Category: Ra-Re

Stubborn. For example, a recalcitrant case of pneumonia stubbornly resists treatment.

The production of increased negative symptoms when the effect of a drug has passed or the patient no longer responds to the drug. If a drug produces a rebound effect, the condition it was used to treat may come back even stronger when the drug is discontinued or loses effectiveness.

A substance that is used to produce a chemical reaction that allows researchers to detect, measure, produce, or change other substances.

Being absorbed again. For example, the kidney selectively reabsorbs substances it has already secreted into the renal tubules, such as glucose, protein, and sodium. These reabsorbed substances are returned to the blood.

Formerly known as hyaline membrane disease, a syndrome of respiratory difficulty in newborn infants caused by a deficiency of a molecule called surfactant. RDS almost always occurs in newborns born before 37 weeks of gestation. The more premature the baby is, the greater is the chance of developing RDS. RDS is more likely to occur in newborns of…

Abbreviation for the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Or, popularly, the Recommended Daily Allowance.

Randomized controlled trial.

Short for red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide through the blood. This rather remarkable feat is thanks to hemoglobin, the pigment that makes red cells (and blood) look red. The red blood cells are also known as red corpuscles or erythrocytes (literally, red hollow vessels). RBC also stands for the red cell count, the number…

A condition resulting in discoloration of fingers and/or toes when a person is exposed to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or emotional events. The skin discoloration occurs because an abnormal spasm of the blood vessels causes a diminished blood supply. Initially, the digits involved turn white because of diminished blood supply, then turn blue…

Uncooked, unpasteurized egg. Salmonella enteritidis, a harmful bacterium, can be transmitted from infected hens directly to the interior of their eggs before the shells are formed. Even eggs with clean, uncracked shells can be infected. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) now estimate that 1 egg in 20,000 may be contaminated. Although the…