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More than nineteen million Americans carry the factor V gene that causes blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and heart disease.
About 60% of newborn infants in the United States are jaundiced; that is, they look yellow. Kernicterus is a form of brain damage caused by excessive jaundice. When babies begin to be affected by excessive jaundice and begin to have brain damage, they become excessively lethargic.
When blood is exposed to air, it clots. Heparin allows the blood to come in direct contact with air without clotting.
Nearly 31 million adults in America have a total cholesterol level that is more than 240 mg per dL.
The human body's pharmacokinetics are quite varied. Our hair holds onto drugs longer than our urine, blood, or saliva. For example, alcohol can be detected in the hair for up to 90 days after it was consumed. The same is true for marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, methamphetamine, and nicotine.