Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Biopsy
Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for purposes of diagnosis. (Many definitions of "biopsy" stipulate that the sample of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. This may or may not be the case. The diagnosis may be achieved by other means such as by analysis of chromosomes or genes.) A biopsy may be done, for example, because of concern about cancer. The physical exam, imaging, endoscopy, and laboratory tests may indicate that something is abnormal, but a biopsy may be the only sure way to know whether the problem is, in fact, cancer. In a biopsy, the doctor removes a sample of tissue from the abnormal area or may remove the whole tumor. A specialist trained to examine such tissues is called a pathologist. A pathologist examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer is present, the pathologist can usually tell what kind of cancer it is and may be able to judge whether the cells are likely to grow slowly or quickly.
Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI)
Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI): A form of immunoglobulin G (IgG) that can bind to thyrotropin (TSH) receptors on the thyroid gland. TSIs mimic the action of TSH, causing excess secretion of thyroxine and triiodothyronine. The TSI level is abnormally high in persons with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease.Common Misspellings: thyriod stimulating immunoglobulin (tsi), athyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (tsi), throid stimulating immunoglobulin (tsi)
Arterial blood gas (ABG)
Arterial blood gas (ABG): The sampling of the blood levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the arteries, as opposed to the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in venous blood. Typically the acidity, or pH, of the blood is measured simultaneously with the gas levels in ABG sampling. Common Misspellings: arterial blod gas (abg)
SPECT scan
SPECT scan: Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, a nuclear medicine procedure in which a gamma camera rotates around the patient and takes pictures from many angles, which a computer then uses to form a tomographic (cross-sectional) image. The calculation process in SPECT is similar to that in CT (X-ray computed tomography) and in PET (positron emission computed tomography).
Desmoplasia
Desmoplasia: This term refers to the growth of fibrous or connective tissue. Some tumors elicit a desmoplastic reaction, the pervasive growth of dense fibrous tissue around the tumor. Scar tissue (adhesion) within the abdomen after abdominal surgery is another type of desmoplastic reaction. "Desmo-" comes from the Greek "desmos" meaning "a fetter or band" and "-plastic" is also borrowed from the Greek, from "plassein" meaning "to form" = to form a band or fetter.
D (drug caution code)
D (drug caution code): Abbreviation on a medication that indicates caution because the medication may cause drowsiness. While not a part of the historical heritage of ancient prescription abbreviations, drug caution codes provide very valuable warnings. If you see a caution code on a prescription, talk to your pharmacist about it before using the medicine. In the United States and some other countries, a system of stickers with pictographs is also used to warn of side effects such as drowsiness.
Zygote
Zygote: The cell formed by the union of a male sex cell (a sperm) and a female sex cell (an ovum). The zygote develops into the embryo following the instruction encoded in its genetic material, the DNA. The unification of a sperm and an ovum to form a zygote constitutes fertilization.
Induced disease by proxy
Induced disease by proxy: See: Munchhausen syndrome by proxy. Common Misspellings: induced diease by proxy, induced desease by proxy
Congenital vaccinia
Congenital vaccinia: Infection of the fetus in the last trimester of pregnancy due to bloodborne dissemination of the vaccinia virus in the pregnant woman after she has received a smallpox vaccination. The affected infant is often premature. The skin lesions in the newborn infant are like a fresh vaccination but often confluent and extensive. Death almost always occurs before birth or shortly thereafter. To prevent this dire disorder, it is recommended that pregnant women not be vaccinated unless special circumstances may call for it (e.g., they have been exposed to a smallpox patient or are a household member of a smallpox case).
Tongue cancer
Tongue cancer: Malignancy of the tongue; squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Risk factors include smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco, heavy alcohol intake, and dentures. Tongue cancer usually occurs after the age of 40, with men affected more than women. Tongue cancer is divided into that on the anterior tongue and that at the base of the tongue. The anterior tongue is the front two-thirds while the base is the back third of the tongue. The anterior tongue is the site of two-thirds of all tongue cancers. Three-quarters of these tumors are small and can be effectively treated by surgery or radiation. The risk of metastasis is quite small but if metastases do occur, usually to the neck, they require prompt therapy. The prognosis (outlook) is generally good. The base of the tongue is the site of only one-third of all tongue cancers but these tumors tend to be far more advanced and aggressive than those on the front of the tongue. Symptoms of tongue base tumors may be odynophagia (pain on swallowing food or fluid), otalgia (pain in the ear), or a mass in the neck. The mass is usually due to metastases that can be felt in three-quarters of cases at the time of the diagnosis. Treatment may involve a combination of methods (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) and may need to be aggressive. The prognosis is more guarded than with anterior tongue tumors. Common Misspellings: tongue canser, tounge cancer, tounge canser, toungue cancer, toungue canser, tonge cancer, tonge canser
Tomo-
Tomo-: Or tom- before a vowel. A combining form meaning a cut, section, or layer, as might be achieved by cutting or slicing. Used in the formation of compound words such tomography. From the Greek tomos (a cutting).
