| partial antigen | <immunology, molecular biology> Could be considered an isolated epitope: although a hapten (by definition) has an antibody directed against it, the hapten alone will not induce an immune response if injected into an animal, it must be conjugated to a carrier (usually a protein). The hapten constitutes a single antigenic determinant, perhaps the best known example is dinitro phenol (DNP) that can be conjugated to BSA and against which antiDNP antibodies are produced (antibodies to the BSA can be adsorbed out). Because the hapten is monovalent, immune complex formation will be blocked if the soluble hapten is present as well as the hapten carrier conjugate (assuming there is more than one hapten per carrier then an immune precipitate can be formed). Competitive inhibition by the soluble small molecule is sometimes referred to as haptenic inhibition and this term has carried over into lectin mediated haemagglutination where monosaccharides are added to try to block haemagglutination: the blocking sugar defines the specificity of the lectin. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| partial breech extraction | Assisted breech delivery by the obstetrician with spontaneous delivery of the foetus to the level of the umbilicus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial cut | A harvest method in which portions of a stand of timber are cut during a number of entries over time. Precommercial thinning operations are not considered partial cuts. (05 Dec 1998) |
| partial cystectomy | Removal of a part or segment of the bladder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial denture | A dental prosthesis which restores one or more, but less than all, of the natural teeth and/or associated parts and which is supported by the teeth and/or the mucosa; it may be removable or fixed. Synonym: bridgework. Distal extension, a removable partial denture that is retained by natural teeth at one end of the denture base segments only, and in which a portion of the functional load is carried by the residual ridge. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial denture impression | An impression or negative copy of all or a part of the partially edentulous dental arch or area, made for the purpose of designing or constructing a partial denture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial denture retention | The fixation of a removable partial denture by the use of clasps, indirect retainers, or precision attachments. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial endocardial cushion defect | <radiology> Incomplete endocardial cushion defect components: ostium primum atrial septal defect, cleft in anterior mitral valve findings: right AV valve is usually normal, with or without mitral insufficiency, communication between LA_RA or LV-RA, occasionally LV-RV Cf: complete endocardial cushion defect (12 Dec 1998) |
| partial enterocele | A hernia in which only a portion of the wall of the intestine is engaged. Synonym: Littre's hernia, partial enterocele, Richter's hernia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial epilepsy | Epilepsy of various aetiologies characterised by focal seizures or secondarily generalised tonic-clonic seizures. Ictal symptoms are often related to the brain region where the seizure begins focally. Synonym: cortical epilepsy, local epilepsy, partial epilepsy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial face-sparing lipodystrophy | A syndrome beginning at puberty that resembles total lipodystrophy but is inherited as an autosomal or X-linked dominant form. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial heart block | Impulses penetrate the atrioventricular junction in some relation to the ventricular rate. Synonym: incomplete atrioventricular block. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial hysterectomy | In a partial hysterectomy, the uterus is surgically removed but the cervix is left in place. Also called a subtotal hysterectomy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| partial ileal bypass | Division of the small intestine approximately at the junction of the middle and lower one-third, closure of the distal end, and anastomosis of the proximal end to the caecum. (05 Mar 2000) |
| partial lipoatrophy | A condition characterised by a complete loss of the subcutaneous fat of the upper part of the torso, the arms, neck, and face, sometimes with an increase of fat in the tissues about and below the pelvis. Synonym: Barraquer's disease, lipodystrophia progessiva superior, partial lipoatrophy, Simons' disease. (05 Mar 2000) |