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.
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- 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 […]
- Alpha thalassemia
heme and globin. Globin is made up of 4 polypeptide chains. In normal adult hemoglobin (Hb A), the predominant type of hemoglobin after the first year of life, 2 of the globin polypeptide chains are identical to one another and are designated the alpha chains. The other 2 chains are also identical to one another […]
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
An inherited disorder characterized by a lack of the alpha-1 antitrypsin protease inhibitor. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency leads to damage of various organs, especially the lung and liver. Symptoms may become apparent at a very early age or anytime later, manifesting as shortness of breath due to emphysema or as liver symptoms such as jaundice, fatigue, […]
- Alpha-ethltryptamine
Alpha-ethltryptamine: An illicit hallucinogenic drug related to tryptamine. Street names for alpha-ethyltryptamine include: Alpha-ET; ET; Love pearls; Trip (also refers to LSD). Many agents in the class of tryptamines are hallucinogenic substances that exist naturally in some plants, fungi, and animals, but also can be produced synthetically. These hallucinogens have been placed in Schedule I […]