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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with L
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Lethal gene, zygotic
Lethal gene, zygotic: A gene that is lethal (fatal) for the zygote, the cell formed by the union of a sperm (male sex cell) and an ovum (female sex cell). The zygote would normally develop into an embryo, as instructed by the genetic material within themore detail info...
Lethargy
Lethargy: Abnormal drowsiness, stupor.more detail info...
Leucemia
Leucemia: A different spelling of leukemia, cancer of the blood cells. The growth and development of the blood cells are abnormal. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to cancer of the white blood cells (the leukocytes) but in practice itmore detail info...
Leukemia
Leukemia: Cancer of the blood cells. The growth and development of the blood cells are abnormal. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to cancer of the white blood cells (the leukocytes) but in practice it can apply to malignancy of anymore detail info...
Leukemia, accelerated phase of
Leukemia, accelerated phase of: Refers to chronic myelogenous leukemia that is progressing. The number of immature, abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood is higher than in the chronic phase, but not as high as imore detail info...
Leukemia, smoldering
Leukemia, smoldering: A condition in which the bone marrow does not function normally. It does not produce enough blood cells. This condition may progress and become acute leukemia. Smoldering leukemia also is called myelodysplastic syndrome or preleukmore detail info...
Leukemoid reaction
Leukemoid reaction: A benign blood picture resembling leukemia. For example, in infectious mononucleosis.more detail info...
Leuko- (prefix)
Leuko- (prefix): Prefix meaning white. Leuko- comes from the Greek "leukos" meaning white. As in leukocye, a white cell (in the blood). Leuko- and leuco- are the same prefix, just different spellings. A leukocyte = a leucocyte. And leucemia = leukmore detail info...
Leukocyte count
Leukocyte count: A white blood cell (WBC) count.more detail info...
Leukocytes
Leukocytes: Cells that help the body fight infections and other diseases. Also called white blood cells (WBCs).more detail info...
Leukocytosis
Leukocytosis: Increase in the number of white blood cells.more detail info...
Leukodystrophy
Leukodystrophy: Disorder of the white matter of the brain. The white matter mainly consists of nerve fibers (not the nerve cells themselves) and is concerned with conduction od nerve impulses.more detail info...
Leukopenia
Leukopenia: Shortage of white blood cells.more detail info...
Leukoplakia
Leukoplakia: A white spot or patch in the mouth.more detail info...
Levo- (prefix)
Levo- (prefix): From the Latin "laevus" meaning on the left side. For example, a molecule that shows levorotation is turning or twisting to the left. The opposition of levo- is dextro- (from the Latin dexter meaning on the right side) so the oppomore detail info...
Levocardia
Levocardia: Reversal of all of the abdominal and thoracic organs (situs inversus) except the heart which is still in its usual location on the left. This situation is far more of an anatomic mess than when all the organs including the heart are reversemore detail info...
LHRH agonists
LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) agonists: Compounds that are similar to LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) in structure and are able to act like LHRH. LHRH is a hormone that controls sex hormones in both men and women. An amore detail info...
Libido
Libido: The word &libido& in Latin means &desire, longing, fancy, lust, or rut.& Although the adjective &libidinous& meaning lustful has been used in English for 500 or so years, &libido& made a belated entry intmore detail info...
Library
Library: In genetics, a library is an unordered collection of clones (i.e., cloned DNA from a particular organism), whose relationship to each other can be established by physical mapping. For example, you can have an E. coli library or a human DNA libmore detail info...
Library, arrayed
Library, arrayed: In genetics, arrayed libraries of DNA clones are used for many purposes, including screening for a specific gene or genomic region of interest as well as for physical mapping. An arrayed library consists of (in technical terms) indivimore detail info...