Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Cat scanning adds X-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views anatomy. It can identify normal and abnormal structures and be used to guide procedures. CAT scanning is painless. Iodine-containing contrast material is sometimes used in CAT scanning. If you are having a CAT scan and are allergic to iodine or contrast materials, you should notify your…

1. The act of pressing together. As in a compressionfracture, nerve compression, or spinal cord compression.2. To shorten in time. In embryology, there may be compression of development with some stages even omitted.

Cloth or another material applied under pressure to an area of the skin and held in place for a period of time. A compress can be any temperature, and it can be dry or wet. It may also be impregnated with medication or an herbal remedy. Most compresses are used to relieve inflammation.

The presence of two different mutant alleles at a particular gene locus, one on each chromosome of a pair. The human genome contains two copies of each gene, a paternal and a maternal allele. A mutation affecting only one allele is called heterozygous. A homozygous mutation is the presence of the identical mutation on both…

In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result of, a procedure, treatment, or illness. A complication is so named because it complicates the situation.

A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These measurements are generally determined by specially designed machines that analyze the different components of blood in less than a minute. The values generally included are the following:

Nucleic acid sequence of bases that can form a double- stranded structure by matching base pairs. For example, the complementary sequence to C-A-T-G (where each letter stands for one of the bases in DNA) is G-T-A-C.

A group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines that are used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using acupuncture in addition to usual care to help lessen a patient’s discomfort following surgery. Complementary medicine is different from alternative medicine. Whereas complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, alternative medicine is used in…

A contagious viral upper respiratory tract infection. The common cold can be caused by many different types of viruses, and the body can never build up resistance to all of them. For this reason, colds are a frequent and recurring problem. Going out into cold weather has no effect on causing a cold. Antibiotics do not cure or…

The duct that carries bile from the gallbladder and liver into the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine). The common bile duct is formed by the junction of the cystic duct, from the gallbladder, and the common hepatic duct, from the liver.