| laxative | <pharmacology> An agent that acts to promote evacuation of the bowel, a cathartic or purgative. Origin: L. Laxativus (18 Nov 1997) |
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| plus | 1. <mathematics> More, required to be added; positive, as distinguished from negative; opposed to minus. 2. Hence, in a literary sense, additional; real; actual. "Success goes invariably with a certain plus or positive power." (Emerson) 3. <mathematics> Plus sign, the sign (+) which denotes addition, or a positive quantity. Origin: L, more; akin to Gr, and cf. Piu, Pleonasm. (11 Mar 1998) |
| plus lens | A converging lens. Synonym: plus lens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plus strand | See: replicative form. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fluorescence plus Giemsa stain | <technique> A stain used to demonstrate sister chromatid exchange; cells are grown in 5-bromodeoxyuridine, followed by chromosome preparation, staining in Hoechst 33258, exposure to light, and staining in Giemsa; chromosomes exhibit a "harlequin" appearance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rice-water stool | A watery fluid containing whitish flocculi, discharged from the bowel in cholera and occasionally in other cases of serous diarrhoea. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rotavirus stool test | <investigation> A test which detects the presence of rotavirus in the stool. This virus is a common cause of childhood gastroenteritis. (17 Dec 1997) |
| stool | <botany> A plant from which layers are propagated by bending its branches into the soil. Origin: L. Stolo. See Stolon. <agriculture> To ramfy; to tiller, as grain; to shoot out suckers. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| stool culture | A test used to identify pathogenic organisms in the stools that may be responsible for gastroenteritis. Often performed in cases of unexplained diarrhoea. May indicate bacterial, viral or parasitic disease. Cultures are also helpful in assisting the selection an appropriate antibiotic agent. See: Traveler's Diarrhoea. (27 Sep 1997) |
| stool guaiac test | <investigation> A chemical test measures the presence of fresh or decomposed blood. Blood may arise from bleeding anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. An easy to perform colourmetric test. (27 Sep 1997) |
| stool smear | A microscopic slide preparation that is used to identify pathogenic micro-organisms within a stool specimen. (27 Sep 1997) |
| stool test | A test to see whether there is blood in the bowel movement. Also called a faecal occult blood test: a test to check for hidden blood in stool. (faecal refers to stool. Occult means hidden.) (12 Dec 1998) |
| fatty stool | A stool containing excessive amounts of fat. (05 Mar 2000) |
| administration, oral | The giving of drugs, chemicals, or other substances by mouth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cancer, oral | Cancer of the mouth area. A sore in the mouth that does not heal can be a warning sign of oral cancer. A biopsy is the only to know whether as abnormal area in the oral cavity is cancer. Oral cancer is caused by tobacco (smoking and chewing) and alcohol use. Surgery to remove the tumour in the mouth is the usual treatment for patients with oral cancer. (12 Dec 1998) |