A sex chromosome in certain animals, such as chickens, turkeys, and moths. In humans, males are XY and females XX, but in animals with a Z chromosome, males are ZZ and females are WZ.

Zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70. A member of the protein tyrosine kinase family, ZAP-70 is normally expressed in T cells and natural killer cells and has a critical role in the initiation of T-cell signaling. ZAP-70 is expressed in T cells and tumors of T-cell lineage. A high level of ZAP-70 expression appears restricted to T-cell […]

‘When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras.’ For example, when someone develops a mild transient cough, a virus infection is the most logical and likely cause, and tuberculosis is a zebra.

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 the unified cell. However, a zygotic lethal gene scotches prenatal development at its […]

A technique in which a woman’s egg is fertilized outside the body, then implanted in one of her fallopian tubes. This technique is one of the methods used to overcome infertility, the inability of couples to produce offspring on their own. First, the egg and the male sperm needed to fertilize it are harvested. Then […]

One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NIDDK has a multisystem name and a comparably broad mission, namely, to “conduct and support basic and applied research and provide leadership for a national program in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Several of […]

Surgery

A condition, also known as Meniere’s disease, with recurrent vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and deafness. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing (in the affected ear). Meniere’s syndrome or disease is due to dysfunction of the semi-circular canals (endolymphatic sac) in the inner ear. The treatment of Meniere’s disease […]

Not sensitive to X-rays and other forms of radiant energy. For example, if a tumor is radioinsensitive, it cannot be successfully attacked by using radiation therapy. The opposite of radioinsensitive is radiosensitive.

Cesarian section, vaginal birth after: It was once the rule that, after a C-section, the next delivery also had to be by C-section. Now, vaginal delivery after Cesarian section (VBAC) is sometimes feasible. Age is one the factors that need to be considered, since women over 30 who try a vaginal delivery after a C-section […]