| ACU | acquired cold urticaria; acute care unit; agar colony-forming unit; ambulatory care unit |
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| BU | base of prism up; Bethesda unit; blood urea; Bodansky unit; bromouracil; burn unit |
| CICU | cardiac intensive care unit; cardiovascular inpatient care unit; coronary intensive care unit |
| CSU | casualty staging unit; catheter specimen of urine; central statistical unit; clinical specialty unit... |
| CTU | cardiac-thoracic unit; centigrade thermal unit; constitutive transcription unit |
| vitamin b 12 deficiency | A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of vitamin b 12 in the diet, characterised by megaloblastic anaemia. Since vitamin b 12 is not present in plants, humans have obtained their supply from animal products, from multivitamin supplements in the form of pills, and as additives to food preparations. A wide variety of neuropsychiatric abnormalities is also seen in vitamin b 12 deficiency and appears to be due to an undefined defect involving myelin synthesis. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| vitamin B12 neuropathy | A subacute or chronic disorder of the spinal cord, such as that occurring in certain patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, characterised by a slight to moderate degree of gliosis in association with spongiform degeneration of the posterior and lateral columns. Synonym: combined sclerosis, combined system disease, funicular myelitis, Putnam-Dana syndrome, vitamin B12 neuropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin B12 with intrinsic factor concentrate | A combination of vitamin B12 with suitable preparations of the mucosa of the stomach or intestine of domestic animals used for food by humans. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin B2 | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group, important in energy production and the production of red blood cells (27 Sep 1997) |
| vitamin B3 | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group, used in the production of fatty acids, steroids and cholesterol, deficiency is known as pellagra. Has cholesterol-lowering and vasodilating properties. (27 Sep 1997) |
| vitamin B4 | Once believed to be a factor necessary for nutrition of the chick, now identified simply as certain essential amino acids and/or adenine, obsolete term for adenine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin B5 | Once used to describe biological activities now ascribed to pantothenic acid or nicotinic acid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin B6 | <biochemistry> Member of the water soluble B vitamin group. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, is active in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It is also a necessary part of haemoglobin synthesis. B6 deficiency results in retarded growth and a peripheral neuropathy. (27 Sep 1997) |
| vitamin B6 deficiency | Member of the water soluble B vitamin group. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, is active in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It is also a necessary part of haemoglobin synthesis. B6 deficiency results in retarded growth and a peripheral neuropathy. (27 Sep 1997) |
| vitamin B7 | <biochemistry> This vitamin is necessary for the synthesis of various enzymes and actsto reduce blood cholesterol. Adeficiency in this vitamin causes pellagra, which is characterised bydermatitis, diarrhoea, and inflammation of the mucous membranes. (09 Oct 1997) |
| vitamin Bc conjugase | <enzyme> An enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of the pteroylpolyglutamic acids to pteroylmonoglutamic acid, with consequent increase in vitamin activity; vitamin Bc is an obsolete term for folic acid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin b complex | <chemical> A group of water-soluble substances including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin (nicotinic acid), niacinamide (nicotinamide), the vitamin b6 group (including pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine), biotin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, possibly para-aminobenzoic acid, inositol, vitamin b12, and possibly choline. Chemical name: Vitamin B (12 Dec 1998) |
| vitamin BT | <biochemistry> _ Hydroxy _ trimethyl aminobutyric acid. Compound that transports long chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane in the form of acyl carnitine. Sometimes referred to as Vitamin Bt or Vitamin B7. (18 Nov 1997) |
| vitamin Bx | A factor in the vitamin B complex, a part of all folic acids and required for its formation; neutralises the bacteriostatic effects of the sulfonamides since it furnishes an essential growth factor for bacteria, the utilization with which the sulfonamides interfere; used as an ultraviolet screen in lotions and creams. Synonym: paraaminobenzoic acid, vitamin Bx. Acronym: PABA (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitamin C | <biochemistry> A water soluble vitamin crucial for the maintenance of connective tissue, wound healing and scar formation. Deficiency is known as scurvy. Symptoms include dry skin, bleeding and swollen gums, bone pains, dental cavities and mouth sores. (27 Sep 1997) |