Category: P

Producing increased activity of the muscles of the stomach and the upper gastrointestinal tract. A medication that enhances the rate at which the stomach empties and promotes intestinal motility, thereby accelerating the movement of digested contents through the gastrointestinal tract.  

In taxonomy, the kingdom of organisms with prokaryotic cell structure, that is, they lack membrane-bound cell organelles and a nuclear membrane around the chromosome. Included are the bacteria and cyanobacteria (formerly the blue-green algae).  

Nuclear material that is spread throughout the cell cytoplasm and is not bounded by a membrane.  

The pulling of a ferromagnetic object (such as an oxygen cylinder, a respirator, or an IV pole) into the core of a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging device when the magnetic field is turned on. The effect can have disastrous consequences for patients and health care personnel. Objects drawn into the MR travel at faster and…

A chemical (often a drug) that does not stimulate an immune response until it is metabolized into an immunologically reactive form by living cells.  

The written or verbal account of a patient’s present condition, especially as compared with the previous state.  

An ongoing record of a patient’s illness and treatment. Physicians, nurses, consultants, and therapists record their notes concerning the progress or lack of progress made by the patient between the time of the previous note and the most recent note. In patients who are not critically ill, a note concerning progress may be made daily…

A tendency to bony deposits in the muscles with chronic inflammation.  

An eyeglass lens that gradually changes prescription strength from the top of the lens, which is used for viewing distance, to the bottom of the lens, which is used for seeing objects that are nearby. Progressive lenses enable the eyes to adjust from one distance to another (e.g., when looking up from a book) without…

A rare disorder for which there is no treatment usually affecting females in which cheek tissues on one side of the face gradually waste or deteriorate. The disease is often associated with local hair loss and may be accompanied by seizures or trigeminal neuralgia. The progression usually lasts between 2 and 10 years, but then…