The table below contains frequently used terms related to Mitochondrial Disease.
| Terms | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acetyl CoA | Acetyl CoA compound C25H38N7O17P3S formed as an intermediate in metabolism and active as a coenzyme in biological acetylations. |
| Acute | Acute is characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset acute pain; having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and short course acute illness; being, providing, or requiring short-term medical care (as for serious illness or traumatic injury); lasting a short time. |
| Adaptive Equipment | Adaptive equipment covers items that are specifically designed for people with disabilities and would seldom be used by a non-disabled person. |
| Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) | ADP is a nucleotide C10H15N5O10P2 composed of adenosine and two phosphate groups that is formed in living cells as an intermediate between ATP and AMP and that is reversibly converted to ATP for the storing of energy by the addition of a high-energy phosphate group |
| Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) | ATP is a phosphorylated nucleotide C10H16N5O13P3 composed of adenosine and three phosphate groups that supplies energy for many biochemical cellular processes by undergoing enzymatic hydrolysis especially to ADP. |
| Aerobic Metabolism | Aerobic metabolism is a physiological process that requires oxygen to be available in order to use carbohydrate, fat, or protein for energy production. When oxygen is not available, only carbohydrate can be used for energy, this is anaerobic metabolism. |
| Alanine | Alanine is a simple nonessential crystalline amino acid C3H7NO2 |
| Alopecia | Alopecia is loss of hair, wool, or feathers; Doctors use “alopecia” to refer to various forms of hair loss, including “alopecia areata,” a sudden loss of hair in patches that involves little or no inflammation. |
| Alper’s disease | Alpers disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that begins during childhood and is complicated in many instances by serious liver disease. Symptoms include increased muscle tone with exaggerated reflexes (spasticity), seizures, and loss of cognitive ability (dementia). |
| Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) | Alpha lipoic acid is any of several microbial growth factors especially : a fatty acid C8H14O2S2 that is essential for the oxidation of alpha-keto acids (such as pyruvic acid) in metabolism. |
| Amino acid proteins | Amino acid proteins are an amphoteric organic acid containing the amino group NH2 especially : any of the various amino acids having the amino group in the alpha position that are the chief components of proteins and are synthesized by living cells or are obtained as essential components of the diet. |
| Aminoglycoside antibiotics | Aminoglycoside antibiotics are any of a group of antibiotics (as streptomycin and neomycin) that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis and are active especially against gram-negative bacteria |
| Amnesia | Amnesia is the loss of memory due usually to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness; a gap in one’s memory; the selective overlooking or ignoring of events or acts that are not favorable or useful to one’s purpose or position. |
| Anaerobic metabolism | Anaerobic metabolism is the sum of the processes in the buildup and destruction of protoplasm; specifically : the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated; : the sum of the processes by which a particular substance is handled in the living body; the sum of the metabolic activities taking place in a particular environment; the metabolism when living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen. |
| Anesthesia protocol | Anesthesia Protocol is a statement that reports the uninterpreted results of observations about anesthesia and provides the basis for scientific confirmation about anesthesia; anesthesia is the loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness. |
| Anoxia | Anoxia is hypoxia especially of such severity as to result in permanent damage; the absence of dissolved oxygen in a body of water. |
| Antioxidants | Antioxidants are substances (such as beta-carotene and vitamin C) that inhibit oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen, peroxides, or free radicals. |
| Antiretrovirals | Antiretrovirals are a group of drugs that are affected against the retroviral group of viruses which include: any of a family (Retroviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that produce reverse transcriptase by means of which DNA is produced using their RNA as a template and incorporated into the genome of infected cells, that are often tumorigenic, and that include the lentiviruses (such as the HIVs) and the causative agent of Rous sarcoma. |
| Anxiety | Anxiety is an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it. |
| Apnea | Apnea is a transient cessation of respiration. |
| Ataxia | Ataxia is an inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements that is symptomatic of some central nervous system disorders and injuries and not due to muscle weakness. |
| Atonic Seizure | Atonic Seizures are the physical manifestations (such as convulsions, sensory disturbances, or loss of consciousness) resulting from abnormal electrical discharges in the brain (as in epilepsy). |
| Autism | Autism is a variable developmental disorder that appears by age three and is characterized especially by difficulties in forming and maintaining social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate verbally or nonverbally, and by repetitive behavior patterns and restricted interests and activities. |
| Austism spectrum disorders (ASD) | Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is any of a group of developmental disorders (such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome) marked by impairments in the ability to communicate and interact socially and by the presence of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. |
| Autistic regression | Regressive autism occurs when a child appears to develop typically but then starts to lose speech and social skills, typically between the ages of 15 and 30 months, and is subsequently diagnosed with autism.[1] Other terms used to describe regression in children with autism are autism with regression, autistic regression, setback-type autism, and acquired autistic syndrome.[2] There is no standard definition for regression,[2] and the prevalence of regression varies depending on the definition used.[3] Some children show a mixture of features, with some early delays and some later losses; and there is evidence of a continuous spectrum of behaviors, rather than a black-and-white distinction, between autism with and without regression.[3] According to the definitions in the DSM-5 the term “regressive autism” can refer to any type of autism spectrum disorder that involves regression, including childhood disintegrative disorders. |
