Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «P»:
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Placental growth factor
Placental growth factor: A type of vascular endothelial growth factor. Placental growth factor is expressed not only in placental cells but also many nonplacental cells including endothelial cells (that line blood vessels). The gene that encodes placental growth factor is in chromosome region 14q24-...
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Placental stage of labor
Placental stage of labor: The part of labor from the birth of the baby
until the placenta (afterbirth) and fetal membranes are delivered. Also called the third
stage of labor....
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Plague
Plague: The plague is an infectious disease due to a
bacteria called Yersinia pestis.
Y. pestis mainly infects rats and other rodents. Rodents are the
prime reservoir for the bacteria. Fleas function as the prime vectors
carrying the bacteria from one species to another. The fleas bite the
roden...
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Plague bacterium genome
Plague bacterium genome: All of the DNA (the genome) of the bacterium Yersinia pestis that causes the plague, consisting of four rings of DNA -- a large circular chromosome made up of 4,653,728 bases of DNA and three much smaller rings, or plasmids -- and including about 150 genes made inactive by m...
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Plague genome
Plague genome: All of the DNA (the genome) of the bacterium Yersinia pestis that causes the plague, consisting of four rings of DNA -- a large circular chromosome made up of 4,653,728 bases of DNA and three much smaller rings, or plasmids -- and including about 150 genes made inactive by mutation, a...
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Plague, black
Plague, black: In the 14th century the victims of the
"black plague" had bleeding below the skin (subcutaneous hemorrhage) which made
darkened ("blackened") their bodies....
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Plague, bubonic
Plague, bubonic: The most common form of the plague named for the
characteristic buboes which are enlarged lymph nodes ("swollen glands") in the
groin that are tender and painful. Lymph nodes may be similarly affected in the armpits
(axillae), neck and elsewhere. Other features of the bubo...
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Plague, fowl
Plague, fowl: See: Avian influenza....
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Plague, Great
Plague, Great: The "Great Plague" that
swept London in 1665 was probably not really the plague but rather
typhus.
The plague is a highly contagious, infectious, virulent,
devastating disease due to a bacteria called Yersinia pestis which
mainly infects rats and other rodents that serv...
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Plague, sylvatic
Plague, sylvatic: Plague that is spread by ground squirrels and other wild rodents, for example, in the western portion of the United States. "Sylvatic" means pertaining to the woods (sylvan)....
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Plan B
Plan B: Brand name for a progestin-only emergency contraceptive designed to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours after a contraceptive accident or unprotected sex. However, early treatment is significantly more effective. Each 12 hours of delay in the start of treatment after intercourse generally red...
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Plano
Plano: In practical optics, a surface that has been worked flat....
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Plantar
Plantar: Having to do with the sole of the foot.
The plantar response (also known as the Babinski reflex) is
elicited by stroking the sole. The plantar fascia
is the "bowstring-like" tissue stretching from
the heel beneath the sole. A plantar wart is a wart on the sole.
The word "pl...
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Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis: Inflammation of the plantar fascia
(fasciitis), the "bowstring-like" tissue in the sole of the foot stretching from
the heel to the front of the foot. Plantar fasciitis (and heel spurs) may occur alone or be related
to underlying diseases which cause arthritis (inflam...
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Plantar response
Plantar response: The plantar response, also known as the
Babinski response, is an important neurologic examination based upon
what the toes do when the sole (the plantar surface) of the foot is
stroked. If the big toe goes up, that may well mean trouble.
The plantar response is obtained by stimu...
