Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Radial
A word with diverse meanings in medicine and the biomedical sciences: The word “radial” comes from the Latin “radius” meaning a spoke in a wheel which this bone was thought to resemble. The word “radiation” is derived from the same Latin word — “radius.”
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Race
An ethnic stock or division of humans. Naturalists and ethnographers have long divided humans into a variable number of distinct races. However, DNA and other genetic studies have revealed that that most genetic variation, about 94%, is within so-called racial groups while these racial groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their…
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RA
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints.
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R/O
Medical abbreviation for rule out.
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R (symbol)
This much-used symbol has many meanings in medicine. They include:
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Quinsy
An old term for a peritonsillar abscess. This is a collection of pus (an abscess) behind the tonsils that pushes one of the tonsils toward the uvula (the prominent soft tissue dangling from the back of the palate in the back of the mouth).A peritonsillar abscess is generally very painful. It is usually also associated with a decreased ability to…
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Quinquagenarian
Someone in his or her fifties.
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Quinine
The original antimalarial agent, quinine took its name from the Peruvian Indian word “kina” meaning “bark of the tree” referring to the cinchona tree. From this tree, quinine was first obtained. The Peruvian Indians called it “the fever tree.” Quinine, a large and complex molecule, is the most important alkaloid found in cinchona bark. Until World War I, it was the only effective…
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Quiescent
Inactive, resting. For example, tuberculosis can be a quiescent (inactive) infection.
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Quiescence
Inactivity, quietness. In cells, quiescence is the state of not dividing. In neurons (nerve cells), quiescence is the state of not firing. The word comes from the Latin “quiescere”, to become quiet. Quiescence suggests a temporary cessation of activity.
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