| Autonomic dysfunction | Dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction is a condition in which the autonomic nervous system does not work properly. This may affect the functioning of the heart, bladder, intestines, sweat glands, pupils, and blood vessels. Dysautonomia has many causes, not all of which may be classified as neuropathic. A number of conditions can feature dysautonomia, such as Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, multiple system atrophy, autonomic failure, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. |
| autonomic nervous system | Autonomic Nervous System is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that innervates smooth and cardiac muscle and glandular tissues and governs involuntary actions (such as secretion and peristalsis) and that consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. |
| Autosomal dominant | Autosomal dominant is one of many ways that a trait or disorder can be passed down through families. In an autosomal dominant disease, if you get the abnormal gene from only one parent, you can get the disease. Often, one of the parents may also have the disease. |
| Autosomal recessive | Autosomal Recessive is a genetic disorder that is passed down in autosomal recessive fashion—in other words, you have to inherit an abnormal gene from each parent for the trait to appear. |
| Baseline | Baseline is a usually initial set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control. |
| Beckman oral motor techniques | About Beckman Oral Motor Intervention “Oral motor” has been defined in a variety of ways. Many of the strategies of the 1950’s and ’60’s were primarily stimulation techniques, such as brushing (pressure massage), icing (thermal stimulation), quick stretch (tapping), and vibration (manual and mechanical). |
| Beta blockers | Beta Blockers are any of a class of drugs (such as propranolol) that decrease the rate and force of heart contractions and lower high blood pressure by blocking the activity of beta-receptors. |
| Biochemical testing | Biochemical Testing is the act of testing for chemical reactions in living organisms such as a defect in the brain. |
| Biofeedback | Biofeedback is the technique of making unconscious or involuntary bodily processes (such as heartbeats or brain waves) perceptible to the senses (as by the use of an oscilloscope) in order to manipulate them by conscious mental control. |
| Biomedical ltreatments | Biomedical Treatments are based on the application of the principles of the natural sciences and especially biology and biochemistry. |
| Bipolar disorder | Bipolar Disorder is any of several psychological disorders of mood characterized usually by alternating episodes of depression and mania. |
| Blood lactate | Blood lactate is a test that measures the amount of lactic acid (also called “lactate”) in your blood. This acid is made in muscle cells and red blood cells. It forms when your body turns food into energy. Your body relies on this energy when its oxygen levels are low. Oxygen levels might drop during an intense workout or when you have an infection or disease. |
| Buccal swab test | Buccal Swab Test is a test that involves swiping the lining of the oral cavity/mouth. |
| Echocardiogram | Echocardiogram is the use of ultrasound to examine the structure and functioning of the heart for abnormalities and disease. |
| Cardiomyopathy | Cardiomyopathy is any of several structural or functional diseases of heart muscle marked especially by hypertrophy and obstructive damage to the heart. |
| Carnitine | Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound C7H15NO3 that is present especially in vertebrate muscle, that in the levorotatory form is involved in the transfer of fatty acids across mitochondrial membranes, and in humans is obtained from food (such as meat or milk) or is synthesized chiefly in the liver and kidneys from a lysine derivative. |
| Carnitine transport | Carnitine Transport or better known as Cotransport is the coupled transport of chemical substances across a cell membrane in which the energy required to move a substance (such as glucose) against a gradient in concentration or in electrical potential is provided by the movement of another substance (such as a sodium ion) along its gradient in concentration or in electric potential. |
| Casein | Casein is one that is precipitated from milk by heating with an acid or by the action of lactic acid in souring and is used in making paints and adhesives; one that is produced when milk is curdled by rennet, is the chief constituent of cheese, and is used in making plastics. |
| Catabolic state in metabolic diseases | Metabolic disease, including mitochondrial disease, leads to a partial or complete disruption of the body’s normal chemical processes. Certain chemicals are not turned over; these compounds build up and create cellular toxicity; certain chemicals are not made, which creates a cellular deficiency. When individuals with metabolic disease undergo a normal or abnormal catabolic stress, they begin turning over protein, carbohydrate and fat stores as they should – but due to the inherent chemical disruption, create more than normal levels of toxic substances and less than normal levels of the required product. In the case of mitochondrial disease, cells are less efficient at creating adequate energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate stores. In the catabolic state, the cell’s need for more cellular energy is often not met. It is during these times when the individual with mitochondrial disease is more vulnerable to cellular injury in various organs, including the brain. Certain organs can rapidly decompensate and enter a state of organ failure. |
| Cellular respiration | Cellular respiration is the process through which cells convert fuel into energy and nutrients. To create ATP and other forms of energy that they can use to power their life functions, cells require both fuel, and an electron acceptor which drives the chemical process of turning energy from that fuel into a useable form. |
| Central nervous system | Central nervous system definition is – the part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system. |
| Cerebral palsy | Cerebral Palsy is a disability resulting from damage to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth and outwardly manifested by muscular incoordination and speech disturbances. |
| Chelation therapy | Chelation Therapy is a therapy for mercury or lead poisoning that binds the toxins in the bloodstream by circulating a chelating solution; a form of complementary therapy involving the intravenous infusion of substances intended to remove calcium from hardened arteries. |
| Chromosome | Chromosome is a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes. |
| Chronic progressive external opthalmoplegia (CPEO) | Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO), also known as progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO), is a type of eye disorder characterized by slowly progressive inability to move the eyes and eyebrows |
| Clinical presenetation | Clinical Presentation are typical physical signs or symptoms that are associated with a particular disease process. The proper interpretation of the clinical presentation often leads to a specific diagnosis |
