| erythrocyte maturation factor | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group, important in the proper function of the nervous system and important in proper carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. (27 Sep 1997) |
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| maturation factor | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group, important in the proper function of the nervous system and important in proper carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. (27 Sep 1997) |
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| maturation-promoting factor | <enzyme> A protein kinase that drives both the mitotic and meiotic cycles in all eukaryotic organisms. In meiosis it induces immature oocytes to undergo meiotic maturation. In mitosis it has a role in the G2/M phase transition. Once activated by cyclins, maturation-promoting factor directly phosphorylates some of the proteins involved in nuclear envelope breakdown, chromosome condensation, spindle assembly, and the degradation of cyclins. The catalytic subunit of maturation-promoting factor is protein p34cdc2. Acronym: MPF (12 Dec 1998) |
| maturation | 1. Achievement of full development or growth. 2. Developmental changes that lead to maturity. 3. Processing of a macromolecule; e.g., posttranscriptional modification of RNA or posttranslational modification of proteins. Origin: L. Maturatio, a ripening, fr. Maturus, ripe (05 Mar 2000) |
| maturation arrest | Cessation of complete differentiation of cells at an immature stage; in spermatogenic maturation arrest, the seminiferous tubules contain spermatocytes, but no spermatozoa develop. (05 Mar 2000) |
| maturation index | An index indicating the degree of maturation attained by the vaginal epithelium as adjudged by the cell types being exfoliated; serves as an objective means of evaluating hormonal secretion or response; represents the percentage of parabasal cells/intermediate cells/superficials, in that order; "shift to the left" indicates more immature cells on the surface (atrophy), while "shift to the right" indicates more mature epithelium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| maturation value | An indicator of the level of maturation attained by vaginal epithelium and used as a factor in cytohormonal evaluation from the maturation index by valuing the parabasal cells at 0.0, the intermediate cells at 0.5, and the superficial cells at 1.0; for special investigations, subtypes of a major cell can be given different values's. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sex maturation | Achievement of full sexual capacity. Applies to animals and humans. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sperm maturation | Posttesticular ripening of spermatozoa. (12 Dec 1998) |
| rate, erythrocyte sedimentation | A sedimentation rate, or sed rate , is a blood test that detects and is used to monitor inflammation activity. It is measured by recording the rate at which red blood cells (rbcs) sediment in a tube over time. It increases (the rbcs sediment faster) with more inflammation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte | A red blood cell. (18 Nov 1997) |
| erythrocyte adherence phenomenon | A phenomenon manifested by the adherence of antigen-antibody-complement complex to "indicator cells" (microorganisms, platelets, leukocytes, or erythrocytes), the reaction being sensitive and specific for the antigen and antibody in the complex. Synonym: erythrocyte adherence phenomenon, immune adherence phenomenon, red cell adherence phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| erythrocyte aggregation | Aggregation of erythrocytes probably resulting from changes in the negative surface charge (zeta potential) of the cells caused by the dielectric effect of proteins in the surrounding plasma, especially asymmetric macromolecules like fibrinogen and gamma-globulin. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte aggregation, intravascular | The massing or clumping of erythrocytes in intact blood vessels in response to injury or in certain diseases, interfering with adequate blood flow. It is also called sludging of blood and intravascular agglutination. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte aging | Senescence of the red blood cell. Lacking the organelles that make protein synthesis possible, the mature erythrocyte is incapable of self-repair, reproduction, and carrying out certain functions performed by other cells. This limits the average life span of an erythrocyte to 120 days. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte count | A count of the number of red blood cells per unit volume in a sample of venous blood. (12 Dec 1998) |