PEDIATRICS: Pediatrics, a branch of medicine dedicated to comprehensive health care for children and adolescents, is one of the most noble and demanded specialties. Pediatricians are the doctors of the youngest, responsible for ensuring healthy growth and development, from birth to adolescence. ** What are the main functions of a pediatrician? The functions of a pediatrician go beyond simply treating diseases. Among his responsibilities are: * **Prevention of diseases:** Through vaccines, growth and development controls, and recommendations on healthy lifestyles. * Diagnosis:** Early identification of diseases and disorders, both physical and emotional. * Treatment:** Administration of appropriate medical and pharmacological treatments for each patient. * Education:** Guidance to parents and caregivers on issues related to child health, such as food, hygiene, safety and psychosocial development. ** Academic Preparation and Graduate Profile To become a pediatrician...
It was in 1981 when scientists first achieved mouse embryonic stem cell cultures. Although this milestone marked the development of numerous subsequent investigations, until 1998 the culture of a human stem cell laboratory was not achieved. In that year, two teams separately announced that they had isolated and cultivated human stem cells from, in one case, from embryos in the blastocyst phase and, in the other, from aborted fetuses. The research teams were led by biologists John Gearhart, from Johns Hopkins University, and James Thomson, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. During the 1990s, scientists discovered many other characteristics of these cells, such as adult stem cells from a specific tissue (for example blood), can cause cells from other types of tissues, such as nerve cells (neurons). One of the most interesting results was obtained by researcher Fred Gage at the Salk Institute, who showed that the adult human brain can create new neurons. Before Gage...