| MCH | Maternal and Child Health; mean corpuscular hemoglobin; muscle contraction headache |
|---|---|
| MCHB | maternal and child health bureau |
| MCHC | maternal/child health care; mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; mean corpuscular hemoglobin c... |
| MCHS | Maternal and Child Health Service |
| MCN | maternal child nursing; minimal change nephropathy; mixed cell nodular [lymphoma] |
| additive effect | <biochemistry, chemistry> An additive effect is the overall biological effect two chemicals acting together and which is the simple sum of the effects of the chemicals acting independently. Compare: antagonism. (15 Jan 1998) |
|---|---|
| adverse effect | This is an abnormal or harmful effect to an organism caused by exposure to a chemical. It is indicated by some result such as death, a change in food or water consumption, altered body and organ weights, altered enzyme levels, or visible illness. An effect may be classed as adverse if it causes functional or anatomical damage, causes irreversible change in the homeostasis of the organism, or increases the susceptibility of the organism to other chemical or biological stress. A non-adverse effect will usually be reversed when the organism is no longer being exposed to the chemical. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Anrep effect | A small transient positive inotropic effect of abrupt increases of systolic aortic and left ventricular pressures related to recovery from transient subendocardial ischemia (e.g., cold pressor test). (05 Mar 2000) |
| antagonistic effect | This is the consequence of one chemical (or group of chemicals) counteracting the effects of another chemical, the opposing chemicals cancel out each other's effects. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Arias-Stella effect | Focal, unusual, decidual changes in endometrial epithelium, consisting of intraluminal budding, and nuclear enlargement and hyperchromatism with cytoplasmic swelling and vacuolation; may be associated with ectopic or uterine pregnancy. Synonym: Arias-Stella effect, Arias-Stella reaction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Auger effect | <physics> Transition of an electron in an atom from a discrete electronic level to an ionised continuous level with the same energy. Synonym: autoionisation. (13 Jan 1998) |
| autokinetic effect | In psychology, the apparent drifting about of a small, fixed, spot of light which is being observed in a dark room. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bernoulli effect | <physics> The decrease in fluid pressure that occurs in converting potential to kinetic energy when motion of the fluid is accelerated, in accordance with Bernoulli's law. Applied in water aspirators, atomisers, and humidifiers in which a gas is accelerated across the end of a narrow, fluid-filled orifice. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bohr effect | <physiology> Decrease in oxygen affinity of haemoglobin when pH decreases or concentration of carbon dioxide increases. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Bowditch effect | Homeometric autoregulation of cardiac function induced by changing heart rate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Mach effect | The appearance of a light or dark line on a radiograph where there is a concave or convex interface in the subject, a physiological optical form of edge enhancement. See: Mach's band. (05 Mar 2000) |
| raman effect | <radiobiology> A phenomenon observed in the scattering of light as it passes through a transparent medium, the light undergoes a change in frequency and a random alteration in phase due to a change in rotational or vibrational energy of the scattering molecules. (09 Oct 1997) |
| generation effect | Variation in health status arising from the different causal factors of disease to which each successive generation born is exposed as it passes through life. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rebound effect | The characteristic of a drug to produce reverse effects when either the effect of the drug has passed or when the patient no longer responds to the drug. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Venturi effect | Term applied to the operation of a Venturi tube and similar systems. (05 Mar 2000) |