ALCOHOL ABUSE |
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Alcoholism is the compulsive consumption of alcohol. Some believe it to be a biological disease. The etiology and nature of alcoholism are both currently being debated within the medical and scientific communities and the very definition of alcoholism is a part of that debate. Alcoholism is often a controversial subject and the disease hypothesis represents a focus of the debate.
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BIRTH INJURY |
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Occasionally during the birth process, the baby may suffer a physical injury that is simply the result of being born. This is sometimes called birth trauma or birth injury. 1 in 200 babies is born with some form of birth injury, and many of these cases may have been caused by medical negligence.
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CARBON MONOXIDE EMISSIONS |
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Carbon monoxide, chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable and highly toxic gas. It is a major product of the incomplete combustion of carbon and carbon-containing compounds. It is less dense than air under ordinary conditions, however it accumulates on the ground, meaning that if poisoning causes loss of consciousness the amount of carbon monoxide inhaled increases and so fatality is radically increased. It is very slightly soluble in water and burns in air with a characteristic blue flame, producing carbon dioxide; it is a component of producer gas and water gas, which are widely used artificial fuels. It is a reducing agent, removing oxygen from many compounds and is used in the reduction of metals, e.g., iron , from their ores. At high pressures and elevated temperatures it reacts with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to form methanol. Carbon monoxide is formed by combustion of carbon in oxygen at high temperatures when there is an excess of carbon. It is also formed with a byproduct oxygen by decomposition of carbon dioxide at very high temperatures (above 2,000 °C). It is present in the exhaust of internal-combustion engines, often the exhaust of automobiles, and is generated in coal stoves, furnaces, and gas appliances that do not get enough air. This may be due to insufficient ventilation or other reasons.
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DROWNING |
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Drowning is death caused by the filling of the lungs by a liquid, usually water, rendering breathing ineffective and leading to death due to asphyxia. Near drowning is initial survival of a drowning event, and can lead to serious secondary complications including death later on; cases of near drowning therefore also require attention by medical professionals. Secondary drowning is death due to chemical and biological changes in the lungs after a near drowning incident or exposure to chemicals. In many countries, drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 14 years old.
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MEDICAL |
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Medical - Having to do with or anything pertaining to Medical treatment, Medical Malpractice, Medical review, Medical Litigation.
Find MEDICAL experts and consultants for MEDICAL litigation support. Available to be MEDICAL expert witnesses and provide MEDICAL forensic consulting in MEDICAL litigation, in addition prepare MEDICAL expert witness reports for use in deposition and/or in-court trial testimony.
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MEDICAL PHYSICS |
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Medical physics is a branch of applied physics concerning the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare. A medical physics department may be based in either a hospital or a university and its work is likely to include research, technical development and clinical healthcare.
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OBSTETRICS |
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Obstetrics is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (the period shortly after birth). Almost all modern obstetricians are also gynaecologists; see Obstetrics and gynaecology.
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PARAMEDIC |
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A paramedic is a highly trained medical professional who responds to medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital setting ("in-field") for the purpose of stabilizing a patient's condition before and during transportation to an appropriate medical facility, usually by ambulance.
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PHARMACEUTICAL LITIGATION |
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Thousands of people die from or are seriously injured by prescription and over-the-counter drugs each year. Patients trust these defective drugs will not harm them because they have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or been prescribed by doctors or pharmacists they know and trust.
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PLASTICS |
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Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. They are composed of organic condensation or addition polymers and may contain other substances to improve performance or economics. There are few natural polymers generally considered to be "plastics". Plastics can be formed into objects or films or fibers. Their name is derived from the fact that many are malleable, having the property of plasticity. Plastics are designed with immense variation in properties such as heat tolerance, hardness, resiliency and many others. Combined with this adaptability, the general uniformity of composition and light weight of plastics ensures their use in almost all industrial segments.
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POLLUTION |
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Pollution is the release of environmental contaminants. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and nitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles are common air pollutants. Sunlight converts nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons to ozone or smog. Water pollutants may consist of a wide range of organic and inorganic chemicals such as heavy metals, petrochemicals, chloroform, and bacteria. Water pollution may also occur in the form of thermal pollution and dissolved oxygen depletion. Soil contamination is an important aspect of environmental pollution; this phenomenon occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground storage tank leakage. Among the most significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE, herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons. The U.S., Russia, China and Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions; however, Canada is the number two country on a per capita basis.
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PRESSURE SORE |
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Bedsores, also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers, are ulcers (sores) caused by prolonged pressure or rubbing on vulnerable areas of the body, such as bony or cartilaginous areas that are prone to moisture and friction. Decubitus ulcers are pressure ulcers that occur when the patient lies on his or her back for long periods (Wilhelmi and Neumeister, 2005). Examples of areas vulnerable to pressure ulcers include the hips, ankles, heels, elbows, ears, and pressure points on the lower back (near the tail bone, sacrum, or iliac crest). Pressure sores are also caused by prolonged sitting, or certain patterns of sitting behaviour
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STROKE |
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A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is an acute neurologic injury whereby the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted, either by a clot in the artery or if the artery bursts. The result is that the part of the brain perfused by that artery no longer can receive oxygen carried by the blood and it dies (becomes necrotic) with cessation of function from that part of the brain. In addition to tissue death, hemorrhages also cause damage from physical impingement of blood on the brain tissue. Stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent neurologic damage or even death if not promptly diagnosed and treated. It is the third leading cause of death and adult disability in the US and industrialized European nations (Jauch, 2005).
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