Rickets, vitamin D resistant
Rickets, vitamin D resistant: A rickets-like condition caused by an inborn defect of metabolism, usually in males. Vitamin D cannot be absorbed, and so does not work to treat the illness.
Coarctation of the aorta
Coarctation of the aorta: A congenital constriction of the aorta, impeding the flow of blood below the level of the constriction and increasing blood pressure above the constriction. Symptoms may not be evident at birth but may develop as soon as the first week after birth with congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that call for early surgery. The surgery otherwise can be delayed. The outlook after surgery is favorable. Some cases have been treated by balloon angioplasty. The word "coarctation" comes from the Latin "coartare" meaning :to press together." The sides of the aorta at the point of a coarctation appear pressed together.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis: Allegedly, "a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust." The word was invented by compounding pneumo-(lung) + ultramicroscopic + silicon + volcano + coniosis, from the Greek konis (dust). In fact, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis means nothing. It is a factitious and fictitious word that was created as a spoof of the many long run-on terms found in medicine. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis is the epitome of the sesquipedalian words with which medicine is, unfortunately, rife. See also: Sesquipedalian.
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography: See: Cholangiography, percutaneous transhepatic.
Intervening sequence
Intervening sequence: Part of a gene that is initially transcribed from the DNA into the primary RNA transcript but then is excised (removed) from it when the so-called exxon sequences on either side of it are spliced together. Intervening sequences, which are also called introns, are genetic sequences that intervene between the exxons. The DNA of a gene is thereby made up of an alternation of introns and exxons.
Histoplasma
Histoplasma: Full name: histoplasma capsulatum. A microscopic fungus that causes the disease histoplasmosis. The fungus is found throughout the world in river valleys and soil where bird or bat droppings accumulate. The spores of the fungus are released into the air when contaminated soil is disturbed (for example, by plowing fields, sweeping chicken coops, or digging holes) and the airborne spores can then be inhaled into the lungs, the primary site of infection. In the US, the fungus is so common that in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee nearly 90% of adults show evidence of exposure by a positive histoplasma skin test. The fungus can be transferred by organ transplantation.
Step therapy
Step therapy: The practice of beginning drug therapy for a medical condition with the most cost-effective and safest drug therapy and progressing to other more costly or risky therapy, only if necessary. The aims are to control costs and minimize risks. Also called step protocol. Common Misspellings: step therpy
Acid, nucleic
Acid, nucleic: One of the molecules in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that plays a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis. The two chief types of nucleic acids are: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which contains the hereditary information in humans and RNA (ribonucleic acid) which delivers the instructions coded in this information to the cell's protein manufacturing sites. History: In 1869 Friedrich Miescher developed ways of isolating intact nuclei from cells and analyzing their chemical content. From the nuclei he extracted substances rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. They came to be known as "nucleic acids." Miescher predicted that they would someday be considered as important as proteins. The substances turned out to be deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) which was found by Avery, MacLeod and McCarty in 1944 to be the genetic material. They proved this clearly by using bacterial DNA to change (transform) the genetic material of other bacteria.
Breast aplasia
Breast aplasia: A rare condition wherein the normal growth of the breast or nipple never takes place. They are congenitally absent. There is no sign whatsoever of the breast tissue, areola or nipple. There is nothing there. Breast aplasia (also called, amastia) is frequently not alone as the only problem. Unilateral amastia (amastia just on one side) is often associated with absence of the pectoral muscles (the muscles of the front of the chest). Bilateral amastia (with absence of both breasts) is associated in 40% of cases with multiple congenital anomalies (birth defects) involving other parts of the body as well. Amastia is thought to be described in the Bible: "We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts" (Song of Solomon VIII:8). Amastia can be distinguished from amazia -- wherein breast tissue is absent, but the nipple is present -- a condition that typically is a result of radiation or surgery.Common Misspellings: breast apalasia
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas): A gas that can cause general anesthesia. Nitrous oxide is sometimes given in the company of other anesthetic agents but it is not used today as the only anesthetic agent because the concentration of nitrous oxide needed to produce anesthesia is close to the concentration that seriously lowers the blood oxygen level and creates a hazardous hypoxic state. Nitrous oxide figured in the history of anesthesiology. In 1840 a dentist named Horace Wells had the idea that, with the recently discovered "exhilarating or laughing gas", teeth might be extracted without pain. Under its influence he had one of his own teeth pulled in 1844 and afterwards frequently used it in his practice. Before a class at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Wells gave a demonstration with a patient. Things did not go too well. The patient suffered great pain. Wells became depressed, addicted (to chloroform, another anesthetic agent) and in 1848 committed suicide.
