Usman

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Labia

    Lips, the fleshy folds that surround the opening of the mouth (oral labia) or the vagina (the labia majora and labia minora).

  • L1-L5 (lumbar vertebrae)

    The symbols L1 through L5 represent the five lumbar vertebrae. The lumbar vertebrae are situated between the thoracic vertebrae and the sacral vertebrae in the spinal column.

  • L

    Abbreviation for liter, a metric measure of capacity that, by definition, is equal to the volume of a kilogram of water at 4 degrees centigrade and at standard atmospheric pressure of 760 millimeters of mercury. The abbreviation for liter can also be written as a lower-case “l”. The word “liter” derives from the French “litre” and…

  • Kyphosis

    Outward curvature of the spine, causing a humped back. Treatment includes physical therapy and wearing a back brace, and in some cases surgery. Surgery for kyphosis may involve inserting a metal rod in the spine and restructuring some bones, and it is usually followed by wearing a back cast and then a back brace for some time.

  • KUB

    Abbreviation for kidney, ureter, and bladder.

  • Kopliks spots

    Little spots inside the mouth that are highly characteristic of the early phase of measles (rubeola). The spots look like a tiny grains of white sand, each surrounded by a red ring. They are found especially on the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars. Named for the New York pediatrician Henry Koplik…

  • Kochs postulates

    In 1890 the German physician and bacteriologist Robert Koch set out his celebrated criteria for judging whether a given bacteria is the cause of a given disease. Koch’s criteria brought some much-needed scientific clarity to what was then a very confused field. Koch’s postulates are as follows: However, Koch’s postulates have their limitations and so may…

  • Kneecap

    The patella, the small bone in the front of the knee. The patella is a little (sesamoid) bone, embedded in the tendon of insertion of the quadriceps muscle. If the patella is shattered beyond repair, it can be removed in an operation called a patellectomy and sometimes replaced with prosthetic material.

  • Knee

    The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the large shin bone (the tibia) to form the main knee joint. This joint has an inner (medial) and an outer (lateral) compartment. The kneecap (the patella) joins the femur to form a third joint, called the patellofemoral joint. The patella protects…

  • Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber (KTW) syndrome

    A congenital malformation syndrome characterized by the triad of asymmetric limb hypertrophy, hemangiomata, and nevi. “Asymmetric limb hypertrophy” is enlargement of one limb and not the corresponding limb on the other side, the enlarged limb being 3 times more likely to be a leg than an arm in KTW; and the limb enlargement is of bone as well…

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