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The average human gut is home to perhaps 500 to 1,000 different species of bacteria.
More than 2,500 barbiturates have been synthesized. At the height of their popularity, about 50 were marketed for human use.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system destroys its own healthy tissues. When this occurs, white blood cells cannot distinguish between pathogens and normal cells.
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.
The longest a person has survived after a heart transplant is 24 years.