| 1. | AIDS | (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) A collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the depletion of the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, commonly called HIV. The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. Most of these conditions are opportunistic infections that can be easily treated in healthy people. |
| 2. | BMI | (Body Mass Index) a calculated number, based on height and weight, used to compare and analyse the health effects of body weight on human bodies of all heights. BMI was developed by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet in the course of working out his system of "social physics", between 1830 and 1850 (and is therefore also known as the Quetelet Index). It is equal to the weight, divided by the square of the height. Typically, the weight is in kilograms and the height in metres, and the |
| 3. | CXR | (Chest X-Ray) A radiological film obtained by X-ray taken of the thorax which is used to diagnose problems with that area. Examples of such problems include but are not limited to tension pneumothorax, rib fracture, pneumonia. Chest X-Rays are among the most common films taken, being diagnostic of so many important problems. |
| 4. | GI | (Glycemic Index, Glycaemic Index) A ranking system for carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose levels. It compares carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal) glycemia. The GI of a food is defined by the area under the 2 hour blood glucose response curve (AUC) following the ingestion of a fixed portion of carbohydrate (usually 50 g). Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion have |
| 5. | HDL | (High Density Lipoprotein) A class of lipoproteins, varying somewhat in their size (8-11 nm in diameter) and contents, that carry cholesterol from the body's tissues to the liver. Because HDL can remove cholesterol from atheroma within arteries, and transport it back to the liver for excretion, they are seen as "good" cholesterol. When measuring cholesterol, any contained in HDL particles serves as protection to the body's cardiovascular health. (In contrast to "bad" LDL cholesterol.) |
| 6. | LDL | (Low-density lipoprotein) A class and range of lipoprotein particles, varying in their size (18-25 nm in diameter) and contents, which carry cholesterol in the blood and around the body, for use by cells. It is the final stage of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) which is produced by the liver. The LDL contains the apoprotein B-100 (Apo B-100) among it plasma lipids. It is commonly referred to as "bad cholesterol" due to the link between high LDL levels and cardiovascular disease. |
| 7. | MRI | (Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT)) A method of creating images of the inside of opaque organs in living organisms as well as detecting the amount of bound water in geological structures. It is primarily used to demonstrate pathological or other physiological alterations of living tissues and is a commonly used form of medical imaging. MRI has also found many niche applications outside of the medical and biological fields such as rock permeability to |
| 8. | SARS | (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Asian Respiratory Syndrome) An atypical form of pneumonia. It first appeared in November 2002 in the Guangdong Province of the People's Republic of China. SARS is now known to be caused by the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), a novel coronavirus. SARS has a mortality rate of around 10 percent. Initial symptoms are flu-like and may include: fever, myalgia, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, cough, sore throat and other non-specific symptoms. The |