| Coenzyme Q10 | Coenzyme Q10 is a ubiquinone C59H90O4 of humans and most other mammals that has a side chain with ten isoprenoid units and possesses antioxidant properties. The many claims made by proponents of coenzyme Q10 … that it can help treat heart failure, cancer and diabetes, improve sperm quality and even help you live longer—stem from the fact that the compound plays a crucial role in almost every cell in the body. As a rule, coenzymes help enzymes do their job: in this case, the enzymes that produce energy in our cells. |
| Cognition | Cognition is the conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering); based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge |
| Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying faulty or maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior and substituting them with desirable patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior; (Note: Cognitive behavioral therapy is used in the treatment of various mental and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, anorexia, and substance abuse. Cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are often used interchangeably.) |
| Cognitive degeneration | Some of the possible signs and symptoms of Cognitive Degeneration may include: Difficulty thinking (cognitive impairment) Impulsive behavior. Depression or apathy. Short-term memory loss. Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks (executive function) Emotional instability. |
| Cognitive delay | A cognitive delay refers to problems with thinking and can sometimes be referred to as an intellectual disability. If your little one has a cognitive developmental delay then it may be due to a learning disability (like ADHD), lead poisoning, a genetic disorder, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). |
| Colitis | Colitis refers to inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. There are numerous causes of colitis including infection, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two types of IBD), ischemic colitis, allergic reactions, and microscopic colitis. Symptoms of colitis depend upon the cause and may include. abdominal pain, |
| Common metabolic catabolic stressors in mitochondrial diseases | There are several catabolic stressors to the body, including prolonged fasting, illness, surgery and anesthesia. Of these, one that is faced commonly in the pediatric and adult population is illness. Viral illnesses are frequent occurrences in the growing child. And there is currently no clear way to prevent a child or adult from acquiring viral infections, though hand-washing and limiting exposures to sick contacts/contagious persons have benefits. The patient with mitochondrial disease is not more prone to life-threatening infections. There is some anecdotal (experience-based) and small study-based evidence that mitochondrial patients have more frequent non-life-threatening viral infections such as colds, stomach-flues, bronchitis, and ear infections. This vulnerability may be due to some, yet unquantifiable, dysfunction of the immune system – though, to date, all routine measures of immune function in mitochondrial patients are normal. There is no specific treatment for mitochondrial patients despite the potentially increased frequency of non-life-threatening infections. |
| Complex I | Complex I (EC 1.6.5.3) (also referred to as NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase or, especially in the context of the human protein, NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone)) is an enzyme of the respiratory chains of myriad organisms from bacteria to humans. It catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and, in eukaryotes, it is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. |
| Complex II | Like all components of the ETC, complex II (CII) is an enzyme; namely succinate dehydrogenase. As illustrated above, the primary substrate of CII is succinate (sometimes known as succinic acid). |
| Complex III | Complex III is a multisubunit transmembrane protein encoded by both the mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and the nuclear genomes (all other subunits). Complex III is present in the mitochondria of all animals and all aerobic eukaryotes and the inner membranes of most eubacteria. |
| Complex IV | The enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV, EC 1.9.3.1 is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria, archaea, and in eukaryotes in their mitochondria. It is the last enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain of cells located in the membrane. |
| Cytochrome c oxidase, Complex IV | The enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV, EC 1.9.3.1 is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria, archaea, and in eukaryotes[1] in their mitochondria. It is the last enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain of cells located in the membrane. It receives an electron from each of four cytochrome c molecules, and transfers them to one dioxygen molecule, converting the molecular oxygen to two molecules of water. In this process it binds four protons from the inner aqueous phase to make two water molecules, and translocates another four protons across the membrane, increasing the transmembrane difference of proton electrochemical potential which the ATP synthase then uses to synthesize ATP. |
| Creatinine | Creatinine is a waste product formed by the normal breakdown of muscle cells. Healthy kidneys take creatinine out of the blood and put it into the urine to leave the body. When the kidneys are not working well, creatinine builds up in the blood. |
| Cristae | Cristae are sub-compartments of the inner membrane of mitochondria and are essential to mitochondrial function.Mitochondria are often considered the powerhouses of the cell since they are the organelles responsible for the generation of ATP, the energy currency of the cell. |
| Cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS) | Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a disorder that causes recurrent episodes of nausea, vomiting, and tiredness (lethargy). This condition is diagnosed most often in young children, but it can affect people of any age. The episodes of nausea, vomiting, and lethargy last anywhere from an hour to 10 days. |
| Cytochrome | A cytochrome is any of a number of compounds consisting of heme bonded to a protein. Cytochromes function as electron transfer agents in many metabolic pathways, especially cellular respiration. |
| Cytopathy | Cytopathy is any disorder of a cell or anomaly of any of its constituents. [cyto- + G. pathos, disease] |
| D5 | Dextrose/electrolyte therapy should be considered if a patient is unable to maintain oral fluid intake in the face of a catabolic stressor, including fever, illness or vomiting. |
| Dehydration | Dehydration is excessive loss of body water. |
| Dementia | Dementia is a significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. |
| DNA | DNA is a nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in cells and some viruses, consisting of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine |
| Developmental delay | Developmental delay is a condition in which a child is behind schedule in reaching milestones of early childhood development. |
