Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A partial or complete loss of consciousness with interruption of awareness of oneself and ones surroundings. When the loss of consciousness is temporary and there is spontaneous recovery, it is referred to as syncope or, in nonmedical quarters, fainting. Syncope accounts for nearly one in every 30 visits to an emergency room. Syncope is due to a temporary…

1. Interruption of awareness of oneself and one’s surroundings, lack of the ability to notice or respond to stimuli in the environment. A person may become unconscious due to oxygen deprivation, shock, central nervous system depressants such as alcohol and drugs, or injury.2. In psychology, that part of thought and emotion that happens outside everyday awareness.

The vestige left behind on a newborn’s belly when the umbilical cord is cut. Also called the navel or belly button.

The cord that connects the developing fetus with the placenta while the fetus is in the uterus. The umbilical arteries and vein run within this cord. The umbilical cord is clamped and cut at birth, and its residual tip forms the bellybutton.

A bowel disease that is characterized by inflammation with ulcer formation in the lining of colon (large intestine). Its cause is unknown. The end of the colon (the rectum) is generally involved. When limited to the rectum, the disease is called ulcerative proctitis. The inflammation may extend to varying degrees into the upper parts of the colon. When the…

The process or fact of being eroded away, as by an ulcer.

A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various causes, depending on their location. Ulcers on the skin are usually due to irritation, as in the case of bedsores, and may become inflamed and/or infected as they grow. Ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract were once attributed to stress, but most are now believed to be due…

1. Upper lid (of the eye). 2. Upper limit. No evidence was found for chronic excess intakes of potassium in apparently health individuals and therefore no UL was established for potassium.

A liver enzyme essential to the disposal of bilirubin (the chemical that results from the normal breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells). An abnormality of this enzyme (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase) results in a condition called Gilbert’s disease in which there are mild elevations of bilirubin pigment in the blood. The elevated bilirubin pigment can sometimes cause mild yellowing (jaundice) of the…

Urea breath test.