Medications

Evolutionarily conserved gene: A gene that has remained essentially unchanged throughout evolution. Conservation of a gene indicates that it is unique and essential. There is not an extra copy of that gene with which evolution can tinker. And chan...

Evolution, biologic - Medical

Evolution, biologic: Biologic evolution was contrasted with cultural (social) evolution in 1968 by A.G. Motulsky who pointed out that biologic evolution is mediated by genes, shows a slow rate of change, employs random variation (mutations) an...

Evolution - Medical

Evolution: The continuing process of change, especially in reference to natural selection. Charles Darwin (1809-82) noted that successful species produce more offspring in each generation than are needed to replace the adults who die. Not all offspr...

Evidence based medicine - Medical

Evidence based medicine: See: Evidence-based medicine.Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2004 Evidence-based medicine: The judicious use of the best current evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. Evidence-based medicine (EBM...

Evertor - Medical

Evertor: A muscle that turns a part toward the outside. To evert is to turn outward or turn inside out. From the Latin evertere, from e- + vertere, to turn.Last Editorial Review: 7/15/2001 1:50:00 PM...

Evert - Medical

Evert: To turn outward or turn inside out. To evert the foot is to move its forepart away from the midline of the body. To evert a hollow organ is to turn it inside out. From the Latin evertere, from e- + vertere, to turn.Last Editorial Review: 7/16...

Event, adverse - Medical

Event, adverse: See: Adverse event.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Adverse event: In pharmacology, any unexpected or dangerous reaction to a drug.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Event - Medical

Event: A set of outcomes. Cardiovascular events might include a heart attack and gastrointestinal events a GI bleed. The use of the term "event" in medicine comes from probability theory.Last Editorial Review: 11/24/2003 Medical Author: ...

EVAR - Medical

EVAR: Endovascular aneurysm repair. A procedure to repair an aneurysm of the aorta. In EVAR a stent is placed in the aneurysmal area of the aorta. The procedure is similar to the placement of a stent in a coronary artery after angioplasty. An aorti...

Evacuation supplies kit - Medical

Evacuation supplies kit: You and your family can cope best by preparing for disaster before it strikes. One way to prepare is by assembling a Disaster Supplies Kit. Once disaster hits, you won't have time to shop or search for supplies. But if ...

Euthyroid - Medical

Euthyroid: The state of having normal thyroid gland function. As opposed to hyperthyroid (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroid (underactive thyroid).Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Euthanasia, active - Medical

Euthanasia, active: The active acceleration of a "good" death by use of drugs etc, whether by oneself or with the aid of a doctor. The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek -- "eu", goodly or well + "thanatos", death = the good death -- and for 18t...

Euthanasia - Medical

Euthanasia:The word "euthanasia" comes straight out of the Greek -- "eu", goodly or well + "thanatos", death = the good death -- and for 18th-century writers in England that was what euthanasia meant, a "good" death, a welcome way to depart quietly a...

Eustachian tube - Medical

Eustachian tube: The tube that runs from the middle ear to the pharynx. The function of the Eustachian tube is to protect, aerate and drain the middle ear (and mastoid). Occlusion of the Eustachian tube leads to the development of middle ear inflam...

EUS - Medical

EUS: Endoscopic ultrasound. Last Editorial Review: 10/21/2003 Endoscopic ultrasound: Abbreviated EUS. A procedure that combines endoscopy and ultrasound to obtain images and information about the digestive tract and the surrounding tissue and organ...

European typhus - Medical

European typhus: See: Typhus, epidemic.Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2003 Medical Author: Charles. P. Davis, MD, PhD Medical Editor: Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP Typhus facts What is typhus? Are there different types of typhus? What is the ...

Euploid - Medical

Euploid: The normal number of chromosomes for a species. In humans, the euploid number of chromosomes is 46 with the notable exception of the unfertilized egg and sperm in which it is 23. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Euphoria - Medical

Euphoria: Elevated mood. Euphoria is a desirable and natural occurrence when it results from happy or exciting events. An excessive degree of euphoria that is not linked to events is characteristic of hypomania or mania, abnormal mood states ...

Euphenics - Medical

Euphenics: Literally meaning "normal appearing," euphenics aims to improve the outcome of a genetic disease by altering the environment. An illustration: children born with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) can avoid the expression o...

Eukaryotic - Medical

Eukaryotic: Pertaining to eukaryotes.Last Editorial Review: 6/17/2004 Eukaryote: An organism that consists of one or more cells each of which has a nucleus and other well-developed intracellular compartments. Eukaryotes include all organisms except ...

Eukaryote - Medical

Eukaryote: An organism that consists of one or more cells each of which has a nucleus and other well-developed intracellular compartments. Eukaryotes include all organisms except bacteria, viruses, and certain (blue-green) algae which, by contrast, a...

Eugenics - Medical

Eugenics: Literally, meaning normal genes, eugenics aims to improve the genetic constitution of the human species by selective breeding. The use of Albert Einstein's sperm to conceive a child (by artificial insemination) would represent an attempt...

Etymology, medical - Medical

Etymology, medical: See: Medical etymology.Last Editorial Review: 10/17/2004 Medical etymology: The origin of medical words and terms. Etymology is an account of the origins and the developments in the meaning of a word or term. Medical etymolog...

ETS - Medical

ETS: Environmental tobacco smoke. Smoke generated from the sidestream (the burning end) of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the exhaled mainstream smoke (the smoke that is puffed out by smokers) of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. In 1992, the US Enviro...

ETM2 - Medical

ETM2: A gene for essential tremor, uncontrollable shaking of the hands and head and sometimes other parts of the body. The ETM2 gene was mapped to chromosome region 2p25-p22 in a study of a large American family of Czech descent. ETM2 is responsible ...

ETM1 - Medical

ETM1: A gene for essential tremor, uncontrollable shaking of the hands and head and sometimes other parts of the body. The ETM1 gene (also called FET1) was mapped in 1997 to chromosome region 3q13 in a study of Icelandic families. EMT1 is responsible...

Etiology - Medical

Etiology: The study of the causes. For example, of a disorder. The word "etiology" is mainly used in medicine, where it is the science that deals with the causes or origin of disease, the factors which produce or predispose toward a certain disease...

Ethylene oxide - Medical

Ethylene oxide: A chemical widely used in the health care industry to sterilize medical devices and also used to make other chemicals. In the year 2000 the US government upgraded ethylene oxide to the status of a "known human carcinogen." There is ...

Ethylene glycol poisoning - Medical

Ethylene glycol poisoning: Poisoning from ethylene glycol (a clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a sweet taste) that can produce dramatic and dangerous toxicity. Ethylene glycol is found most commonly in antifreeze, automotive cooling systems, a...

Ethyl acrylate - Medical

Ethyl acrylate: A substance used in making latex paints and textiles. The US government removed ethyl acrylate from its list of potential cancer-causing agents in 2000. Although ethyl acrylate induces tumors in animals, it only does so when the chem...