Medical Dictionary

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An alphabetical listing of General terms and items.

FAAFP   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians


FAAN   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing


Fabella   Dico Tools
Diminutive of Latin faba = a bean, hence, a sesamoid bone found in the lateral head of gastrocnemius.


FACAAI   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology


FACC   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Cardiology


FACD   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Dentists


Facet   Dico Tools
Latin facies = face, hence a small smooth bony surface, either coated with articular cartilage or the site of a tendinous attachment (cf. a facet on a diamond).


FACG   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology


Facilitate   Dico Tools
Latin facilis = easy, hence, to make easy.


FACOG   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists


FACP   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Physicians


FACPM   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine


FACS   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons


FACSM   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine


FACTOR VIII   Dico Tools
A protein synthesized by the liver that is necessary for proper blood clotting.


FAILURE TO THRIVE   Dico Tools
A condition in which an infant loses or fails to gain weight and develops at a slower rate than expected.


Falciform   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin falx = a sickle, and forma = form, hence, shaped like a sickle.


False Negative   Dico Tools
Test results that incorrectly indicate that the tested disease or substance is not present (see Breast Cancer).


FALSE-NEGATIVE   Dico Tools
A negative test result in a person who in fact has the disease or condition being tested. Contrast with false-positive.


FALSE-POSITIVE   Dico Tools
A positive test result in for a person who in fact does not have the disease or condition being tested. Contrast with false-negative.


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Falx   Dico Tools
Latin = sickle, hence, the sickle-shaped falx cerebri and falx cerebelli, adjective - falciform.


FAMA   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Medical Association


Familial   Dico Tools
A term used to indicate a disease or a trait (an inherited characteristic) which tends to affect more than one member in a family.


Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia   Dico Tools
An inherited disorder in which the liver overproduces VLDL, causing high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides, or both (see High Cholesterol).


Familial Hypercholesterolemia   Dico Tools
An inherited disorder in which the liver cannot properly remove LDL particles from the blood, causing a very high cholesterol level (see High Cholesterol).


FAOTA   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association


FAPA   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association


FAPHA   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American Public Health Association


Fascia   Dico Tools
Tough membrane that encloses muscles and other organs.


FASCICULATION   Dico Tools
An involuntary muscle contraction.


Fasciculus   Dico Tools
Diminutive of Latin fascis = bundle, hence, a bundle of nerve or muscle fibres.


Fasciitis   Dico Tools
Inflammation of the fascia.


FAST TRACK   Dico Tools
A designation by the Food and Drug Administration to help facilitate the development and to expedite the review process for an experimental drug that has the potential to address an unmet medical need for a serious or life-threatening condition.


Fastigius   Dico Tools
Latin fastigium = summit, hence the peak of the 4th ventricle, adjective - fastigial.


Fasting Lipid Profile   Dico Tools
A laboratory test to determine the relative levels of HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol in the blood. Also referred to as a lipoprotein analysis, full lipid profile, or cholesterol profile (see High Cholesterol).


Fasting Plasma Glucose Test   Dico Tools
A blood test that determines the amount of glucose in the blood after an overnight fast of at least eight hours; a measure at or above 126 mg/dL indicates diabetes (see Diabetes).


Fat   Dico Tools
Fat represents the mass of adipose lipids in the body. Not included is the water content of adipose tissue. FMT shows fat in kilograms [kg] as well as in relation to body weight (%).


FAT-SOLUBLE   Dico Tools
Capable of being dissolved in fat. Contrast water-soluble.


FATIGUE   Dico Tools
Unusual, prolonged, or excessive tiredness.


FATTY ACID   Dico Tools
An organic molecule made up of a hydrocarbon chain and a carboxylic acid group. Fatty acids may be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated.


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Fatty Acids   Dico Tools
The primary building blocks of lipids (see High Cholesterol).


Fauces   Dico Tools
Latin = throat, adjective - faucial.


FCAP   Dico Tools
Fellow of the College of American Pathologists


FCCP   Dico Tools
Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians


FCPS   Dico Tools
Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons


FDA   Dico Tools
See Food and Drug Administration.


FDS   Dico Tools
Fellow in Dental Surgery


FEBRILE   Dico Tools
Having a fever or increased body temperature.


