Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Rouleau
A group of red blood cells arranged together like a roll of coins, usually only noticed on a slide. Since red blood cells in a reasonably healthy person should have a mutually repelling membrane charge, this means that something like an inflammatory response or an elevation of liver-synthesized lipids is occurring. Inflammation makes the blood…
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Regranulation
Granulation is the forming of connective tissue fibroblasts, epithelium and inflammatory cells around the nucleus of new capillaries in tissues that have been burned or scraped. This delicate tissue is often reinjured, and regranulation is a slower process with more formation of scar tissue. Some plant resins will quickly stimulate the process, increase the complexity…
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Pyrrolizidine alkaloid
A type of alkaloid found in many plants of the Composite and Borage families, once termed a Senecio alkaloid. Some of the pyrrolizidine group have been shown to cause several types of liver degeneration and blood vessel disorders. Several deaths have been attributed to improperly identified plant usage of a Senecio, and some of the…
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Proteolitic
An enzyme or agent that speeds up the breaking down or digestive hydrolysis of proteins into smaller proteins, peptides, polypeptides, oligopeptides, amino acids, and all that delicious nitrogenous slurry-stuff.
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Portal circulation
This is a type of circulatory bypass used when substances in blood or fluid need to be kept out of the general flow. A portal system begins in capillaries and ends in capillaries, and nothing leaves it intact. The hypothalamus sends hormones into the portal system between it and the pituitary, and the pituitary responds…
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Pituitary
An endocrine gland somewhat behind the eyes and suspended from the front of the brain. The front section, the anterior pituitary, makes and secretes a number of controlling hormones that affect the rate of oxidation; the preference for fats, sugars, or proteins for fuel; the rate of growth and repair in the bones, connective tissue,…
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Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Also called salpingitis, the term is applied to infections of the fallopian tubes that follow or are concurrent with uterine and cervical infections. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most common organisms, and the infection is usually begun through sexual contact; an IUD can induce inflammation sufficient to allow an endogenous organism to start the infection.…
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Parenchymal
These are cells in a tissue or tissues in an organ that are concerned with function. These are the characteristic cells or tissues that do the actual stuff. The importance to us is that parenchymal tissues expend much vital energy in their functions and are less tolerant of a degraded environment than the structural mesenchyme.…
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Parasympathetic
A division of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system that controls normal digestive, reproductive, cardiopulmonary, and vascular functions and stimulates most secretions. This subsystem works as a direct antagonist to the sympathetic division, and organ functions balance between them. Referring to a portion of the automatic (involuntary) nervous system. Activity of the parasympathetic nerves produces affects…
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Nurse logs
In old-growth forests, these are ancient downed trees that rot so slowly that they themselves become the fundus and growth media for new and growing trees and other life-forms.
Got any book recommendations?