Author: Glossary

A chemical indicator used to determine pH, especially of vaginal secretions. It is often used in gynecological and obstetrical evaluations, e.g., to determine whether a pregnant woman has premature rupture of membranes with leaking amniotic fluid in the vaginal vault.  

Nerve cell degeneration after division of the axon.  

A large granular body found in nerve cells. They can be demonstrated by selective staining. They are rough endoplasmic reticulum (with ribosomes) and are the site of protein synthesis. Nissl bodies show changes under various physiological conditions, and in pathological conditions they may dissolve and disappear (chromatolysis).  

An antibiotic that is active against gram-positive bacteria; it is used primarily as a food preservative.  

A chemical element, formerly called columbium, with an atomic number of 41 and an atomic weight of 92.906.  

A timed performance test in which a subject places nine dowels in nine holes and then removes them, first with the dominant hand and then with the nondominant one. The more rapidly the test is performed, the greater the dexterity of the subject.  

Concerning a bundle of nerve fibers that connect the substantia nigra of the brain to the corpus striatum.  

The ability to see at night or in light of low intensity. It results from dark adaptation in which the pupil dilates, rhodopsin increases, and the intensity threshold of the retina is lowered. Any decrease in the oxygen content of the blood is accompanied by some loss of night vision. Thus, smoking cigarettes or being…