Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The temporary loss of consciousness in a particular kind of situation. (Syncope is temporary loss of consciousness or, in plain English, fainting). The situations that trigger this reaction are diverse and include having blood drawn, straining while urinating or defecating or coughing. The reaction also can be due to the emotional stress of fear or pain. In these situations, people subject to vasodepressor syncope often…

Narrowing of the blood vessels that results from contraction of the muscular walls of the vessels. The opposite of vasoconstriction is vasodilation.

A surgical procedure designed to make a man sterile by cutting or blocking both the right and left vas deferens, the tubes through which sperm pass into the ejaculate.

A general term for a group of uncommon diseases that feature inflammation of the blood vessels. Each of the vasculitis diseases is defined by characteristic distributions of blood vessel involvement, patterns of organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. The actual causes of these vasculitis diseases are usually not known, but immune system abnormality is a common feature. Examples of…

The vascular system, or a part thereof. For example, the pulmonary vascular bed describes the blood vessels of the lungs.

Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes all of the veins and arteries. And, a vascular surgeon is an expert at evaluating and treating problems of the veins and arteries.

A condition in which blood vessels within the placenta or the umbilical cord are trapped between the fetus and the opening to the birth canal, a situation that carries a high risk the fetus may die from hemorrhage due to a blood vessel tearing at the time the fetal membranes rupture or during labor and delivery. Another danger is lack of…

A highly infectious viral disease, known familiarly as?chickenpox. (In many countries, this disease is always called “varicella.”)?In rare cases, it can cause major problems including?pneumonia and encephalitis. Reactivation of the same herpes virus is responsible for?shingles(zoster). Contrary to what many people believe, chickenpox is by no means a mild disease. The current aim in the U.S. is to achieve…

Perjorative term for children with xeroderma pigmentosum, a genetic disease with such extraordinary sensitivity to sunlight that ordinary sun exposure results in the development of skin cancer at a very early age. Children with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) can only play outdoors safely after nightfall.

1. The Valsalva maneuver in which a person tries to exhale forcibly with a closed glottis (windpipe) so that no air goes out through the mouth or nose.2. The renowned Italian anatomist, pathologist, physician, and surgeon Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723) who first described the maneuver.