| evoked potential | An event-related potential, elicited by, and time-lockied to a stimulus. See: evoked response. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| excitatory junction potential | Discrete partial depolarisation of smooth muscle produced by stimulation of excitatory nerves; similar to small end-plate potentials. They summate with repeated stimuli. (05 Mar 2000) |
| excitatory postsynaptic potential | The change in potential which is produced in the membrane of the next neuron when an impulse which has an excitatory influence arrives at the synapse; it is a local change in the direction of depolarisation; summation of these potential's can lead to discharge of an impulse by the neuron. (05 Mar 2000) |
| junction potential | <physiology> Potential difference at the boundary between dissimilar solutions, arises from differences in diffusion constants between ions. (18 Nov 1997) |
| years of potential life lost | Measure of the relative impact of various diseases and lethal forces on society, computed by estimating the years that people would have lived if they had not died prematurely from injury, cancer, heart disease, etc. (05 Mar 2000) |
| zeta potential | <chemistry> The electrostatic potential of a molecule or particle, for example cell measured at the plane of hydrodynamic slippage outside the surface of the molecule or cell. Usually measured by electrophoretic mobility. Related to the surface potential and a measure of the electrostatic forces of repulsion the particle or molecule is likely to meet when encountering another of the same sign of charge. See: cell electrophoresis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| zoonotic potential | The potential for infections of subhuman animals to be transmissible to humans. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low malignant potential tumour | A neoplasm of the ovary, usually arising in young women, composed of complex epithelial hyperplasia without stromas invasion; may recur if incompletely removed surgically, but is clinically less aggressive than carcinoma. Synonym: low malignant potential tumour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acetylcholine receptor antibodies | <neurology, investigation> A test used to measure the amount of antibodies to acetylcholine receptors on nerve endings. This is a diagnostic test for myasthenia gravis. A normal value is no antibodies in the bloodstream. Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) binding autoantibodies (i.e. Antibodies reactive with several epitopes other than the binding site for acetylcholine or alpha-bungarotoxin) are present in approximately 88% of patients with generalised myasthenia gravis, 70% of ocular myasthenia and in approximately 80% of myasthenia gravis in remission. Although serum concentrations of AChR binding autoantibodies do not in general correlate well with severity of weakness, there is typical decrease in concentration as weakness improves with immunosuppressive therapy. AChR blocking autoantibodies (i.e., antibodies reactive with the AChR binding site) are present in about 50% of patients with myasthenia gravis, 30% with ocular myasthenia gravis and 20% of myasthenia gravis in remission, AChR blocking autoantibodies are the only AChR autoantibodies present in about 1% of myasthenia gravis. AChR modulating autoantibodies (i.e., autoantibodies which cross-link AChRs and cause their removal from muscle membrane surfaces) are present in more than 90% of myasthenia gravis and occasionally are the only AchR autoantibodies detectable in mild, recent onset or ocular-restricted myasthenia gravis. Results for AChR modulating autoantibodies can be transiently false-positive due to curare-like drugs used during general anesthesia. AChR autoantibodies of one or more types are found in at least 80% of ocular myasthenia gravis. Although generally absent in neurological conditions other than myasthenia gravis(and consequently unlikely to cause confusion in neurodiagnosis), false-positive results for AChR autoantibodies occasionally occur in primary biliary cirrhosis, tardive dyskinesia, autoimmune thyroiditis, the elderly, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients treated with cobra venom and patients with thymoma in the absence of myasthenia gravis. Approximately 1% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with D-penicillamine develop AChR autoantibodies and myasthenia gravis, both of which disappear when the drug is discontinued. Babies born to ~10% of myasthenia gravis mothers have a transient neonatal form of myasthenia gravis that responds well to anticholinesterase therapy and usually remits within 1 month as maternal IgG disappears. (29 Dec 1997) |
| amino acid receptor | <biochemistry> Ligand gated ion channels with specific receptors for amino acid transmitters. An extended protein superfamily that also includes subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. (18 Nov 1997) |
| AMPA receptor | <cell biology> Glutamate operated ion channel. See: excitatory amino acid receptor channels. (05 Feb 1998) |
| ANP receptor | <molecular biology> Family of 3 receptors for atrial natriuretic peptide. ANP A and ANP B have intracellular guanylate cyclase and protein kinase like domains. ANP C, shares the extracellular ligand binding and transmembrane domains, but lacks the functional intracellular domains and is not thought to be involved in signal transduction. (18 Nov 1997) |
| asialoglycoprotein receptor | A surface receptor found in hepatocytes that binds galactose-terminal glycoproteins; thus, this receptor removes those proteins from circulation and they are in turn acted upon by hepatocyte lysosomes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory receptor cells | Columnar cell's in the epithelium of the organ of Corti, having hairs (stereocilia) on their apical ends. See: Corti's cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
| beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent | A class of drugs that compete with beta-adrenergic agonists for available receptor sites; some compete for both b1 and b2 receptors (e.g., propranolol) while others are primarily either b1 (e.g., metoprolol) or b2 blockers; used in the treatment of a variety of cardiovascular diseases where beta-adrenergic blockade is desirable. Synonym: beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent, beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist, beta-blocker. (05 Mar 2000) |