Category: F

Testability.  

In pharmacology, a method by which a drug may affect the nervous system. The drug is taken into a neuron and acted upon by enzymes to produce a substance resembling the natural neurotransmitter but differing from it functionally.  

Pseudopregnancy. A condition in which a woman believes wrongly that she is pregnant and displays symptoms and signs of pregnancy. A rare psychological condition, often referred to as pseudocyesis, involves false pregnancy. In this condition, a woman exhibits numerous physical pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods), breast enlargement, and abdominal…

In epidemiology, in tests of validity, labeling non cases or the absence of a characteristic incorrectly. A person wrongly diagnosed as having a disease or condition when in fact he dose not. When assessing a medical screening or other diagnostic procedure it is important to know both how many false positives and false negatives the…

In epidemiology, in test of validity, labeling cases or the presence of the attribute for which the test is conducted incorrectly. A person wrongly diagnosed as not having a disease or condition which in fact he does have. A test result that wrongly indicates that a person does not have the characteristics being tested for.…

Irregular contractions of the un-dilated uterus that mimic true labor. Popular name for Braxton-Hicks contractions, often confused with true labor contractions. Uterine contractions that occur before the onset of labor (i.e., that do not result in dilation of the cervix). They may resolve spontaneously or continue until effective contractions occur and labor begins.  

The descent to earth of radioactive particles following a nuclear explosion. Radioactive fallout, which can cause cancer, may travel thousands of miles and spread across a wide geographic area. Settling of radioactive molecules from the atmosphere after their release into the air following an explosion or radiation accident. Radioactive material that settles to the ground…

An anatomical structure of the female, which connects the ovary with the uterus. One of two tubes which connect the ovaries to the uterus. A pair of narrow tubes that arc around the lower abdomen from the two ovaries to the uterus. The ends of the fallopian tubes, which lie above the ovaries, appear as…

A common problem experienced among older people due to a number of underlying causes. Evaluating people who have falls involves assessing the injuries sustained in the fall and the cause of the fall. In older people frequently results in broken bones and other serious injuries that may lead to disability and sometimes death.  

Belief that religious faith or faith in the healer will cure disease. The treatment of pain or illness by a person who prays and may also lay his or her hands on the patient. The restoration of physical, emotional, or spiritual health by invoking the intervention of divine power through the laying on of hands…