edgepedia

Life and health

72,234 articles

Psocidae

Psocidae, the common barklice, is the largest family of free-living barklice (Psocodea: Psocomorpha: Psocetae), with over 1,000 species in about 80 genera, mostly tropical, classified in three subfamilies and ten tribes.

Psocodea

Psocodea is an insect order uniting bark lice, book lice, and parasitic lice (former orders Psocoptera and Phthiraptera, now synonyms), with over 11,000 species, seven suborders, and a single origin of parasitism predating the K-Pg boundary.

Psophia

Psophia is a genus of Amazonian ground-dwelling birds known as trumpeters, the only genus of the family Psophiidae in the order Gruiformes, established by Linnaeus in 1758.

Psophocarpus

Psophocarpus, a small African-Madagascan legume genus in Fabaceae tribe Phaseoleae, is known for the winged bean P. tetragonolobus, a protein-rich multipurpose tropical crop with four-winged, explosively dehiscent pods.

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, the winged bean or goa bean, is a twining tropical legume grown in hot, humid regions for its edible pods, seeds, leaves, and tubers.

Psoralea

Psoralea L. (fountainbush) is a Cape-centered legume genus in tribe Psoraleeae, described by Linnaeus in 1753, native Mozambique to South Africa, with about 129 species after absorbing Otholobium.

Psoriasiform napkin dermatitis

Psoriasiform napkin dermatitis (PND), ICD-11 EH40.02, is a sharply marginated scaly diaper-area eruption of infancy resembling psoriasis; HLA studies and follow-up data distinguish it from true psoriasis, though some cases eventuate into napkin psoriasis.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of skin, nails, and joints affecting 2-3% of people, driven by the IL-23/Th17 axis, with plaque, guttate, pustular, inverse, and erythrodermic types, treated with topicals, phototherapy, systemics, and biologics.

Psoriasis Area and Severity Index

Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), introduced by Fredriksson and Pettersson in 1978, is a 0–72 composite score grading erythema, induration, scaling, and area in four weighted body regions; the standard psoriasis trial endpoint (PASI 75/90/100).

Psoriasis susceptibility 1 candidate gene 2 protein

PSORS1C2 (SPR1, C6orf17) encodes a 136-amino-acid predicted secreted protein at 6p21.33 in the PSORS1 psoriasis locus, tissue-enriched in skin and implicated in keratinocyte cornification, with mixed evidence for a psoriasis role.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disease occurring in 7–42% of people with psoriasis, typically 7–10 years after skin symptoms, marked by dactylitis, enthesitis, and nail changes, treated with NSAIDs, DMARDs, biologics, and JAK inhibitors.

Psoriatic onychodystrophy

Psoriatic onychodystrophy (nail psoriasis, psoriatic nail dystrophy): nail deformity from psoriasis of the nail matrix or bed, affecting up to 90% of psoriasis patients over a lifetime, marked by pitting, oil-drop sign, onycholysis, and crumbling.

Psoriatic spondyloarthritis

Psoriatic spondyloarthritis (axial psoriatic arthritis, ICD-11 FA21.0) is spine and sacroiliac inflammation in psoriatic arthritis, affecting roughly 25–70% of PsA patients; clinically similar to axial spondyloarthritis but with psoriasis, nail, and dactylitis features.

Psorophora

Psorophora (Gang Mosquito) is a New World mosquito genus in tribe Aedini with 49 species in three subgenera, type species Ps. ciliata, floodwater breeding, painful bites, and Ps. columbiae as heartworm vector.

Psoroptic mange

Psoroptic mange, or sheep scab, is a highly contagious, pruritic skin disease of sheep, cattle, goats, rabbits, and wildlife caused by nonburrowing Psoroptes mites, chiefly P. ovis and P. cuniculi, treated with macrocyclic lactones and lime sulfur.

pSS study

pSS study: research on primary Sjögren's syndrome biomarkers, centered on the ASSESS cohort showing the interferon signature is driven by IFNα, plus MxA, BAFF, CXCL13, and lymphoma risk markers.

Psychedelic experience

Psychedelic experience: an altered state of consciousness from psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, MDMA), defined by hallucinations and ego dissolution, shaped by set and setting, and used in psychedelic-assisted therapy with integration sessions.

Psychedelic therapy

Psychedelic therapy, or psychedelic-assisted therapy, uses psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, or ayahuasca with psychological support to treat depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders; investigational, FDA-guided, not yet approved.

Psychiatric assessment

Psychiatric assessment: comprehensive clinical evaluation for mental disorder diagnosis, built on the psychiatric interview, history taking, and mental state examination; structured interviews such as the SCID outperform unstructured ones, organized against DSM-5-TR and ICD criteria.

Psychiatric genetics

Psychiatric genetics is the field of research studying the role of genes in mental illness, with twin studies showing heritability from 37% for depression to 85% for schizophrenia.

Psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospital: inpatient facility for treating mental disorders, historically the asylum (first U.S. example 1752, over 500,000 patients by the 1950s), transformed by deinstitutionalization after chlorpromazine and the 1963 Community Mental Health Centers Act.

Psychiatric interview

The psychiatric interview is a clinical method in which a psychiatrist systematically questions and observes a patient to assess mental symptoms, establish diagnoses, and guide treatment planning.

Psychiatric Nursing

Psychiatric nursing (psychiatric-mental health nursing), specialty nursing field caring for people with mental illness in hospitals, community, and primary care; history from 1882 McLean Asylum training school, therapeutic relationship focus, and trial evidence on nurse-delivered interventions.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Psychiatric rehabilitation (psychosocial rehabilitation, PSR) helps people with severe mental illness live independently in the community. Emerged in the 1970s from deinstitutionalization; key models include ACT, IPS supported employment, and supportive housing.

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor specializing in mental health, including substance use disorders, trained through medical school and residency to prescribe medications, provide psychotherapy, and perform medical treatments.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry, the medical specialty for mental, behavioral, and personality disorders; also called psychological medicine. Physicians trained ~12 years; DSM-based diagnosis since 1952; treatments include psychotherapy, medication, and community-based care.

Psychiatry research

Psychiatry Research is an Elsevier peer-reviewed journal founded in 1979 (ISSN 0165-1781), covering biological, psychological, and treatment research in psychiatry; distinct from the 2016-independent spin-off Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

Psycho-oncology

Psycho-oncology, or psychosocial oncology, is the oncology subspecialty addressing psychological, social, and ethical aspects of cancer for patients and families, spanning distress screening, psychotherapy, and multidisciplinary supportive care.

Psychoactive drug

Psychoactive drug: any substance affecting mental processes such as perception, mood, or cognition, including opioids, stimulants, hallucinogens, alcohol, and nicotine; controlled internationally via the 1961, 1971, and 1988 UN conventions and WHO ECDD scheduling reviews.

Psychoactive use of Amanita muscaria

The psychoactive use of Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric, comes from ibotenic acid and muscimol rather than psilocybin, with a long history of ritual use in Siberia.