Medical terms - Letter A (page 15) | MedicalVocabulary.org

AML

Acute myeloid leukemia 1 gene. See: Runx-1.
AML1

Acute myeloid leukemia 1 gene. See: Runx-1
Ammonia

A colorless gas with a very sharp odor. Made both by humans and by nature, ammonia dissolves easily in water and evaporates quickly. Liquid ammonia is found in many household cleaners. Ammonia is irritating to the skin…
Ammonium perchlorate

See: Perchlorate
Amnesia

Lack of memory. Amnesia after trauma can be antegrade or retrograde, depending upon whether the lack of memory relates to events occurring after or before the trauma. Amnesia is as compared to hypermnesia and…
Amnesia, antegrade

See: Antegrade amnesia
Amnesia, anterograde

See: Antegrade amnesia
Amnesia, retrograde

See: Retrograde amnesia
Amnesia, transient global

See: Transient global amnesia.
Amnesic aphasia

See Anomia.
Amnestic aphasia

See Anomia
Amniocentesis

ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Amniocentesis Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Amniocentesis Amniocentesis: Procedure used…
Amnion

A thin membrane surrounding the fetus during pregnancy. The amnion is the inner of the two fetal membranes (the chorion is the outer one). It contains the amniotic fluid
Amnioreduction

The removal of large volumes of amniotic fluid by amniocentesis
Amniotic fluid

The fluid bathing the fetus and serving as a shock absorber.
Amniotic sac

Popularly and more commonly known as the bag of waters. See: Bag of waters
Amoeba

Also ameba. A single-celled (protozoan) organism that constantly changes shape. The word 'ameba' is from the Greek 'amoibe' meaning 'change.' Ameba can infect the bowels to cause diarrhea and the liver to cause abscess…
Amok

A syndrome first reported in the Malay people, usually male, consisting of a period of brooding followed by a sudden outburst of indiscriminate murderous frenzy, sometimes provoked by an insult, jealousy or sense of…
Amoxicillin

L ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Amoxicillin Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Amoxicillin Amoxicillin: An antibiotic of…
Amoxil

See: Amoxicillin
Amphetamine

A drug with a stimulant effect on the central nervous system that can be both physically and psychologically addictive when overused. This drug has been much abused recreationally. The street term 'speed' refers to…
Amplification

Making multiple copies of a gene or of any sequence of DNA. Repeated copying of a piece of DNA. In amplification there is an increase in the number of copies of any particular piece of DNA. Gene amplification plays a…
Amplification, DNA

The production of multiple copies of a sequence of DNA. Repeated copying of a piece of DNA. DNA amplification plays a role in cancer cells. A tumor cell amplifies, or copies, DNA segments as a result of cell signals and…
Ampulla

In anatomy, a sac-like enlargement of a canal or duct. The ampulla of Vater is the enlargement of the ducts from the liver and pancreas at the point where they enter the small intestine. Ampulla in Latin means flask. An…
Ampulla of Vater

An enlargement of the ducts from the liver and pancreas at the point where they enter the small intestine. Bile from the liver and secretions from the pancreas come through the ampulla of Vater to mix with food in the…
Ampullary carcinoma

Cancer of a structure called the ampulla of Vater, a small muscle located at the junction where the common bile duct (carrying bile from the liver and secretions from the pancreas) empties into the duodenum (upper small…
Amputation

Removal of part or all of a body part enclosed by skin. For example, removal of part of a finger or an entire finger would be termed an amputation. Removal of an appendix, on the other hand, would not be termed…
AMS (acute mountain sickness)

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is the effect on the body of being in a high altitude environment. AMS is common at high altitudes, that is above 8,000 feet (2,440 meters). Three-quarters of people have mild symptoms of…
AMS (atypical measles syndrome)

Measles syndrome):An altered expression of measles, AMS begins suddenly with high fever, headache, cough, and abdominal pain. The rash may appear 1 to 2 days later, often beginning on the limbs. Swelling (edema) of the…
Amsler grid

While conducting an eye examination, the eye care professional may ask the patient to look at an Amsler grid. This grid is a pattern that resembles a checkerboard. The patient covers one eye and stares at a black dot in…
Amuck

See: Amok
Amusia

The inability to recognize musical tones or to reproduce them. Amusia can be congenital (present at birth) or be acquired sometime later in life (as from brain damage). Amusia is composed of a- + -musia and literally…
Amygdala

1. The amygdaloid nucleus in the brain. 2. The tonsils. These structures were so named because they appeared to be shaped like an almond. From the Greek amydale (almond) + the Greek eidos (like)
Amygdaloid

Like an almond. Almond-shaped. As the amygdaloid nucleus in the brain, a structure that anatomists thought resembled an almond. Amygdaloid is pronounced in three syllables: amyg da loid. From the Greek amydale (almond)…
Amygdaloid body

See: Amygdaloid nucleus
Amygdaloid complex

See: Amygdaloid nucleus
Amygdaloid nucleus

A small oval structure in the temporal lobe of the brain that is closely connected to the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cingulate gyrus. The amygdaloid nucleus is part of the olefactory and limbic systems and…
Amyl-

(Amylo- before a consonant.) A prefix pertaining to starch. From the Greek amylon, meaning starch
Amylase

An enzyme produced in the pancreas and salivary glands that helps in the digestion of starches. Elevation of blood amylase is common in pancreatitis
Amylo-

(Amyl- before a vowel.) A prefix pertaining to starch. From the Greek amylon, meaning starch
Amyloid

Any of a number of complex proteins that are deposited in tissues and that share selected laboratory features such as a change in the fluorescence intensity of certain aromatic dyes like Congo Red. The deposition of…
Amyloidosis

El ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Amyloidosis Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Amyloidosis Amyloidosis: A disorder that…
Amyloidosis, hereditary

Amyloidosis, hereditary: A familial (inherited) disorder in which protein deposits (amyloid) accumulate in one or more organ systems in the body. Hereditary amyloidosis is a relatively uncommon cause of amyloidosis. The…
Amyloidosis, primary

Amyloidosis, primary: A disorder of plasma cells (special white blood cells that produce antibodies), this is one of a group of diseases (called amyloidosis) in which protein deposits (amyloid) accumulate in one or more…
Amyloidosis, secondary

Amyloidosis, secondary : One of a group of diseases (called amyloidosis) in which protein deposits (amyloid) accumulate in one or more organ systems in the body, secondary amyloid is caused by a chronic infection or…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): A classic motor neuron disease. Motor neuron diseases are progressive chronic diseases of the nerves that come from the spinal cord responsible for supplying electrical stimulation…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 1

ALS1. A form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and caused by mutation in the superoxide dismutase-1 gene (SOD1) on chromosome 21q22.1. About 15 to 20% of familial ALS is…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 2

ALS2. A juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and caused by mutation in the gene encoding alsin on chromosome 2q33
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 3

ALS3. An adult-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and caused by mutation in a gene on chromosome 18q21
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 4

ALS4. A juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with no bulbar involvement, inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and caused by mutation in a gene on chromosome 9q34