Dec Health Dictionary

An aqueous extract of one or a few herbs ; a common method for preparing tea (té) or tizana; typically 2 teaspoons of dried plant material (1/4 cup if fresh) are boiled in hot water, either in a covered pot to trap volatile oils or with the cover removed so that the water boils off for a more concentrated brew; typically, roots and woody, fibrous plant matter are boiled for a longer period of time and flowers or leaves are boiled for a shorter period of time because less time is needed to extract their properties; most Dominican herbal remedies are prepared as decoctions; see also infusion and té.... decoction

Relieving congestion, as of the mucous membrane... decongestant

See TEETH, DISORDERS OF – Caries of the teeth.... decay, dental

The unit of hearing. One decibel is the least intensity of sound at which a given note can be heard. The usual abbreviation for decibel is dB.... decibel

The soft coat which lines the interior of the womb during pregnancy and which is cast o? at birth.... decidua

The failure of the heart to maintain full and adequate circulation.... decompensation

Decubitus refers to the positions taken up in bed by patients suffering from various conditions such as pneumonia, PERITONITIS, or severe exhaustion. Such patients are liable to develop bed sores, or decubitus ulcer (see ULCER).... decubitus

Any point in the nervous system at which nerve ?bres cross from one side to the other: for example, the decussation of the pyramidal tracts in the medulla (see BRAIN), where the motor ?bres from one side of the brain cross to the other side of the spinal cord.... decussation

The state of being without a functioning cerebrum, the main controlling part of the brain. It occurs if the brainstem is severed, which effectively isolates the cerebrum.... decerebrate

See primary teeth.... deciduous teeth

A hazard of divers and of others who work in or breathe compressed air or other gas mixtures. Decompression sickness is also called “the bends”, and it results from gas bubbles forming in the tissues and impeding the flow of blood. At depth, divers accumulate inert gas in their tissues from the high-pressure gas mixture that they breathe (see scubadiving medicine). Problems can usually be avoided by allowing the excess gas in their tissues to escape slowly into the lungs during controlled, slow ascent or release of pressure. If ascent is too rapid and pressure falls too quickly, gas can no longer be held within a tissue. Resulting bubbles may block blood vessels, causing symptoms such as skin itching and mottling and severe pain in and around the larger joints. Symptoms of nervous system impairment (such as leg weakness or visual disturbances) are particularly serious, as is a painful, tight feeling across the chest.

Divers with decompression sickness are immediately placed inside a recompression chamber. Pressure within the chamber is raised, causing the bubbles within the tissues to redissolve. Subsequently, the pressure in the chamber is slowly reduced, allowing the excess gas to escape safely via the lungs. If treated promptly, most divers with the “bends” make a full recovery. In serious, untreated cases, there may be long-term problems, such as paralysis.... decompression sickness

See bedsores.... decubitus ulcer

Schult.

Family: Gentianaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, ascending to 1,500 m.

Ayurvedic: Daakuni (used as a substitute for Shankhapushpi in West Bengal)

Unani: Sankhaahuli.

Folk: Daankuni.

Action: Anticonvulsant, CNS depressant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective.

The plant contains calcium 0.38; magnesium 0.16; potassium 1.66 and iron 0.23 g/100 g; copper 18.97, zinc 70.50; manganese 9.60, cobalt 3.15 and chromium 0.60 mcg/g.

Roots contain beta-amyrin, friede- lin, genianine and 16 xanthones including mangiferin. Mangiferin is protective activity against induced liver injury in albino rats. Xanthones also showed activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Dried crude powder of the whole plant exhibited anticonvulsant activity in albino rats.

Canscora diffusa (Vahl) R. Br. ex Roem. & Schultes (synonym C. lawii Wt.), found throughout India at 1,100 m, is used as a substitute for C. decussata.... canscora decussata

Also known as ‘expert systems’, these are computer software systems intended to help doctors make clinical decisions. Primary care medicine is especially noted for its uncertainty by virtue of being most patients’ ?rst point of contact with health care, confronting the clinician with many ‘undi?erentiated’ health problems. So far, these systems have not been as e?ective as expected because of a failure to ana-lyse the needs of primary care. Simple procedures to prompt the delivery of treatment to patients with chronic conditions have improved care quality, but work needs to be done on their cost-e?ectiveness. The aim of more complex computerised support systems will be to forecast likely future events and the possible e?ectiveness of proposed interventions, based on available information about the patient and an understanding of the risks and e?cacy of interventions by doctors and other experts.

One example, called ISABEL, can be accessed by paediatricians to check on their diagnosis and management of many childhood disorders.... computerised decision-support systems

Wight & Arn.

