- Industry: Library & information science
- Number of terms: 152252
- Number of blossaries: 0
- Company Profile:
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.
1) A procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect cancer and changes that may lead to cancer. A Pap smear can also show noncancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation.
2) A method or a test based on it for the early detection of cancer especially of the uterine cervix that involves staining exfoliated cells by a special technique which differentiates diseased tissue -- called also Papanicolaou smear, Papanicolaou test, Pap test.
Industry:Health care
1) A procedure that produces multiple copies of a short segment of DNA through cycles of: 1) denaturation (heat-induced separation of double-stranded DNA into single strands); 2) annealing (binding of specific primers on either end of the target segment); and 3) elongation (extension of the primer sequences over the target segment with DNA polymerase). The amplified product, doubled each cycle for 30 or more cycles, can then be subjected to further testing.
2) Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory technique used to amplify DNA sequences. The method involves using short DNA sequences called primers to select the portion of the genome to be amplified. The temperature of the sample is repeatedly raised and lowered to help a DNA replication enzyme copy the target DNA sequence. The technique can produce a billion copies of the target sequence in just a few hours.
Industry:Health care
1) A process, involving an individual or family, comprising: evaluation to confirm, diagnose, or exclude a genetic condition, malformation syndrome, or isolated birth defect; discussion of natural history and the role of heredity; identification of medical management issues; calculation and communication of genetic risks; provision of or referral for psychosocial support.
2) Guidance provided by a medical professional typically to individuals with an increased risk of having offspring with a specific genetic disorder and that includes providing information and advice concerning the probability of producing offspring with the disorder, prenatal diagnostic tests, and available treatments.
3) Genetic counseling is the professional interaction between a healthcare provider with specialized knowledge of genetics and an individual or family. The genetic counselor determines whether a condition in the family may be genetic and estimates the chances that another relative may be affected. Genetic counselors also offer and interpret genetic tests that may help to estimate risk of disease. The genetic counselor conveys information in an effort to address concerns of the client and provides psychological counseling to help families adapt to their condition or risk.
Industry:Health care
1) A prolonged seizure or seizures repeated frequently enough to prevent recovery between episodes occurring over a period of 20-30 minutes. The most common subtype is generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, a potentially fatal condition associated with neuronal injury and respiratory and metabolic dysfunction. Nonconvulsive forms include petit mal status and complex partial status, which may manifest as behavioral disturbances. Simple partial status epilepticus consists of persistent motor, sensory, or autonomic seizures that do not impair cognition. Subclinical status epilepticus generally refers to seizures occurring in an unresponsive or comatose individual in the absence of overt signs of seizure activity.
2) A single prolonged seizure or a series of seizures without intervening full recovery of consciousness.
Industry:Health care
1) A protein derived from fibrinogen in the presence of thrombin, which forms part of the blood clot.
2) A white insoluble fibrous protein formed from fibrinogen by the action of thrombin especially in the clotting of blood.
Industry:Health care
1) A protein hormone secreted by beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, generally promoting the cellular utilization of glucose. It is also an important regulator of protein and lipid metabolism. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
2) A hormone made by the islet cells of the pancreas. Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood by moving it into the cells, where it can be used by the body for energy.
Industry:Health care
1) A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.
2) An enzyme is a biological catalyst and is almost always a protein. It speeds up the rate of a specific chemical reaction in the cell. The enzyme is not destroyed during the reaction and is used over and over. A cell contains thousands of different types of enzyme molecules, each specific to a particular chemical reaction.
Industry:Health care
1) A protein, consisting of a finger-like amino-acid loop that protrudes from a zinc ion binding site; aids in activation and regulation of transcription.
2) Any of various proteins that bind to DNA and play a role in the regulation of gene expression by promoting transcription.
3) A protein that binds to regulatory regions and helps control gene expression.
Industry:Health care
1) A rapid self-propagating change in the electrical potential across a neuron, gland, or muscle fiber membrane primarily due to a sudden influx of sodium ions followed by an efflux of potassium ions.
2) Abrupt changes in the membrane potential that sweep along the cell membrane of excitable cells in response to excitation stimuli.
Industry:Health care
1) A rapidly growing skin tumor that occurs especially in elderly individuals, resembles a carcinoma of squamous epithelial cells but does not spread, and tends to heal spontaneously with some scarring if left untreated.
2) A benign (noncancerous), rapidly growing skin tumor that usually occurs on sun-exposed areas of the skin and that can go away without treatment.
Industry:Health care
