Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A structure within the scrotum that is attached to the back side of the testis. The epididymis is a coiled segment of the spermatic ducts that stores spermatozoa while they mature and then transports the spermatozoa between the testis and the tube connecting the testes with the urethra (vas deferens).

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV): a rare genetic condition that leads to susceptibility to infection of the skin by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and the development of squamous cells carcinomas (a type of cancer) of the skin. Symptoms include flat-to-raised, wart-like bumps and reddish-brown raised plaques on the trunk, hands, upper and lower extremities, and the face. Patients with this condition are typically infected…

The upper or outer layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin. The epidermis is mostly made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Under the squamous cells are round cells called basal cells. The deepest part of the epidermis also contains melanocytes. These cells produce melanin, which gives the skin its color.…

Pertaining to the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin.

The occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period. A sudden severe outbreak of a disease such as SARS. From the Greek “epi-“, “upon” + “demos”, “people or population” = “epidemos” = “upon the population.” 

The inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is attached to the central part of the diaphragm and the back of the sternum (breastbone). The…

Prefix taken from the Greek that means “on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, among.” As in epicanthal fold (a fold of skin that comes down across the inner angle, the canthus, of the eye; epicardium (a layer of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels);…

1. The Environmental Protection Agency, a US government agency.2.Eicosapentaenoic acid, one of the principal omega-3 fatty acids.

An abnormally high number of eosinophils in the blood. Normally, eosinophils constitute 1 to 3% of the peripheral blood leukocytes, at a count of 350 to 650 per cubic millimeter. Eosinophilia can be categorized as mild (less than 1500 eosinophils per cubic millimeter), moderate (1500 to 5000 per cubic millimeter), or severe (more than 5000 per cubic millimeter).…

The gene for familial eosinophilia. EOS has been mapped to chromosome region 5q31-33 containing the cytokine gene cluster which includes the genes for interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-5 (IL-5), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and all of which are thought play roles in the development, proliferation, and activation of eosinophils.