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- Parenteral
- par·en·ter·al (pà-rèn¹ter-el) adjective
- 1. Physiology. Located outside the alimentary canal.
- 2. Medicine. Taken into the body or administered in a
manner other than through the digestive tract, as by intravenous or intramuscular
injection. — par·en¹ter·al·ly adverb 2
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- Parkinson’s Disease
- Parkinson’s disease (pär¹kîn-senz) or Parkinsonism,
degenerative brain disorder initially characterized by trembling lips and hands and
muscular rigidity, later producing body tremors, a shuffling gait, and eventually possible
incapacity. Emotions may be affected and mental capacity impaired, but assessment of these
is difficult because depression often accompanies the disease. The disease occurs when the
brain cells that produce dopamine die. In cases where there is no known cause (the
majority), it usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinsonism usually refers to similar symptoms resulting from certain antipsychotic
drugs, reserpine (a blood pressure drug), carbon monoxide or manganese poisoning, or MPTP
(a heroin byproduct). Symptoms are treated with the drugs deprenyl (selegiline), L-DOPA
(given with carbidopa to reduce side effects) and amantadine. Parkinsonism is named for
English surgeon James Parkinson, who first described it in 1817. 1
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- Peroxidation
- peroxidation, chemical compound containing two oxygen atoms, each
of which is bonded to the other and to a radical or some element other than oxygen;
Peroxides are unstable, releasing oxygen when heated, and are powerful oxidizing agents.
Peroxides may be formed directly by the reaction of an element or compound with oxygen. 1
Phagocytic or phagocyte
- phag·o·cyte (fàg¹e-sìt´) noun
- A cell, such as a white blood cell, that engulfs and absorbs waste material, harmful
microorganisms, or other foreign bodies in the bloodstream and tissues.
- — phag´o·cyt¹ic (-sît¹îk) adjective 2
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- Phosphatase
- phos·pha·tase (fòs¹fe-tâs´, -tâz´) noun Any of
numerous enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of esters of phosphoric acid and are
important in the absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleotides, and
phospholipids and in the calcification of bone.
- [PHOSPHAT(E) + -ASE.] 2
- Photosynthesis
- photosynthesis (fo´to-sîn¹thî-sîs), process in which green
plants use the energy of sunlight to manufacture carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and
water in the presence of CHLOROPHYLL. The chlorophyll molecule is uniquely capable of
converting active light energy into a latent form (glucose) that is stored in food. The
initial phase of the process requires direct light; water (H2O) is broken down into oxygen
(which is released as a gas) and hydrogen. Hydrogen and the carbon and oxygen of carbon
dioxide (CO2) are then converted into a series of increasingly complex compounds that
result finally in a stable organic compound, glucose (C6H12O6), and water. The simplified
equation for the overall reaction is:
6CO2 + 12H2O + energy -->
C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
- The oxygen released as a by-product is atmospheric oxygen, vital to
respiration in plants and animals. Photosynthesis, in general, is the reverse of
RESPIRATION, in which carbohydrates are broken down to release energy. 1
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- Placebo
- placebo, inert chemical substance used instead of a DRUG. Placebos
contain no medicine, but many patients show medical improvement when given a placebo or an
ineffective treatment, a result known as the placebo effect. Because of this, placebos are
used as controls in drug testing to assure unbiased, reliable results. In double-blind
studies, both patient and doctor do not know whether a placebo or drug is administered. A
traditional placebo’s lack of side effects, however, often identifies it, so an older
drug is sometimes used in drug tests instead of or in addition to a placebo. 1
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- Pyruvic Acid
- py·ru·vic acid (pì-r¡¹vîk, pî-) noun A colorless organic
liquid, CH3COCOOH, formed as a fundamental intermediate in protein and carbohydrate
metabolism. [PYR(O)- + Latin úva, grape (from its being produced by the dry distillation
of racemic acid, originally derived from grapes) + -IC.] 2
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