Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The removal of a sample of bone marrow and a small amount of bone through a large needle. Two samples are taken. The first is bone marrow by aspiration (suction with a syringe). The second is a core biopsy to obtain bone marrow along with bone fibers. After the needle is removed, this solid sample…

The removal of a small amount of liquid bone marrow through a needle. The needle is placed through the top layer of bone, and a liquid sample containing bone marrow cells is obtained through the needle by sucking (aspirating) it into a syringe. The suction causes pain for a few moments. Bone marrow aspiration is done to…

The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains fat and immature and mature blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Diseases or drugs that affect the bone marrow can affect the total counts of these cells.

Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. The most widely recognized BMD test is called a central dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, or central DXA test.

A solitary fluid-filled cavity (cyst) in a bone, usually in the shaft of a long bone, especially the humerus, in a child. A simple bone cyst can cause pain in or near the bone. Also known as unicameral bone cyst and solitary bone cyst.

A benign lesion in a bone that contains connective tissue and blood inside a thin bony shell. Aneurysmal bone cysts act like tumors and expand the bone, and they typically occur in the second decade of life. They can affect any bone in the arms, legs, trunk, or skull.

A malignancy of bone. Primary bone cancer (cancer that begins in bone) is rare, but it is not unusual for cancers to metastasize (spread) to bone from other parts of the body, such as the breast, lung, and prostate. The most common type of primary bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which develops in new tissue in growing bones. Another type of cancer, chondrosarcoma, arises in cartilage. Ewing’s sarcoma begins…

Bone is the substance that forms the skeleton of the body. It is composed chiefly of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. It also serves as a storage area for calcium, playing a large role in calcium balance in the blood. The 206 bones in the body serve several other purposes. They support and protect internal organs…

A skin abscess that forms at a hair follicle infected with pus-forming bacteria. The main treatments include hot packs and draining (lancing) the boil when it is soft. Antibiotics are usually not very helpful in treating boils. A person who has a fever or long-term illness, such as cancer or diabetes, or is taking medications that suppress the immune system should contact a health care…

Named after the Russian neuropathologist who described the syndrome of crocodile tears. Spontaneous tearing in parallel with the normal salivation of eating. The crocodile tears syndrome occurs most often following facial paralysis when nerve fibers destined for a salivary gland are damaged and by mistake regrow into a tear gland. Also called Bogorad’s syndrome, gustatolacrimal reflex, paroxysmal…