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What Happens

After you are infected with hepatitis C, you will enter an early, shorter-term (acute) stage of the disease. Some people with acute hepatitis C fight off the virus permanently and never have any liver problems. But up to 85% of people who are infected with the virus will go on to develop long-term (chronic) hepatitis C. 2

Long-term infection with hepatitis C often causes tiny scars to gradually form in your liver. If you develop a lot of these scars, it becomes hard for your liver to work well. About 25% of people who develop chronic hepatitis C eventually develop more serious liver problems such as cirrhosis or liver cancer, usually over a period of 20 or more years. 1 Read more

Aug

24

The much-maligned tobacco plant may have a silver lining: scientists have found a way to make the plant manufacture a protein that can be used to make a vaccine against the common stomach virus known as norovirus. This highly contagious virus is also known as Norwalk-like virus, gastroenteritis, and stomach flu.

This is not the first time tobacco has been used as a factory to produce vaccines. Scientists at Stanford University in California reported in July 2008 that they were using the plants to grow the key ingredients of a cancer vaccine for a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The advantages of using a plant-grown vaccine over an animal-grown vaccine, which has been the standard, is that vaccines from plants would be cheaper and, at least in theory, harbor less risk of passing along unknown viruses from animals. Read more

Aug

24

If you have unwanted patches of cellulite around the thighs, hips and buttocks, working out or modifying your diet won’t help. There is currently no permanent cure for cellulite, but there are several ways to reduce its appearance and make the skin appear smoother and more toned.

TriActive laser treatments are one of the latest innovations for cellulite reduction, and promise several benefits over conventional procedures. Here’s a close look at the TriActive laser treatment, and how it may help you reduce the appearance of cellulite.
What Causes Cellulite? Read more

Aug

24

Is this topic for you?

Nighttime leg cramps are different from another common nighttime leg problem called restless legs syndrome. With restless legs syndrome, your legs feel fidgety or crawly unless you move them. For more information, see the topic Restless Legs Syndrome.

What are nighttime leg cramps?

Nighttime (or nocturnal) leg cramps are usually sudden spasms, or tightening, of muscles in the calf. But the muscle cramps can sometimes happen in the thigh or the foot. They often occur just as you are falling asleep or waking up. These painful cramps can last a few seconds to a few minutes.

These leg cramps are also called charley horses.

What causes nighttime leg cramps? Read more

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