Category: L

A fluid which lubricates. To cover something with a fluid to reduce friction. An agent, usually a liquid oil, that reduces friction between parts that brush against each other as they move. Joints are lubricated by synovial fluid.  

Two sounds made by the heart, which represent each cardiac cycle when heard through a stethoscope. A representation of the normal heart sounds as heard through the stethoscope. Lubb (the first heart sound) coincides with closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves; dupp (the second heart sound) is due to closure of the aortic and pulmonary valves.…

A diet with little salt, which has been shown to help reduce high blood pressure. A diet in which no salt is allowed on the patient’s tray and no salty foods are served. This diet is used in treating hypertension and congestive heart failure.  

A person not likely to catch or develop a particular disease.  

A diet with little animal fat, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease and alleviate some skin conditions. Therapeutic diet characterized by significantly fewer fat-containing foods than the usual diet; most low-fat diets contain 10%-20% of total energy from fat daily. An imprecise term for any diet in which the percentage of calories…

Linked neurones which carry motor impulses from the spinal cord to the muscles. A peripheral motor neuron that originates in the ventral horns of the gray matter of the spinal cord and terminates in skeletal muscles. Lesions of these neurons produce flaccid paralysis of the muscles they innervate. A neuron with its cell body located…

A diet with few calories, to help a person to lose weight. A diet containing at least 800 calories per day but fewer calories of energy than the individual is using. Thus, adherence to an LCD results in a moderate rate of weight loss.  

Relatively little in height. Close to the bottom or base of something.  

A small insect of the Pediculus genus, which sucks blood and lives on the skin as a parasite on animals and humans. A small wingless insect that is an external parasite of man. Lice attach themselves to hair and clothing using their well-developed legs and claws. Their flattened leathery bodies are resistant to crushing and…

An antihistamine drug.