| AF | abnormal frequency; acid-fast; adult female; afebrile; aflatoxin; albumin-free; albumose-free; aldeh... |
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| AHF | acute heart failure; American Health Foundation; American Hepatic Foundation; American Hospital Form... |
| AIF | anemia-inducing factor; anti-inflammatory; anti-invasion factor |
| BCF | basophil chemotactic factor; bioconcentration factor; breast cyst fluid |
| BPF | bradykinin-potentiating factor; bronchopulmonary fistula; burst-promoting factor |
| osteoclast activating factor | A lymphokine that stimulates bone resorption and inhibits bone-collagen synthesis. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| T-cell growth factor | <cytokine> A hormone-like substance released by stimulated T lymphocytes, causes activation and differentiation of other T lymphocytes independently of antigen. A type of interleukin, a chemical messenger, a substance that can improve the body's response to disease. It stimulates the growth of certain disease-fighting blood cells in the immune system. It is secreted by Thl CD4 cells to stimulate CD8 cytotoxic T-1yrnphocytes. Interleukin 2 also increases the proliferation and maturation of the CD4 cells themselves. During HIV infection, Interleukin-2 production gradually declines. Use of interleukin 2 therapy is under study as a way to raise CD4 cell counts and restore immune function. Acronym: IL-2 (12 Dec 1998) |
| T-cell growth factor-1 | <cytokine> A hormone-like substance released by stimulated T lymphocytes, causes activation and differentiation of other T lymphocytes independently of antigen. A type of interleukin, a chemical messenger, a substance that can improve the body's response to disease. It stimulates the growth of certain disease-fighting blood cells in the immune system. It is secreted by Thl CD4 cells to stimulate CD8 cytotoxic T-1yrnphocytes. Interleukin 2 also increases the proliferation and maturation of the CD4 cells themselves. During HIV infection, Interleukin-2 production gradually declines. Use of interleukin 2 therapy is under study as a way to raise CD4 cell counts and restore immune function. Acronym: IL-2 (12 Dec 1998) |
| T-cell growth factor-2 | <cytokine> A soluble cytokine factor produced by activated T-lymphocytes that promotes antibody production by causing proliferation and differentiation of B-cells. Interleukin-4 induces the expression of class II major histocompatibility complex and fc receptors on B-cells. It also acts on T-lymphocytes, mast cell lines, and several other haematopoietic lineage cells including granulocyte, megakaryocyte, and erythroid precursors, as well as macrophages. Acronym: IL-4 (12 Dec 1998) |
| termination factor | <molecular biology> Any of several proteins in the cytosol that cut a completed polypeptide loose from a ribosome. (13 Jan 1998) |
| testis-determining factor | The product of a gene on the short arm of the Y chromosome that is responsible for production of testes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thymic factor, circulating | <chemical> A thymus-dependent nonapeptide found in normal blood. Stimulates the formation of e rosettes and is believed to be involved in T-cell differentiation. Chemical name: Thymulin (12 Dec 1998) |
| thymic lymphopoietic factor | A glycoprotein (MW about 12,000) that has been extracted from thymus; this thymus-produced hormone(s) confers immunological competence on thymus-dependent cells and induces lymphopoiesis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thyroid-stimulating hormone-releasing factor | <protein> See thyrotrophic releasing hormone. (18 Nov 1997) |
| thyrotoxic complement-fixation factor | A form of thyrotoxin; an antigen found most readily in thyroid tissue from thyrotoxic individuals; known to be chemically and immunologically distinct from thyroglobulin, and fixes complement when combined with antibody related to the gamma-globulin fraction of serum. With the exception of extremely small concentrations, the antigen is rarely found in normal glands or in diseased glands that are not associated with thyrotoxicosis; it is probably an intracellular substance (possibly a constituent of the "microsomal fraction"), and does not contain iodine in significant quantity. Not related to the complement-fixation reaction occurring with serum in Hashimoto's disease, in which the antigen is thyroglobulin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thyrotropin-releasing factor | Former name for thyrotropin-releasing hormone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tissue factor | <cell biology> Integral membrane glycoprotein of around 250 residues, that initiates blood clotting after binding factors VII or VIIa. (18 Nov 1997) |
| tissue weighting factor | In radiation protection, a factor weighting the equivalent dose in a particular tissue or organ in terms of its relative contribution to the total deleterious effects resulting from uniform irradiation of the whole body. See: effective dose. (05 Mar 2000) |
| elongation factor | <biochemistry> Peptidyltransferase components of ribosomes that catalyse formation of the acyl bond between the incoming amino acid residue and the peptide chain. There are three classes of elongation factor: EF1_ (EF Tu in prokaryotes) binds GTP and aminoacyl tRNA, delivering it to the A site of ribosomes. EF 1_ (EF Ts) helps in regeneration of GTP EF 1_. EF 2 (EF G) binds GTP and peptidyl tRNA and translocates it from the A site to the P site. Diptheria toxin inhibits protein synthesis in eukaryotes by adding an ADP ribosyl group to a modified histidine residue (dipthamide) in elongation factor II. (18 Nov 1997) |
| transcription factor | <molecular biology> Protein required for recognition by RNA polymerases of specific stimulatory sequences in eukaryotic genes. Several are known that activate transcription by RNA polymerase II when bound to upstream promoters. Transcription of the 5S RNA gene in Xenopus by RNA polymerase III is dependent on a 40 kD protein TFIIIA that binds to a regulatory site in the centre of the gene and was the first protein found to exhibit the metal binding domains known as zinc fingers. (17 Mar 1998) |