.

Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are commonly prescribed for depression.

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder affecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, typically with onset in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Vaccines have prevented an estimated 154 million deaths worldwide over 50 years, according to a 2024 WHO study.

Antibiotics target features unique to bacteria, including cell wall synthesis, ribosomes, and metabolic pathways.

Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection that can cause organ damage and failure.

Diabetes is diagnosed by measuring blood glucose levels, with a fasting plasma glucose of 126 mg/dL or higher indicating diabetes.

Pulse oximeters non-invasively measure blood oxygen saturation by passing light through a thin part of the body.

The Rh factor is another important blood antigen, with Rh-positive and Rh-negative classifications.

The blood type system in humans is based on antigens on red blood cells, with major groups being A, B, AB, and O.

Universal precautions in healthcare treat all human blood and body fluids as if known to be infectious.

Organ donation can save and improve lives; types include living donation and deceased donation.

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks carrying the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating episodes of mania or hypomania and depression.

The germ theory of disease, established by Pasteur and Koch in the 19th century, holds that many diseases are caused by microorganisms.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

The first successful organ transplant was a kidney transplant performed by Joseph Murray in 1954.

Aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, was first synthesized in stable form by Felix Hoffmann at Bayer in 1897.

Polio cases worldwide have decreased by over 99 percent since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the largest threats to global health, food security, and development today, according to the WHO.

Hypertension, or chronically elevated blood pressure, is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Tuberculosis is caused primarily by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

The COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO on January 30, 2020.

Anesthesia in modern surgery began with William T. G. Morton's public demonstration of ether anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846.

Sterile surgical technique was advanced significantly by Joseph Lister, who introduced antiseptic methods using carbolic acid in the 1860s.

Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, a disease historically common among long-voyage sailors.

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products and is essential for nervous system function and red blood cell formation.

Trans fats raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The recommended dietary allowance for water varies by age, sex, and activity, with general guidance suggesting roughly 2 to 3 liters per day for adults.

Vaccines work by exposing the immune system to antigens that train it to recognize and respond to pathogens.

HIV is a retrovirus that primarily targets CD4+ T cells of the human immune system.

Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections because viruses lack the cellular machinery antibiotics target.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are estimated to cause at least 1.27 million deaths globally per year as of 2019.

The smallpox virus was declared eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1980.

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and is strongly associated with obesity, physical inactivity, and genetics.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, according to the WHO.

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

Tobacco use is responsible for approximately 8 million deaths globally each year, according to the WHO.

Influenza viruses are classified into types A, B, C, and D, with types A and B causing seasonal epidemics in humans.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, was identified in early 2020 as a novel coronavirus.

mRNA vaccines deliver instructions for cells to produce a viral antigen that triggers an immune response.

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet B radiation from sunlight.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide.

The placebo effect is a beneficial outcome that cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, often involving the patient's belief in the treatment.

Hand washing with soap is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Wearing seat belts substantially reduces the risk of injury and death in motor vehicle crashes.

Helmets significantly reduce the risk of severe head injuries during cycling.

Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, especially for children under five.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can be deadly when accumulated in enclosed spaces.

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health, established in 1948.

Hospitals as institutions for the care of the sick existed as early as ancient Mesopotamia and have a continuous history in many cultures.

The first heart transplant in a human was performed by Christiaan Barnard in South Africa on December 3, 1967.

X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, leading to the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

Magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of organs and tissues.

CT scans, computed tomography, use rotating X-ray sources and detectors to construct cross-sectional images of the body.

Chemotherapy is a category of cancer treatment that uses chemical substances to kill rapidly dividing cells.

Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

Immunotherapy is a class of cancer treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer.

The placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial is widely considered the gold standard for evaluating medical treatments.

Penicillin is a beta-lactam antibiotic that disrupts bacterial cell wall synthesis.

Aspirin works by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, reducing prostaglandin synthesis.

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that relieves pain, fever, and inflammation.

Statins are a class of medications that lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase.

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction usually treated with intramuscular epinephrine.

Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear without prior vaccination.

Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that can cause hemorrhagic fever; an effective vaccine has been available since the 1930s.

Vaccines have prevented millions of deaths and disabilities from infectious diseases worldwide.

Down syndrome is a condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding hemoglobin.

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that affects the production of mucus and primarily damages the lungs and digestive system.

Huntington's disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths of nerve fibers.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.

Stroke is a medical emergency caused by interruption of blood supply to the brain, either by blockage or hemorrhage.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is a progressive lung disease often caused by long-term smoking.