Essays and Research Papers on Disease

There are many people who, for different reasons, have a very real and often debilitating fear of dentists. The fear of pain or the use of a needle, an aversion to the sights, sounds or smells that are encountered in a dentist's office or a cultural background that lends no importance to dental health ...

A 4 page essay that explores new breakthroughs in the field of dental x-ray techniques. This paper focuses on the benefits of the newly introduced process of Computed Dental Radiography, or CDR. The process and benefits of CDR are explained. Also touched on are attempts made during this past decade to prove ...

A 5 page overview of the polysaccharide-producing, ondopathogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans. Includes information regarding its involvement in the formation of dental cavities. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page paper reviewing the report of a specific research. The article investigates whether there may be some detriment to the advice of the popular press that Vitamin C as a dietary supplement in fairly large doses. Published in Nature, the article is very brief. It lacks any literature review at ...

A 6 page paper presenting the past uses of thalidomide and the associated birth defects as contrasted to the present research which appears to indicate thalidomide may be useful in the treatment of two forms of blindness, in the prevention of transplant organ rejection, and in other applications. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 7 page paper describing the various phases of periodontal disease and their control. Gingivitis is the most common, and the mildest form of periodontal disease. Periodontitis is by far the most destructive form of periodontal disease, and was formerly believed to be simply a condition of old age. There are ...

A 16 page examination of the bubonic plague, its causative agent and its various forms. Includes information on vectors, treatment, and morphology. Bibliography includes fifteen sources.

A 6 page paper discussing some of the subjects that will be of great concern as we move into the 21st century. The three subjects addressed herein are technology, medicine, and international relations. Each of these three areas of concern are of great importance and while there are many other areas that will also change ...

This 5 page paper analyzes the controversy surrounding the use of the heparin flush. Two articles which look at the medical dilemma are compared and contrasted. No other sources are cited.

This 5 page paper is a fictitious depiction of an artisan dying of the plague in Medieval times. Explanations of the reality of the times are clarified and documented. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page report discusses the 'documentary novel' of the first outbreak of Ebola that killed hundreds in Zaire in 1976. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 6 page paper discussing the manner in which this organism's method of survival in nature contributes to its pathogenicity. L. pneumophilia is absolutely an aerobic bacterium. It favors the environment of water where there is the presence also of metal, such as water holding tanks, commercial cooling systems and shower heads, which ...

A 5 page paper describing an experiment designed to result in kill curves for Listeria monocytogenes in orange juice when treated with heat. L. monocytogenes is a relatively rare but potentially deadly food-borne contaminant and is resistant not only to heat, acidity and salt treatment but also is known to thrive at low temperatures ...

This 5 page paper discusses the implications of Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever that is one of the deadliest of all known infectious diseases. The writer addresses its definition, causes, symptoms, treatment and current research. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

An 8 page paper discussing the inability of genetically defective P. aeruginosa to successfully invade epithelial cells. A disturbing development of recent years is that many of the old standby antibiotics are no longer having sufficient effect on the old standby bacteria on which they have been used for years for effective control of ...

A 15 page paper discussing the origins and elimination of detectable levels of antibiotics in commercially-produced milk. Much antibiotic treatment in dairy cows is for varying forms of mastitis, some of which will run its course and then disappear. It appears that dairy farming is approaching the end of its hour glass on ...

A 6 page paper discussing the mechanisms through which superantigens operate. Antigens and superantigens are protein substances produced by viruses and bacteria that trigger the body's immune system into action. That immune system can degrade most antigens without bringing harm to healthy tissue, but the superantigen is the microbial antigen that is of ...

5 page overview of amino acids, the basic building blocks of proteins, hormones, and enzymes. Bibliography lists 14 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the function of G proteins, with an emphasis in GTPase and G protein receptor sites. G proteins have been found to be involved in a vast number of processes involving hormonal and drug therapy activity and are extensively involved in message transmission. GTPase inhibits those processes, and the ...

A 5 page paper discussing the status of gene therapy for the treatment or prevention of cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR). Mutations at this site lead to a variety of associated symptoms, and those ...

10 pages in length. Inasmuch as people "catch" a cold on the average of twice a year for adults and around six times for children, the medical community is still looking for definitive reasons behind its existence and elusive cure. Established most often as a viral condition, the common cold comes in an ...

A 9 page discussion of the Borna virus, an infectuous agent which attacks the central nervous system, and its link to depression and other psychiatric disorders in humans. Presents the most current research on the virus and concludes that, although it is highly probable, no definative proof yet exists which definitively incriminates Borna in ...

6 pages in length Both cholera and the plague have reached epidemic proportions at different times throughout history. The environmental factors attributed to their worldwide spread are many, as is their capacity to harm a great number of people in one fell swoop. Focusing upon these causes and attempting to avert their ...

Leishmani Donovani is a parasite carried by flies and known to have wiped out nearly 70% of the population in one region of the Southern Sudan from the late 1980's through the early 1990's. Issues concerning geographic spreading of the parasite & its disease course/symptoms, variations of Leishmania Donovani, etc; -- are examined in this ...

8 pages in length. A detailed discussion of Onchocerca Volvulus, a parasitic worm known to cause "river blindness" and death in certain regions of Africa. The condition caused by this parasite is specifically known as onchocerciasis-- and in this report its range, frequency, symptoms, epidemiology, effects, and clinical diagnosis are examined closely. Projects being undertaken ...