Alpha cell, pancreatic
Alpha cell, pancreatic: A type of cell found in areas within the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans. Alpha cells make and release glucagon, which raises the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
Read Also:
- Alpha error
Alpha error: The statistical error made in testing a hypothesis when it is concluded that a result is positive, but it really is not. Also known as false positive.
- Alpha helix
Alpha helix: The coiled structure of many proteins consisting of a single chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds. The alpha helix was first proposed by Linus Pauling and Robert Corey in a brilliant series of paper in the early 1950s. It is also known as the Pauling-Corey helix. See also: Pauling, Linus.
- Alpha interferon
Alpha interferon: A protein produced by the body in response to an infection. There are 3 major classes of interferon — alpha, beta, and gamma.
- Alpha Omega Alpha
Alpha Omega Alpha: An honor society, the medical school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa of undergraduate school.
- Alpha particle
Alpha particle: A tiny mass of material composed of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha particles do not travel very far from their radioactive source. They cannot pass through a piece of paper, clothes or even the layer of dead cells which normally protects the skin. Because alpha particles cannot penetrate human skin they are […]