| prostate-specific antigen | <tumour marker> A simple blood test used to detect prostate cancer in men. The test measures a specific antigen normally secreted by the prostate. If cancer is developing, the prostate secretes greater amounts of prostate-specific antigen. This test is recommended for men with an enlarged prostate and an increased risk of prostate cancer. It is an enzyme that is produced by epithelial cells of both benign and malignant prostate tissue. It is an important marker for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It is a single chain 31 kilodalton glycoprotein with 240 amino acid residues and 4 carbohydrate side chains that is a kallikrein protease. It is found in normal seminal fluid and produced by the prostatic epithelial cells. Elevated levels in blood serum are associated with prostatic enlargement and prostatic adenocarcinoma, and this allows early detection of cancer in many cases. In about 70% of cases, the rise is due to a cancerous condition. No large scale clinical studies have been completed to assess the impact of testing on survival from prostate cancer, and the medical and economic value of testing remain uncertain. Acronym: PSA Registry number: EC 3.4.21.77 (22 Sep 2002) |
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| nodular hyperplasia of prostate | Glandular and stromal hyperplasia occurring very commonly in the middle and lateral lobes of older men, forming nodules that may increasingly obstruct the urethra. Synonym: benign prostatic hypertrophy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| inferolateral surface of prostate | The surface of the prostate facing the body of the pubis and the pelvic diaphragm. Synonym: facies inferolateralis prostatae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| isthmus of prostate | The narrow middle part of the prostate anterior to the urethra. Synonym: isthmus prostatae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| elevator muscle of prostate | <anatomy> In the male, the most medial fibres of the levator ani (pubococcygeus) muscle that extend from the pubis into the fascia of the prostate. Synonym: musculus levator prostatae, elevator muscle of prostate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fascia of prostate | The condensation of pelvic visceral fascia that encloses the prostate gland. Synonym: fascia prostatae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female prostate | Term sometimes applied to the periurethral glands in the upper part of the urethra in the female. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lobe of prostate | One of the lateral lobes (right or left) or the middle lobe or isthmus of the prostate; in the adult the lobes are ill-defined. Synonym: lobus prostatae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| affective personality disorder | A disturbance of feelings or mood expressed as a milder form of depression and related emotional features that colour the whole psychic life and for which psychosocial stressors are believed to play the major role. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alcohol amnestic disorder | <psychiatry> A mental disorder with brain damage characterised by amnesia, compensatory confabulation, disturbance of attention, and peripheral neuritis. It is usually associated with alcoholism and dietary deficiencies. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antisocial personality disorder | <psychiatry> An individual who engages in deviant behaviour with lack of remorse. (13 Jan 1998) |
| asthenic personality disorder | A personality type characterised by low energy level, easy fatigability, incapacity for enjoyment, lack of enthusiasm, and oversensitivity to physical and emotional stress. When appearing in marked form it becomes a psychological disorder (asthenic personality disorder), also called dependent personality. Synonym: asthenic personality disorder, dependent personality disorder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| attention deficit disorder | An inability to control behaviour due to difficulty in processing neural stimuli. (12 Dec 1998) |
| attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity | A behaviour disorder originating in childhood in which the essential features are signs of developmentally inappropriate inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Although most individuals have symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, one or the other pattern may be predominant. The disorder is more frequent in males than females. Onset is in childhood. Symptoms often attenuate during late adolescence although a minority experience the full complement of symptoms into mid-adulthood. (12 Dec 1998) |
| attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | <psychiatry> A condition seen in children where there is increased motor activity in association with poor attention span. Often treated with amphetamine medications. (27 Sep 1997) |