Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A type of psychotherapy designed to identify family patterns that contribute to a behavior disorder or mental illness and help family members break those habits. Family therapy involves discussion and problem-solving sessions with the family. Some of these sessions may be as a group, in couples, or one on one. In family therapy, the web of interpersonal…

1. A group of individuals related by blood or marriage or by a feeling of closeness. 2. A biological classification of related plants or animals that is a division below the order and above the genus. 3. A group of genes related in structure and in function that descended from an ancestral gene. 4. A group of gene products similarly related in…

The most common inherited type of hyperlipidemia (high lipid levels in the blood). Familial hypercholesterolemia is recognizable in childhood and is due to genetic defects in the receptor (target) for low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The most common autosomal dominant form of hypercholesterolemia is caused by mutation in the LDL receptor gene (LDLR) on chromosome 19. There are also a number of other less frequent forms of this disorder. Familial hypercholesterolemia predisposes a…

A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by chance alone. A familial disease may be genetic (such as cystic fibrosis) or environmental (such as chicken pox).

Intermittent non-productive muscular contractions of the womb (uterus) during pregnancy, most commonly in the last two months before full term. These contractions are non-productive in the sense that they do not produce any flattening (effacement) or dilation (opening up) of the cervix. It is often said that false contractions are for “practice,” for getting the woman ready for true labor, but this is pure…

One of the two Fallopian tubes that transport the egg from the ovary to the uterus (the womb). In the diagram, the Fallopian tubes are not labeled but are well shown running between the uterus and ovaries. The Fallopian tubes have small hair-like projections called cilia on the cells of the lining. These tubal cilia are essential to the movement of the egg through…

The most dangerous type of malaria, which is caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Falciparum malaria is associated with high levels of parasites in the blood and has the highest death rate and rate of complications of all types of malaria. Red blood cells that are infected with the parasite tend to sludge and lead to microinfarctions (tiny areas of dead tissue due…

Partial or complete loss of consciousness with interruption of awareness of oneself and ones surroundings. When the loss of consciousness is temporary and there is spontaneous recovery, it is referred to as syncope or, in nonmedical quarters, fainting. Syncope accounts for one in every 30 visits to an emergency room. It is pronounced sin-ko-pea. Syncope is due to…

Refers to a child whose physical growth is significantly less than that of peers. There is no official consensus on what constitutes failure to thrive (FTT). It usually refers to a child whose growth is below the 3rd or 5th percentiles for their age or whose growth has fallen off precipitously and crossed two major growth percentiles…

Thermometer scale in which the freezing point of water is 32?F and the boiling point of water 212?F. The Fahrenheit scale is still obstinately in use in the US. This anachronism requires conversion from Centigrade (?C) to Fahrenheit (?F), and vice versa. One degree ?C = (5/9)(?F – 32). One degree ?F = (9/5)(?C) + 32. Named for…