Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

COPD. Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves two related diseases — chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. The obstruction is generally permanent and progresses (becomes worse) over time. Asthma is also a pulmonary disease in which there is obstruction to the…

One of a group of kidney diseases characterized by long-term inflammation and scarring of the glomeruli (microscopic structures in the kidney that filter blood and produce urine). This form of kidney disease usually develops slowly (over years) and may not produce symptoms at the outset. When symptoms and signs do appear, they typically include blood in…

A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. Eighty-eight percent of Americans over 65 years of age have at least one…

Inflammation and swelling of the lining of the airways, leading to narrowing and obstruction generally resulting in daily cough. The inflammation stimulates production of mucus, which can cause further blockage of the airways. Obstruction of the airways, especially with mucus, increases the likelihood of bacterial lung infection. Chronic bronchitis is common in persons who have smoked for…

In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months or more. Chronic diseases are in contrast to those that are acute (abrupt, sharp, and brief) or subacute (within the interval between acute and chronic).

Part of a chromosome in duplicate. A particular kind of mutation involving the production of one or more copies of any piece of DNA, including sometimes a gene or even an entire chromosome. A duplication is the opposite of a deletion. Duplications have been important in the evolution of the human genome (and the genomes…

The whole set of chromosomes for a species. In humans, the normal chromosome complement consists of 46 chromosomes, including the 2 sex chromosomes. Also known as the karyotype.

A carrier of genetic information that is visible under an ordinary light microscope. Each human chromosome has two arms, the p (short) arm and the q (long) arm. These arms are separated from each other only by the centromere, which is the point at which the chromosome is attached to the spindle during cell division. The…

A highly malignant tumor that arises from trophoblastic cells within the uterus. Choriocarcinoma tends to be invasive and to metastasize early and widely through both the venous and lymphatic systems. Choriocarcinoma is one of the two types of gestational trophoblastic tumor, the other being hydatidiform mole. Choriocarcinoma may follow any type of pregnancy. It is especially likely to occur with a…

Ceaseless rapid complex body movements that look well coordinated and purposeful but are, in fact, involuntary. Chorea was thought suggestive of a grotesque dance. The term “chorea” is derived from the Greek word “choreia” for dancing (as is choreography).