Fecal Impaction   Dico Tools
An accumulation of hardened stool in the intestine and rectum that makes evacuation impossible (see Digestive Health).


FECAL-ORAL ROUTE   Dico Tools
A route of transmission of infectious organisms which involves the transfer of fecal matter to the mouth (e.g., by ingesting contaminated food or water, oral/anal sex).


FECES (adjective FECAL)   Dico Tools
Excrement; excreted waste matter.


FELLATIO   Dico Tools
Oral sex on a man; contact between the mouth and the penis.


FEMALE CONDOM   Dico Tools
See condom.


Femur   Dico Tools
Latin = thigh, adjective - femoral.


Fenestra   Dico Tools
Latin = window.


Fetus   Dico Tools
The developing mammal in utero; in Man, after the 2nd month in utero, adjective - foetal or fetal.


FFM   Dico Tools
FFM (fat free mass) represents the total patient weight excluding fat mass.


Fiber   Dico Tools
An indigestible substance found in plant foods (See Weight Management).


Fibre   Dico Tools
Latin fibra = a fibre, adjective, Latin fibrosus = fibrous.


Fibril   Dico Tools
Diminutive of Latin fibra = a fibre.


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FIBRINOGEN   Dico Tools
A factor produced by the liver that is necessary for proper blood clotting.


Fibroadenoma   Dico Tools
A benign, fibrous tumor commonly found in the breast (see Breast Cancer).


Fibromyalgia   Dico Tools
A complex chronic painful condition, primarily occurring in women, characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, and fatigue, and accompanied by tender points at defined locations, often associated with a non-restorative sleep pattern.


FIBROMYALGIA (FIBROMYOSITIS)   Dico Tools
A condition characterized by pain throughout the body, often accompanied by fatigue.


Fibrosis   Dico Tools
The formation of fine scar-like structures that cause the tissues to harden and that reduces the flow of fluids through these tissues.


FIBROSIS (adjective FIBROTIC)   Dico Tools
Liver damage in which fibrous tissue develops and replaces normal cells.


Fibrositis   Dico Tools
A term used interchangeably with fibromyalgia.


Fibrotic   Dico Tools
Pertaining to fibrosis; harder than normal tissue.


Fibula   Dico Tools
Latin = brooch, which the tibia and fibula resemble, the fibula representing the movable pin, adjective - fibular.


Filament   Dico Tools
Latin filamentum = a delicate fibre, adjective - filamentous.


FILGRASTIM   Dico Tools
See granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.


Filum   Dico Tools
Latin = a thread. Filum terminale - a thread of pia continuous with the lower end of the spinal cord.


Fimbria   Dico Tools
Latin = a fringe, hence, fimbria hippocampi, a scalloped band of fibres alongside the hippocampus.


FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY   Dico Tools
A type of liver biopsy in which a tissue sample is withdrawn using a very fine needle.


Fissure   Dico Tools
Latin = a cleft.


Fixator   Dico Tools
Latin fixus = fixed, hence, a muscle which fixes a part.


Fixed Joint   Dico Tools
Fibrous tissue connecting the plates of the skull (see Arthritis).


Flaccid   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin flaccidus = weak or slack.


FLARE (FLARE-UP)   Dico Tools
A sudden, acute worsening of disease symptoms.


FLATULENCE   Dico Tools
Excessive intestinal gas.


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FLAVIVIRUS   Dico Tools
A group of viruses, several of which cause diseases in humans. HCV is related to flaviviruses, and some taxonomists consider the Hepacivirus genus to be part of the Flaviviridae family.


Flavum   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin flavus = yellow.


Flex   Dico Tools
Latin flexum = bent, hence, flexor, a muscle which bends a part of the body, and flexion = the act of flexing.


Flexure   Dico Tools
Latin flexura = a bending.


FLOCCOSE   Dico Tools
Cottony or wooly.


Flocculus   Dico Tools
Diminutive of Latin floccus, a tuft. Hence resembling a picture of a little cloud, with a woolly top and a flat base, as in flocculus cerebelli.


FLUMADINE   Dico Tools
See rimantadine.


Foam Cells   Dico Tools
Lipid-laden cells, named for their foamy appearance under the microscope, which contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque (see High Cholesterol).


Foetus   Dico Tools
The developing mammal in utero; in Man, after the 2nd month in utero, adjective - foetal or fetal.


