Dictionary

acetone breath The breath of a person with excessive acetone in their body. Acetone breath smells fruity and is a telltale sign of significant diabetes. See also diabetes mellitus.

acetone A volatile liquid used as an industrial solvent. Acetone is also one of the ketone bodies that is formed when the body uses fat instead of glucose (sugar) for energy. The formation of acetone is usually a sign that cells lack insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin that is available, as occurs in…

acetaminophen A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone to relieve pain and inflammation or it may be combined with other drugs, as in some migraine medications, which contain acetaminophen, a barbiturate, and caffeine.

acetabulum The cup-shaped socket of the hip joint. The acetabulum is a feature of the pelvis. The head (upper end) of the femur (thighbone) fits into the acetabulum and articulates with it, forming a ball-and-socket joint.

aceruloplasminemia See ceruloplasmin deficiency.

acentric chromosome A chromosome that is lacking a centromere (a specialized region of the chromosome to which spindle fibers attach during cell division). As a result, an acentric chromosome is lost when the cell divides. See also centromere.

ACE inhibitor A drug that inhibits ACE. Using an ACE inhibitor relaxes the arteries, not only lowering blood pressure but also improving the pumping efficiency of a failing heart and improving cardiac output in patients with heart failure. ACE inhibitors are therefore used for blood pressure control and congestive heart failure. ACE inhibitors include benazepril…

ACE Angiotensin converting enzyme. ACE converts an angiotensin to its activated form, angiotensin II, enabling it to function. Angiotensin II constricts blood vessels and elevates blood pressure.

accoucheur A male obstetrician. An accoucheuse is a woman obstetrician, or sometimes a midwife.

acclimatization to altitude The process of adapting to the decrease in oxygen concentration at a specific altitude. A number of changes must take place for the body to operate with decreased oxygen. These changes include increasing the depth of respiration; increasing the pressure in the pulmonary arteries, forcing blood into portions of the lung that…

accessory placenta See placenta, accessory.

accessory neuropathy A disease of the accessory nerve, paralysis of which prevents rotation of the head away from one or both sides and causes the shoulder to droop. Damage can be confined to the accessory nerve, or it may also involve the ninth and tenth cranial nerves, which exit the skull through the same opening.