Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The excretion of an excessively large amount of sodium in the urine. Natriuresis is similar to diuresis (the excretion of an unusually large quantity of urine), except that in natriuresis the urine is exceptionally salty. Natriuresis occurs with some diuretics and diseases (as of the adrenal) and can lead to the salt-losing syndrome characterized by dehydration, vomiting, low blood pressure,…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an important U.S. health agency. It is devoted to medical research. Administratively under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH consists of 20-some separate Institutes and Centers. NIH’s program activities are represented by these Institutes and Centers. They are, along with a brief overview of their essential missions, as follows: The…

Full name: United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (USP-NF). An official publication, issued first by the American Pharmaceutical Association and now yearly by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, that gives the composition, description, method of preparation, and dosage for drugs. The book contains two separate official compendia — the USP and the NF. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), established…

The area of the upper throat that lies behind the nose. In contrast to the oropharynx, the area of the throat that lies behind the mouth. The word “nasopharynx” is a hybrid — part Latin, part Greek. “Naso-” is a prefix that has to do with the nose. It comes from the Latin “nasus” for…

A tube that is passed through the nose and down through the nasopharynx and esophagus into the stomach. Abbreviated NG tube. It is a flexible tube made of rubber or plastic, and it has bidirectional potential. It can be used to remove the contents of the stomach, including air, to decompress the stomach, or to remove small solid objects and fluid,…

Prefix referring to the nose, as in nasogastric tube (a tube that is passed through the nose and to the stomach).

Benign growths that originate in the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages or paranasal sinuses. Polyps are believed to arise in the nasal mucosa as a result of chronic inflammation. Up to 4% of adults have nasal polyps; they can also occur in children, particularly those with chronic respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis. Symptoms include postnasal drainage, snoring, headaches, sinusitis, and a reduced sense of smell and taste.…

A channel for airflow through the nose. The walls of the nasal passages are coated with respiratory mucous membranes, which contain innumerable tiny hair-like cells that move waves of mucus toward the throat. Dust, bacteria, and other particles inhaled from the air are trapped by the mucus in the nose, carried back, swallowed, and dropped into the gastric juices so that…

Having to do with the nose.

1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosis, from the Greek “narke” for “numbness or torpor.”2. A drug such as marijuana which is subject to regulatory restrictions comparable to those for addictive narcotics.