Apo Health Dictionary

A sudden loss of consciousness... apoplexy

Aponeurosis is the term applied to the white ?brous membrane which serves as an investment for the muscles and which covers the skull beneath the scalp.... aponeurosis

This is a genetically controlled type of cell death. There is an orchestrated collapse of a cell (see CELLS), typi?ed by destruction of the cell’s membrane; shrinkage of the cell with condensation of CHROMATIN; and fragmentation of DNA. The dead cell is then engulfed by adjacent cells. This process occurs without evidence of the in?ammation normally associated with a cell’s destruction by infection or disease.

Apoptosis, ?rst identi?ed in 1972, is involved in biological activities including embryonic development, ageing and many diseases. Its importance to the body’s many physiological and pathological processes has only fairly recently been understood, and research into apoptosis is proceeding apace.

In adults, around 10 billion cells die each day

– a ?gure which balances the number of cells arising from the body’s stem-cell populations (see STEM CELL). Thus, the body’s normal HOMEOSTASIS is regulated by apoptosis. As a person ages, apoptopic responses to cell DNA damage may be less e?ectively controlled and so result in more widespread cell destruction, which could be a factor in the onset of degenerative diseases. If, however, apoptopic responses become less sensitive, this might contribute to the uncontrolled multiplication of cells that is typical of cancers. Many diseases are now associated with changed cell survival: AIDS (see AIDS/HIV); ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE and PARKINSONISM; ischaemic damage after coronary thrombosis (see HEART, DISEASES OF) and STROKE; thyroid diseases (see THYROID GLAND, DISEASES OF); and AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. Some cancers, autoimmune disorders and viral infections are associated with reduced or inhibited apoptosis. Anticancer drugs, GAMMA RAYS and ULTRAVIOLET RAYS (UVR) initiate apoptosis. Other drugs – for example, NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDS) – alter the process of apoptosis. Research is in train to harness new knowledge about apoptosis for the development of new treatments and modi?cations of existing ones for serious disorders such as cancer and degenerative nervous diseases.... apoptosis

Secretory glands, especially found in the armpit and groin, that secrete oily sweat derived from shed cell cytoplasm, and which contain aromatic compounds that possess emotional information for those nearby. Examples: The smell of fear, the scent released after orgasm, the odor released by annually-frustrated Chicago Cubs fans.... apocrine

A group of proteins that are constituents of lipoproteins, the carriers of fat in the bloodstream. Apolipoproteins are also involved in the growth and repair of nerve tissues.... apolipoprotein

An outgrowth of bone at the site of attachment of a tendon to bone. Inflammation may also occur, as in Osgood–Schlatter disease.... apophysis

Absence of the foot.... apodia

(Greek) A gift from the god Apollo

Apollina, Apolline, Apollonis, Apollinaris, Appolina, Appoline... apollonia

(Native American) Resembling a butterfly

Aponni, Apponni, Apponi... aponi

A gland that discharges cellular material in addition to the fluid it secretes. The term is usually applied to the type of sweat glands that appear in hairy body areas after puberty. (See also eccrine gland.)... apocrine gland

An old term for a pharmacist.... apothecary

n. a *dopamine receptor agonist used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease that is poorly controlled by *levodopa. Side-effects include involuntary movements and instability of posture.... apomorphine

n. inflammation of an unfused *apophysis resulting from excessive traction from a large tendon attachment. It most commonly occurs around the knee (see Osgood-Schlatter disease) and the heel (see Sever’s disease). See also osteochondritis.... apophysitis

acute intrapituitary haemorrhage, usually into an existing tumour, presenting as severe headache and collapse. It is a medical emergency. Due to the sudden expansion in size of the gland with the haemorrhage, it is accompanied by lesions of the cranial nerves running close to the pituitary gland, causing paralysis of the muscles of the orbit and occasionally the face. Anterior pituitary insufficiency usually results, but posterior pituitary function survives. Surprisingly, pituitary function usually recovers.... pituitary apoplexy