Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «U»:
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Urban typhus of Malaya
Urban typhus of Malaya: Murine typhus, an acute
infectious disease with fever, headache, and rash, all quite similar
to, but milder than,
epidemic typhus. It is caused by a related microorganism, Rickettsia
typhi (R. mooseri), transmitted
to humans by rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis). The animal res...
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Urea
Urea: A nitrogen-containing substance normally
cleared from the blood by the kidney into the urine. Diseases that compromise the function of the kidney often lead to increased blood levels of urea, as measured by the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test.
Urea is of major historical significance. It was th...
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Urea breath test (UBT)
Urea breath test (UBT): The urea breath test (UBT) is a
procedure for diagnosing the
presence of a
bacterium, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) that causes inflammation,
ulcers,
and atrophy of the stomach. The test also may be used to demonstrate
that
H. pylori has been eliminated by treatment wit...
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Ureaplasma
Ureaplasma: A bacterium that commonly infects the urogenital tract and can cause premature birth or spontaneous abortion. During delivery, ureaplasma can infect the newborn and cause meningitis, pneumonia, or septicemia.
Ureaplasma is similar to mycoplasma. They are among the smallest free-living o...
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Uremia
Uremia: The presence of excessive amounts of urea
in the blood, which may be a sign of kidney disease or
failure. See also urea....
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Ureter
Ureter: A tube that carries urine down from the kidney to the bladder.
There are normally two kidneys so there are accordingly two ureters under normal circumstances, one ureter coming from each kidney conveying urine to the bladder....
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Urethra
Urethra: The transport tube leading from the
bladder to discharge urine outside the body. In males, the urethra
travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine. In
females, the urethra is shorter than in the male and emerges above
the vaginal opening, as indicated here:
...
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Urethral meatus, female
Female urethral meatus: The urethra is the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body. In females the urethra is shorter than in the male. The meatus (opening) of the female urethra is above the vaginal opening, as indicated here:...
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Urethral opening, female
Urethral opening, female: The urethra is the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body. In females the urethra is shorter than in the male and opens above the vaginal opening, as indicated here:...
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Urethral sphincter
Urethral sphincter: The muscular mechanism that controls the retention and release of urine from the bladder. There are, in fact, two urethral sphincters:
Internal sphincter: Part of the muscular bladder wall acts as the internal urethral sphincter and prevents urine from leaving the bladder to ent...
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Urethritis
Urethritis: Inflammation of the urethra. (The
urethra is
the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine
outside the body.)Urethritis can be due to several causes,
including sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia, or
irritation. Treatment depends on the cause. ...
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Urethroscope
Urethroscope: A device for examining the inside
of the urethra....
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URG
URG: Urogastrone. See: EGF....
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Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence: A sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder causing urinary urgency, an immediate unstoppable urge to urinate. It is a form of urinary incontinence (the unintentional loss of urine) and affects about 1 in 11 adults, particularly older adults. Treatment may...
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Urgency, urinary
Urgency, urinary: An immediate unstoppable urge to urinate, due to a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder....
