Category: P

An infectious disease caused by a specific strain of bacteria, Salmonella paratyphi, which causes illness in humans exclusively. Paratyphoid fever is caused by ingested food or water contaminated by human fecal matter; the incubation period is from 5 to 21 days. The disease affects the small intestine, causing severe diarrhea and abdominal cramping. The illness…

A widely used and highly toxic pesticide used in agriculture and horticulture. Ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin of parathion causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, headache, confusion, loss of muscular control, salivation, diarrhea, weakness, seizures, and difficulty breathing. Doctors advise anyone who suspects he or she has been exposed to parathion to seek immediate…

Heated containers filled with melted paraffin and used as a treatment for soothing the pain of arthritis, stiff joints, inflammation, sports injuries, and muscle spasms. Paraffin baths offer a method for applying deep heat to the small joints in the hands or feet. The affected area is dipped into a bath of melted paraffin several…

The treatment of pain. Pain may be acute or chronic. Acute pain is of a limited duration and is usually the result of an injury, surgery, or illness. As the body heals, acute pain normally diminishes. Chronic pain is more difficult to manage. This type of pain (which includes low back pain, arthritic pain, pain…

A rare malignant condition in which a tumor grows in the opening of the milk ducts in the nipple. Symptoms include itching and burning of the affected nipple and sometimes a sore on the nipple that will not heal. The disease resembles the skin condition eczema and mostly occurs in women after menopause. Diagnosis is…

An irregular thickening and softening of the bones of the skull, the pelvis, and the extremities. It is most common in adults older than 50. The bones most commonly affected by Paget disease are the hip bones and shin bones. The thighbone, skull, spine, and collarbone are often involved as well. As a result of…

A genetic disorder characterized by the growth of multiple fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys. The cysts can slowly replace much of the kidney tissue, reducing kidney function and ultimately leading to kidney failure. Kidney failure, sometimes called end-stage renal disease or ESRD, must be treated with dialysis or transplantation. Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) occurs in…

A relationship in which a trained professional helps another person understand and resolve his or her emotional problems. In most types of psychological counseling, the individual talks about his or her problems with the counselor or therapist. The counselor tries to understand the problems troubling the person, raises the individual’s awareness, and helps him or…

NMR techniques that use radiofrequency pulses and fourier transformation of the NMR signal. Pulse NMR has largely replaced the older continuous wave techniques.  

The techniques used in NMR imaging to obtain a cross-sectional image of an object. Such an image is computer reconstructed from a series of projections—NMR profiles—recorded all around the object by rotating the direction of the gradient field superimposed on the static magnetic field.