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In most cases, kidneys can recover from almost complete loss of function, such as in acute kidney (renal) failure.
Cancer has been around as long as humankind, but only in the second half of the twentieth century did the number of cancer cases explode.
Patients who cannot swallow may receive nutrition via a parenteral route—usually, a catheter is inserted through the chest into a large vein going into the heart.
As the western states of America were settled, pioneers often had to drink rancid water from ponds and other sources. This often resulted in chronic diarrhea, causing many cases of dehydration and death that could have been avoided if clean water had been available.
Women are two-thirds more likely than men to develop irritable bowel syndrome. This may be attributable to hormonal changes related to their menstrual cycles.