| A | B |
|---|
| abdomen | that portion of the body which lies between the thorax and the pelvis; called also belly and venter. It contains a cavity (abdominal cavity) separated by the diaphragm from the thoracic cavity, above and by the plane of the pelvic inlet from the pelvic cavity below, and lined with a serous membrane, the peritoneum. This cavity contains the abdominal viscera and is enclosed by a wall (abdominal wall or parietes) formed by the abdominal muscles, vertebral column, and the ilia. It is divided into nine regions by four imaginary lines projected onto the anterior wall, of which two pass horizontally around the body (the upper at the level of the cartilages of the ninth ribs, the lower at the tops of the crests of the ilia), and two extend vertically on each side of the body from the cartilage of the eighth rib to the centre of the inguinal ligament, as in A below. The regions are : three upper - right hypochondriac, epigastric, left hypochondriac; three middle - right lateral, umbilical, left lateral; and three lower - right inguinal, pubic, left inguinal). |
| abdominal | pertaining to the abdomen |
| aberrant | wandering or deviating from the usual or normal course |
| abnormal | not normal; contrary to the usual structure, position, behaviour, or rule. |
| abortion | 1. the premature expulsion from the uterus of the products of conception - of the embryo, or of a nonviable fetus. The four classic symptoms, usually present in each type of abortion, are uterine contractions, uterine haemorrhage, softening and dilatation of the cervix, and presentation or expulsion of all or part of the products of conception. 2. premature stoppage of a natural or a pathological process. |
| abrasion | 1. the wearing away of a substance or structure (such as the skin or the teeth) through some unusual or abnormal mechanical process. 2. an area of body surface denuded of skin or mucous membrane by some unusual or abnormal mechanical process. |
| abrupt | sudden and unexpected |
| abscess | a localized collection of pus caused by suppuration buried in tissues, organs, or confined spaces. |
| absorption | 1. the uptake of substances into or across tissues, e.g., skin, intestine, and kidney tubules. 2. in psychology, devotion of thought to one object or activity, with inattention to others. 3. in radiology, the taking up of energy by matter with which the radiation interacts. |
| abstinence | a refraining from the use of or indulgence in food, stimulants, or sexual intercourse. |
| accidental | happening unexpectedly or by chance. |
| accommodation | adjustment, especially that of the eye for various distances |
| accumulation | the action or process of accumulating; state of being or having accumulated; a collecting together. |
| acidity | the quality of being acid or sour; containing acid (hydrogen ions). |
| acidosis | a pathologic condition resulting from accumulation of acid or depletion of the alkaline reserve (bicarbonate content) in the blood and body tissues, and characterized by an increase in hydrogen ion concentration. |
| acne | an inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit, the specific type usually being indicated by a modifying term; frequently used alone to designate common acne, or acne vulgaris |
| acrocyanosis | a condition marked by symmetrical cyanosis of the extremities, with persistent, uneven, mottled blue or red discoloration of the skin of the digits, wrists, and ankles and with profuse sweating and coldness of the digits. Called also Raynaud's sign. |
| ACTH | adrenocorticotropic hormone. |
| activate | 1.to render activity. 2.to become active. 3.to convert (a compound, as a provitamin or enzyme) into an active form or different compound, esp. into one that has a particular biological action (e.g. ergosterol by irradiation to vitamin D2 for use in treating rickets). No:20 - activate 1.to render activity. 2.to become active. 3.to convert (a compound, as a provitamin or enzyme) into an active form or different compound, esp. into one that has a particular biological action (e.g. ergosterol by irradiation to vitamin D2 for use in treating rickets). |
| active | characterized by action; not passive; not expectant |
| activity | 1. the state of being active; the ability to produce some effect; the extent of some function or action. 2. a thermodynamic quantity that represents the effective concentration of a solute in a nonideal solution; if concentrations are replaced by activities, the equations for equilibrium constants, electrode potentials, osmotic pressure, boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and vapour pressures of volatile solutes are converted from approximations that hold only for dilute solutions to exact equations that hold for all concentrations. The activity is equal to the product of the concentration and the activity coefficient, a dimensionless number measuring deviation from nonideality. Symbol a. 3. radioactivity; the number of disintegrations per unit time of a radioactive material, measured in curies or becquerels. Symbol A. 4. optical activity. |
| acuity | clarity or clearness, especially of the vision |
| acute | 1. sharp, poignant. 2. having a short and relatively severe course |
| adaptation | 1. the adjustment of an organism to its environment, or the process by which it enhances such fitness. 2. the normal ability of the eye to adjust itself to variations in the intensity of light; the adjustment to such variations. 3. the decline in the frequency of firing of a neuron, particularly of a receptor, under conditions of constant stimulation. 4. in dentistry, (a) the proper fitting of a denture, (b) the degree of proximity and interlocking of restorative material to a tooth preparation, (c) the exact adjustment of bands to teeth. 5. in microbiology, the adjustment of bacterial physiology to a new environment. |
| addiction | the state of being given up to some habit, especially strong dependence on a drug |
| additive | 1. characterized by addition. 2. a substance, as a flavouring agent, preservative, or vitamin, added to another substance to improve its appearance, increase its nutritional value, etc. |
| adenitis | inflammation of a gland. |
| adenoma | a benign epithelial tumour in which the cells form recognizable glandular structures or in which the cells are clearly derived from glandular epithelium. |
| adequate | satisfactory in quantity or quality; sufficient |
| adhesion | 1. the property of remaining in close proximity, as that resulting from the physical attraction of molecules to a substance, or the molecular attraction existing between the surfaces of contacting bodies. 2. the stable joining of parts to each other, which may occur abnormally. 3. a fibrous band or structure by which parts abnormally adhere. |
| adjuvant | a substance which aids another, such as an auxiliary remedy; in immunology, nonspecific stimulator (e.g., BCG vaccine) of the immune response |
| adnexitis | inflammation of the adnexa uteri. |
| adolescent | an individual during the period of adolescence |
| adrenergic | activated by, characteristic of, or secreting epinephrine or substances with similar activity; the term is applied to those nerve fibres that liberate norepinephrine at a synapse when a nerve impulse passes, i.e., the sympathetic fibres. |
| adrenolytic | inhibiting the action of adrenergic nerves; inhibiting the response to epinephrine |
| adsorption | the attachment of one substance to the surface of another; the concentration of a gas or a substance in solution in a liquid on a surface in contact with the gas or liquid, resulting in a relatively high concentration of the gas or solution at the surface. Cf. absorption |
| adult | a living organism which has attained full growth or maturity |
| adverse | harmful |
| advice | the way in which one regards something : view, opinion; recommendation regarding a decision or course of conduct : counsel |
| aerobic | 1. having molecular oxygen present. 2. growing, living, or occurring in the presence of molecular oxygen. 3. requiring oxygen for respiration |
