The kidneys are important filters for waste products in the bloodstream located on either side of the upper abdomen. The basic functional unit of the kidney is the nephron which receives filtered fluid from the blood at the glomerulus and the reabsorbs or secretes wastes, toxins, electrolytes and water along the course of >> Read More ...
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs lying on either side of the back of the upper abdomen. It is tucked under the ribcage. On a daily basis, the kidneys filter over 1.5 liters of blood and forms approximately 1 liter of urine containing waste products, water and electrolytes. This is then passed down the ureters into >> Read More ...
The kidney has several important functions including filtering out waste from the blood, regulating the water-electrolyte balance in the body and controlling the blood pressure. The basic functional unit of the kidney is the nephron which is made up of two main parts – the glomerulus and tubule. Firstly the head of >> Read More ...
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is the death of a portion of the heart wall when there is an interruption in its blood supply. The heart wall is composed of three layers – the inner lining (endocardium), middle muscle layer (myocardium) and outer lining (epicardium) – and has its own supply of >> Read More ...
About half of the deaths associated with a heart attack occurs within the first hour and these patients never reach the hospital. Not every myocardial infarction (heart attack) is fatal and the advances made in modern medicine has drastically reduced the mortality associated with a myocardial infarction. However, there is >> Read More ...
The heart muscle, known as the myocardium, constitutes the bulk of the heart wall. It is responsible for the pumping action of the heart which serves to distribute blood throughout the body. The heart is functioning throughout life, although its activity may increase or decrease during different periods of cardiac demand. >> Read More ...
Hypertension is the elevated pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. A sustained arterial pressure of 140/90 mm Hg (systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg) or more is conventionally considered to be hypertension. It is the most common cardiovascular disease in the >> Read More ...
The hearts has its own electrical system to control the rate and rhythm of the heart beat. Impulses are generated in the sinoatrial node (SA node) and immediately cause the muscles of the atria to contract. This pushes blood into the ventricles. The impulse travels along the internodal pathways to the atrioventricular node >> Read More ...
The heart has thick walls mainly composed of muscle in order for it to maintain its functioning of pumping blood throughout the body. This muscular layer is known as the myocardium and surrounded by the inner lining (endocardium) and outer layers (epicardium). The heart is working throughout life, contracting and relaxing, >> Read More ...
A throat infection is one of the most common upper respiratory tract conditions affecting every person at some point in life. The most common pathogens are viruses and then bacteria. Among the different types of bacteria, it is the group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) that are more commonly involved in a sore >> Read More ...
