Category: Pa-Pb

To palliate a disease is to treat it partially and insofar as possible, but not cure it completely. Palliation cloaks a disease. Also sometimes called symptomatic treatment. To take a case, a 91-year-old man was found to have a tumor in his lung. He did not have chest surgery because of his age and the general…

In genetics, a DNA or RNA sequence that reads the same in both directions. The sites of many restriction enzymes that cut (restrict) DNA are palindromes. In rheumatology, palindromic rheumatism is a form of joint inflammation in which the joints involved by the arthritis appear to change periodically from one region of the body to another and back…

A pale-appearing spherical area in the brain. The paleostriatum is specifically part of what is called the lentiform nucleus which, in turn, is part of the striate body, a component of the basal ganglia, large masses of gray matter at the base of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Cells within the paleostriatum may be preferentially damaged and perish in…

The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back portion is muscular (soft palate).

Pain during urination, or difficulty urinating. Dysuria is usually caused by inflammation of the urethra, frequently as a result of infection.

A measurement of the intensity of pain.

The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mild to moderate pain can usually be treated with analgesic medications, such as aspirin. For chronic or severe pain, opiates and other narcotics may be used, sometimes in concert with analgesics; with steroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when the pain is related to inflammation; or with antidepressants,…

An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific…

A chronic bone disorder that typically results in enlarged, deformed bones due to excessive breakdown and formation of bone tissue that can cause bones to weaken and may result in bone pain, arthritis, deformities or fractures. The disease is named for the great English surgeon and pathologist, Sir James Paget (1814-1899). Paget’s disease is rarely diagnosed in…

Thick skin, like that of a pachyderm (an elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus). The adjective is pachydermatous. Pachyderma can occur in several medical conditions, such as chronic lymphedema. From the Greek pachydermos meaning “thick skin” from pachys meaning “thick” + derma meaning “skin.”