Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «E»:
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Ethmoid bone
Ethmoid bone: An irregularly
shaped, spongy bone that provides the floor of the front part of the skull and
the roof of the nose. The ethmoid bone consists of two masses of thin plates enclosing air cells and looks like a sieve....
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Ethmoid sinus
Ethmoid sinus: A collection of air cells within the ethmoid bone, a spongy bone which makes up the front of the floor of the skull and the roof of the nose.
From the Greek ethmos, sieve + eidos, resemblance = like a sieve....
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Ethnography
Ethnography: The study of specific human cultures. The branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of human cultures. Ethnography sprang from social anthropology and first focused on small communities that shared culturally specific beliefs and practices.
Ethnography is appl...
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Ethyl acrylate
Ethyl acrylate: A substance used in making latex paints and textiles.
The US government removed ethyl acrylate from its list of potential cancer-causing agents in 2000. Although ethyl acrylate induces tumors in animals, it only does so when the chemical is given by mouth at such high concentrations ...
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Ethylene glycol poisoning
Ethylene glycol poisoning: Poisoning from ethylene glycol (a clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a sweet taste) that can produce dramatic and dangerous toxicity.
Ethylene glycol is found most commonly in antifreeze, automotive cooling systems, and hydraulic brake fluid. In an industrial setting ...
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Ethylene oxide
Ethylene oxide: A chemical widely used in the health care industry to sterilize medical devices and also used to make other chemicals.
In the year 2000 the US government upgraded ethylene oxide to the status of a "known human carcinogen." There is an increased risk for leukemia and non-Hodgkin's ly...
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Etiology
Etiology: The study of the causes. For example, of a disorder.
The word "etiology" is mainly used in medicine, where it is the science that deals with the causes or origin of disease, the factors which produce or predispose toward a certain disease or disorder.
Today in medicine one hears (or read...
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ETM1
ETM1: A gene for essential tremor, uncontrollable shaking of the hands and head and sometimes other parts of the body. The ETM1 gene (also called FET1) was mapped in 1997 to chromosome region 3q13 in a study of Icelandic families. EMT1 is responsible for a fine rapid hand tremor; late tremor of arms...
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ETM2
ETM2: A gene for essential tremor, uncontrollable shaking of the hands and head and sometimes other parts of the body. The ETM2 gene was mapped to chromosome region 2p25-p22 in a study of a large American family of Czech descent. ETM2 is responsible for essential tremor; postural tremor of arms; and...
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ETS
ETS: Environmental tobacco smoke. Smoke generated from the sidestream (the burning end) of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the exhaled mainstream smoke (the smoke that is puffed out by smokers) of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars.
In 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its risk ...
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Etymology, medical
Etymology, medical: See: Medical etymology....
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Eugenics
Eugenics: Literally, meaning normal genes, eugenics aims to improve the genetic constitution of the human species by selective breeding. The use of Albert Einstein's
sperm to conceive a child (by artificial insemination) would
represent an attempt at positive eugenics. The Nazis notoriously engaged...
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Eukaryote
Eukaryote: An organism that consists of one or more cells each of which has a nucleus and other well-developed intracellular compartments. Eukaryotes include all organisms except bacteria, viruses, and certain (blue-green) algae which, by contrast, are prokaryotes. See: Prokaryote.
Eukaryotes inclu...
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Eukaryotic
Eukaryotic: Pertaining to eukaryotes....
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Euphenics
Euphenics: Literally meaning "normal appearing,"
euphenics aims to improve the outcome of a genetic disease by
altering the environment.
An illustration: children born with the genetic disease
phenylketonuria (PKU) can avoid the expression of their disease by
staying on a low-phenylalanine die...