Folia   Dico Tools
Plural of Latin folium = leaf.


Folic Acid   Dico Tools
And Folinic acid


FOLIC ACID (FOLATE)   Dico Tools
A vitamin necessary for red blood cell production and proper neurological function; folic acid also helps prevents neural tube defects in fetuses.


Follicle   Dico Tools
Latin folliculus = a little bag, adjective - follicular.


Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH)   Dico Tools
A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates the development of follicles in the ovaries (see Menopause).


FOMITE   Dico Tools
A substance other than food that may harbor and transmit infections organisms.


Fontanelle   Dico Tools
French diminutive of Latin fons = fountain, associated with the palpable pulsation of the brain in the anterior fontanelle of an infant.


Food Allergies   Dico Tools
Conditions that result from the immune system's response to certain proteins found in foods (see Allergies).


FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)   Dico Tools
The U.S. federal agency responsible for regulating the development, use, and safety of drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and related products. The FDA approves new experimental drugs based on the results of clinical trials.


FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID   Dico Tools
A diagram showing what foods are included in a balanced diet. A healthy diet includes 6-11 servings of breads and grains (the bottom level of the pyramid); 3-5 servings of vegetables; 2-4 servings of fruit; 2-3 servings of meat, fish, beans, or nuts; 2-3 servings of dairy products; and limited fats and oils.


Food Poisoning   Dico Tools
An acute food-borne gastrointestinal infection caused by food contaminated by harmful bacteria that results in symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal discomfort or cramps, and fever.


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Foramen   Dico Tools
Latin = hole.


Forceps   Dico Tools
Latin = tongs.


Forearm   Dico Tools
The upper limb between the elbow and the wrist.


Forestier's Disease   Dico Tools
See ankylosing hyperostosis.


Fornix   Dico Tools
Latin = arch (hence fornication, because the Roman prostitutes plied their profession beneath the arches of the bridges over the river Tiber).


Fossa   Dico Tools
Latin = a ditch or trench, hence a concavity in bone, or an organ, or on a lining surface.


Fovea   Dico Tools
Latin = a pit (usually smaller than a fossa).


Foveola   Dico Tools
Diminutive of fovea.


FREE RADICAL   Dico Tools
A molecule that contains an unpaired electron. Free radicals are a byproduct of normal metabolism. They are highly reactive and bind with other molecules. The "theft" of electrons by free radicals can disrupt normal cellular processes and cause cellular damage (oxidative stress). See also antioxidant.


Free Radicals   Dico Tools
Toxic atoms produced by chemical reactions within a cell (see Breast Cancer).


Frenulum   Dico Tools
Diminutive of frenum.


Frenum   Dico Tools
Latin = bridle or curb.


Frequency   Dico Tools
A type of urinary incontinence in which a person routinely needs to urinate more than eight times during the day or more than twice at night (see Urinary Incontinence).


FRIBROMYOSITIS   Dico Tools
See fibromyalgia.


Frontal   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin frontis = of the forehead, or coronal.


FRUITING BODY   Dico Tools
Reproductive structures of fungi. (Spores).


FTI   Dico Tools
FTI (Fat Tissue Index) is defined as the quotient of ATM/Height² [kg/m²]. Together with LTI it allows an assessment of the nutrition status.


FULMINANT   Dico Tools
An unusually severe or aggressive form of a disease.


FULMINANT HEPATITIS   Dico Tools
A severe, life-threatening form of hepatitis.


Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders   Dico Tools
Gut ailments whose symptoms cannot be linked to any infection or structural abnormality (see Digestive Health).


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Functional Incontinence   Dico Tools
Incontinence caused by problems (other than gastrointestinal conditions) that make it difficult to reach a toilet in time (see Urinary Incontinence).


Fundiform   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin fundus = bottom or base (cf. fundamental), hence, sling-shaped.


Fundus   Dico Tools
Latin = bottom or base. (But note that the fundus of the stomach and uterus are at the top, and the fundus of the eye and of the bladder are posterior!).


FUNGEMIA   Dico Tools
Presence of fungi in the blood.


Funiculus   Dico Tools
Diminutive of Latin funis = cord (used usually for bundles of nerve fibres).


Fusiform   Dico Tools
Adjective, Latin fusus = spindle, hence, spindle-shaped.



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