Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Usually a dairy food or diet supplement that contains live bacteria that may replace or add to the beneficial bacteria in the GI tract.

1: In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to explore, for example, an opening to see where it goes. 2: In molecular genetics, a probe is a labeled bit of DNA or RNA used to find its complementary sequence or locate a particular clone.

A combining form (from both Greek and Latin) with many meanings including “before, in front of, preceding, on behalf of, in place of, and the same as.” Used as a word, pro of course means professional and, in medicine, it is short for prothrombin.

A rare gene mutation that is usually found only in a single family or a small population. A private mutation occurs and is passed to a few family members, but not to future generations.

A disorder caused by an inherited flaw in the immune system that increases the susceptibility to infections. Primary immunodeficiency diseases are unlike secondary or acquired immune deficiency diseases, which are caused by infectious, chemical or radiological agents. AIDS is a prototype of an acquired immune deficiency disease. It has been estimated that there are 100 different primary immunodeficiency diseases. All are…

First or foremost in time or development. The primary teeth (the baby teeth) are those that come first. Primary may also refer to symptoms or a disease to which others are secondary. A primary tumor is one that is at the original site at which it arose. For example, a primary brain tumor is one…

Abnormally persistent erection of the penis in the absence of desire. Treatments include medications, anesthesia, and drainage of blood from the penis.

The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characteristic. Prevalence is a statistical concept referring to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time, whereas incidence refers to the number of new cases that develop in a given period of time.

An uncommon type of hives (urticaria) that occurs after the skin has been under pressure, often the feet after standing or the buttocks after sitting for a long time or areas where clothing is tight. The hives may begin hours after the pressure on the skin has ceased. The hives last 8 to 72 hours…

Causing a rise in blood pressure. A pressor base is a substance (chemically classified as a base) capable of raising the blood pressure. A pressor nerve is a nerve that, when stimulated, increases the blood pressure. A pressor reflex is a nerve reflex that constricts arterioles (small blood vessels) and thereby increases the blood pressure. A pressor…