Family: Asclepiadaceae.

Habitat: Deccan Peninsula; common in the forest areas of Western Ghats.

Unani: Desi Ushbaa.

Siddha/Tamil: Mahali kizhangu.

Action: Root—appetizer, blood purifier, bacteriostatic. Used as a substitute for Shveta Saarivaa (Hemidesmus indicus). Sold as Saarivaa in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The root powder is given to diabetics.

The root contains quercetin, kaempferol, coumarin and rutin. It has a sweet sarsaparilla-like taste; contains 92% fleshy matter and 8% woody core.

The root can be stored for longer periods and remains unaffected by microorganisms and insects, apparently due to the presence of the volatile principle which possesses bacteriostat- ic and toxic properties.

The root, on steam distillation, gave 4-O-methyl-resorcylaldehyde in a concentration of 0.8%. (The growth of E. coli was arrested by the aldehyde in 0.041% concentration; fish died within 4 min in 0.02% solution.) The sterols consists mainly of stagma and brassica sterols. Alpha-amyrin and lupeol, both free and as esters are also present in the root.

The plant contains lupeol, beta- amyrin 2-hydroxy, 4-methoxy benzaldehyde, and ferulic acid.... decalepis hamiltonii

(American) Winter’s child; born in December

Decimber, Decymber, Decembar, Decimbar, Decymbar... december

(Celtic) In mythology, a virgin mother

Dechtire, Dechtyre... dechtere

A plant that drops its leaves in the fall or, in some cases, during drought.... deciduous

(Latin) The tenth-born child Decimah, Decema, Decyma, Decia, Decemah, Decymah... decima

An approach to decision-making that involves modelling the sequences or pathways of multiple possible strategies (e.g. of diagnosis and treatment for a particular clinical problem) to determine which is optimal. It is based upon available estimates (drawn from the literature or from experts) of the probabilities that certain events and outcomes will occur and the values of the outcomes that would result from each strategy.... decision analysis

See “decision analysis”.... decision support system

An illness suffered by divers when diving too deep, or too long and characterised bynitrogen bubbles forming in the tissues of the body. This may cause a multitude of symptoms although joint pains are those most-commonly encountered. Confusion may be caused in divers that have suffered an Irukandji sting as the symptoms have some similarities. See also, cerebral gas embolism.... decompression illness (dci)

Drugs which relieve nasal congestion and stu?ness. They may be given orally or by nasal spray, and most are SYMPATHOMIMETIC DRUGS which cause vasoconstriction in the nasal mucosa. Too frequent use reduces their e?ectiveness, and there is a danger of ‘rebound’ worsening if they are used for more than 10–14 days. A safer option for babies is simple sodium chloride drops. Warm moist air is also a traditional e?ective decongestant.... decongestants

In a policy context, evidence-based decision-making is the application of the best available scientific evidence to policy decisions about specific treatments or care, as well as changes in the delivery system.... evidence-based decision-making

In July 1997, participants at the Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion presented the Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century. The Declaration identifies five priorities: promote social responsibility for health; increase investments for health development; consolidate and expand partnerships for health promotion; increase community capacity and empower the individual; and secure an infrastructure for health promotion.... jakarta declaration

Lobelia, Poke root, Ephedra. ... nasal decongestant

The dissolving of minerals in a tooth. Dental decalcification is the first stage of tooth decay. It is caused by the bacteria in plaque acting on refined carbohydrates (mainly sugar) in food to produce acid, which leads to changes on the surface of the tooth. If the decalcification penetrates the enamel, it spreads into the dentine and permits bacteria to enter the pulp.

(See also caries, dental.)... decalcification, dental

Drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

The 2 main dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors, co-beneldopa and co-careldopa, are a combination of levodopa and benserazide and levodopa and carbidopa respectively.

These drugs prevent levodopa from being activated except within the brain, which reduces the incidence of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.... dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors

n. loss or removal of calcium salts from a bone or tooth.... decalcification

n. removal of the head, usually the head of a dead fetus to enable delivery to take place. This procedure is very rare nowadays, being undertaken only in dire circumstances when the fetal head is too large to pass through the birth canal, the mother’s life is endangered, and Caesarean section impossible.... decapitation

n. see decortication.... decapsulation

n. (in bacteriology) the decomposition of organic matter due to microbial action.... decay

n. the act of deliberately misleading, misrepresenting, or withholding information. Respect for patient *autonomy and the importance of trust in therapeutic relationships require that doctors should always strive to be honest with patients. The use of deception in research (see intervention study) is ethically highly controversial. See also therapeutic privilege; truth-telling.... deception

Surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or a nerve root emerging from it (see microdiscectomy). Pressure may have various causes, including a disc prolapse, a tumour or abscess of the spinal cord, or a tumour, abscess or fracture of the vertebrae. Any of these conditions can cause weakness or paralysis of the limbs and loss of bladder control.

