Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Thread-like bands of fibrous tissue which attach on one end to the edges of the tricuspid and mitral valves of the heart and on the other end to the papillary muscles, small muscles within the heart that serve to anchor the valves.

A glycosaminoglycan (formerly called a mucopolysaccharide) found in cartilage, bone, blood vessels and connective tissues. There are two forms: chondroitin sulfate A and chondroitin sulfate C. One or both types accumulate abnormally in several of the mucopolysaccharidosis disorders. Chondroitin sulfate B is now called dermatan sulfate.

The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for being associated with an increased risk for heart and blood vessel disease. However, cholesterol is essential to the formation of bile acids, vitamin D, progesterone, estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estriol), androgens (androsterone, testosterone), mineralocorticoid hormones (aldosterone, corticosterone), and glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol). Cholesterol is also necessary to the normal permeability and function of the membranes that surround cells.…

Cholestasis: a decrease or blockage in the flow of bile. Bile is a fluid produced by the liver that travels through ducts to enter the digestive system in the small intestine. Diseases of the liver, pancreas, or of the bile ducts themselves can all cause cholestasis. Symptoms of cholestasis include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes look yellow), dark…

An infectious disease characterized by intense vomiting and profuse watery diarrhea and that rapidly leads to dehydration and often death. Cholera is caused by infection with the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which may be transmitted via infected fecal matter, food, or water. With modern sanitation, cholera is no longer as common as it once was, but epidemics still…

1. The presence of stones in the gallbladder. 2. The process of formation of such stones. From the Greek roots chole, bile + lithos, stone.

Abbreviated CCK. A polypeptide hormone that stimulates the contraction of the gallbladder with release of bile and the secretion of pancreatic enzymes into the small intestine. CCK is secreted by cells lining the upper intestine and by the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic cholecystokinin is a neurotransmitter. Called also pancreozymin.

Inflammation of the gallbladder. Cholecystitis is a complication of gallstones, and it is frequently associated with infection in the gallbladder. Risk factors for cholecystitis include age, obesity, female gender, multiple pregnancies, use of birth control pills, and heredity. The most common symptom is pain in the upper abdomen, although some patients have no symptoms. Diagnosis can be made with ultrasound of the abdomen.…

The gallbladder. The word cholecyst is not much used today but it figures into a number of other terms to do with the gallbladder Cholecystectomy is removal of the gallbladder. Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Cholecystogram is an x-ray of the gallbladder. Cholecyst, literally, means, bilebladder. It comes from chol, referring to bile + cyst, a bladder.Cholecystectomy

Vitamin D3.