Category: P

An antibiotic, active against intestinal bacteria and amebas, used to treat dysentery and gastroenteritis. It is administered by mouth; side-effects include stomach pains, itching, and heartburn.  

The tissue of a tendon sheath that fills up spaces around the tendon. Fatty and areolar tissue that fills the spaces within the facscia around a tendon.  

Situated close to the sternum. The parasternal line is an imaginary vertical line parallel to and midway between the lateral margin of the sternum and the vertical line through the nipple. Located next to the sternum. Often refers to an imaginary line running vertically down the body, midway between the center of the sternum and…

An abnormal protein of the immunoglobulin series. Paraproteins appear in malignant disease of the spleen, bone marrow, liver, etc. Examples of paraproteins are myeloma globulins, macroglobulin, and Bence-Jones protein. An abnormal plasma protein, such as a macroglobulin, cryoglobulin, or immunoglobulin. An abnormal immunoglobulin known as M-protein, which is generated in individuals with multiple myeloma.  

The air-filled spaces, lined with mucous membrane, within some of the bones of the skull. They open into the nasal cavity, via the meatuses, and are named according to the bone in which they are situated. They comprise the frontal sinuses and the maxillary sinuses (one pair of each), the ethmoid sinuses (consisting of many…

A rare constitutional disorder in which prolonged contraction of muscle fibers develops when the patient is exposed to cold. This may be due to a disorder of potassium metabolism. A congenital condition of tonic muscular spasms when the body is exposed to cold. A rare and inherited variant of myotonia congenita, marked by sustained muscle…

A benign disorder of the nervous system that is characterized by brief irregular twitchlike contractions of the muscles of the limbs and trunk. Sudden and frequent shock like contractions usually affecting the muscles of both legs, and particularly the trunk muscles. The contractions, which disappear during sleep and motion, may occur 10 to 50 times…

An old term for one of the types of Hodgkin’s disease. It is now known as lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease and has the best prognosis of all the types. A benign form of Hodgkin’s disease usually limited to lymph nodes.  

A genus of large tropical parasitic flukes that are particularly prevalent in the Far East. The adults of P. westermani live in the lungs of man, where they cause destruction and bleeding of the tissues. However, they may also be found in other organs of the body. Eggs are passed out in the sputum and…

One of the small oval masses of cells found in the walls of the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system, near the spinal cord. They are chromaffin cells, like those of the adrenal gland, and may secrete epinephrine. One of the small ovoid collections of cells occurring in the walls of the ganglia of the…