Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Macerate
To soften tissues after death by soaking and by enzymatic digestion, as occurs with a stillborn. The word “macerate” comes from the Latin “macero” meaning to soften by soaking (in a liquid).
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MAB
Or mab. Abbreviation for monoclonal antibody. At the end of a generic drug name, -mab indicates that the drug is a monoclonal antibody. As in adalimumab, bevacizumab, infliximab, rituximab, and trastuzumab.
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MD
Abbreviation for the Latin title Medicinae Doctor, Doctor of Medicine. Sometimes written today as MD (without the period after each letter). All medical schools in the United States and Canada award an M.D. degree, usually after 4 years undergraduate study at a college or university followed by 4 years of medical school. (Some medical schools award…
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Lytic
Suffix having to do with lysis (destruction), as in hemolytic anemia, the excessive destruction of red blood cells leading to anemia.
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Lysis
Destruction. Hemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells with the release of hemoglobin; bacteriolysis is the destruction of bacteria; etc. Lysis can also refer to the subsidence of one or more symptoms of an acute disease as, for example, the lysis of fever in pneumonia.
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Lymphoma
A tumor of the lymphoid tissue. The major types of lymphoma are Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). NHL can in turn be divided into low-grade, intermediate-grade, high-grade, and miscellaneous lymphomas. The course of NHL varies greatly, from indolent to rapidly fatal. Treatment options include chemo and radiation therapy.
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Lymphoid
Referring to lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, or to tissue in which lymphocytes develop. Lymphoid tissue is full of lymphocytes, such as a lymph node.
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Lymphocytic
Referring to lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. For example, lymphocytic inflammation in the skin is skin that is infiltrated with ‘lymphocytes.
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Lymphocytes
A small white blood cell (leukocyte) that plays a large role in defending the body against disease. Lymphocytes are responsible for immune responses. There are two main types of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells. The B cells make antibodies that attack bacteria and toxins while the T cells attack body cells themselves when they…
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Lymphatic tissue
A part of the body’s immune system that helps protect it from bacteria and other foreign entities. Lymphatic tissue is rich in lymphocytes (and accessory cells such as macrophages and reticular cells). The lymphatic tissue includes the lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, adenoids and the thymus (an organ in the chest that is particularly large during infancy). In medicine, a tissue is a broad term that…
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