Micro-RNA
A tiny piece of RNA, about 21 to 23 bases in length, that binds to matching pieces of messenger RNA to make it double-stranded and decrease the production of the corresponding protein. Micro-RNA’s were first discovered in the roundworm C. elegans in the early 1990s and are now known in many species, including humans. Abbreviated miRNA.
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- Microabscess
A tiny abscess. A small accumulation of pus.
- Microalbuminuria
1. Generally, a subtle increase in the urinary excretion of the protein albumin that cannot be detected by a conventional assay. In diabetes, microalbuminuria is an early sign of diabetic kidney disease. 2. Specifically, the excretion of greater than 30 mg and less than 300 mg a day of albumin in the urine. The normal […]
- Microangiopathy
A disease of the capillaries (very small blood vessels), in which the capillary walls become so thick and weak that they bleed, leak protein, and slow the flow of blood. For example, diabetes predisposes to the development of microangiopathy in many areas, including the eye.
- Microarray
A tool used to sift through and analyze the information contained within a genome. A microarray consists of different nucleic acid probes that are chemically attached to a substrate, which can be a microchip, a glass slide or a microsphere-sized bead.
- Microbe
A minute organism typically visible under a microscope. Microbes include bacteria, fungi, and protozoan parasites.