| Dominant Inheritance | Dominant Inheritance is a pattern of inheritance in which an affected individual has one copy of a mutant gene and one normal gene on a pair of autosomal chromosomes. |
| Down Syndrome | Down Syndrome is a common birth defect that is usually due to an extra chromosome 21 (trisomy 21). Down syndrome causes mental retardation, a characteristic facial appearance, and multiple malformations. It occurs most frequently in children born to mothers over age 35. It is associated with a major risk for heart problems, a lesser risk of duodenal atresia (partially undeveloped intestines), and a minor but significant risk of acute leukemia. |
| Dysautonomia | Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that causes disturbances in all or some autonomic functions and may result from the course of a disease (as diabetes) or from injury or poisoning |
| Dysmotility | Dysmotility is a term used to describe a health problem in which the muscles of the digestive system do not work as they should. This can result in a change in the speed, strength or coordination of the muscles of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and/or the large intestine. |
| Dysphasia | Dysphasia is difficulty in swallowing. |
| Dyspnea | Dyspnea is difficult or labored respiration. |
| Dyspraxia | Dyspraxia is the impairment of the ability to perform coordinated movements. |
| Early intervention | Early Intervention is acting early with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning). |
| Echocardiogram | Echocardiogram is using ultrasound to examine the structure and functioning of the heart for abnormalities and disease. |
| Electrolytes | Electrolytes are a substance that when dissolved in a suitable solvent or when fused becomes an ionic conductor; any of the ions (as of sodium or calcium) that in biological fluid regulate or affect most metabolic processes (such as the flow of nutrients into and waste products out of cells). |
| Electron | An electron is an elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity equal to about 1.602 × 10−19 coulomb and having a mass when at rest of about 9.109 × 10−31 kilogram or about ¹/₁₈₃₆ that of a proton. |
| Electron transport chain | An Electron Transport Chain is the sequential transfer of electrons especially by cytochromes in cellular respiration from an oxidizable substrate to molecular oxygen by a series of oxidation-reduction reactions. |
| Encephalopathy | Encelphalopathy is a disease of the brain. |
| Energetics | Energetics is a branch of mechanics that deals primarily with energy and its transformations; the total energy relations and transformations of a physical, chemical, or biological system. |
| Enteral nutrition | Enteral Nutrition is nutrition by tube wheras the patient receives nutrition by having a coating designed to pass through the stomach unaltered and disintegrate in the intestines. |
| Enteric nervous system (ENS) | The enteric nervous system or intrinsic nervous system is one of the main divisions of the autonomic nervous system and consists of a mesh-like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal system. It is derived from neural crest. |
| Enzymes | Enzymes are any of numerous complex proteins that are produced by living cells and catalyze specific biochemical reactions at body temperatures. |
| Enzymology | Enzymology is a branch of biochemistry that deals with the properties, activity, and significance of enzymes. |
| Epidemiology | Epidemiology is a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population; the sum of the factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen. |
| Epilepsy | Epilepsy are any of various disorders marked by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain and typically manifested by sudden brief episodes of altered or diminished consciousness, involuntary movements, or convulsions. |
| Erytthromycin | Erythromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic C37H67NO13 produced by an actinomycete (Saccharopolyspora erythraea synonym Streptomyces erythraeus) and administered orally or topically. |
| Exercise Function Test | Exercise Testing is a technique for evaluating circulatory response to physical stress; it involves continuous electrocardiographic monitoring during physical exercise, the objective being to increase the intensity of physical exertion until a target heart rate is reached or signs and symptoms of cardiac ischemia appear. |
| Exercise intolerance | Exercise intolerance, which is defined as the reduced ability to perform activities involving dynamic movement because of symptoms of dyspnea or fatigue, is the most common clinical symptom among patients with heart failure. |
| Failure to thrive | Failure to thrive refers to children whose current weight or rate of weight gain is much lower than that of other children of similar age and gender. Causes Failure to thrive may be caused by medical problems or factors in the child’s environment, such as abuse or neglect. |
| Fatty acid | A fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually not found in organisms, but instead as three main classes of esters: triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol esters. In any of these forms, fatty acids are both important dietary sources of fuel for animals and they are important structural components for cells. |
| Fatty acid oxidation disorder | When your body runs out of sugar, it usually breaks down fat for energy. A baby with fatty disorder can’t change fat into energy. |
| Fatty acid oxidation defect | Fatty acid oxidation defects: Fatty acid oxidation defects are deficiencies in the body’s ability to break down fatty acids to make energy due to a defective or missing enzyme. |
| Febrile | Febrile is having or showing the symptoms of a fever: feverish · fevered · hot · burning · burning up · fiery · flushed · sweating · in a cold sweat · shivering · delirious · with a temperature · pyretic. |
| Fibroblasts | Fibroplasts are cells that generates the protein COLLAGEN, a major component of connective tissue and the main structural material of the body. Fibroblasts are important in wound healing. They can readily be cultured artificially. Fibroblasts have a branched cytoplasm surrounding an elliptical, speckled nucleus having two or more nucleoli . Active fibroblasts can be recognized by their abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum . Inactive fibroblasts (called fibrocytes) are smaller, spindle-shaped, and have a reduced amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum. |
| Fine motor skills | Fine Motor Skills is the use of precise coordinated movements in such activities as writing, buttoning, cutting, tracing, or visual tracking. |
| Flavine adenine dinucleotide | Flavine Adenine Dinucleotide is a coenzyme that transfers hydrogen from one substrate to another. It is derived from the B vitamine riboflavine. |
| Fragile X syndrome | Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of inherited mental retardation. Individuals with this condition have developmental delay, variable levels of mental retardation, and behavioral and emotional difficulties. They may also have characteristic physical traits. Generally, males are affected with moderate mental retardation and females with mild mental retardation. |