Syndactyly, bony
Syndactyly, bony: A condition in which the bones of fingers or toes are joined together. Bony syndactyly is the opposite of cutaneous syndactyly, in which the bones are normal but skin between the digits is webbed.
Weil syndrome
Weil syndrome: A severe form of leptospirosis with liver disease. See: Leptospirosis. Common Misspellings: weil syndrone
Exon
Exon: The region of a gene that contains the code for producing protein. Each exon codes for a specific portion of the complete protein. Exons are separated by introns, long regions of DNA that have no apparent function. Exons are also called coding DNA.
Crime scene investigation
Crime scene investigation: The use of physical evidence at the scene of the crime and the use of deductive and inductive reasoning to gain knowledge of the events surrounding the crime. Crime scene investigation is multidisciplinary and involves a systematic search of the crime scene; meticulous observation and documentation of the scene; photography and sketching of the scene; the identification, processing and collection of physical evidence such as fingerprints, footwear impressions, hair, fibers, biological fluids, and materials for DNA analysis; and. perhaps most important, the application of careful reasoning to the facts.
TVS
TVS: Abbreviation for "transvaginal ultrasound," a technique in which sound waves are sent out by an ultrasound probe that has been inserted in the vagina. The waves go through the vaginal wall and bounce off the ovaries, and a computer uses the ultrasound echoes to create a picture (a sonogram). TVS has been reported to be effective as a screening tool to detect ovarian cancer while it is still in an early, curable stage.
Nose job
Nose job: Slang for plastic surgery on the nose, known medically as a rhinoplasty. This is a facial cosmetic procedure, often performed to enhance the appearance of the nose. During rhinoplasty, the nasal cartilages and bones are modified, or tissue is added. The aim is to improve the visual appeal of the nose. Rhinoplasty is also frequently performed to repair nasal fractures. When rhinoplasty is used to repair nasal fractures, the goal is to restore pre-injury appearance of the nose. As noted, the term "nose job" is slang so it is not in most standard medical dictionaries although it is in very common use.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty: You may be uncertain why "uncertainty" deserves a place in a medical dictionary but some would say that uncertainty is a key element in medicine. "The core predicament of medicine -- the thing that makes being a patient so wrenching, being a doctor so difficult and being a part of a society that pays the bills they run up so vexing -- is uncertainty," observed the surgeon Atul Gawande. "Medicine's ground state is uncertainty. And wisdom -- for both patients and doctors -- is defined by how one copes with it." Source: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science. By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt & Co., New York, 2002.
Congenital rubella syndrome
Congenital rubella syndrome: The constellation of abnormalities caused by infection with the rubella (German measles) virus before birth. The syndrome is characterized by multiple congenital malformations (birth defects) and mental retardation. The individual features of the syndrome include growth retardation, microcephaly (abnormally small head), cataracts, glaucoma, microphthalmia (abnormally small eyes), cardiovascular malformations, hearing loss, and mental retardation. Deafness is common. After birth the child may develop diabetes due to gradual destruction of the pancreas by the rubella virus. The child has a 50% risk of being born with the congenital rubella syndrome, if the mother is infected with rubella in the first trimester (the first third) of pregnancy. Risks still exist with infection in the second trimester The discovery of the congenital rubella syndrome by the Australian ophthalmologist (eye doctor) NM Gregg in 1941 is of historic importance. It provided the first evidence that the placental barrier between the mother and the fetus does not fully protect the fetus from teratogens (agents that can cause birth defects). The rubella epidemic of 1963-1965 resulted in 1,800,000 infected individuals, approximately 20,000 fetal deaths and about 30,000 infants born with congenital rubella syndrome. Since the introduction of the rubella vaccine in 1969 there are less than 120 cases of congenital rubella syndrome reported each year. The condition also goes by the name of fetal rubella effects. Common Misspellings: congenital rubella syndrone
Clinophobia
Clinophobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of going to bed. Sufferers from clinophobia experience anxiety even though they realize that going to bed normally should not threaten their well-being. However, because they worry about having nightmares or wetting the bed, they often remain awake and develop insomnia. Insomnia then can become a real threat to their well-being. "Clinophobia" is derived from the Greek "klinein" (to bend, slope or incline, as one does during sleep) and "phobos" (fear). Another medical term containing "clino-"is "clinodactyly" meaning a finger that is curved to the side.
