In the United States, the ten leading causes of death are:

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Accidents
4. Chronic lung diseases
5. Stroke
6. Alzheimer disease
7. Diabetes
8. Kidney disease
9. Flu and pneumonia
10. Suicide

Cardiovascular disease — Scope of the problem

These ten top causes of mortality represent 73 percent of all deaths occurring in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death among high-income countries and is projected to be the leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

We have made significant progress in identifying risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. The INTERHEART study looked at 27,000 cases and controls from 52 countries, with researchers concluding this:

Over 90 percent of the risk for heart attack (myocardial infarction) may be explained by nine potentially changeable risk factors.

The myocardial infarction (MI) risk factors include apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A ratio, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, abdominal obesity, psychosocial factors, fruit/vegetable consumption, physical activity, and alcohol consumption.

Modify these individual risk factors, and you may significantly reduce your risk of having a cardiovascular event. Today, I want to add one more item to our risk reduction list. Today we look at how having good interpersonal relationships can drop your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Cardiovascular disease and social relationships

Individuals who have satisfying social connections with others tend to recover more quickly from significant health scares such as heart attacks. Create a social web, and you are more likely to live longer.

Here’s some proof:

Swedish researchers followed 13,600 adults for three years. The investigators discovered that having few or no close friends increases the chance of having a first-time heart attack by 1.5 times.

How might friends help us to dodge heart attacks? First, social support can help lower our stress levels. Unhealthy stress levels can facilitate inflammation in our arteries, triggering atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), heart attack, and stroke.

Physical touch can have an impact, too. A 2018 study found that receiving a hug relieved negative emotions such as stress. Positive and welcome physical touch can have health benefits.

Moreover, when you experience stress, friends can channel us towards a more healthy reaction. Having friends helps us to drop our pulse and blood pressure.

Still, not all friendships are healthy. A joint study from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah (USA) revealed that ambivalent and unpredictable friendships could make you ill. These suboptimal relationships can raise our blood pressure.

Finally, we are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors if we have a network of family and friends. A rich social fabric makes it more likely that we will exercise regularly, quit smoking, and eat fruits and vegetables.

The post One Trick to Lowering Heart Risk: Friends Have Benefits appeared first on Medika Life.

Healthy kidneys filter about a half cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. Your bladder stores urine. Your kidneys, ureters, and bladder are part of your urinary tract.

Each of your kidneys is made up of about a million filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron includes a filter, called the glomerulus, and a tubule. The nephrons work through a two-step process: the glomerulus filters your blood, and the tubule returns needed substances to your blood and removes wastes.

Kidney Structure

The kidneys are encased in complex layers of fascia and fat. They are arranged as follows (deep to superficial):

• Renal capsule – tough fibrous capsule.
• Perirenal fat – collection of extraperitoneal fat.
• Renal fascia (also known as Gerota’s fascia or perirenal fascia) – encloses the kidneys and the suprarenal glands.
• Pararenal fat – mainly located on the posterolateral aspect of the kidney.

Internally, the kidneys have an intricate and unique structure. The renal parenchyma can be divided into two main areas – the outer cortex and inner medulla. The cortex extends into the medulla, dividing it into triangular shapes – these are known as renal pyramids.

The apex of a renal pyramid is called a renal papilla. Each renal papilla is associated with a structure known as the minor calyx, which collects urine from the pyramids. Several minor calices merge to form a major calyx. Urine passes through the major calices into the renal pelvis, a flattened and funnel-shaped structure. From the renal pelvis, urine drains into the ureter, which transports it to the bladder for storage.

The medial margin of each kidney is marked by a deep fissure, known as the renal hilum. This acts as a gateway to the kidney – normally the renal vessels and ureter enter/exit the kidney via this structure.

Arterial Supply

The kidneys are supplied with blood via the renal arteries, which arise directly from the abdominal aorta, immediately distal to the origin of the superior mesenteric artery.  Due to the anatomical position of the abdominal aorta (slightly to the left of the midline), the right renal artery is longer, and crosses the vena cava posteriorly.

The renal artery enters the kidney via the renal hilum. At the hilum level, the renal artery forms an anterior and a posterior division, which carry 75% and 25% of the blood supply to the kidney, respectively. Five segmental arteries originate from these two divisions.

The avascular plane of the kidney (line of Brodel) is an imaginary line along the lateral and slightly posterior border of the kidney, which delineates the segments of the kidney supplied by the anterior and posterior divisions. It is an important access route for both open and endoscopic surgical access of the kidney, as it minimizes the risk of damage to major arterial branches.

The segmental branches of the renal undergo further divisions to supply the renal parenchyma:

• Each segmental artery divides to form interlobar arteries. They are situated either side every renal pyramid.
• These interlobar arteries undergo further division to form the arcuate arteries.
• At 90 degrees to the arcuate arteries, the interlobular arteries arise.
• The interlobular arteries pass through the cortex, dividing one last time to form afferent arterioles.
• The afferent arterioles form a capillary network, the glomerulus, where filtration takes place. The capillaries come together to form the efferent arterioles.

In the outer two-thirds of the renal cortex, the efferent arterioles form what is a known as a peritubular network, supplying the nephron tubules with oxygen and nutrients. The inner third of the cortex and the medulla are supplied by long, straight arteries called vasa recta.

Venous Drainage

The kidneys are drained of venous blood by the left and right renal veins. They leave the renal hilum anteriorly to the renal arteries, and empty directly into the inferior vena cava.

As the vena cava lies slightly to the right, the left renal vein is longer, and travels anteriorly to the abdominal aorta below the origin of the superior mesenteric artery. The right renal artery lies posterior to the inferior vena cava.

Lymphatics

Lymph from the kidney drains into the lateral aortic (or para-aortic) lymph nodes, which are located at the origin of the renal arteries.

The post The Kidneys appeared first on Medika Life.

Male Urethra

The male urethra is approximately 15-20cm long. In addition to urine, the male urethra transports semen – a fluid containing spermatozoa and sex gland secretions.

According to the latest classification, the male urethra can be divided anatomically into three parts (proximal to distal):

• Prostatic urethra:
  • Begins as a continuation of the bladder neck and passes through the prostate gland.
  • Receives the ejaculatory ducts (containing spermatozoa from the testes and seminal fluid from the seminal vesicle glands) and the prostatic ducts (containing alkaline fluid).
  • It is the widest and most dilatable portion of the urethra.
• Membranous urethra:
  • Passes through the pelvic floor and the deep perineal pouch.
  • Surrounded by the external urethral sphincter – which provides voluntary control of micturition.
  • It is the narrowest and least dilatable portion of the urethra.
• Penile (bulbous) urethra:
  • Passes through the bulb and corpus spongiosum of the penis, ending at the external urethral orifice (the meatus).
  • Receives the bulbourethral glands proximally.
  • In the glans (head) of the penis, the urethra dilates to form the navicular fossa.

Female Urethra

In females, the urethra is relatively short (approximately 4cm). It begins at the neck of the bladder, and passes inferiorly through the perineal membrane and muscular pelvic floor. The urethra opens directly onto the perineum, in an area between the labia minora, known as the vestibule.

Within the vestibule, the urethral orifice is located anteriorly to the vaginal opening, and 2-3cm posteriorly to the clitoris. The distal end of the urethra is marked by the presence of two mucous glands that lie either side of the urethra – Skene’s glands. They are homologous to the male prostate.

The post The Urethra appeared first on Medika Life.