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According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, lung disease is the third leading killer in the United States, responsible for one in seven deaths. It is the leading cause of death among infants under the age of one year.
In Eastern Europe and Russia, interferon is administered intranasally in varied doses for the common cold and influenza. It is claimed that this treatment can lower the risk of infection by as much as 60–70%.
Most strokes are caused when blood clots move to a blood vessel in the brain and block blood flow to that area. Thrombolytic therapy can be used to dissolve the clot quickly. If given within 3 hours of the first stroke symptoms, this therapy can help limit stroke damage and disability.
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.
Human stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve small pieces of metal such as razor blades or staples.
![Illustration of an embolus floating in an artery. The embolus will become lodged in a blood vessel t](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_14755_10_09_12_7_23_54_85261086.jpeg)
![Photograph of the flea that transmits Yersinia pestis to cause bubonic plague, called the oriental r](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_14755_11_11_12_7_20_12_100441848.jpeg)