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Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a chemotherapy infusion medication approved for metastatic breast cancer and as an adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. The drug is essentially a protein that targets and binds to the human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER2) protein to impede cancer cells from proliferating further. HER2 is an aggressive form of breast cancer that grows and spreads rapidly. About one in five women with breast cancer have HER2-positive breast cancer or protein human epidermal growth factor receptor2....

Healthcare reimbursement is contingent on accurate coding. Therefore, a system has been designed that describes a person’s medical condition/diagnosis and the list of services and tests provided. The codes must apply across all payers, no matter if they are federal or private insurance plans. To this end, Healthcare Finance Administration Common Procedural Coding System (HCPC) codes identify the test or service the person received, while the ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease) codes describe the person’s condition or diagnosis....

An internal capsule stroke can cause profound weakness of one side of the body. The internal capsule is a region in the brain, and a stroke that affects the internal capsule causes characteristic symptoms. What Is the Internal Capsule? The internal capsule describes a region deep in the brain that functions as a communication pathway. The internal capsule allows communication between areas of the cerebral cortex and areas of the brainstem....

Knee arthritis is among the most common causes of knee pain. When the smooth cartilage of the knee joint wears thin, pain in the joint is often the result. Treatment of knee arthritis is focused on trying to relieve pain while keeping treatments as simple as possible. The non-operative treatments of knee arthritis are focused on the reduction of pain, primarily with the use of anti-inflammatory medications, activity modifications, ambulatory aids, and cortisone injections....

LASEK and LASIK are two similar vision correction procedures that have important differences. If you have been told that you are not a good candidate for LASIK, you may be happy to learn that LASEK may be beneficial to you. While LASEK and LASIK procedures produce similar results, there are advantages and disadvantages of both. LASEK Overview Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis, or LASEK, is a vision correction procedure very similar to LASIK....

Lorenzo Odone was born on May 29, 1978, to Michaela and Augusto Odone. By the time he reached school age, he began to show symptoms of problems with his nervous system. At age 6, in 1984, he was diagnosed with the childhood cerebral form of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a progressive degenerative myelin disorder, meaning that myelin, the “insulation” around nerves, breaks down over time. In Lorenzo’s case, the nerves in the brain were gradually being destroyed....

Natural killer cells are aggressive cells of the immune system that play an important role in fighting cancer as well as viral-infected cells. While T cells are also important in cancer, natural killer cells are the “first responders” that are on the scene before the T cells are summoned. Not yet in use with other immunotherapy drugs, researchers are looking at ways to harness the actions of natural killer cells as they have T cells....

Organic disease is one in which measurable changes are detected in cells, tissues, or organs of the body. In contrast, a functional disease causes symptoms, but the disease process is either unknown or it can’t be measured by an agreed-upon scientific method or standard. For example, abnormalities in a person’s blood cell counts may point to an organic disease like cancer. In contrast, a functional disorder like fibromyalgia can be diagnosed despite there being no similar evidence to confirm it....

Deep breathing, lung exercises, and tapping on the chest are a few of the techniques that fall under what’s known as pulmonary hygiene. These strategies are used in people with chronic conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, and bronchiectasis to help remove mucus build-up from blocking the lungs. There is inconclusive evidence about the benefits of pulmonary hygiene, but many people feel an improvement in symptoms with this treatment....

Eating right when you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be a real challenge. For some people with IBD, it’s obvious if a food is contributing to the discomfort of the disease, but for others, it’s more difficult to tell. To complicate matters more, a food that’s just fine today may cause problems tomorrow. There is no one diet that is recommended for every person with IBD. There are times when healthcare providers might recommend certain medical diets, including a restricted fiber diet, a clear liquid diet, or a low residue diet....

Spastic colon is a term sometimes used to describe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The term “spastic colon” came from the belief that muscle spasms within the large intestine (colon) caused problems with motility (the movement of food through the gut) and abdominal pain associated with IBS. Healthcare providers now know the mechanisms behind IBS are more complex. If you have been told you have or think you have a spastic colon, it may be helpful to learn more about IBS....

When people discuss spinal cerebellar ataxia (SCA), they are actually referring to a group of neurodegenerative disorders that cause progressive clumsiness. There are more than 35 different types of spinal cerebellar ataxias, each caused by a different genetic mutation. Furthermore, new forms continue to be discovered. Despite there being so many different variations, SCA is actually pretty rare. Even so, it is one of the most common causes of genetic ataxia....

Over the course of the pandemic, researchers have been trying to understand how COVID-19, a virus that primarily affects the respiratory system and the lungs, causes neurological symptoms in patients. These can range everywhere from brain fog and confusion to loss of sense of taste and smell. A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allowed researchers to take a closer look. Key Takeaways COVID-19 is not just a respiratory disease but can also affect the brain....

Jaundice is when a buildup of bilirubin in the blood causes the skin, mucous membranes, and the white part of the eyes to appear yellowish. Bilirubin is a reddish-yellow substance produced when red blood cells break down. It is excreted through the liver in the bile and then out of the body in the stool. Jaundice itself is not a dangerous condition, but rather is a sign of a more serious condition or disease....

Clostridioides difficile, which frequently is referred to as C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium that’s part of the normal intestinal flora in many people, including infants and young children. As such, it usually doesn’t cause problems. However, if the balance of bacteria in the gastrointestinal system is thrown off, often due to prolonged antibiotic use, for example, C. diff can begin to proliferate and release toxins that irritate the lining of the intestines and cause watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other unpleasant symptoms....

Cancer develops when any type of cell in the body transforms into a cancer cell by changing in harmful ways and invading normal tissue. Blood cancer is a little different from cancer that begins in the organs of the body (like lung cancer), because the cancer cells don’t form tumors—they travel throughout the blood, lymphatic vessel, or accumulate on the lymph nodes. Blood contains three kinds of cells: red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets....

An ear wax blockage can be a serious problem that affects hearing or results in an ear infection. It’s not clear why blockages occur, but it is believed that some individuals seem to overproduce ear wax. Under normal circumstances, the ear canal self-cleans, but there are times when the ear may become plugged up with too much wax, requiring the help of a healthcare provider to remove. The Purpose of Ear Wax Ear wax (cerumen) lines the ear canal, protecting the skin from water and trapping bacteria and other debris, then expelling it....

Polymyositis is a systemic, inflammatory muscle disease, primarily characterized by muscle weakness. It is part of a disease category referred to as myositis, which means inflammation of muscle. Polymyositis typically affects muscles that are closest to the body’s trunk, but over time other muscles may become involved. Typically, polymyositis develops gradually, and while it can develop in anyone, including children, it does not usually affect people under 18 years of age....

A CBC, also known as a complete blood count, is a blood test commonly performed before and after surgery. This test measures the types of blood cells that are in your blood and how many appear, allowing your provider to see if your blood is normal or if there are signs of a problem. The CBC is very useful because it can indicate many different common problems that occur in patients during surgery and during their recovery....

Trans fats are an unhealthy type of fat found in some foods. While trans fats can be found naturally in some products from ruminant animals such as cows, most trans fats in recent decades have come from industrially produced partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). PHOs have been widely used in products such as margarine, spreads, and vegetable shortening. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined in 2015 that PHOs are not among the ingredients that are “generally recognized as safe....