Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A surgical procedure in which damaged parts of the knee joint are replaced with artifical parts. The surgery is done by separating the muscles and ligaments around the knee to expose the inside of the joint. The ends of the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia) are removed as is often the underside…

A class of enzymes that alter the supercoiling of double-stranded DNA. (In supercoiling the DNA molecule coils up like a telephone cord, which shortens the molecule.) The topoisomerases act by transiently cutting one or both strands of the DNA. Topoisomerase type I cuts one strand whereas topoisomerase type II cuts both strands of the DNA to relax the…

Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied to a certain area of the skin and is intended to affect only the area to which it is applied. Whether its effects are indeed limited to that area depends on whether the agent stays where it is put or is absorbed…

A chronic form of gout. Nodular masses of uric acid crystals (tophi) are deposited in different soft tissue areas of the body. Even though tophi are most commonly found as hard nodules around the fingers, at the tips of the elbows, and around the big toe, tophi nodules can appear anywhere in the body. They have been reported…

Inflammation of one or both tonsils, typically as a result of infection by a virus or ‘bacteria.

A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered by the lingual membrane, which has special areas to detect different types of tastes. The tongue muscles are attached to the lower jaw and to the hyoid bone, a small, U-shaped bone that lies deep in the muscles at the back…

The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or section through a three-dimensional object. Tomography achieves this remarkable result by simply moving an X-ray source in one direction as the X-ray film is moved in the opposite direction during the exposure to sharpen structures in the focal plane, while structures in other planes appear blurred. The tomogram is…

A radiograph (x-ray) of a selected layer of the body made by tomography. A tomogram is a two-dimensional image representing a slice or section through a three-dimensional object. The term tomogram may be made more specific, as in nephrotomogram (tomogram of the kidney).

Or tom- before a vowel. A combining form meaning a cut, section, or layer, as might be achieved by cutting or slicing. Used in the formation of compound words such tomography. From the Greek tomos (a cutting).

Or tomo- before a consonant. A combining form meaning a cut, section, slice or layer, as might be achieved by cutting or slicing. Used in the formation of compound words such tomography. From the Greek tomos (a cutting).