Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 consecutive months without menstruation.

Inflammation of the prepuce (the foreskin of the penis). In the uncircumcised male, posthitis and balanitis (inflammation of the glans, the rounded head of the penis) usually occur together as balanoposthitis: inflammation of both the glans and foreskin. Circumcision prevents balanoposthitis. Without a foreskin, there can of course be no posthitis and hence no balanoposthitis. An uncircumcised boy should be taught to clean his…

The most common complication of shingles, persistence of the pain associated with shingles beyond 1 month, even after the rash is gone. The pain can be severe and debilitating, and it occurs primarily in persons over age 50. The pain of postherpetic neuralgia can be reduced by certain medications including tricyclic antidepressant medications and some antiseizure medications. Capsaicin cream, a derivative of…

From back to front. A chest x-ray taken with the chest against the film plate and the x-ray machine behind the patient is a posteroanterior (PA) view. As opposed to anteroposterior (AP).

The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.

A common anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Family members of victims also can develop the disorder. PTSD can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents. More than twice as many women as men experience PTSD following exposure to trauma. Depression, alcohol…

Short for postmortem examination (an autopsy).

Also known as a sense-strand RNA virus, a virus whose genetic information consists of a single strand of RNA that is the positive (or sense) strand which encodes mRNA (messenger RNA) and protein. Replication in positive-strand RNA viruses is via a negative-strand intermediate. Examples of positive-strand RNA viruses include polio virus, Coxsackie virus, and echovirus. There are two types of RNA…

Literally, the late skin form of porphyria, a genetic photosensitive (light-sensitive) skin disease with onset in adult life with substances called uroporphyrins in the urine due to a deficiency of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UROD), an enzyme required for the synthesis of heme (part of hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen). The hallmarks of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) are…

One of a variety of hereditary diseases that are characterized by abnormalities in the reactions needed for the production of heme, an essential substance for the body, resulting in increased formation and excretion of chemicals called porphyrins. Most porphyrias affect the skin or the nervous system. Attacks may range from mild to severe. Besides having abdominal and…