Category: M

Elapsed time expressed in years from menarche.  

A dibasic acid, C3H404, formed by the oxidation of malic acid and active in the tricarboxylic acid cycle in carbohydrate metabolism. Its inhibition of succinic dehydrogenase is the classic example of competitive inhibition. Malonic acid is found in beets.  

A method by which curvature of the eye lens is changed in order to focus close objects on the retina.  

Oral or buccal absorption of materials or medicines such as nicotine or nitroglycerin. Alkaloids are better absorbed through the oral mucosa than acidic chemicals.  

The commonest deformity of the palate is cleft palate, which is a result of faulty embryonic development in which the two sides of the newly-forming palate fail to fuse or only fuse in part. If the cleft extends the full length with bilateral clefts at the front of the maxilla, it may be accompanied by…

A collection of familial metabolic disorders, the best known of which is Hurler’s syndrome. Others include Hunter’s, Maroteaux-Lamy and Scheie’s syndromes. The disorders, which result from a faulty gene-producing abnormality in a specific enzyme, affect one child in 10,000.  

The mucous membrane of the mouth can indicate the health of the individual and of internal organs. For example, pallor or pigmentation may indicate Anaemia, Jaundice or Addison’s disease.  

The study of the structural changes that diseases cause in the body, in particular those which can be seen with the naked eye at postmortem examination. Also known as pathological anatomy, this field examines the structural alterations in body tissues caused by disease, particularly those changes observable without the aid of magnification.  

A screening test, performed on blood, which indicates the likelihood of infection with Epstein Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis.  

Monoclonal antibodies are a relatively new class of drugs used to treat a wide range of diseases, from cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS) to rheumatoid arthritis and severe asthma. They can be recognized as such by their generic drug names, all of which end in ‘mab’.