| antihemophilic factor A | A coagulation (clotting) factor. Classic haemophilia (haemophilia A) is due to a congenital deficiency in the amount (or activity) of factor VIII. Factor VIII is also known as antihemophiliac factor (AHF) or antihemophiliac globulin (AHG). The gene for factor VIII (that for classic haemophilia) is on the X chromosome so females can be silent carriers without symptoms and males can be haemophiliacs. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| antihemophilic factor B | <chemical> Storage-stable blood coagulation factor acting in the intrinsic pathway. Its activated form, ixa, forms a complex with factor viii and calcium on platelet factor 3 to activate factor x to xa. Deficiency of factor ix results in christmas disease (haemophilia b). Chemical name: Blood-coagulation factor IX (12 Dec 1998) |
| antihemorrhagic factor | <biochemistry> A fat soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting. (27 Sep 1997) |
| antineuritic factor | A member of the water-soluble B vitamin group, necessary for energy production and carbohydrate metabolism. Deficiency is known as beriberi. (27 Sep 1997) |
| antinuclear factor | A factor, usually antibodies, present in serum with strong affinity for nuclei and detected by fluorescent antibody technique; present in lupus erythematosus, rheumatic arthritis, and certain other autoimmune conditions; may also be present at lower levels in normal individuals. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antipellagra factor | A precursor of NAD, that is a product of the oxidation of nicotine. (18 Nov 1997) |
| antipernicious anaemia factor | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group, important in the proper function of the nervous system and important in proper carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. (27 Sep 1997) |
| antisterility factor | <biochemistry> Functions as an antioxidant, binds oxygen free radicals that can cause tissue damage, may also play a protective role in the coronary arteries from the damaging effects of cholesterol. (27 Sep 1997) |
| antitermination factor | <molecular biology> A gene regulatory protein that blocks signals for the transcription process to stop as a form of regulatory control over whatever the gene being transcribed is coding for. (13 Jan 1998) |
| atrial natriuretic factor | <chemical> A potent natriuretic and vasodilatory peptide or mixture of different-sized low molecular weight peptides derived from a common precursor and secreted by the heart atria. All these peptides share a sequence of about 20 amino acids. Chemical name: Atriopeptin (12 Dec 1998) |
| attenuation factor | <radiobiology> A measure of the opacity of a layer of material for radiation transversing it, the ratio of the incident intensity to the transmitted intensity. It is equal to Io/I, where Io and I are the intensities of the incident and emergent radiation, respectively. In the usual sense of exponential absorption (I = Ioe- m x), the attenuation factor is e- m x, where x is the thickness of the material and m is the absorption coefficient. (16 Dec 1997) |
| autocrine motility factor | A member of the class of cytokines secreted by tumour cells. It elicits increases in cell motility and phosphoinositide metabolism in the secreting or producing cell via a pertussis toxin-sensitive g-protein signal transduction pathway. The factor has also been used as a marker for bladder cancer. (12 Dec 1998) |
| B-cell differentiating factor | <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) |
| B-cell stimulatory factor 2 | <cytokine> A cytokine that stimulates the growth and differentiation of human B-cells and is also a growth factor for hybridomas and plasmacytomas. It is produced by many different cells including T-cells, monocytes, and fibroblasts. A single chain 25 kD cytokine originally described as a pre B-cell growth factor, now known to have effects on a number of other cells including T-cells which are also stimulated to proliferate. An inducer of acute phase proteins and a colony-stimulating factor acting on mouse bone marrow. Acronym: IL-6 (12 Dec 1998) |
| bifidus factor | An unidentified substance associated with Lactobacillus bifidus subsp. Pennsylvanicus, present in mammalian milk. (05 Mar 2000) |