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When blood is exposed to air, it clots. Heparin allows the blood to come in direct contact with air without clotting.
For about 100 years, scientists thought that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, spicy food, and alcohol. Later, researchers added stomach acid to the list of causes and began treating ulcers with antacids. Now it is known that peptic ulcers are predominantly caused by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that normally exist in the stomach.
Human stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve small pieces of metal such as razor blades or staples.
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the breathing tubes (bronchi), which causes increased mucus production and other changes. It is usually caused by bacteria or viruses, can be serious in people who have pulmonary or cardiac diseases, and can lead to pneumonia.
In most cases, kidneys can recover from almost complete loss of function, such as in acute kidney (renal) failure.