| Free radical | Free radicals are formed naturally as products of metabolic processes and can also be introduced from outside the body through smoking, inhaling environmental pollutants, or exposure to ultraviolet radiation. They interact readily with nearby molecules and may cause cellular damage, including genetic alterations. It has been theorized that they are involved in degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer dementia and parkinsonism, in plaque formation in atherosclerosis, and in cancer. Natural enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and peroxidase are thought to counteract free radicals, and there is evidence that many nutrients, including vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, also exert an antioxidant effect. |
| Gastric dismotility | Gastric Dysmotility occurs when the intestinal tract loses its ability to coordinate the muscular contractions of the bowel. With intestinal dysmotility, certain muscles, including the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines fail to work normally when moving food, drink and medication through the gastrointestinal tract. |
| Gastrointestinal (GI) | Gastrointestinal is the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine; often used as a synonym of digestive tract. |
| Gastrostomy Tube (G Tube) | Gastrostomy Tube is a tube placed directly into the stomach for long-term enteral feeding or gastric decompression. This may be done laparoscopically, surgically, or by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube technique. |
| Gastroparesis | Gastroparesis is a disorder characterized by delayed movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine because of impaired stomach motility, resulting in nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of fullness. |
| Gene | Gene is one of the biologic units of heredity, self-reproducing, and located at a definite position (locus) on a particular chromosome. Genes make up segments of the complex deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule that controls cellular reproduction and function. There are thousands of genes in the chromosomes of each cell nucleus; they play an important role in heredity because they control the individual physical, biochemical, and physiologic traits inherited by offspring from their parents. Through the genetic code of DNA they also control the day-to-day functions and reproduction of all cells in the body. For example, the genes control the synthesis of structural proteins and also the enzymes that regulate various chemical reactions that take place in a cell. The gene is capable of replication. When a cell multiplies by mitosis each daughter cell carries a set of genes that is an exact replica of that of the parent cell. This characteristic of replication explains how genes can carry hereditary traits through successive generations without change. |
| Genetic | Genetic – pertaining to reproduction, birth, or origin; pertaining to genetics or heredity; pertaining to or produced by a gene; inherited. |
| Genetic Counseling | Genetic counseling aims to facilitate the exchange of information regarding a person’s genetic legacy. It attempts to: accurately diagnose a disorder; assess the risk of recurrence in the concerned family members and their relatives; provide alternatives for decision-making; provide support groups that will help family members cope with the recurrence of a disorder. |
| Genetic disease | A genetic disease is any disease caused by an abnormality in the genetic makeup of an individual. The genetic abnormality can range from minuscule to major — from a discrete mutation in a single base in the DNA of a single gene to a gross chromosomal abnormality involving the addition or subtraction of an entire chromosome or set of chromosomes. |
| Genome | Genome is the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism. |
| Genome sequencing | Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism’s DNA. The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters. Genome sequencing is often compared to “decoding,” but a sequence is still very much in code. In a sense, a genome sequence is simply a very long string of letters in a mysterious language. When you read a sentence, the meaning is not just in the sequence of the letters. It is also in the words those letters make and in the grammar of the language. Similarly, the human genome is more than just its sequence. Imagine the genome as a book written without capitalization or punctuation, without breaks between words, sentences, or paragraphs, and with strings of nonsense letters scattered between and even within sentences. |
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) | Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is a condition in which acidic gastric fluid flows backward into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn. |
| Global delay | A global developmental delay is when kids have delays in at least two areas. Many parents and caregivers worry that their child’s delays are somehow their fault. But developmental delays are typically caused by things beyond your control. For example, teaching a child more than one language doesn’t lead to speech or language problems. |
| Glucophage | Glucophage is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels.Glucophage is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. |
| Glucose | Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula C₆H₁₂O₆. Glucose is the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using energy from sunlight. There it is used to make cellulose in cell walls, which is the most abundant carbohydrate. In energy metabolism, glucose is the most important source of energy in all organisms. Glucose for metabolism is partially stored as a polymer, in plants mainly as starch and amylopectin and in animals as glycogen. Glucose circulates in the blood of animals as blood sugar. |
| Glutathione metabolism | Glutathione is an antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea. Glutathione is capable of preventing damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals. It is a tripeptide with a gamma peptide linkage between the carboxyl group of the glutamate side chain and cysteine. The carboxyl group of the cysteine residue is attached by normal peptide linkage to glycine. |
| Gluten | Gluten is a group of proteins, called prolamins and glutelins, which occur with starch in the endosperm of various cereal grains. This protein complex comprises 75–85% of the total protein in bread wheat. It is found in related wheat species and hybrids, barley, rye, and oats, as well as products derived from these grains, such as breads and malts. |
| Glycolysis | Glycolysis (from glycose, an older term for glucose + -lysis degradation) is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose C6H12O6, into pyruvate, CH3COCOO + H. The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy compounds ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). |
