p arm of a chromosome


The short arm of a chromosome. The “p” comes from the French “petit” meaning small. All human chromosomes have 2 arms – the p (short) arm and the q (long) arm – that are separated from each other only by a primary constriction, the centromere, the point at which the chromosome is attached to the spindle during cell division. The symbol “q” was chosen for the long arm simply because it followed “p” in the alphabet.

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    Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A.

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    A spicy seasoning ground from a variety of sweet red pepper (Capsicum annuum), the original source of vitamin C, isolated by the Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986). The story goes that Szent-Gyorgyi did not like paprika and so took his plate of paprika pods into his laboratory, not wanting to offend his wife. As he […]

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    A solid, rounded growth that is elevated from the skin. A papule is usually less than 1 cm (0.5 in.) across. Papules may open when scratched and become crusty and infected.

  • Papules

    Small solid rounded bumps rising from the skin that are each usually less than 1 centimeter in diameter (less than 3/8 inch across). The term “papule” is derived from Latin from “papula,” a pimple. Dermatologists call any small solid circumscribed bump in the skin a papule, as opposed to a vesicle which contains fluid or […]


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