Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «P»:
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Physiologic jaundice of the newborn
Physiologic jaundice of the newborn: Yellowish
staining of the skin and whites of the newborn's eyes
(sclerae) by pigment of bile (bilirubin). In newborn
babies a degree of jaundice is normal. It is due to the
breakdown of red blood cells (which release bilirubin into
the blood) and to the ...
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Physiologic stress test
Physiologic stress test: Although there can be a diversity of physiologic stress tests, this refers here to a
physiologic cardiac stress test in which certain medications are administered that stimulate the heart to mimic the physiologic effects of exercise.
One of these medications is dobutamine,...
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Physiology
Physiology: The study of how living organisms function including such processes as nutrition, movement, and reproduction.
The word "function" is important to the definition of physiology because physiology traditionally had to do with the function of living things while anatomy had to do with mor...
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Phytanic acid storage disease
Phytanic acid storage disease: See Refsum disease....
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Phytochemical
Phytochemical: The active health-protecting compounds that
are found as components of plants.
Currently, the terms "phytochemical" and "phytonutrient" are being
used interchangeably to describe those plant compounds which are
thought to have health-protecting qualities.
The antioxidant, immune b...
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Phytodermatitis
Phytodermatitis: Inflammation of the skin caused by a plant. The basic clinical patterns of phytodermatitis are allergic phytodermatitis, photophytodermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, pharmacologic injury, and mechanical injury....
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Phytonutrient
Phytonutrients: The active health-protecting
Currently, the terms "phytonutrient" and "phytochemical" are
being used interchangeably to describe those plant compounds which
are thought to have health-protecting qualities.
The antioxidant, immune boosting and other health promoting
properties of...
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Phytotoxin
Phytotoxin: A poison in a plant. Abrin and ricin are examples of phytotoxins. Abrin comes from the seeds of a plant called the rosary pea or jequirity pea and ricin from the seeds of the castor bean plant....
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PI
PI: In medecine, not a private investigator but a principal investigator, the person who directs a research project or program....
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Pia mater
Pia mater: One of the meninges, the pia mater is the
delicate innermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cord.
It is known informally as the pia. ...
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Pianist's cramp
Pianist's cramp: A dystonia that affects the
muscles of the hand and sometimes the forearm and only occurs when playing the piano (or
another keyboard instrument such as the harpsichord). Similar focal dystonias have also
been called writer's cramp, typist's cramp, musician's cramp, and
golfer's cra...
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Pica
Pica: A craving for something not normally regarded
as nutritive.
For example, dirt. Pica is a classic clue to iron deficiency in
children. It also occurs
in zinc deficiency. Pica is also seen as a symptom in several
neurobiological disorders, including autism and Tourette syndrome,
and is somet...
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Pick disease
Pick disease: A form of dementia characterized
by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in
personality leading to impairment of intellect, memory, and language. The common core of symptoms includes loss of memory, lack of spontaneity, difficulty in thinking or concentrati...
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Pickwickian syndrome
Pickwickian syndrome: The combination of obesity, somnolence (sleepiness), hypoventilation (underbreathing), and plethoric (red) face.
The syndrome is so named because of the "fat and
red-faced boy in a state of somnolency" that Charles Dickens described in his novel, The Pickwick Papers. (The same ...
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PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
PID (pelvic inflammatory disease): Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted...
