Category: N

Damage to the nerves of a joint, which may eventually lead to joint damage that interferes with normal mobility. The nerve damage may produce sensations of tingling, numbness, burning, or pain in the joint. Because of loss of sensation, there is no signal to warn the body that activities might be damaging the joint. As…

Crush or cut injuries to nerves that damage some or all of their conducting fibers. Tingling is a symptom of damage or irritation to a nerve or nerves. Numbness suggests that the affected nerve may be severed or dead. A brief tingling sensation, as when a person’s hand or foot “falls asleep,” is not a…

Hospital care that focuses on the problems of the distressed newborn. Neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs, are designed to meet the unique needs of immature and ill newborns. These include special fluid requirements, oxygen management, temperature control, and drug dosages. Located primarily in major medical centers, NICUs are staffed by teams of neonatologists and…

A procedure used to locate the place where a biopsy specimen will be taken from the breast. Using mammography, the radiologist finds the precise area from which the biopsy sample will be taken and marks the skin directly above it. A thin, hollow needle containing a wire about the size of a strand of hair…

Injuries to the neck or cervical spinal cord. Symptoms of a neck injury include stiff neck; a head held in an unusual position, weakness, difficulty walking, paralysis of legs or arms, neck pain, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness or tingling in an arm or leg. Neck injuries can be extremely serious and…

A focusing (refractive) error of the eyes that makes it difficult to see distant objects clearly; also known as myopia. In most cases of nearsightedness, the eyeball is overly long from front to back. As a result, the distance is too great for the lens to focus incoming light rays on the retina (the thin,…

Small saclike growths on the mucous membrane lining the inside of the nostrils. Nasal polyps protrude into the nasal cavity appearing singly or in clusters, and are pearly gray. The polyps originate near the sinuses at the top of the nose and grow into the open areas of the nasal cavity. They are not true…

A diagnostic procedure in which a radioactive substance (radioisotope or radionuclide) is administered orally or by injection. A scanning device is then used to detect radioactivity in particular body areas. The size, shape, location, and function of body parts can then be recorded via a computer printout. The radioactive substance does not harm the patient.…

Period of sleep during which no rapid eye movement occurs; about 75-80% of nighttime sleep. Sleep during which nonrapid eye movements occur. In NREM stage 1, the transition from wakefulness to sleep occurs. Eye movements are slow, and an electroencephalogram (EEG) shows low brain wave activity. In stage 2, EEG activity is increased, with the…

The nitrogen in the blood not appearing as protein; about half is normally present as urea. Blood levels can be measured to determine kidney function.