Category: B

A mental illness characterized by swings in mood from extreme elation and energy (mania) to abnormal sadness and lethargy (depression). The swings may be brief (minutes) or long (years). Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness. If a person with manic-depressive illness loses contact with reality, the disease is considered a psychosis.  

Medically useful drugs whose manufacture involves microorganisms or enzymes produced by microorganisms. Most biotherapeutic agents are produced by genetic engineering, or bioengineering. Because biotherapeutic agents are either identical or similar to proteins produced naturally in the body, they are expected to have less potential to cause side effects than traditional drugs. This is particularly important…

The intentional use of chemical or germ (infectious biological) agents on a population as a weapon. Health care workers are usually the first to recognize when such an outbreak has occurred. The infectious agents are usually invisible, odorless, colorless, and tasteless, but are highly potent and capable of doing great harm. Terror attacks on civilian…

A condition in which bile is blocked from entering the intestines, creating pressure in the bile ducts. Bile duct obstruction may be due to scar tissue from inflammation, gallstones (hard masses that can form in the gallbladder), bile duct cancer, or pancreatic tumors. When a bile duct experiences a blockage or narrowing, it can cause…

Cancer in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. Bile duct cancer occurs most frequently between ages 50 and 70. People who have a history of colitis or gallstones are more likely to develop the disease. Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes,…

A ball of indigestible material in the stomach. Bezoars can be composed of hair, fiber, or other indigestible material. Although they are most common in children, bezoars can also occur in adults following partial gastrectomy (surgical removal of part of the stomach). People with diabetes are also more likely to develop bezoars. Trichobezoars are bezoars…

A neurological disorder characterized by shaking. Benign familial tremors tend to run in families and are usually harmless. Although they can develop at any age, these tremors become more common as people age. They may manifest themselves as head nodding, difficulty holding small objects, trembling hands, or a quivering voice. A neurological disorder characterized by…

An injury resulting from the fingertip being jammed or struck by a thrown ball. Baseball finger, which is sometimes called “mallet finger,” causes pain and sometimes discoloration in the joint of the finger closest to the tip. The injury may make it difficult or impossible to fully straighten the finger. X rays are necessary for…

An overuse injury common among adolescent pitchers. Similar to tennis elbow, baseball elbow is caused by repeated stress to the elbow as it flexes and extends during overhead throwing. The medial, or inside, portion of the elbow may be injured by the throwing motion made in baseball, while the lateral, or outside, structures of the…