Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «F»:
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Fixation, internal
Fixation, internal: A surgical procedure that stabilizes and joins the ends of fractured (broken) bones by mechanical devices such as metal plates, pins, rods, wires or screws.
Internal fixation is as opposed to external fixation of a fracture by a splint or
cast....
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Fixative
Fixative: A medium such as a solution or spray that preserves specimens of tissues or cells. Most biopsies and specimens removed at surgery are fixed in a solution such as formalin (dilute formaldehyde) before further processing takes place. Other common ingredients used in fixatives are alcohol, me...
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Flail chest
Flail chest: When enough ribs are broken (usually from a crush
injury) to compromise the rigidity of the chest wall. On inspiration, the chest wall moves
inward instead of outward and the opposite on expiration....
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FLAP
FLAP: A gene that helps make a leukotriene, a signal that activates the white blood cells involved in inflammation. FLAP stands for 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein.
FLAP has been implicated in a number of inflammatory responses, including asthma, arthritis, psoriasis, heart attack and stroke. F...
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Flashing
("Flashing"): "Flashing," or exhibitionism is characterized by intense,
sexually arousing fantasies, urges or behaviors involving exposure of the
individual's genitals to an unsuspecting stranger. The individual with this
problem, sometimes called a "flasher," feels a need to ...
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Flat affect
Flat affect: A severe reduction in emotional expressiveness. People with depression and schizophrenia often show flat affect. A person with schizophrenia may not show the signs of normal emotion, perhaps may speak in a monotonous voice, have diminished facial expressions, and appear extremely apathe...
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Flat condyloma
Flat condyloma: A manifestation of the secondary stage of syphilis that takes the form of broad flat wartlike growths in moist creased areas, as around the anus and external genitalia. Also called condyloma latum....
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Flat feet
Flat feet: A condition of the feet in which the arch of the instep is flattened and the entire sole touches the ground.
All babies have flat feet because their arches are not yet built up (and their feet tend to be plump). This condition may persist into adulthood, or an arch may form as the child ...
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Flatfeet
Flatfeet: A condition of the feet in which the arch of the instep is flattened and the entire sole touches the ground.
All babies have flat feet because their arches are not yet built up (and their feet tend to be plump). This condition may persist into adulthood, or an arch may form as the child g...
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Flatfoot
Flatfoot: 1. A foot in which the arch of the instep is flattened and the entire sole touches the ground. See: Flatfeet.
2. Slang in the past for a foot soldier or sailor, and today for a policeman or detective....
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Flatulence
Flatulence: Excess gas in the intestinal tract. But
excess flatulence is difficult to define without a yardstick to measure the
"normal" frequency of gas passages. Symptom-free individuals have recorded
approximately 14 passages of gas per 24 hours. From the Latin flastus, meaning blowing,...
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Flatulent
Flatulent: Pertaining to flatulence, the generation of excess gas in the intestinal tract. From the Latin flastus, meaning blowing, as a breeze or snort....
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Flatus
Flatus: Gas in the intestinal tract or passed through
the anus. The intestinal gases are hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, all of
which are odorless. The unpleasant smell of flatus is the result of trace gases such as
indole, skatole, and, most commonly, hydrogen sulfide....
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Flavin-containing monooxygenase-3 (FMO3)
Flavin-containing monooxygenase-3 (FMO3): See Fish-odor
syndrome....
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Flaviviridae
Flaviviridae: A family of viruses transmitted by mosquitos and ticks that cause some important diseases, including
dengue, yellow fever, tick-borne encephalitis virus, and West Nile fever. The flaviviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses containing three structural proteins and a host-derived lipid ...
