| AF | abnormal frequency; acid-fast; adult female; afebrile; aflatoxin; albumin-free; albumose-free; aldeh... |
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| AFB | acid-fast bacillus; aflatoxin B; air fluidized bed; aortofemoral bypass |
| CFR | case-fatality ratio; citrovorum-factor rescue; Code of Federal Regulations; complement-fixation reac... |
| FAB | fast atom bombardment; formalin ammonium bromide; fragment, antigen-binding [of immunoglobulins]; Fr... |
| FAST | flow-assisted, short-term [balloon catheter]; fluorescent antibody staining technique; fluoro-allerg... |
| fast neutrons | Neutrons, the energy of which exceeds some arbitrary level, usually around one million electron volts. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| fast pyrolysis | Thermal conversion of biomass by rapid heating to between 450> To 600>C in the absence of oxygen. (05 Dec 1998) |
| fast ray | <microscopy> The fast ray or fast component for a crystal or fibre corresponds to the lower refractive index. (05 Aug 1998) |
| fast smear | A cytologic smear containing material from the vaginal pool and pancervical scrapings, mixed and prepared on one microscopic slide, smeared, and fixed immediately; used principally for routine screening of ovaries, endometrium, cervix, vagina, and hormonal states. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Kluver-Barrera Luxol fast blue stain | <technique> In combination with cresyl violet, a stain useful for demonstrating myelin and Nissl substance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| liquid-metal fast-breeder reactor | <physics> Fission breeder reactor concept using liquid-metal coolant and breeding additional fuel off fast neutrons. See: breeder reactor. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Luxol fast blue | Name for a group of closely related copper phthalocyanin dyes used as stains (with PAS, PTAH, haematoxylin, silver nitrate, etc.) for myelin in nerve fibres. (05 Mar 2000) |
| accelerated phase of leukaemia | Refers to chronic myelogenous leukaemia that is progressing. The number of immature, abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood is higher than in the chronic phase, but not as high as in the blast phase. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acceleration phase | <cell biology, cell culture> A period of increasing growth before the log phase in a culture of microbes. After the culture is started on a medium, at first there is no growth (the lag phase) and then the microbes start to gradually grow (acceleration phase) until they reach a constant maximum rate of growth (log phase). (15 Jan 1998) |
| acute-phase protein | <haematology> These plasma proteins (in addition to fibrinogen) increase 25% or more in response to inflammation and injury are under direct control of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (hepatocyte-stimulating factor). Other proteins which increase are ceruloplasmin, C3 and C4 which increase 50% or more; alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, alpha-1 antitrypsin, haptoglobin and fibrinogen (the major determinant of viscosity 1 ) which increase two- to fourfold; C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A which increase several hundred-fold. Despite long-held clinical opinion to the contrary, available data indicate that neither ESR nor measurement of specific acute-phase reactants are useful in excluding underlying infection or inflammation regardless of the pretest probability. These proteins are secreted into the blood in increased or decreased quantities by hepatocytes in response to trauma, inflammation, or disease. They can serve as inhibitors or mediators of the inflammatory processes. Certain acute-phase proteins have been used to diagnose and follow the course of diseases or as tumour markers. See also: amyloid, c-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, viscosity. (25 Jun 1999) |
| acute-phase reaction | <immunology, rheumatology> Refers to the changes in synthesis of certain proteins within the serum during an inflammatory response, which provides rapid protection for the host against microorganisms via non-specific defense mechanisms. It consists of fever, an increase in inflammatory humoral factors, and an increased synthesis by hepatocytes of a number of proteins or glycoproteins usually found in the plasma; the reaction is mediated by endogenous pyrogens, the hypothalamus, adrenal hormones, and other factors. (12 Jul 2000) |
| anal phase | In psychoanalytic personality theory, the stage of psychosexual development, occurring when a child is between 1 and 3 years, during which activities, interests, and concerns are centreed around the anal zone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aqueous phase | The water portion of a system consisting of two liquid phase's, one mainly water, the other a liquid immiscible with water (e.g., benzene, ether). (05 Mar 2000) |
| blast phase | Refers to advanced chronic myelogenous leukaemia. In this phase, the number of immature, abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood is extremely high. Also called blast crisis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| g0 phase | Phase of the cell cycle where cells exist in a quiescent state. These cells have unduplicated DNA, degraded RNA and protein, and low enzyme activity. The ability to switch between g0 and g1 (and vice versa) determines the post-embryonic cell proliferation rate and is defectively controlled in neoplastic cells. (12 Dec 1998) |