| ABI | ankle/brachial index; atherothrombotic brain infarct |
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| BA | Bachelor of Arts; backache; bacterial agglutination; basilar artery; basion; benzyladenine; best amp... |
| BAM | basilar artery migraine; bilateral augmentation mammoplasty; brachial artery mean [pressure]; |
| BAO | basal acid output; brachial artery output |
| BAP | bacterial alkaline phosphatase; Behavior Activity Profile; beta-amyloid peptide; blood-agar plate; b... |
| inferior trunk of brachial plexus | The nerve bundle formed by the union of the ventral rami of the eighth cervical and first thoracic nerves; it provides fibres to the posterior and medial cords (fasciculi) of the brachial plexus. Synonym: truncus inferior plexus brachialis. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| infraclavicular part of brachial plexus | The part of the brachial plexus that extends from the level of the clavicle downward into the axilla; it includes the cords of the plexus and their branches. Synonym: pars infraclavicularis plexus brachialis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| trunks of brachial plexus | The superior, middle, and inferior trunks; they divide distally to form the cords (fasciculi) of the plexus. Synonym: trunci plexus brachialis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lateral cord of brachial plexus | In the brachial plexus, the bundle of nerve fibres formed by the anterior divisions of the superior and middle trunks which is located lateral to the axillary artery. This cord gives off the lateral pectoral nerve and terminates by dividing into the musculocutaneous nerve and the lateral root of the median nerve. Synonym: fasciculus lateralis plexus brachialis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdomen, acute | Clinical syndrome characterised by abdominal pain of great severity associated with other symptoms and signs, usually those of acute peritonitis, which might well be the result of a ruptured abdominal viscus or a similar abdominal catastrophe requiring urgent surgical operation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acute | 1. Sharp, poignant. 2. Having a short and relatively severe course. Origin: L. Acutus = sharp (18 Nov 1997) |
| acute abdomen | Any serious acute intra-abdominal condition (such as appendicitis) attended by pain, tenderness, and muscular rigidity, and for which emergency surgery must be considered. Synonym: surgical abdomen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute abscess | A recently formed abscess with little or no fibrosis in the wall of the cavity. Synonym: hot abscess. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute adrenal crisis | <endocrinology> An abrupt life-threatening state which is caused by insufficient production of cortisol by the adrenal gland. A typical finding in Addison's disease. Individuals who have been taking corticosteroids (glucocorticoids) for a prolonged period of time (weeks to months) are at risk for acute adrenal crisis if the medication is stopped abruptly. For this reason, corticosteroid medication are withdrawn slowly on a diminishing dosing schedule. Symptoms include low blood pressure (shock), weakness, headache, vomiting, fever chills, tachycardia and sweating. Treatment includes blood pressure support and intravenous hydrocortisone. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acute adrenocortical insufficiency | Severe adrenocortical insufficiency when an intercurrent illness or trauma causes an increased demand for adrenocortical hormones in a patient with adrenal insufficiency due to disease or use of relatively large amounts of similar hormones as therapy; characterised by nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and frequently hyperthemia, hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia, and hypoglycaemia; can be fatal if untreated. Synonym: addisonian crisis, adrenal crisis, Bernard-Sergent syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute African sleeping sickness | A disease of humans caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense in eastern Africa from Ethiopia and Uganda south to Zimbabwe; it is clinically similar to Gambian trypanosomiasis but of shorter duration and more acute in form; patients suffer repeated episodes of pyrexia, become anaemic, and die commonly from cardiac failure. Synonym: acute African sleeping sickness, acute trypanosomiasis, East African sleeping sickness, East African trypanosomiasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute alcoholism | A temporary deterioration in mental function, accompanied by muscular incoordination and paresis, induced by the rapid ingestion of alcoholic beverages. Synonym: intoxication. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute angle | Any angle less than 90 |
| acute angle closure glaucoma | <ophthalmology> An increase in pressure within the anterior chamber of the eye. There are two forms of glaucoma: acute angle closure and open angle glaucoma. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acute anterior poliomyelitis | Inflammation of the anterior cornua of the spinal cord; an acute infectious disease caused by the poliomyelitis virus and marked by fever, pains, and gastroenteric disturbances, followed by a flaccid paralysis of one or more muscular groups, and later by atrophy. Synonym: acute atrophic paralysis, myogenic paralysis. (05 Mar 2000) |