| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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 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) |
| 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 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) |
| 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) |
| absorbancy index | Absorbance (of light) per unit path length (usually the centimeter) and per unit of mass concentration. Compare: molar absorption coefficient. Synonym: absorbancy index, absorptivity, extinction coefficient, specific extinction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alveolar index | Relation between the basialveolar (basion to alveolar point) and basinasal (basion to nasion) lengths: (basialveolar length × 100)/basinasal length; the result indicates the degree of projection of the maxilla or upper jaw. Synonym: alveolar index. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anaesthetic index | Ratio of the number of units of anaesthetic required for anaesthesia to the number of units of anaesthetic required to produce respiratory or cardiovascular failure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antitryptic index | An obsolete term for the relative retardation in loss of viscosity of a solution of casein incubated with trypsin, to which a drop of abnormal blood serum (as from a cancerous patient) has been added, compared with that in a similar solution to which normal serum has been added; if the former drips through the tube of the viscosimeter in 100 seconds, and the latter in 104 seconds, the antitryptic index is 4. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Arneth index | An expression based on adding the percentages of polymorphonuclear neutrophils with 1 or 2 lobes in their nuclei, plus one-half the percentage with 3 lobes; the normal value is 60%. See: Arneth formula, Arneth count. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auricular index | Relation of the width to the height of the auricle or pinna: (width of pinna × 100)/length of pinna. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Ayala's index | The cerebrospinal index when 10 ml of cerebrospinal fluid have been removed. Synonym: Ayala's quotient, spinal quotient. (05 Mar 2000) |