Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The act of joining together or the state of being conjugated. A sexual process seen in bacteria, ciliate protozoa, and certain fungi in which nuclear material is exchanged during the temporary fusion of two cells (conjugants). In bacterial genetics a form of sexual reproduction in which a donor bacterium (male) contributes some, or all, of…

Acting or operating as if joined; simultaneous. Coupled in single pairs. A measurement of space in a woman’s pelvis, used to calculate if it is large enough for a child to be delivered.    

Displacement, subluxation, or malposition of the crystalline lens.  

Accompanying; accessory; joined with another. In homeopathy a symptom coming at the same time but not directly related to the main complaint.  

The onset of pregnancy, marked by implantation of the blastocyst; the formation of a viable zygote. Fertilization of an ovum by a sperm cell. In relation to pregnancy, the act of fertilization, in which the sperm enters the egg (ovum) and forms a zygote. Attempts to avert conception are often called contraception, family planning, or…

A field of biology concerned with the development of techniques for the collection and manipulation of biological data, and the use of such data to make biological discoveries or predictions. This field encompasses all computational methods and theories applicable to molecular biology and areas of computer-based techniques for solving biological problems including manipulation of models…

Practices not generally recognized by the medical community as standard or conventional medical approaches and used to enhance or complement the standard treatments. Complementary medicine includes the taking of dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, and herbal preparations; the drinking of special teas; and practices such as massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. Therapies or…

Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. This is the title used for a diverse group of health-related therapies and…

Serine proteinase that acts on iC3b (inactivated complement 3b) to cleave it into C3c and C3dg with the help of a trypsin-like proteolytic enzyme. Complement factor I was formerly called KAF, C3bINF, or enzyme 3b inactivator.  

The larger fragment formed when C3 convertase splits C3 into C3a and C3b. In both the classical and alternate pathway, C3b participates in immune adherence and enhances phagocytosis. It also forms a cellular intermediate which continues the complement process. In the alternate pathways, C3b initiates a positive feedback activation of C3Pase.