Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Treatment designed to suppress or block the production of male hormones. Androgen suppression can be achieved by surgical removal of the testicles, by taking female sex hormones, or by taking other drugs called antiandrogens. Also called androgen ablation.

Treatment designed to suppress or block the production of male hormones. Androgen suppression can be achieved by surgical removal of the testicles, by taking female sex hormones, or by taking other drugs called antiandrogens. Also called androgen ablation.

A genetic disorder that makes XY fetuses insensitive (unresponsive) to androgens (male hormones). Instead, they are born looking externally like normal girls. Internally, there is a short blind-pouch vagina and no uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries. There are testes in the abdomen or the inguinal canal. The complete androgen insensitivity syndrome is usually detected at puberty when a girl…

Treatment designed to suppress or block the production of male hormones. Androgen suppression can be achieved by surgical removal of the testicles, by taking female sex hormones, or by taking other drugs called antiandrogens. Also called androgen suppression.

A male sex hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of the male sex characteristics. The major androgen is testosterone.

A genetic disease caused by a mutation in the GLA gene, resulting in a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A, also known as ceramide trihexosidase. This enzyme is essential to the metabolism of a fat compound known as globotriaosylceramide. Without alpha-galactosidase A, this fatty substance accumulates in the walls of blood vessels, leading to narrowing and decreased…

Hookworm, an intestinal parasite that usually causes diarrhea or cramps. Heavy infestation with hookworm can be serious for newborns, children, pregnant women, and persons who are malnourished. Hookworm infections occur mainly in tropical and subtropical climates and affect about 1 billion people — about one-fifth of the world’s population. One of the most common species of hookworm, Ancylostoma duodenale, is…

The absolute neutrophil count, the number of white blood cells (WBCs) that are neutrophils. The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent of neutrophils in the differential WBC count. The percent of neutrophils consists of the segmented (fully mature) neutrophils) + the bands (almost mature neutrophils). The…

The use of friction as a treatment modality for a medical condition. Anatripsis may or may not also involve the application of a medicament.

The study of normal structure of an organism under the microscope. Known among medical students simply as ‘micro.’ Also known as histology.