Family caregivers: Important but often poorly understood

Thrombosis – Besieged but Poorly Understood

In biology, thrombosis is a mechanism of maintaining the integrity of biological surfaces in higher mammals, limiting fluid loss, and facilitating the recognition, containment, and destruction of pathogens and foreign materials by a scaffold of fibrin and DNA strands. However, thrombosis may also lead to vascular occlusion and subsequent tissue damage. In medicine, thrombosis is a hallmark of l...

Obesity Often Overstated But Hardly Understood.

In the November issue of WMJ, Dr Frey touched upon the problem of clinicians having condescending attitudes towards obese individuals.1 However, this sociocultural aspect of obesity is often overstated but hardly understood. How can we effectively reflect upon our own biases when we are part of the society that perpetuates certain pervasive ideas about obesity and about the individuals who are ...

Q Fever: An Old but Still a Poorly Understood Disease

Q fever is a bacterial infection affecting mainly the lungs, liver, and heart. It is found around the world and is caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii. The bacteria affects sheep, goats, cattle, dogs, cats, birds, rodents, and ticks. Infected animals shed this bacteria in birth products, feces, milk, and urine. Humans usually get Q fever by breathing in contaminated droplets released by in...

Functional popliteal artery entrapment syndrome: A poorly understood and often missed diagnosis that is frequently mistreated.

OBJECTIVES Functional popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (FPAES) is an uncommon overuse injury in young physically active adults manifest by neuromuscular symptoms (gastroc/soleus cramping, plantar paresthesias). It is commonly confused with chronic recurrent exertional compartment syndrome (CRECS). This study evaluated the diagnostic testing, mechanism of injury, and treatment differences be...

Premenstrual asthma: still poorly understood.