Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

One of the bony prominences toward the near end of the thighbone (the femur). There are two trochanters: The trochanters are points at which hip and thigh muscles attach. The greater trochanter gives attachment to a number of muscles (including the gluteus medius and minimus, piriformis, obturator internus and externus, and gemelli muscles), and the…

A class of drugs introduced in the 1990s for the treatment of migraine that act as agonists for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors. The triptans are often very effective in relieving migraine but do not prevent future attacks or lessen their frequency. Migraine is believed to be due to dilatation of cranial blood vessels and the release of pro-inflammatory neuropeptides through…

Street name for alpha-ethyltryptamine and for LSD.

In obstetrics, one of the three divisions of three months each during pregnancy, in which different phases of fetal development take place. The first trimester is a time of basic cell differentiation. The second trimester is a period of rapid growth and maturation of body systems. A second-trimester fetus that is born prematurely may be viable, given…

The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol. Triglycerides serve as the backbone of many types of lipids (fats). Triglycerides come from the food we eat as well as from being produced by the body. Triglyceride levels are influenced by recent fat…

Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease, or that causes a certain symptom to occur in a person who has a disease. For example, sunlight can trigger rashes in people with lupus.A predisposing event.

Also called tic douloureux. Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve) that most commonly causes paroxysms of very intense lightning pain in the areas of the face the nerve supplies — the lips, eye, nose, scalp, forehead, gums, cheek, and chin — on the involved side of the face. A less common “atypical” form of the disease causes…

One of a class of medications used to treat depression. The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are also used for some forms of anxiety, fibromyalgia, and the control of chronic pain. “Tricyclic” refers to the presence of three rings in the chemical structure of these drugs.

A single-celled protozoan parasite best known in medicine because one species causes vaginitis (vaginal inflammation). Infection with trichomonas (trichomoniasis) is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease (STD) in young sexually active women.) in young sexually active women. The species of trichomonas responsible for STD is Trichomonas vaginalis. The vagina is the most common site of infection in women, and the urethra (urine canal) is…

Pertaining to hair. As in trichobezoar (a hair ball), trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), trichoepithelioma (a tumor from a hair follicle), etc. From the Greek thrix, trichos, meaning hair.