| low placenta | Location of the placenta in the lower part of the uterus (womb) so that the placenta partially or completely covers the cervix. Also known as a placenta previa. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| low platelet count | <haematology> An abnormally low platelet count. Normal platelet counts are 150,000-400,000 per cubic millimetre. Those with low platelet counts may exhibit haematuria, haematemesis, easy bruising, bleeding gums, melena (blood in stools), prolonged menses or nosebleeds. Spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage can occur with platelet counts of 10-15,000 (or less). (27 Sep 1997) |
| low purine diet | A diet low in precursors of purines (such as tissues rich in cells with abundant nuclei, as in liver, glandular meats, etc.) to minimise formation of uric acid. Useful in treatment of patients with gout or urate-containing renal calculi. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low residue diet | A diet that leaves minimal unabsorbed components in the intestine, to minimise functional stress on the colon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low salt diet | A diet with restricted amounts of sodium chloride, necessary in the treatment of some cases of hypertension, heart failure, and other syndromes characterised by fluid retention and/or oedema formation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low sodium syndrome | <syndrome> A syndrome resulting from salt restriction and use of diuretics in treatment of congestive heart failure and hypertension, characterised by weakness, drowsiness, muscle cramps, and a reduction in glomerular filtration with consequent nitrogen retention, renal failure, and sometimes death; occurs also in cirrhosis of the liver with ascites and in adrenal insufficiency. Synonym: salt depletion syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low spinal anaesthesia | Spinal anaesthesia in which the level of sensory denervation extends to the tenth or eleventh thoracic dermatome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low tension glaucoma | Optic nerve atrophy and excavation with typical field defects of glaucoma but without abnormal increase in intraocular pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low tone deafness | Inability to hear low notes or frequencies. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low wine | The first weak distillate obtained from the mash in the process of making whisky. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Low, George | <person> English physician, 1872-1952. See: Castellani-Low sign. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low-activation materials | <radiobiology> In fission reactors, one is forced to deal with the radioactive byproducts of the fission process, but in fusion reactors one generally has a choice of what materials to expose to neutrons produced by the fusion process. A major problem for fusion reactors is developing materials (such as for the reactor vacuum vessel structure) which can be exposed to high levels of neutron bombardment without becoming permanently radioactive. Candidate structural materials which have relatively low induced radiactivation (generally relative to stainless steel) are known as low-activation materials, these include titanium, vanadium, and silicon-carbide. (09 Oct 1997) |
| low-calorie diet | A diet of 1,200 calories or less per day. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low-density lipoprotein receptors | Receptors on the surface of cells, especially liver cells, which bind to low density lipoprotein and promote clearance of LDL from the plasma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low-egg-passage vaccine | See: rabies vaccine, Flury strain egg-passage. (05 Mar 2000) |