Whitehead
A familiar term for what is medically called a closed comedo. A comedo, the primary sign of acne, consists of a dilated (widened) hair follicle filled with keratin squamae (skin debris), bacteria, and sebum (oil). A whitehead is a comedo that has an obstructed opening to the skin. A closed comedo may rupture and cause a low-grade skin inflammatory reaction in the area.
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Surgical removal of the lung abscess with lobectomy is considered. Antibiotic treatments may be necessary from 3 to 12 months. Melioidosis can remain latent (in hiding) for years and emerge when a person’s resistance is low. The alternative name for melioidosis is, as mentioned, Whitmore’s disease. This is in honor of Major Alfred Whitmore (1876-1946), […]
- Whitmore-Jewett staging system
A staging system for prostate cancer. See Jewett staging system.
- World Health Organization
The subagency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international health. Abbreviated WHO. Also known as Organisation Mondiale de la Sant’ (OMS).
- Whole-arm translocation
A type of chromosome rearrangement, also called a Robertsonian translocation, in which there is fusion of an entire long arm of one acrocentric chromosome with a similarly intact long arm of another acrocentric chromosome. The short arms of the chromosomes participating in the translocation are usually lost. Acrocentric chromosomes have their centromere near but not […]
- Whooping cough
Whooping cough, also known as “pertussis,” is a highly contagious, acute respiratory illness characterized by fits of coughing and caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough, a communicable, potentially deadly illness characterized by fits of coughing followed by a noisy, “whooping” indrawn breath. It is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. The illness is […]