| AAA | abdominal aortic aneurysm/aneurysmectomy; acne-associated arthritis; acquired aplastic anemia; acute... |
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| ABBQ | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Beliefs and Behavior Questionnaire |
| ACKD | acquired cystic kidney disease |
| ACU | acquired cold urticaria; acute care unit; agar colony-forming unit; ambulatory care unit |
| AFS | acquired or adult Fanconi syndrome; alternative financing system; American Fertility Society; antifi... |
| acquired | In medicine, the word acquired means new or added. New in the sense that it is not genetic (inherited) and added in the sense that is was not congenital (present at birth) but came along later. For example, AIDS is an acquired, not a genetic form of immune deficiency. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| acquired agammaglobulinaemia | Heterogeneous group of immunodeficiency syndromes characterised by hypogammaglobulinaemia of most isotypes, variable B-cell defects, and the presence of recurrent bacterial infections. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acquired bronchiectasis | <chest medicine> Persistent and progressive dilation of bronchi or bronchioles as a consequence of inflammatory disease (lung infections), obstruction (tumour) or congenital abnormality (for example cystic fibrosis). Symptoms include fetid breath and paroxysmal coughing, with the expectoration of mucopurulent matter. It may affect the bronchioles uniformly (cylindric bronchiectasis) or occur in irregular pockets (sacculated bronchiectasis) or the dilated bronchi may have terminal bulbous enlargements (fusiform bronchiectasis). Although rarely congenital, it is most often an acquired condition in childhood. (13 Nov 1997) |
| acquired centric relation | See: centric jaw relation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired cuticle | A thin film (about 1 um), derived mainly from salivary glycoproteins, which forms over the surface of a cleansed tooth crown when it is exposed to the saliva. Synonym: acquired cuticle, acquired enamel cuticle, brown pellicle, posteruption cuticle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired drives | Those drives not directly related to biological needs; a secondary drive can be learned as an offshoot of a primary drive, in which case it is often referred to as a motive. Synonym: acquired drives. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired eccentric relation | An eccentric relation that is assumed by habit in order to bring the teeth into occlusion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired epileptic aphasia | <syndrome> Acquired epileptic aphasia. The typical history is that of a child whose development is normal for several years and then, either suddenly or in a fluctuating manner, loses comprehension of speech and the ability to use speech to communicate. The seizures are of no specific type, and are mostly mild and infrequent partial or atypical absences. (12 Dec 1998) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| acquired hyperlipidaemia | <biochemistry> A condition of elevated blood triglycerides or blood cholesterol that is a result of secondary factors (for example poor diet, drug-related causes, diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome). (27 Sep 1997) |
| acquired hyperlipoproteinaemia | Nonfamilial hyperlipoproteinaemia that develops as a consequence of some primary disease, such as thyroid deficiency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired hypogammaglobulinaemia | Heterogeneous group of immunodeficiency syndromes characterised by hypogammaglobulinaemia of most isotypes, variable B-cell defects, and the presence of recurrent bacterial infections. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acquired ichthyosis | A thickening and scaling of the skin associated with some malignant diseases (e.g., Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma), leprosy, and severe nutritional deficiencies. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acquired immunity | <immunology> A form of cellular defense which identifies certain foreign substances (antigens) as harmful to the body. For this reason, the body can acquire resistance to a particular foreign agent. These foreign agents are then attacked by sensitised T lymphocytes (cellular immunity). White blood cells, plasma cells, B lymphocytes and other specialised immune system cells act in concert with T lymphocytes to produce antibodies (humoral immunity) that attach to the antigen directing T-cells to attack. Antibodies also stimulate the release of special chemical mediators in the blood (for example complement, interferon) that further enhance antigen destruction. (13 Nov 1997) |