With the advent of World Heart Day on 29th September 2011, it is timely to consider emerging global and local challenges in heart disease. Chief among these is the increasing incidence and prevalence of heart failure throughout most nations on earth. In the developed world increasing recognition of cardiovascular...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem, affecting more than 170 million people worldwide. Its prevalence rates range from 0.5% to 2% in the developed world with 6.5% in Africa. About 90% of the HCV infected patients proceed to the development of chronic liver disease with...

Recent studies show a steady rise in the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The increase had been attributed to screen-detected renal tumours in asymptomatic patients, leading to a corresponding stage migration to smaller localised renal tumours and better disease specific survival. Interestingly, the incidence of malignant renal neoplasms...

Acute pyelonephritis (APN) occurs in more than 250,000 adults in the United States every year. The economic implication of APN is tremendous: an estimated cost of US$2.14 billion in the United States in the year 2000. Most patients with APN have mild symptoms and can be managed in an...

Diseases involving the thoracic aorta are often associated with high mortality due to the thoracic aorta’s propensity to rupture. They include aneurysms, dissections, traumatic pseudoaneurysms, intramural haematomas and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers. Traditional management comprises optimising medical therapy, in particular, the control of hypertension in conjunction with surgical repair. However,...