Placental dystocia
Placental dystocia: Difficulty delivering the placenta (the afterbirth). Dystocia comes from the Greek "dys" meaning "difficult, painful, disordered, abnormal" + "tokos" meaning "birth."
Sequence tagged site (STS)
Sequence tagged site (STS): A short (200 to 500 base pair) DNA sequence that occurs but once in the genome and whose location and base sequence are known. STSs are detectable by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are useful for localizing and orienting the mapping and sequence data, and serve as landmarks on the physical map of a genome. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are STSs derived from cDNAs (complementary DNAs).
Robotripping
Robotripping: Street name for the high produced by abuse of the cough syrup Robitussin which contains dextromethorphan.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity: 1. In psychology, the quality of being sensitive. As, for example, sensitivity training, training in small groups to develop a sensitive awareness and understanding of oneself and of ones relationships with others. 2. In disease epidemiology, the ability of a system to detect epidemics and other changes in disease occurrence. 3. In screening for a disease, the proportion of persons with the disease who are correctly identified by a screening test. 4. In the definition of a disease, the proportion of persons with the disease who are correctly identified by defined criteria.
PFT
PFT: Pulmonary function test, a test designed to measure how well the lungs are working. PFTs gauge how the lungs are doing their jobs -- of expanding and contracting (when a person inhales and exhales) and of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide efficiently between the air (or other gases) within the lungs and the blood. For example, one PFT calls for the patient to breathe into a machine called a spirometer. It is a mechanical device that records the changes in lung size as air is inhaled and exhaled and the time it takes for the patient to do this task.
Akinetic mutism
Akinetic mutism: A state in which a person is unspeaking (mute) and unmoving (akinetic). A textbook on clinical neurology observes that a person with akinetic mutism has "sleep-waking cycles but, when apparently awake, with eyes open, lies mute. immobile and unresponsive." Akinetic mutism is often due to damage to the frontal lobes of the brain. The disorder was the subject of a front-page story in The New York Times on Aug. 30, 1998. The story concerned a 14-year-old girl in Worcester, Mass. named Audrey Santo, bedridden for 11 years, "inert and unspeaking, the legacy of an accidental fall into a backyard swimming pool" in 1987. "She has had a steady stream of visitors to her home," according to the Times, "including priests and some people who claim that they were miraculously healed by her." According to Audrey's pediatrician, Dr. John W. Harding, "She kind of gives you the impression at various times that she sees, hears, and knows who you are."
Pulmonary medicine
Pulmonary medicine: The branch of medicine that deals with the causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases affecting the lungs. Pulmonary medicine deals with many diseases and conditions, including: ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, lung transplants, occupational lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary tuberculosis, sarcoidosis of the lungs, and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Pulmonary medicine is also sometimes called pulmonology which is the science concerned with the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs. Common Misspellings: pulmanary medicine, pulmenary medicine
Urine hemoglobin
Urine hemoglobin: The presence of free hemoglobin in the urine, an abnormal finding, that may make the urine look dark. Hemoglobin in the urine is termed hemoglobinuria. Hemoglobin is the protein in the red blood cells which carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. The iron contained in hemoglobin gives red blood cells their characteristic color. Red blood cells are normally taken out of circulation after approximately 4 months; they are trapped and disassembled in the spleen, bone marrow, and liver. If, however, red cells hemolyze (break down) within the vascular system, the components are set free in the blood stream. Free hemoglobin is bound by haptoglobin (another protein) and reprocessed. But if the level of hemoglobin in the blood rises above the ability of haptoglobin to reclaim it, hemoglobin begins to appear in the urine -- there is hemoglobinuria. Normally, there is no hemoglobin in the urine. Hemoglobinuria is a sign of a number of conditions including: acute nephritis (acute glomerulonephritis), burns, kidney cancer, malaria, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (dark urine in the morning that lightens up during the day), the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), pyelonephritis, sickle cell anemia (or any other type of hemolytic anemia), a transfusion reaction (due to an immune response against transfused red blood cells), thrombotic thrombocytic purpura (TTP), and tuberculosis of the urinary tract. Common Misspellings: urine hgb, urine haemoglobin, urin hemoglobin, urin hgb, urin haemoglobin
Renal stone
