Category: Ah-Al

The white of an egg, the part of the egg from which meringues are made. Albus in Latin is white. Not to be confused with “albumin” which is the main protein in human blood and the key to the regulation of the osmotic pressure of blood.

Tough white fibrous tissue. The tunica albuginea of the testis, for example, is the layer of dense whitish inelastic tissue that surrounds the testis.

A genetic disorder of bones, skin pigmentation and hormonal problems with premature sexual development. Also called McCune-Albright syndrome and polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. In the syndrome, there is bone disease with fractures and deformity of the legs, arms and skull; pigment patches of the skin; and endocrine (hormonal) disease with early puberty (early menstrual bleeding, development of breasts and pubic hair) and…

A person with albinism. The term was first applied by the Portuguese to people in West Africa, who may have had partial or complete albinism.

An hereditary disorder characterized by deficiency of the pigment melanin in the eyes, skin and hair. The lack of eye pigment causes photophobia (sensitivity to light), nystagmus, and decreased visual acuity. Oculocutaneous albinism is conventionally classified as to whether it is tyrosinase-negative or tyrosinase-positive. In the tyrosinase-negative class, there is absence of the enzyme tyrosinase. In the tyrosinase-positive class,…

A group of genetic diseases characterized by a deficiency of pigment in the skin and eye, a bleeding tendency resulting from a platelet storage pool deficiency, and systemic disorders related to deficient function of lysosomes. Abbreviated HPS. Albinism that occurs in the eyes results in significant reduction in visual acuity. Pulmonary fibrosis and granulomatous colitis are known complications. The…

A group of genetic disorders in which there is partial or total lack of the pigment melanin in the eyes, skin, and hair.

(1906-93) Pioneering researcher on viruses and viral diseases who developed the oral live-virus vaccine against polio. Sabin’s vaccine came to be preferred over the alternative killed-virus vaccine developed by his bitter rival Dr. Jonas Salk. The Sabin vaccine contains harmless attenuated polio virus. Dr. Sabin first showed that polio virus could grow in human nerve tissue outside the human body. Through…

Prefix from the Latin “albus” meaning “white.” As in albino and albinism. The term “albino” was first applied by the Portuguese to “white” people they encountered in West Africa. Those “white” people probably had partial or complete albinism, an inherited lack of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes.

A relatively rare form of headache in which the patient is awakened from sleep at the same time every night, usually between 1 and 3 o’clock, with intense dull or throbbing pain over the whole head. Each episode may last up to 1 hour and be associated with nausea. Similar episodes may occasionally strike in the daytime. The disorder almost always affects…