| E/M | electron microscope, electron microscopy; evaluation and management |
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| EMC | electromagnetic compatibility; electron microscopy; emergency medical care; emergency medical coordi... |
| FIM | field ion microscopy; functional independence measure |
| HREM | high-resolution electron microscopy |
| HRTEM | high-resolution transmission electron microscopy |
| dark field microscopy | <procedure> A system of microscopy in which particles are illuminated at a very low angle from the side so that the background appears dark and the objects are seen by diffracted and reflected patches of light against a dark background. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| immune electron microscopy | Electron microscopy of biological specimens to which specific antibody has been bound. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunoelectron microscopy | <technique> A technique for using an electron microscope to locate specific antigensin cells or tissue. (09 Oct 1997) |
| interference microscopy | <procedure> Although all image formation depends on interference, the term is generally restricted to systems in which contrast comes from the recombination of a reference beam with light that has been retarded by passing through the object. Because the phase retardation is a consequence of the difference in refractive index between specimen and medium and because the the refractive increment is almost the same for all biological molecules, it is possible to measure the amount of dry mass per unit area of the specimen by measuring the phase retardation. Quantification of the phase retardation is usually done by using a compensator to reduce the bright object to darkness (see Senarmont and Ehrlinghaus compensators). Two major optical systems have been used the Jamin Lebedeff system and the Mach Zehnder system. These instruments are often referred to as interferometers, since they are designed for measuring phase retardation. Although their use has passed out of fashion, it may be that they will be employed more frequently in future in conjunction with image analysing systems. (18 Nov 1997) |
| interference reflection microscopy | <procedure> An optical technique for detecting the topography of the side of a cell in contact with a planar substrate and for providing information on the separation of the plasmalemma from the substrate. Interference between the reflections from the substrate medium interface and the reflections from the plasmalemma medium interface generate the image. (18 Nov 1997) |
| time-lapse microscopy | Microscopy in which the same object (e.g., a cell) is photographed at regular time intervals over several hours. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electron microscopy | <procedure> Any form of microscopy in which the interactions of electrons with the specimens are used to provide information about the final structure of that specimen. In transmission electron microscopy the diffraction and adsorption of electrons as the electron beam passes normally through the specimen is imaged to provide information on the specimen. In scanning electron microscopy an electron beam falls at a nonnormal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the scattered and reflected electrons. Secondary X-rays generated by the interaction of electrons with various elements in the specimen may be used for electron microprobe analysis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| transmission electron microscopy | <technique> Those forms of electron microscopy in which electrons are transmitted through the object to be imaged, suffering energy loss by diffraction and to a small extent by absorption. Acronym: TEM (18 Nov 1997) |
| Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy | <technique> Scanning electron microscopy is performed by scanning a focused probe across the surface of the sample to be studied. In the environmental scanning electron microscopy the composition and pressure of the atmosphere around the specimen may be controlled. In favourable cases non-conductive specimens may be examined without coating, and hydrated specimens may be examined with the water still in place. Acronym: ESEM (05 Aug 1998) |
| fluorescence microscopy | <procedure> Any type of microscopy in which intrinsic or applied reagents are visualised. Intrinsic fluorescence is often referred to as auto fluorescence. The applied reagents typically include fluorescently labelled proteins that are reactive with sites in the specimen. In particular, fluorescently labelled antibodies are widely used to detect particular antigens in biological specimens. (18 Nov 1997) |
| light microscopy | <procedure> In contrast to electron microscopy. See: bright field, phase contrast, interference, interference contrast, interference reflection, dark field, confocal and fluorescence microscopy. (18 Nov 1997) |
| 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) |