Category: Rf-Rz

RSV in clinical medicine is the abbreviation for respiratory syncytial virus.

Rapid plasma reagin, a blood test for syphilis that looks for an antibody that is present in the bloodstream when a patient has syphilis. A negative (nonreactive) RPR is compatible with a person not having syphilis, but in the early stages of the disease, the RPR often gives false negative results. Conversely, a false positive RPR can…

Retinitis pigmentosa.

A type of parasitic worm that hatches in the intestines and lives there. The eggs of the roundworm usually enter the body through contaminated water or food or on fingers placed in the mouth after the hands have touched a contaminated object. Symptoms of roundworm infections include fatigue, weight loss, irritability, poor appetite, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Treatment with…

To go around and see a patient in a hospital or other in-patient setting.

A group of four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. Each of these tendons attaches to a muscle that moves the shoulder in a specific direction. The four muscles whose tendons form the rotator cuff are the subscapularis muscle, which moves the arm by turning it inward (internal rotation); the supraspinatus muscle, which is responsible for elevating the arm…

A chronic skin disease that causes persistent redness over the areas of the face and nose that normally blush: mainly the forehead, the chin, and the lower half of the nose. The tiny blood vessels in these areas enlarge (dilate) and become more visible through the skin, appearing like tiny red lines (telangiectasias). Pimples that look…

The trade name for flunitrazepam, which has been abused as a ‘date rape’ drug. Rohypnol produces sedative-hypnotic effects including muscle relaxation and amnesia. It can produce physical and psychological dependence and can be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or other depressants.

Radiology, the science of radiation and, specifically, the use of both ionizing (like X-ray) and nonionizing (like ultrasound) modalities for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Roentgenology is named for Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen who discovered X-rays. Roentgen, a professor of physics in Germany, wanted to prove his hypothesis that cathode rays could penetrate substances besides air. When he saw…

A type of specialized light-sensitive cell (photoreceptor) in the retina of the eye that provides side vision and the ability to see objects in dim light (night vision). By contrast, the cones are the retinal photoreceptors that provide sharp central vision and color vision.