| Gross motor skills | Gross motor skills are movements that involve large muscle groups and are generally more broad and energetic than fine motor movements. These include walking, kicking, jumping, and climbing stairs. Some milestones for gross motor skills also involve eye-hand coordination, such as throwing or catching a ball. |
| Heat intolerance | Heat Intolerance is an uncomfortable feeling of being overheated in hot environments. |
| Hemophilia | Hemophilia is caused by deficiency of clotting factors, a certain type of protein in the body. Major symptoms include unexplained bleeding, blood in urine or stool. Treatment involves injections of the insufficient clotting factors or plasma. |
| Heteroplasmy | Heteroplasmy is the presence of more than one type of organellar genome (mitochondrial DNA or plastid DNA) within a cell or individual. It is an important factor in considering the severity of mitochondrial diseases. |
| Histological testing | Histological testing is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is commonly performed by examining cells and tissues under a light microscope or electron microscope, which have been sectioned, stained and mounted on a microscope slide. |
| Homepathic medicine | Homeopathic medicine is a science that stimulates the individual’s body to correct imbalances, eliminate waste and maintain equilibrium in the body by means of preparations which facilitate the process of self-cure and enable the body to heal itself by following the Laws of Nature. |
| Homeostatis | Homeostasis is the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes. |
| Hospice | Hospice is a home providing care for the sick or terminally ill. |
| Hydration | Hydration is: Chemically, the addition of water; differentiated from hydrolysis, where the union with water is accompanied by a splitting of the original molecule and the water molecule; Clinically, the taking in of water; used commonly in the sense of reduced hydration or dehydration; the formation of a shell of water molecules around a molecular entity. |
| Hypoglycemia | Hypoglycemia is literally translated as low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar (or blood glucose) concentrations fall below a level necessary to properly support the body’s need for energy and stability throughout its cells. |
| Hypotonia | Hypotonia is reduced tension in any part, as in the eyeball; Relaxation of the arteries; A condition in which there is a diminution or loss of muscular tonicity. |
| Hypoxia | Hypoxia is diminished availability of oxygen to the body tissues; its causes are many and varied and includes a deficiency of oxygen in the atmosphere, as in altitude sickness; pulmonary disorders that interfere with adequate ventilation of the lungs; anemia or circulatory deficiencies, leading to inadequate transport and delivery of oxygen to the tissues; and finally, edema or other abnormal conditions of the tissues themselves that impair the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between capillaries and tissues. |
| Individuals with Disailities Act | The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a four-part piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act from 1975 to 1990. In 1990, the United States Congress reauthorized EHA and changed the title to IDEA. Overall, the goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability. |
| Idiopathic | An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparent spontaneous origin. From Greek ἴδιος idios “one’s own” and πάθος pathos “suffering”, idiopathy means approximately “a disease of its own kind”. For some medical conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause may not be readily apparent or characterized. In these cases, the origin of the condition is said to be idiopathic. With some other medical conditions, the root cause for a large percentage of all cases have not been established—for example, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or ankylosing spondylitis; the majority of these cases are deemed idiopathic. |
| Individual Family Service Place (IFSP) | An Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a plan for special services for young children with developmental delays. An IFSP only applies to children from birth to three years of age. The IFSP is developed with service coordinator for a Part C eligible child and family. The service is available “Part C” (formerly Part H) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) The IFSP is set up to identify individualized supports and services that will enhance the child’s development. The IFSP is usually done at 6 month intervals but can be done more often if necessary. The plan must include an assessment of child’s present level of development, a statement of goals, support services that will be put in place to achieve those goals, date services will begin, name and identification of the service coordinator. |
| Individualized Education Program (IEP) | Once a child turns 3 years old, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is put into place. This program was created by US Public Law 99-457.1 An IEP strictly revolves around the student, because it’s the child’s education which is being discussed. |
| Insensible Fluid Loss | Insensible loss (insensible water loss) is the amount of fluid lost on a daily basis from the lungs, skin, and respiratory tract, as well as water excreted in the feces; the exact amount cannot be measured, but it is estimated to be between 40 cc and 600 cc in an adult under normal circumstances. |
| Intellectual Disability | Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills. |
| Ischemia | Ischemia is an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles. |
| Jejunostomy Tube (J tube) | A jejunostomy tube is a feeding tube inserted in the jejunum, the second section of the small intestine. In many cases, a jejunostomy tube will help to provide nutrition for a terminally ill patient. |
| Jejunum | The jejunum is the second part of the small intestine in humans and most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. Its lining is specialized for the absorption by enterocytes of small nutrient molecules which have been previously digested by enzymes in the duodenum. The jejunum lies between the duodenum and the ileum and is considered to start at the suspensory muscle of the duodenum, a location called the duodenojejunal flexure. The division between the jejunum and ileum is not anatomically distinct. In adult humans, the small intestine is usually 6-7m long, about two-fifths of which (2.5 m) is the jejunum. |
| Kearns Sayre Syndrome | The Kearns-Sayre syndrome is one of the mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. These disorders are due to defects in the DNA of the mitochondria, the cell structures that produce energy. These defects cause the brain and muscles to function abnormally (encephalomyopathy). |
| Ketogenic diet | Ketogenic diet is an extreme low-carbohydrate diet that aims to promote the metabolism of fats into ketone bodies (rather than carbohydrates into glucose) to provide the body’s main source of energy. |
| Kidney dysfunction | Kidney Dysfunction is disturbance, impairment, or abnormality of kidney functioning. |
