Category: P

An exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles and reduce the risk of backache or back stiffness (e.g., during pregnancy). The patient assumes a supine position and flattens the hollow of her back against the floor. The abdominal, gluteal, and levator muscles are contracted with each exhalation and relaxed with each inhalation. The effects are maximized…

An exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles and reduce the risk of backache or back stiffness (e.g., during pregnancy). The patient kneels on her hands and knees, hollows her back and pushes out her abdomen while inhaling, and arches her back like a cat and contracts the abdominal, gluteal, and levator muscles while exhaling. The…

Uncoordinated or faulty contraction of the muscles that aid defecation. It is an infrequent cause of chronic constipation.  

Measurement of the diameters of the fetal head and comparison of these with the diameters of the maternal pelvis.  

The therapeutic use of mud, peat, moss, or clay applied to all or part of the body. The therapeutic application of medicated mud for treating ailments.  

Multiple cystic, blood filled spaces in the liver associated with dilatation of the sinusoids. These cause enlargement of and pain in the liver. These lesions are associated with use of oral contraceptives, certain types of anabolic steroids, and infections with Bartonella organisms. If the condition is due to infection, treatment consists of parenteral doxycycline for…

The chemical linking of a drug (e.g., interferon) to polyethylene glycol. Pegylation increases the half-life of interferon.  

An abnormally shaped tooth of genetic origin. Usually noted as a maxillary lateral incisor with a smaller cone-shaped crown.  

A weed, commonly known as Syrian rue and considered a livestock toxin, used for medicinal and spiritual purposes in many regions of the world. Extracts (tea) made from its seeds are consumed ceremonially in certain cultures. They contain beta-carboline alkaloids, a class of chemicals that increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Use of the…

Surgical section of a cerebral peduncle. It has been used to treat involuntary movement disorders.