Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A local accumulation of pus within the breast due to infection. Symptoms may include painful local swelling of the breast, a breast lump, and redness and tenderness of the breast. If the abscess forms in spite of antibiotics, it may need to be incised and drained, a minor surgical procedure, in order to heal. Infection of breast…

The breast refers to the front of the chest or, more specifically, to the mammary gland. The mammary gland is a milk producing gland. It is composed largely of fat. Within the mammary gland is a complex network of branching ducts. These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules, which can produce milk in females. The…

Also known as dengue fever, an acute mosquito-borne viral illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and rash. The presence (the “dengue triad”) of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic. Better known as dengue, the disease is endemic throughout the tropics and subtropics in various…

A popular term for the stomach.

A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast and ovary but which, when mutated, may predispose to breast cancer and to ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations have also been discovered to be responsible for a significant fraction of early-onset prostate cancer. The first breast cancer genes identified were BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for…

A mutated (changed) version of the BRCA1 gene that makes a person susceptible to developing breast cancer. A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast but which, when mutated, predisposes to breast cancer. The gene’s full name is breast cancer 1, early onset. The BRCA1 gene belongs to a class of genes known as tumor suppressor genes.…

A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast but which, when mutated, predisposes to breast cancer. The gene’s full name is breast cancer 1, early onset. The BRCA1 gene belongs to a class of genes known as tumor suppressor genes. Like other tumor suppressor genes, BRCA1 regulates the cycle of cell division by keeping…

One of several genetic mutations linked to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. There is now convincing evidence that every woman with a BRCA mutation is at high risk for breast cancer, irrespective of whether she has a family history of breast cancer or not. By age 80, a woman with a BRCA mutation has about an 80% chance of developing breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase…

A widely used test of the newborn baby as to their neurologic status and developmental progress. The Brazelton newborn test is formally called the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). However, the NBAS which was devised by the Harvard pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton is better known as “the Brazelton.” There are a number of other behavioral assessments for…

Irregular contractions of the womb (the uterus) occurring towards the middle of pregnancy in the first pregnancy and, earlier and more intensely, in subsequent pregnancies. These contractions tend to occur during physical activity. The uterus tightens for 30 to 60 seconds beginning at the top of the uterus; and the contraction gradually spreads downward before relaxing. Although said…