| Kreb’s Cycle | Kreb’s cycle (also known as Citric Acid Cycle or Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle) is a step wise cyclic process which is used to oxidize the pyruvate formed during the glycolytic breakdown of glucose into Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) and Water (H 2 O). It also oxidizes acetyl CoA which arises from breakdown of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein |
| Lactated ringer’s (LR) | Lactated Ringer’s solution, also known as sodium lactate solution and Hartmann’s solution, is a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium lactate, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride in water. It is used for replacing fluids and electrolytes in those who have low blood volume or low blood pressure. It may also be used to treat metabolic acidosis and to wash the eye following a chemical burn. It is given by injection into a vein or applied to the affected area. |
| Lactic acid | Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula CH₃CH(OH)CO₂H. It is white in solid state and it is miscible with water. While in liquid state it is a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as natural sources. Lactic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid due to the presence of carboxyl group adjacent to the hydroxyl group. It is used as a synthetic intermediate in many organic synthesis industries and in various biochemical industries. The conjugate base of lactic acid is called lactate. |
| Lactic acidosis | Lactic acidosis is a medical condition characterized by the buildup of lactate in the body, with formation of an excessively low pH in the bloodstream. It is a form of metabolic acidosis, in which excessive acid accumulates due to a problem with the body’s oxidative metabolism. |
| Leber’s Hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) | Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) or Leber hereditary optic atrophy is a mitochondrially inherited (transmitted from mother to offspring) degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons that leads to an acute or subacute loss of central vision; this affects predominantly young adult males. |
| Leigh’s disease | Leigh’s syndrome (also called Leigh disease and subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy) is an under-recognized inherited neurometabolic disorder that affects the central nervous system. It is named after Archibald Denis Leigh, a British neuropsychiatrist who first described the condition in 1951.[2] Normal levels of thiamine, thiamine monophosphate, and thiamine diphosphate are commonly found but there is a reduced or absent level of thiamine triphosphate. This is thought to be caused by a blockage in the enzyme thiamine-diphosphate kinase, and therefore treatment in some patients would be to take thiamine triphosphate daily. |
| Lethargy | Lethargy is a state of tiredness, weariness, fatigue, or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overworking, stress, lack of exercise, improper nutrition, boredom, or a symptom of an illness or a disorder. It may also be a side-effect of medication or caused by an interaction between medications or medication(s) and alcohol. When part of a normal response, lethargy often resolves with rest, adequate sleep, decreased stress, physical exercise and good nutrition.[1][2] Lethargy’s symptoms can last days or even months. |
| Leukodystrophy | Leukodystrophy is one of a group of disorders characterized by degeneration of the white matter in the brain.[1] The word leukodystrophy comes from the Greek roots leuko, “”white””, dys, “”abnormal””, and troph, “”growth””. The leukodystrophies are caused by imperfect growth or development of the myelin sheath, the fatty insulating covering around nerve fibers.[2] When damage occurs to white matter, immune responses can lead to inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), along with loss of myelin. The degeneration of white matter can be seen in an MRI scan and used to diagnose leukodystrophy. Leukodystrophy is characterized by specific symptoms including decreased motor function, muscle rigidity, and eventual degeneration of sight and hearing. While the disease is fatal, the age of onset is a key factor as infants are given a lifespan of 2–8 years (sometimes longer), while adults typically live more than a decade after onset. Treatment options are limited, although hematopoietic stem cell transplantations using bone marrow or cord blood seem to help in certain types while further research is being done. |
| Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body. MRI does not involve X-rays or the use of ionizing radiation, which distinguishes it from CT or CAT scans and PET scans. Magnetic resonance imaging is a medical application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR can also be used for imaging in other NMR applications such as NMR spectroscopy. |
| Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) | Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a noninvasive technique that is similar to magnetic resonance imaging but uses a stronger field and is used to monitor body chemistry (as in metabolism or blood flow) rather than anatomical structures —abbreviation MRS. |
| Malabsorption | Malabsorption is faulty absorption especially of nutrient materials from the gastrointestinal tract. |
| Malaise | Malaise is an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness. |
| Malignant hyperthermia (MH) | Malignant hyperthermia is a rare inherited condition characterized by a rapid, extreme, and often fatal rise in body temperature following the administration of general anesthesia. |
| Malnutrition | Malnutrition definition is – faulty nutrition due to inadequate or unbalanced intake of nutrients or their impaired assimilation or utilization |
| Maternal mitochondrial DNA mutation inhertiance (mtDNA) | Mitochondrial DNA is never mixed with the father’s DNA, so the red circle pedigree line above remains unbroken and intact and is passed from mothers to all of their children, as you can see in the brother and sister at the bottom. Only females pass mitochondrial DNA on to their children, so all children carry their mother’s mtDNA thus why the term Maternal Mitochondrial DNA mutation inheritance (mtDNA)/. |
| Matrix | Matrix is something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form. |
| Meditation | Meditation is a discourse intended to express its author’s reflections or to guide others in contemplation. |
| Mitochondrial encephalopathy lactic acidosis and stroke (MELAS) | Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is a condition that affects many of the body’s systems, particularly the brain and nervous system (encephalo-) and muscles (myopathy). The signs and symptoms of this disorder most often appear in childhood following a period of normal development, although they can begin at any age. |
| Melatonin | Melatonin is a vertebrate hormone that is derived from serotonin, is secreted by the pineal gland especially in response to darkness, and has been linked to the regulation of circadian rhythms |
| Mendelian inheritance | Mendelian inheritance of characters specifically transmitted by genes in accord with Mendel’s laws — called also particulate inheritance. |
