| RA | radioactive; ragocyte; ragweed antigen; rapidly adapting [receptors]; reactive arthritis; reciprocal... |
|---|---|
| APR | abdominoperineal resection; absolute proximal reabsorption; acute phase reaction or reactant; amebic... |
| RP | radial pulse; radiopharmaceutical; rapid processing [of film]; Raynaud phenomenon; reactive protein;... |
| ILP | inadequate luteal phase; insufficiency of luteal phase; interstitial laser photocoagulation; interst... |
| SPIA | solid-phase immunoabsorption; solid-phase immunoassay |
| primary refractory anaemia | Any of a group of anaemic conditions in which there is persistent, frequently advanced anaemia that is not successfully treated by any means except blood transfusions, and that is not associated with another primary disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| secondary refractory anaemia | Any persistent anaemia that is successfully treated only by blood transfusions, and that is associated with another condition. (05 Mar 2000) |
| effective refractory period | The period during which impulses may appear but are too weak to be conducted; the longest interval between adequate stimuli, falling just short of the time necessary to allow a propagated response to be evoked in a tissue by the second stimulus; it differs from the functional refractory period in that it is a measure of stimulus interval rather than response interval of time. (05 Mar 2000) |
| total refractory period | The absolute refractory period plus the relative refractory period. (05 Mar 2000) |
| functional refractory period | The minimum interval possible between successive responses to stimulation of a tissue. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute | 1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch. 2. Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty. "So absolute she seems, And in herself complete." (Milton) 3. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space. Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations. 4. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing. In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws. 5. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative. It is in dispute among philosopher whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect. "To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute." (Sir W. Hamilton) 6. Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful. "I am absolute 't was very Cloten." (Shak) 7. Authoritative; peremptory. "The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed." (Mrs. Browning) 8. <chemistry> Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol. 9. Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative. <geometry> Absolute curvature, the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. <physics> Absolute space, space considered without relation to material limits or objects. Absolute terms. <mathematics> The be ginning, or zero point, in the scale of absolute temperature. It is equivalent to -273 deg centigrade or -459.4 deg Fahrenheit. Synonym: Positive, peremptory, certain, unconditional, unlimited, unrestricted, unqualified, arbitrary, despotic, autocratic. Origin: L. Absolutus, p. P. Of absolvere: cf. F. Absolu. See Absolve. <geometry> In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| absolute agraphia | Agraphia in which not even unconnected letters can be written. Synonym: atactic agraphia, literal agraphia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute alcohol | Water having been removed. Synonym: anhydrous alcohol. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute CD4 count | The number of helper T-lymphocytes in a cubic millimeter of blood. With HIV, the absolute CD4 count declines as the infection progresses. The absolute CD4 count is frequently used to monitor the extent of immune suppression in persons with HIV. Also called a T4 count. (12 Dec 1998) |
| absolute configuration | <chemistry> The three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms around the chiral centre of a molecule. (09 Oct 1997) |
| absolute dehydration | Actual water deficit as measured by a difference from the normal or from a given water content. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute eosinophil count | <haematology, investigation> A measurement (cells per microlitre) of the number of eosinophils in a blood specimen. This measurement is useful in the evaluation of autoimmune disease, allergies, eczema, leukaemia, asthma and hay fever. Normal absolute eosinophil counts are less than 350 cells/mcl (microlitre). (27 Sep 1997) |
| absolute filter | <apparatus> A fine-pored, steam-sterilisable filter that is used to trap airborne microorganisms. The filter's pores are about 2 micrometres in diameter, smaller than the particles it is designed to remove. (06 May 1997) |
| absolute glaucoma | The final stage of blindness in glaucoma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute gravity | <chemistry> The value that denotes the density (specific gravity) at standard conditions (for gases, these conditions are standard atmospheric pressure at zero degrees Celsius). (06 May 1997) |