Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Is more appropriately referred to as hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lungs due to breathing in a foreign substance, usually certain types of dust, fungus, or molds. It has also called humidifier lung, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, farmer’s lung, mushroom picker’s disease, and bird breeder’s lung. The condition is usually found in those whose home or work place contains…

The airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is restraining device designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision. It prevents the driver and passenger from striking the steering wheel or a window. The airbag is designed to only inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes. Airbags are normally designed with the intent of supplemental…

An abnormal and persistent fear of cats which produces an undue anxiety reaction even though sufferers realize their fear is irrational. Sufferers of ailurophobia may fear not only the scratch or bite of a cat, but also the “evil mystique” of cats as depicted in Halloween folklore and such literary works as Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Black Cat.” From…

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample from the woman’s mate directly into the uterus. The purpose of this procedure is to achieve fertilization and pregnancy. AIH is distinguished from artificial insemination by donor (AID) in which the…

A term used in the early years of the AIDS epidemic to describe people with HIV infection who had only mild symptoms of illness, such as swollen lymph glands. It is rarely used today. Abbreviated ARC.

The involuntary weight loss of 10% of baseline body weight plus either chronic diarrhea (two loose stools per day for more than 30 days) or chronic weakness and documented fever (for 30 days or more, intermittent or constant) in the absence of a concurrent illness or condition other than HIV infection that would explain the findings.

A brain disorder in people with severe AIDS, causing loss of thinking capacity and affecting the ability to function. AIDS dementia complex is considered an AIDS-defining illness’that is, one of the serious illnesses that occurs in HIV-positive individuals warranting an AIDS diagnosis, according to the definition of AIDS by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a syndrome caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with ensuing compromise of the body’s immune system. Features include deficiency of certain types of leukocytes, especially T cells; infection with opportunistic infections that take advantage of the impaired immune response, such as tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, human herpes virus, or toxoplasmosis; certain types of cancer, particularly Kaposi sarcoma; inability to…

A mechanical instrument attached to the head, near the ear(s), that helps individuals who are deaf to detect and interpret sounds through their sense of touch. It is called a vibrotactile aid because it serves as an aid by permitting a person to feel the vibrations, in this case, of sounds.

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample from a donor other than the woman’s mate directly into the uterus. The purpose of this procedure is to achieve fertilization and pregnancy. AID is also called heterologous insemination. AID…