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Many people have small pouches in their colons that bulge outward through weak spots. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. About 10% of Americans older than age 40 years have diverticulosis, which, when the pouches become infected or inflamed, is called diverticulitis. The main cause of diverticular disease is a low-fiber diet.
Illicit drug use costs the United States approximately $181 billion every year.
Vaccines prevent between 2.5 and 4 million deaths every year.
Between 1999 and 2012, American adults with high total cholesterol decreased from 18.3% to 12.9%
Interferon was scarce and expensive until 1980, when the interferon gene was inserted into bacteria using recombinant DNA technology, allowing for mass cultivation and purification from bacterial cultures.