To treat major disc prolapses and tumours, a laminectomy (removal of the bony arches of 1 or more vertebrae) to expose the affected part of the cord or nerve roots may be performed. Recovery after treatment depends on the severity and duration of the pressure, the success of the surgery in relieving the pressure, and whether any damage is sustained by the nerves during the operation.... decompression, spinal canal

Drugs that are used to relieve nasal congestion commonly in people with upper respiratory tract infections.

They work by narrowing blood vessels in the membranes lining the nose.

This action reduces swelling, inflammation, and the amount of mucus produced by the lining.

Common drugs include ephedrine, oxymetazoline, and phenylephrine.

Small amounts of these drugs are present in many over-thecounter cold remedies.

Taken by mouth, decongestant drugs may cause tremor and palpitations.

Adverse effects are unlikely with nose drops, but if taken for several days they become ineffective and symptoms may then recur or worsen despite continued treatment.... decongestant drugs

(in England and Wales under the Mental Capacity Act 2005) a legally recognized decision or statement by an adult with *capacity identifying any specific or general treatment the patient does not want in the event that he or she loses capacity. An advance directive or decision (formerly often called a living will) should be informed, made voluntarily, and must be valid and applicable to the medical situation that arises; at the extreme it can constitute an advance refusal of potentially life-saving treatment. It cannot, however, be used to demand future treatment and does not apply as long as the person retains capacity. An advance statement is a more general and less legally binding expression of the person’s values and views on the sort of treatment he or she may or may not wish to undergo. Directives and statements can raise ethical questions: for example, should life-saving treatment refused in advance nevertheless be given if it could restore the patient to a quality of life with which he or she was content before losing capacity.... advance directive, decision, or statement

prefix denoting a tenth.... deci

n. an area of the upper surface of the *cerebellum, posterior to the culmen and anterior to the folium of the middle lobe.... declive

n. the removal of a blood clot from a thrombosed arteriovenous *fistula (which is created to perform dialysis). This can be done either by surgically opening the fistula and removing the clot or by using interventional radiological techniques (see fistuloplasty).... declotting

n. the temperature-dependent gradual disintegration of dead organic matter, usually foodstuffs or tissues, by the chemical action of bacteria and/or fungi.... decomposition

n. 1. the reduction of pressure on an organ or part of the body by surgical intervention. Surgical decompression can be effected at many sites: the pressure of tissues on a nerve may be relieved by incision; raised pressure in the fluid of the brain can be lowered by cutting into the *dura mater; and cardiac compression – the abnormal presence of blood or fluid round the heart – can be cured by cutting the sac (pericardium) enclosing the heart. 2. the gradual reduction of atmospheric pressure for deep-sea divers, who work at artificially high pressures. See compressed air illness.... decompression

an approach that combines many of the different treatments (such as compression and physiotherapy) used to minimize the pain and swelling associated with *lymphoedema following breast surgery and radiotherapy. There are two phases: reduction (which lasts up to 12 weeks) and maintenance (which continues for life).... decongestive therapy

n. 1. a combination of processes used to remove adherent proteins, microorganisms, and infectious agents or other contaminants from surgical instruments and the environment so there is no risk or spread of infection or disease. Instruments are sterilized in an autoclave to finish the decontamination process. 2. the reduction or removal of chemical agents from a site following a terrorist attack or industrial accident; this includes decontaminating people who have come into contact with such agents.... decontamination

n. 1. the removal of the outside layer (cortex) from an organ or structure, such as the kidney. 2. an operation for removing the blood clot and scar tissue that forms after bleeding into the chest cavity (haemothorax). 3. (decapsulation) the surgical removal of a *capsule from an organ; for example, the stripping of the membrane that envelops the kidney or of the inflammatory capsule that encloses a chronic abscess, as in the treatment of *empyema.... decortication

(GAD) a common enzyme that, because of similarities to certain bacterial proteins, can provoke an autoimmune reaction against the beta cells of the pancreas (see islet cell antibodies) progressing to type 1 *diabetes mellitus.... glutamic acid decarboxylase

(surrogate decision) a decision made with or on behalf of a person who lacks full legal capacity to *consent to or refuse medical treatment. See best interests; Gillick competence; parental responsibility; power of attorney; substituted judgment.... proxy decision

see proxy decision.... surrogate decision

an agent for the relief or reduction of congestion, e.g. mucous.... decongestive