Dictionary

Oath of Maimonides See Daily Prayer of a Physician.

obesity The state of being well above one’s normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. Obesity has been more precisely defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and above. The cause of obesity is often multifactorial, based…

obesity, gynecoid A state of being overweight with fat distribution in a pattern that is generally characteristic of a woman, with the largest amount around the hips and thighs.

nosebleed Bleeding from the blood vessels of the nose. The nose is rich in blood vessels and is situated in a vulnerable position on the face. As a result, any trauma to the face can cause bleeding, which may be profuse. Nosebleeds can also occur spontaneously when the nasal membranes dry out, crust, and crack,…

nosebleed, treatment of To stop a nosebleed, a person should pinch all the soft parts of the nose together between the thumb and index finger, and press firmly toward the face, compressing the pinched parts of the nose against the bones of the face. The person should hold the nose for at least 5 minutes…

nosocomial Hospital-acquired. For example, a nosocomial infection is one that is caught in a hospital. Since antibiotics have come into common usage, bacteria that are resistant to them have also become common, especially in hospitals. As a result, there are now many nosocomial infections.

nostril The external opening of the nose. The nostrils are also called the nares.

nostrum 1 Formerly, a medicine of secret composition that was recommended by the person who concocted it, but with no scientific proof of its effectiveness. A patent medicine was a nostrum. 2 A worthless remedy. 3 In common usage, any questionable remedy or scheme for improving matters, a pet plan for accomplishing things, or a…

NP Nurse practitioner.

NPH Normal pressure hydrocephalus.

NREM sleep Non-rapid eye movement sleep, dreamless sleep. During NREM sleep, the brain waves seen on an electroencephalogram (EEG) are typically slow and of high voltage, the breathing and heart rate are slow and regular, the blood pressure is low, and the sleeper is relatively still. NREM sleep is divided into four stages of increasing…

NS Noonan syndrome.