Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A dire form of cardiac arrest in which the heart stops beating and there is no electrical activity in the heart. As a result, the heart is at a total standstill.

An infection without symptoms. Also known as inapparent or subclinical infection.

Without symptoms. For example, an asymptomatic infection is an infection with no symptoms.

A tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord in small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. The location of the tumor depends on the age of the person. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum, whereas in children, they may arise in the brain stem, cerebrum, and cerebellum.

An abnormal and persistent fear of thunderstorms. Sufferers experience anxiety even when they realize the risk of harm is very small. Consequently, when indoors they might seek shelter under a bed, in a closet or in a basement. They generally keep a watchful eye on the sky and remain alert for reports of electrical storms. “Astraphobia” is…

A common form of visual impairment in which part of an image is blurred due to an irregularity in the dome-shaped curvature of the front surface of the eye, the cornea. With astigmatism, light rays entering the eye are not uniformly focused on the retina. The result is blurred vision at all distances. Significant astigmatism can cause headaches, eye strain, and seriously blurred…

Astigmatic Keratotomy for the Correction of Astigmatism: A type of eye surgery that corrects astigmatism by making one or two incisions at the steepest part of the cornea. This causes the cornea to relax and take a more rounded shape, decreasing astigmatism.

Referring to astigmatism or a person with astigmatism, a common form of visual impairment in which part of an image is blurred, due to an irregularity in the curvature of the front surface of the eye, the cornea, or of the lens inside the eye. The curve of the astigmatic cornea is shaped more like an American football or a rugby…

1. Pertaining to asthma as, for example, asthmatic bronchitis.2. A person with asthma.

Also called exercise- induced asthma, this is asthma that is triggered by vigorous physical activity. Exercise-induced asthma tends particularly to affect children and young adults (because of their high level of physical activity) but can occur at any age. Exercise-induced bronchospasm is initiated by the process of respiratory heat exchange (the fall in airway temperature during rapid breathing followed by rapid reheating with lowered ventilation).…