Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

An inadequacy of blood flow. Inadequate blood flow to a particular area of the body can result in too little oxygen being delivered to that area, a condition known as hypoxia. The term poor circulation may be used to refer to peripheral vascular disease (or peripheral arterial disease), a condition that develops when the arteries that supply blood to the…

The symbol for the enzyme called paraoxonase.

The excessive passage of urine (at least 2.5 liters per day for an adult) resulting in profuse urination and urinary frequency (the need to urinate frequently). Polyuria is a classic sign of diabetes mellitus that is under poor control or is not yet under treatment. Polyuria occurs in some other conditions such as: Certain drugs such as the…

Also known as the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder characterized by progressive symmetrical paralysis and loss of reflexes usually beginning in the legs with, in most cases, nearly complete or complete recovery. The Guillain-Barre syndrome is not associated with fever. There is paralysis involving more than one limb, most commonly the legs, and that paralysis is progressive. There is…

A disorder of the muscles and joints of older persons characterized by pain and stiffness, affecting both sides of the body, and involving the shoulders, arms, neck, and buttock areas.

A type of white blood cell with a nucleus that is so deeply lobated or divided that the cell looks to have multiple nuclei. Informally called a poly.

A variation in the DNA that is too common to be due merely to new mutation. A polymorphism must have a frequency of at least 1% in the population. Examples of polymorphisms include the genes for sickle cell disease, thalassemia and G6PD deficiency. These genes are widely believed to offer an advantage against malaria.

Pertaining to a polymorphism, a variation in the DNA that is too common to be due merely to new mutation. A polymorphism must have a frequency of at least 1% in the population. Examples of polymorphic genes include those for sickle cell disease, thalassemia and G6PD deficiency. These genes are widely believed to offer an advantage against malaria.

A genetic autoimmune disease with an extraordinary array of clinical features but characterized most often by at least 2 of the following 3 findings: hypoparathyroidism — underfunction of the parathyroid glands which control calcium, candidiasis (yeast infection), and adrenal insufficiency (underfunction of the adrenal gland). PGA was the first systemic (bodywide) autoimmune disease found due to a defect in a single gene. By “autoimmune”…

A genetic disorder that is caused by the combined action of more than one gene. Examples of polygenic conditions include hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. Because such disorders depend on the simultaneous presence of several genes, they are not inherited as simply as are single-gene diseases.