| AL | absolute latency; acinar lumen; acute leukemia; adaptation level; albumin; alcoholism [and other dru... |
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| AMSAODD | American Medical Society on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies |
| AODP | alcohol and other drug problems |
| beta [Greek letter beta] | an anomer of a carbohydrate; buffer capacity; carbon separated from a carboxyl by one other carbon i... |
| DO | Doctor of Osteopathy (one of two fully recognized medical practioners in the US-the other being MD);... |
| acquired haemolytic anaemia | Nonhereditary acute or chronic anaemia associated with or caused by extracorpuscular factors, e.g., certain infectious agents, chemicals (including autoantibodies or therapeutic agents), burns, toxic materials from higher plant and animal forms (including snake venoms). (05 Mar 2000) |
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| acquired haemolytic icterus | Icterus and anaemia occuring in association with a moderate degree of splenomegaly, increased fragility of red blood cells, and increased amounts of urobilin in the urine. Synonym: icteroanaemia. Origin: G. Ikteros (05 Mar 2000) |
| anaemia, haemolytic | Anaemia due to decreased life span of erythrocytes. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anaemia, haemolytic, congenital | Haemolytic anaemia due to various intrinsic defects of the erythrocyte. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anaemia, haemolytic, congenital nonspherocytic | Any one of a group of congenital haemolytic anaemias in which there is no abnormal haemoglobin or spherocytosis and in which there is a defect of glycolysis in the erythrocyte. In some cases, pyruvate kinase deficiency has been demonstrated; in other cases, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency has been demonstrated. (12 Dec 1998) |
| angiopathic haemolytic anaemia | A rare postpartum anaemia of unknown aetiology with uraemia and nephrosclerosis; may be a rare complication following use of contraceptive steroids. (05 Mar 2000) |
| beta-haemolytic streptococci | Those that produce active haemolysins (O and S) which cause a zone of clear haemolysis on the blood agar medium in the area of the colony; beta-haemolytic streptococci are divided into groups (A to O) on the basis of cell wall C carbohydrate (see Lancefield classification); Group A (in the strains pathogenic for man) comprises more than 50 types (designated by Arabic numerals) determined by cell wall M protein, which seems to be associated closely with virulence and is produced chiefly by strains with matt or mucoid colonies, in contrast to nonvirulent, glossy colony-producing strains; other surface protein antigens such as R and T (T substance), and the nucleoprotein fraction (P substance) seem to be of less importance. The more than 20 extracellular substances elaborated by strains of beta-haemolytic streptococci include erythrogenic toxin (elaborated only by lysogenic strains), deoxyribonuclease (streptodornase), haemolysins (streptolysins O and S), hyaluronidase, and streptokinase. Synonym: haemolytic streptococci. (05 Mar 2000) |
| microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia | <haematology> Consequence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC): fragments of red blood cells, damaged by being forced through a fibrin meshwork, are found in the circulation. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (18 Nov 1997) |
| complement haemolytic activity assay | Usual screening assay for complement. Dilutions of the serum to be tested are added to antibody-coated erythrocytes and the percentage of lysis is measured. The values are expressed by ch50, haemolytic complement units per milliliter, which is the dilution of serum required to lyse 50 percent of the erythrocytes in the assay. (12 Dec 1998) |
| congenital haemolytic anaemia | Accelerated destruction of red blood cells due to an inherited defect, such as in the membrane in hereditary spherocytosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| congenital haemolytic icterus | <haematology> A hereditary disorder that leads to a chronic haemolytic anaemia due to an abnormality in the red blood cell membrane. This disorder is caused by a defective gene. Red cells are resistant to stress and rupture easily. Infants may appear jaundiced and pale. Fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath are other symptoms that may be seen in older patients. The spleen may also be enlarged. Treatment includes splenectomy (removal of the spleen). After this is accomplished the life-span of the red blood cells returns to normal. (27 Sep 1997) |
| congenital haemolytic jaundice | <haematology> A hereditary disorder that leads to a chronic haemolytic anaemia due to an abnormality in the red blood cell membrane. This disorder is caused by a defective gene. Red cells are resistant to stress and rupture easily. Infants may appear jaundiced and pale. Fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath are other symptoms that may be seen in older patients. The spleen may also be enlarged. Treatment includes splenectomy (removal of the spleen). After this is accomplished the life-span of the red blood cells returns to normal. (27 Sep 1997) |
| haemolytic | Destructive to blood cells, resulting in liberation of haemoglobin. Synonym: haematolytic, haemotoxic, haematotoxic, haematoxic. (05 Mar 2000) |
| haemolytic anaemia | <disease, haematology> Anaemia resulting from reduced red cell survival time and haemolysis, either due to an intrinsic defect in the erythrocyte (hereditary spherocytosis or ellipsocytosis, enzyme defects, haemoglobinopathy) or an extrinsic damaging agent. For example autoantibody (autoimmune haemolytic anaemia), iso antibody, parasitic invasion of the cells (malaria), bacterial or chemical haemolysins, mechanical damage to erythrocytes. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (18 Nov 1997) |
| haemolytic anaemia of newborn | <haematology> A condition which develops in the foetus due to an incompatibility between the mother's blood type (RH factor) and the baby's. Maternal antibodies, which enter the foetal circulation during delivery attack the baby's red blood cells leading to haemolysis (rupture of the cells). Symptoms include an infant with an enlarged liver and spleen, swelling, jaundice and anaemia. (27 Sep 1997) |