Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A state in which a T cell can no longer respond to antigen. The T cell “tolerates” the antigen. Also called immune tolerance.

Stemming from the Greek word “tokos” meaning childbirth, we have toc-, toco-, tok-, and toko- as combining forms, all referring to labor or childbirth.

1. In medicine, cleansing of a wound and the skin around it. 2. In obstetrics, cleansing of a woman just after childbirth. 3. In dentistry, the cleaning out of a cavity before a restoration. 4. A device for the disposal of urine and feces. Or the room containing such a device. The word toilet comes from the French toilette which originally designated a…

A toenail is produced by living skin cells in the toe. A toenail consists of several parts including the nail plate (the visible part of the nail), the nail bed (the skin beneath the nail plate), the cuticle (the tissue that overlaps the plate and rims the base of the nail), the nail folds (the skin folds…

A young child who is learning to walk with short unsteady steps. The word toddle is of unknown origin.

Prefix meaning childbirth. For example, tocolysis is the slowing or halting of labor. Sometimes spelled tok-, toko-.

Stemming from the Greek word “tokos” meaning childbirth, we have toc-, toco-, tok-, and toko- as combining forms, all referring to labor or childbirth.

Stands for transmyocardial laser revascularization, a procedure by which a physician uses a laser to make holes in the heart to relieve the pain of severe angina. TMR has been done from both the outside and inside of the heart. When done from the outside, a laser (carbon dioxide or holmium laser) is placed in proximity to the…

Variant spelling of “titer” — the degree of dilution of a substance such as an antibody, reflecting the strength of the solution. Americans spell it “titer” while the English spell it “titre,” French for “title,” derived from the Latin “titulus,” an inscription or label. The “titre” was evidence of the fineness of an alloy of…

(tPA) An enzyme that helps dissolve clots. tPA is made by the cells lining blood vessels and has also been made in the laboratory. It is systemic thrombolytic (clot-busting) agent and is used in the treatment of heart attack and stroke. Activase (alteplase) is a tissue plasminogen activator produced by recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant tPA is abbreviated r-tPA.