Author: Glossary

  • Porokeratosis

    A rare skin disease marked by thickening of the stratum corneum in a linear arrangement, followed by its atrophy. Porokeratosis appears on smooth areas. It is irregular in form and size with a circumscribed outline and affects the hands and feet, forearms and legs, the face, neck, and scalp. A rare, inherited, long-lasting, and advancing…

  • Porin

    A channel-forming protein in cell membranes that facilitates the diffusion of water and small molecules in and out of the cell.  

  • Porifera

    The phylum of sea sponges, some of which are toxic to humans.  

  • Porencephalitis

    Inflammation of the brain with development of cavities communicating with the subarachnoid space.  

  • Porencephalia

    An anomalous condition in which the ventricles of the brain are connected with the subarachnoid space.  

  • Alveolar pore

    A minute opening that is thought to exist between adjacent alveoli of the lung.  

  • Poradenitis

    The formation of small abscesses in the iliac lymph nodes.  

  • Population density

    The number of organisms, usually people, living within a defined space, such as a city, county, or town. In the U.S., regions with greater population densities tend to have different health care problems than lightly populated ones. Conditions such as gunshot wounds, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are more common in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.…

  • Poppy

    Any of the several plants of the genus Papaver. Opium is obtained from the juice of the unripe pods of Papaver somniferum.  

  • Vaginal pool

    The mucus and cells that are present in the posterior fornix of the vagina when the patient is in a supine position. Material obtained from this site is used in cancer detection and in evaluating the character of the vaginal fluid in investigating infertility problems.