| insular veins | Veins draining the cortex of the insula, tributaries to the deep middle cerebral vein. Synonym: insular veins. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| insulate | 1. To make an island of. 2. To place in a detached situation, or in a state having no communication with surrounding objects; to isolate; to separate. 3. <physics> To prevent the transfer o electricity or heat to or from (bodies) by the interposition of nonconductors. <physics> Insulating stool, a stool with legs of glass or some other nonconductor of electricity, used for insulating a person or any object placed upon it. Origin: L. Insulatus insulated, fr. Insula island. See Isle, and cf. Isolate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| insulated | 1. Standing by itself; not being contiguous to other bodies; separated; unconnected; isolated; as, an insulated house or column. "The special and insulated situation of the Jews." (De Quincey) 2. <physics> Separated from other bodies by means of nonconductors of heat or electricity. 3. <astronomy> Situated at so great a distance as to be beyond the effect of gravitation; said of stars supposed to be so far apart that the affect of their mutual attraction is insensible. Insulated wire, wire wound with silk, or covered with other nonconducting material, for electrical use. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| insulation | 1. The act of insulating, or the state of being insulated; detachment from other objects; isolation. 2. <physics> The act of separating a body from others by nonconductors, so as to prevent the transfer of electricity or of heat; also, the state of a body so separated. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| insulator | 1. One who, or that which, insulates. 2. <physics> The substance or body that insulates; a nonconductor. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| insulin | <drug, growth factor, hormone> A polypeptide hormone (bovine insulin, 5780D) found in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Secreted by the _ cells of the pancreas in response to high blood sugar levels, it induces hypoglycaemia. Defective secretion of insulin is the cause of diabetes mellitus. Insulin is also a mitogen, has sequence homologies with other growth factors and is a frequent addition to cell culture media for demanding cell types. (18 Nov 1997) |
| insulin activating factor | <chemical> Activates insulin gene transcription in pancreatic beta cells. Synonym: insaf (05 Dec 1998) |
| insulin allergy | When a person's body has an allergic or bad reaction to taking insulin made from pork or beef or from bacteria, or because the insulin is not exactly the same as human insulin or because it has impurities. The allergy can be of two forms. Sometimes an area of skin becomes red and itchy around the place where the insulin is injected. This is called a local allergy. In another form, a person's whole body can have a bad reaction. This is called a systemic allergy. The person can have hives or red patches all over the body or may feel changes in the heart rate and in the rate of breathing. A doctor may treat this allergy by prescribing purified insulins or by desensitisation. See: desensitisation. (09 Oct 1997) |
| insulin antagonist | Something that opposes or fights the action of insulin. Insulin lowers the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood, whereas glucagon raises it, therefore, glucagon is an antagonist of insulin. (09 Oct 1997) |
| insulin binding | When insulin attaches itself to something else. This can occur in two ways. First, when a cell needs energy, insulin can bind with the outer part of the cell. The cell then can bring glucose (sugar) inside and use it for energy. With the help of insulin, the cell can do its work very well and very quickly. But sometimes the body acts against itself. In this second case, the insulin binds with antibodies. If the insulin is an injected form of insulin and not made by the body, the body sees the insulin as an outside or foreign substance. When the injected insulin binds with the antibodies, it does not work as well as when it binds directly to the cell. (09 Oct 1997) |
| insulin c-peptide | <investigation> A blood test which measures the amount of C-peptide in the blood. C-peptide is a byproduct of normal insulin production by the beta cells in the pancreas. Normal values are 0.5 to 3.0 ng/ml. Normal levels indicate that the body is still producing its own insulin. Low levels indicate that the pancreas is producing little or no insulin. Elevations can be seen in cases of insulinomas and islet of Langerhans tumours. (27 Sep 1997) |
| insulin coma treatment | Rarely used treatment of major mental illness by means of hypoglycaemic coma induced by insulin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| insulin dependent diabetes | A form of diabetes that requires the daily injection of the hormone insulin to maintain normal body chemistry. Avoidance of insulin in these patients will result in a severe metabolic derangement known as diabetic ketoacidosis. (27 Sep 1997) |
| insulin hypoglycaemia test | A test to determine the completeness of vagotomy for peptic ulcer; after the surgical procedure is performed, insulin is administered to cause hypoglycaemia; if vagotomy is complete, the acid output from the stomach following administration of insulin is less than that before insulin administration; if the reverse if true, incomplete vagotomy is likely. Synonym: Hollander test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| insulin infusion systems | Portable or implantable devices for infusion of insulin. Includes open-loop systems which may be patient-operated or controlled by a pre-set program and are designed for constant delivery of small quantities of insulin, increased during food ingestion, and closed-loop systems which deliver quantities of insulin automatically based on an electronic glucose sensor. (12 Dec 1998) |