TARGETED PALINDROMES A to C (a showcase for our 'palindrome-pals')

 

BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCE: a somewhat random assortment

 

CURRENT CONTENTS:
Autophagia
Ejection Fraction (left ventricular)

Gamma Rays

Haversian canals
Homeostasis

Horseshoe kidney (congenital malformation)

Authors' Note:  In disease states, including those producing congestive heart failure, the ejection fraction of the left ventricle, a measure indicating the strength of contraction, provides important information concerning prognosis (potential outcome) and the need for treatment. 

   The ejection fraction can be measured by echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, or several different nuclear (radio-isotope) techniques. These techniques measure the volume of the ventricle at the end of diastolic (relaxation) and systolic (contraction) phases of the cardiac cycle. Despite the name, the change during systole is generally given in medical jargon as the percent relative change, rather than as a true fraction; e.g. 60% is good, 30% is bad.

Authors' Note: 

Authors' Note: For physiologists and physicians, the understanding of homeostatic mechanisms such as feedback loops, and how they get overwhelmed in disease, is critical. An example discussed here previously is regulation of thyroid hormone levels. Knowledge in this area has also expanded into the field of IT.

Authors' Note: Horseshoe kidney is a relatively common congenital malformation, occurring in 1/500 individuals. Also known as renal fusion, it results from the merging of two fetal kidneys in the pelvis during the stage of embryonic organ development and consequently failing to undertake their normal upward migration. Fortunately, health consequences are usually mild, if any; occasionally, one of the ureters becomes obstructed. The abnormal structure is often discovered incidentally during procedures, e.g. CT scanning or ultrasound, targeted at pelvic discomfort or unrelated symptoms (and of course, no normal kidneys are seen in their usual position).

Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART, part #2

previous poetic posts (part #1)
arteriopath
atrial fibrillation

bypass grafts
dipyridamole (stress)
dobutamine (stress)
ejection fraction (left ventricular)
heart block
Holter monitor

CURRENT CONTENTS

Hyperlipidemia
Hypertension
Myocardial ischemia
Torsade de pointes

More to follow

Authors' Note: Jealousy at the flight of birds has apparently resulted in expressions suggesting that human social responsibility is analogous to having one's wings clipped, or flying straight, as here.

Hyperlipemia (also known in America as hyperlipidemia), is a medical condition in which high blood levels of fats (lipids), particularly cholesterol, portend cardiac disease, including deadly heart attacks. Hyperlipemia is one of a number of such asymptomatic risk factors including hypertension and diabetes. Fortunately, change in lifestyle including diet and exercise, and judicious prescription of pharmaceutical drugs, such as statins, can reduce risk.

 Authors' Note: High blood pressure, or hypertension, a chronic condition generally of unknown cause, is one of the major cardiovascular risk factors playing a role in the development of adult heart disease. It is also of particular importance in the causation of stroke, accounting for up to 50% of the risk for that condition. 

Authors' Note: There is variability in patients' response to the development of blockages in the coronary arteries. Part of this is due to the gradual development of collateral arteries or side branches, which may mitigate the effect of the obstructions to produce chronic symptoms or acute severe damage to heart muscle. The net impact on flow can be assessed through imaging showing blood flow to heart muscle at rest and stress, with nuclear or other studies of myocardial perfusion (‘gated SPECT’).

Authors' Note: 

Torsade de pointes (tor-sad duh PWAnT), is an Anglo-French medical term for twisting of the peaks, named in 1966 by its French cardiologist discoverer. It is a pattern seen on the ECG (electrocardiogram), with 'twisting' or cycling of the height of the ventricular 'QRS' complexes, and is often associated with factors, inherited or acquired, that widen the 'Q-T' interval on the tracing. This pattern is associated with nasty ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. If you are lucky, you have survived the initial episode and have correctable factors (e.g. electrolyte disorders, certain pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Flying straight is a casual metaphor associated with performing expected or routine function.

DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: To resume daily titillations on our related blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2023, there are over 1200 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.) The 'Daily' format has the advantage of including Giorgio's photo-collages, song-lyrics, a few videos, and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

Here's a LIST OF LINKS to collections of intriguing poems (over 160 of these!) on medical/dental topics that can now be found on various posts. 

The Bottom Line of Medical Humour

Braincheck

Basic Medical Science

Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART (parts #1 and #2)

To Clot or Not to Clot

Dental Feelings

Diagnostic Imaging (selected topics)

Doctors and their Practices (parts #1 and #2)

Parasites

Funny Bones (parts #1 and #2)

Handbook of Medical Testing Statistics

Handbook of Micro-Nutrients

Organic Brain Poetry

Pandemic Verses

Patients and their Maladies (parts #1, #2 and #3)

Pill-Popping Poems

Poetry of Healthcare

The Scopes of Modern Medicine

Sleek Greek Prefixes

STD Poetry

Toxic Vignettes

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR WEB-EXPLORERS: 

To resume daily titillations on our related blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of June 2024, there are about 1500 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections, such as this one.) The "Daily" format also has the advantage of including some song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

Grandpa Greg's Advanced Grammar: GREEK PREFIXES #2

A follow up to January 2022's post "Greek prefixes #1"

previous post (#1)

An-

Apo-

Auto-

Dia-

Dys-

Ecto-

Endo-

Epi-

CURRENT CONTENTS:
Eu-

Hyper- and hypo-

Chiro-

Chrono- 

more to follow

Authors' Note: These names for professional endeavours, derived from the Greek root chiro (hand), have quite different meanings and pronunciations.

DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 

To resume daily titillations on our related blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2023, there are over 1200 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.) The "Daily" format also has the advantage of including some videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.