Renal stone: A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract). Also called a kidney stone. Renal stones are a common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones occur in 1 in 20 people at some time in their life. The development of the stones is related to decreased urine volume or increased excretion of stone-forming components such as calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate. The stones form in the urine collecting area (the pelvis) of the kidney and may range in size from tiny to staghorn stones the size of the renal pelvis itself. The cystine stones (below) compared in size to a quarter (a U.S. $0.25 coin) were obtained from the kidney of a young woman by percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PNL), a procedure for crushing and removing the dense stubborn stones characteristic of cystinuria. The pain with kidney stones is usually of sudden onset, very severe and colicky (intermittent), not improved by changes in position, radiating from the back, down the flank, and into the groin. Nausea and vomiting are common. Factors predisposing to kidney stones include recent reduction in fluid intake, increased exercise with dehydration, medications that cause hyperuricemia (high uric acid) and a history of gout. Treatment includes relief of pain, hydration and, if there is concurrent urinary infection, antibiotics. The majority of stones pass spontaneously within 48 hours. However, some stones may not. There are several factors which influence the ability to pass a stone. These include the size of the person, prior stone passage, prostate enlargement, pregnancy, and the size of the stone. A 4 mm stone has an 80% chance of passage while a 5 mm stone has a 20% chance. If a stone does not pass, certain procedures (usually done by a urology specialist) may be needed. The process of stone formation is called nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis. "Nephrolithiasis" is derived from the Greek nephros- (kidney) lithos (stone) = kidney stone "Urolithiasis" is from the French word "urine" which, in turn, stems from the Latin "urina" and the Greek "ouron" meaning urine = urine stone. The stones themselves are called renal caluli. The word "calculus" (plural: calculi) is the Latin word for pebble.
Bipolar disorder
Our Bipolar disorder Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches from high to low and back again are dramatic and rapid, but more often they are gradual and slow, and intervals of normal mood may occur between the high (manic) and low (depressive) phases of the condition. The symptoms of both the depressive and manic cycles may be severe and often lead to impaired functioning. Both phases of the disease are deleterious. Mania affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that may cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase. Depression can also affect thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that may cause grave problems. For example, it elevates the risk of suicide. About 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the population aged 18 and older, have bipolar disorder. Although bipolar disorder often worsens over time if untreated, most people with bipolar disorder can achieve stabilization of their mood swings and reduction of symptoms with proper treatment. Treatment usually consists of medications known as �mood stabilizers.� See also: Manic-depression. Common Misspellings: bipola disorder, bipoler disorder, bi-polar disorder, bi polar
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Excessive daytime sleepiness: A neurological disorder in which there is a sudden recurrent uncontrollable compulsion to sleep. Excessive daytime sleepiness is also known as narcolepsy. The condition is often associated with: Cataplexy -- a sudden loss of muscle tone and paralysis of voluntary muscles associated with a strong emotion Sleep paralysis -- immobility of the body that occurs in the transition from sleep to wakefulness Hypnagogic hallucinations -- pre-sleep dreams Automatic behaviors -- such as, for example, doing something "automatically" and not remembering afterwards how you did it. More than 100,000 Americans have excessive daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy). It strikes both males and females and affects people of all races. The symptoms most commonly appear in a person's teens and early twenties. The disease can vary in severity. Some persons with it have mild sleepiness or rare cataplexy (less than one episode per week). Other persons may have moderate sleepiness or infrequent cataplexy (less than one episode a day). Still other persons with the disorder may experience severe sleepiness or have severe cataplexy (with one or more episodes of cataplexy per day). The basic cause of narcolepsy is not known. It is not a fatal disorder in itself but it can lead to fatalities. For example, a narcoleptic may fall asleep while driving. Narcolepsy is usually treated with a medication to improve alertness and an anti-depressant that helps control cataplexy. The US Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) in 1998 approved Provigil (modafinil), a non-amphetamine drug for treating the excessive sleepiness of narcolepsy. Other names for the condition include hypnolepsy, sleeping disease, paroxysmal sleep, and Gelineau syndrome. Common Misspellings: excessive daytime sleepness, exessive daytime sleepiness, exessive daytime sleepness
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)