| target | 1. An object fixed as goal or point of examination. 2. In the ophthalmometer, the mire. Synonym: target organ. 4. Anode of an X-ray tube. See: X-ray. Origin: It. Targhetta, a small shield (05 Mar 2000) |
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| target behaviour | Operant in behaviour modification therapy, the prescribed behaviour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target cell | An erythrocyte in target cell anaemia, with a dark centre surrounded by a light band that again is encircled by a darker ring; it thus resembles a shooting target; such cell's also appear after splenectomy. A cell lysed by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as in graft rejection. Synonym: Mexican hat cell. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target cell anaemia | Any anaemia with a conspicuous number of target cells in the peripheral blood; characteristic of the thalassaemias and also found in several haemoglobinopathies. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target gland | The effector that functions when stimulated by the internal secretion of another gland or by some other stimulus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target lesions of liver/spleen | <radiology> Lymphosarcoma (including Kaposi sarcoma), melanoma (12 Dec 1998) |
| target organ | A tissue or organ upon which a hormone exerts its action; generally, a tissue or organ with appropriate receptors for a hormone. Synonym: target. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target patient | In group therapy, the patient being analyzed in turn by another member patient. (05 Mar 2000) |
| target plasma | <radiobiology> Plasma used to trap a neutral atom beam. A background plasma of sufficiently high density and temperature can ionize neutral atoms more effectively than the Lorentz process (where v cross B creates effective electric field). (09 Oct 1997) |
| target regulation | <physiology> General term for an interaction between neurons and their targets by which target derived signals influence the differentiation of the innervating neurons. (18 Nov 1997) |
| target response | In conditioning, any behaviour or specific response chosen by the experimenter; its frequency is intended to increase or decrease by the judicious pairing with it of a reinforcer when it occurs. Synonym: target behaviour, target response. (05 Mar 2000) |
| targeted drug delivery | Delivering a drug to a specific site in the body where it has the greatest effect, instead of allowing it to diffuse to various sites, where it may cause damage or trigger side effects. (14 Nov 1997) |
| targeting | The process of having proteins contain certain signals such that the proteins are directed specifically towards certain cellular locations, e.g., the lysosome. Compare: processing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| targets | <radiobiology> Fuel pellets which are imploded in inertial confinement fusion experiments. (09 Oct 1997) |
| GI-tract target lesion | <radiology> Metastatic melanoma, primary neoplasm, spindle cell tumour (benign or malignant), lymphoma, carcinoid, carcinoma, metastasis, breast carcinoma, lung carcinoma, renal carcinoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, eosinophilic granuloma, ectopic pancreas (12 Dec 1998) |
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| molybdenum target tube | An X-ray tube with an anode surface made of molybdenum instead of tungsten, used in mammography. (05 Mar 2000) |