Medical Glossary

This glossary contains:
19186
medical terms

APA




APA

1. American Psychiatric Association. 2. American Psychological Association. 3. American Podiatry Association. 4. Antiphospholipid antibody. 5. Alkaline phosphatase activity.

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Psychiatric
Pertaining to the medical specialty that deals with mental disorder.

Association
1. In dysmorphology (the study of birth defects), the nonrandom occurrence in two or more individuals of a pattern of multiple anomalies (birth defects) not known to be a malformation syndrome (such as Down syndrome), a malformation sequence (of events) or what is called a polytopic field defect (in which all of the defects are concentrated in one particular area of the body). An example of an association in dysmorphology is the VACTERL association of birth defects. 2. In genetics, the occurrence together of two or more characteristics more often than would be expected by chance alone. An example of association involves a feature on the surface of white blood cells called HLA (HLA stands for human leukocyte antigen). A particular HLA type, HLA type B-27, is associated with an increased risk for a number of diseases including ankylosing spondylitis. The extent of the association is enormous. Ankylosing spondylitis is 87 times more likely to occur in people with HLA B-27 than in the general population.

Psychological
Pertaining to mental life as manifested through language and behavior.

Podiatry
The branch of medicine that pertains to the foot and its ailments.

Antibody
An infection-fighting protein molecule in blood or secretory fluids that tags, neutralizes, and helps destroy pathogenic microorganisms (eg, bacteria, viruses) or toxins. Antibodies, known generally as immunoglobulins, are made and secreted by B-lymphocytes in response to stimulation by antigens. Each specific antibody binds only to the specific antigen that stimulated its production.



SIMILAR TERMS
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Aortic valve, bicuspid
Whereas the normal aortic valve in the heart has three flaps (cusps) that open and close, a bicuspid valve has only two. There may be no symptoms in childhood, but in time the valve may become stenotic (narrowed), making it harder for blood to pass through it, or the valve may start to let blood leak backwards through the valve (regurgitate). Treatment depends on how the valve is working and overall condition of the affected individual.

Aortitis
Inflammation of the aorta. The causes of aortitis include syphilis or rheumatic fever.

AP
AP is a versatile abbreviation. It serves in cardiology to abbreviate angina pectoris (AP) and arterial pressure (AP). In endocrinology, it stands for the anterior pituitary (AP). And in anatomy, AP means anteroposterior, i.e., from front-to-back.

AP (anteroposterior)
In anatomy, AP stands for anteroposterior: from front-to-back. For example, an AP X-ray of the chest is taken from front-to-back. AP in this respect is the opposite of PA, which stands for posteroanterior: from back-to-front.

AP, X-ray
An X-ray picture in which the beams pass from front-to-back (anteroposterior). As opposed to a PA (posteroanterior) film in which the rays pass through the body from back-to-front.

APA

Aperient
Laxative.

Apert syndrome
"A malformation syndrome characterized by a high short skull, underdevelopment of the midface, soft tissue and bony (""mitten glove"") fusion of fingers and toes, fusion of the neck vertebrae, and varying degrees of developmental delay/mental retardation. The frequency of the syndrome rises with the age of the father reflecting the fact that the mutation rate among males rises with their age. Moreover, the mutation that causes Apert syndrome affords the sperm a selective advantage. The mutation is in the gene for fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) on chromosome 10. Different mutations in FGFR2 are also responsible for two other similar genetic diseases, namely, Pfeiffer syndrome and Crouzon syndrome. See also: Acrocephalosyndactyly."

Apert syndrome acrocephalosyndactyly
An inherited disorder causing abnormalities of the skull, face and hands and feet.

Apgar
Abbreviation for the Apgar score, a practical method of evaluating the physical condition of a newborn infant shortly after delivery. The Apgar score is a number arrived at by scoring the heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, skin color, and response to a catheter in the nostril. Each of these objective signs can receive 0, 1, or 2 points.

Aphasia, acquired epileptiform
See Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

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This dictionary contains 19186 terms.







pa / aa / ap / aapa / appa / apaa / qpa / wpa / spa / xpa / zpa / a0a / a-a / a[a / a;a / ala / aoa / a9a / apq / apw / aps / apx / apz /