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| This glossary contains: 19186 medical terms |
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Puberty
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Puberty A sequence of events by which a child becomes a young adult; characterized by secretions of hormones, development of secondary sexual characteristics, reproductive functions, and growth spurts.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Hormones
Biological compounds that communicate information at a distance. Hormones require specific receptors to begin their biological action and use second messengers to initiate the cellular process that uses that information.
Development
The process of growth and differentiation.
Sexual
Pertaining to sex or, more particularly, the stimulation, responsiveness, and functions of the sex organs either alone or with one or more partners.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Pubertal delay
Failure of puberty to begin until after the normally appointed upper limit of the age for its completion, namely thirteen years in girls and fifteen in boys. It may be an error of timing only, or it may be associated with a permanent hormonal deficit in the functioning of the gonads, the pituitary gland, or the hypothalamus in the brain.
PREVIOUS AND NEXT TERMS--------------------------------------
Protozoa
Are microscopic animals that occur as single cells. Some protozoa can cause disease in humans. Protozoa form cysts, which are specialized cells like eggs that are very resistant to chlorine. Cysts can survive the disinfection process, then "hatch" into normal cells that can cause disease. Protozoa must be removed from drinking water by filtration, because they cannot be effectively killed by chlorine.
Pancreas
A large, elongated gland located behind the lower portion of the stomach that secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon into the blood. These hormones are essential in regulating blood sugar levels. The pancreas also secretes enzymes into the small intestine that help with digestion and neutralize acid from the stomach.
Prokaryote
Prokaryotes are unicellular (in rare cases, multicellular) organisms without a nucleus. The name prokaryote comes from the Greek pros meaning before and karyon meaning nut, referring to the nucleus. This is in contrast to eukaryotes, organisms that have cell nuclei and may be variously unicellular or multicellular. The difference between the structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes is so great that it is considered to be the most important distinction among groups of organisms.
Protein
Any of a group of complex organic compounds which contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur, the characteristic element being nitrogen. Proteins, the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, are of high molecular weight and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and each protein has a unique genetically defined amino acid sequence which determines its specific shape and function. Their roles include enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage, coordinated motion, nerve impulse generation and many others.
Puberty
Phenotype
The expression of the genes present in an individual. This may be directly observable (eye color) or apparent only with specific tests (blood type). Some phenotypes such as the blood groups are completely determined by heredity, while others are readily altered by environmental agents.
Polynucleotides
Long chains of nucleotides formed by chemical links between the sugar and phosphate groups.
Pyrimidine
A nitrogen-containing, double-ring, basic compound that occurs in nucleic acids. The pyrimidines in DNA are cytosine and thymine; in RNA, cytosine and uracil.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
PCR. A method for amplifying a DNA base sequence using a heat-stable polymerase and two 20-base primers, one complementary to the (+) strand at one end of the sequence to be amplified and one complementary to the (-) strand at the other end. Because the newly synthesized DNA strands can subsequently serve as additional templates for the same primer sequences, successive rounds of primer annealing, strand elongation, and dissociation produce rapid and highly specific amplification of the desired sequence. PCR also can be used to detect the existence of the defined sequence in a DNA sample.
Putative father
Males alleged or reputed to be biological fathers of illegitimate children.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Hormones
Biological compounds that communicate information at a distance. Hormones require specific receptors to begin their biological action and use second messengers to initiate the cellular process that uses that information.
Development
The process of growth and differentiation.
Sexual
Pertaining to sex or, more particularly, the stimulation, responsiveness, and functions of the sex organs either alone or with one or more partners.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Pubertal delay
Failure of puberty to begin until after the normally appointed upper limit of the age for its completion, namely thirteen years in girls and fifteen in boys. It may be an error of timing only, or it may be associated with a permanent hormonal deficit in the functioning of the gonads, the pituitary gland, or the hypothalamus in the brain.
PREVIOUS AND NEXT TERMS--------------------------------------
Protozoa
Are microscopic animals that occur as single cells. Some protozoa can cause disease in humans. Protozoa form cysts, which are specialized cells like eggs that are very resistant to chlorine. Cysts can survive the disinfection process, then "hatch" into normal cells that can cause disease. Protozoa must be removed from drinking water by filtration, because they cannot be effectively killed by chlorine.
Pancreas
A large, elongated gland located behind the lower portion of the stomach that secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon into the blood. These hormones are essential in regulating blood sugar levels. The pancreas also secretes enzymes into the small intestine that help with digestion and neutralize acid from the stomach.
Prokaryote
Prokaryotes are unicellular (in rare cases, multicellular) organisms without a nucleus. The name prokaryote comes from the Greek pros meaning before and karyon meaning nut, referring to the nucleus. This is in contrast to eukaryotes, organisms that have cell nuclei and may be variously unicellular or multicellular. The difference between the structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes is so great that it is considered to be the most important distinction among groups of organisms.
Protein
Any of a group of complex organic compounds which contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur, the characteristic element being nitrogen. Proteins, the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, are of high molecular weight and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and each protein has a unique genetically defined amino acid sequence which determines its specific shape and function. Their roles include enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage, coordinated motion, nerve impulse generation and many others.
Puberty
Phenotype
The expression of the genes present in an individual. This may be directly observable (eye color) or apparent only with specific tests (blood type). Some phenotypes such as the blood groups are completely determined by heredity, while others are readily altered by environmental agents.
Polynucleotides
Long chains of nucleotides formed by chemical links between the sugar and phosphate groups.
Pyrimidine
A nitrogen-containing, double-ring, basic compound that occurs in nucleic acids. The pyrimidines in DNA are cytosine and thymine; in RNA, cytosine and uracil.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
PCR. A method for amplifying a DNA base sequence using a heat-stable polymerase and two 20-base primers, one complementary to the (+) strand at one end of the sequence to be amplified and one complementary to the (-) strand at the other end. Because the newly synthesized DNA strands can subsequently serve as additional templates for the same primer sequences, successive rounds of primer annealing, strand elongation, and dissociation produce rapid and highly specific amplification of the desired sequence. PCR also can be used to detect the existence of the defined sequence in a DNA sample.
Putative father
Males alleged or reputed to be biological fathers of illegitimate children.
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This dictionary contains 19186 terms.
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