| Meningitis | Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and arachnoid specifically : a disease marked by inflammation of the meninges that is either a relatively mild illness caused by a virus (such as various Coxsackieviruses) or a more severe usually life-threatening illness caused by a bacterium (especially the meningococcus, Neisseria meningitides, or the serotype designated B of Haemophilus influenzae). Note: Meningitis is often marked by fever, headache, vomiting, malaise, and stiff neck, and if left untreated in bacterial forms, may progress to confusion, stupor, convulsions, coma, and death. |
| Myoclonic epilepsy and ragged red fiber disease (MERRF) | MERRF syndrome (or myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers) is a mitochondrial disease. It is extremely rare, and has varying degrees of expressivity owing to heteroplasmy. MERRF syndrome affects different parts of the body, particularly the muscles and nervous system. |
| Metabolic crisis | Metabolic crisis is a serious health condition caused by low blood sugar and the build-up of toxic substances in the blood. Symptoms of a metabolic crisis are poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, extreme sleepiness, irritable mood and behavior changes. |
| Metabolic disease | Metabolic disease is a disease caused by some defect in the chemical reactions of the cells of the body. |
| Metaboic Syndrome | Metabolic syndrome is a combination including at least three of the following: abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low level of high-density lipoproteins, hypertension, and high fasting plasma glucose level. It is associated with an increased risk for development of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. |
| Metabolism | Metabolism is the sum of the processes in the buildup and destruction of protoplasm; specifically: the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated. Regular exercise can help to increase your metabolism. |
| Metformin | Metformin, marketed under the trade name Glucophage among others, is the first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, particularly in people who are overweight. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. |
| Glucophage | Glucophage, also known as metformin, is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels. Glucophage is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus . Glucophage is sometimes used together with insulin or other medications, but it is not for treating type 1 diabetes. |
| Migrane | Migraine is a condition marked by recurring moderate to severe headache with throbbing pain that usually lasts from four hours to three days, typically begins on one side of the head but may spread to both sides, is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound, and is sometimes preceded by an aura and is often followed by fatigue. |
| Mitochondrial recessive ataxia syndrome (MIRAS) | Ataxia neuropathy spectrum now includes the conditions previously called mitochondrial recessive ataxia syndrome (MIRAS) and sensory ataxia neuropathy dysarthria and ophthalmoplegia (SANDO). As the name implies, people with ataxia neuropathy spectrum typically have problems with coordination and balance (ataxia) and disturbances in nerve function (neuropathy). |
| Mito cocktail | The mito cocktail refers to the group of vitamins and supplements used by patients with mitochondrial disease to help the body improve energy production at the cellular level. |
| Mitochondria | Definition of mitochondrion ( plural mitochondria) : any of various round or long cellular organelles of most eukaryotes that are found outside the nucleus, produce energy for the cell through cellular respiration, and are rich in fats, proteins, and enzymes. |
| Mitochondrial diseases | Mitochondrial diseases are a group of disorders caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell. Mitochondria are found in every cell of the human body except red blood cells, and convert the energy of food molecules into the ATP that powers most cell functions. |
| Mitochondiral neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE) | Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome (MNGIE) is a rare autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease. It has been previously referred to as polyneuropathy, ophthalmoplegia, leukoencephalopathy, and POLIP syndrome. The disease presents in childhood, but often goes unnoticed for decades. |
| Mitochondrial oxidative stress | Mitochondrial oxidative stress is characterized by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which can induce mitochondrial DNA mutations, damage the mitochondrial respiratory chain, alter membrane permeability, and influence Ca2+ homeostasis and mitochondrial defense systems. |
| Molecular diagnosis | Molecular diagnosis is a technique used to analyse biological markers in the genome and proteome—the individual’s genetic code and how their cells express their genes as proteins—by applying molecular biology to medical testing. The technique is used to diagnose and monitor disease, detect risk, and decide which therapies will work best for individual patients. |
| Genetic diagnosis | Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a procedure used prior to implantation to help identify genetic defects within embryos. This serves to prevent certain genetic diseases or disorders from being passed on to the child. The embryos used in PGD are usually created during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). |
| Moelcular DNA sequencing | DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. |
| Molecular testing | Molecular testing (also called biomarker testing) looks for biological changes in genes or proteins, like EGFR or ALK, that may be associated with your cancer. In most cases, this involves testing a piece of tissue from the cancer (a biopsy). |
| Motility | Motility is the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Motility is genetically determined (see genetic determinism) but may be affected by environmental factors. |
| Motor delay | Motor Delay refers to children showing unusually slow development of fine-motor or gross-motor abilities. Fine motor abilities include things like grasping a pencil or handling a spoon. |
| Motor movement disorders | Motor movement disorders are disorders of the nervous system that cause abnormal and involuntary movements. They can result from damage to the motor system. Motor disorders are defined in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – published in 2013 to replace the fourth text revision – as a new sub-category of neurodevelopmental disorders. The DSM-5 motor disorders include developmental coordination disorder, stereotypic movement disorder, and the tic disorders including Tourette syndrome. |
| Muscle biopsy | A muscle biopsy is a procedure used to diagnose diseases involving muscle tissue. Your healthcare provider will remove tissue and cells from a specific muscle and view them microscopically. Your provider will only need to remove a small piece of tissue from the designated muscle. Your doctor takes the tissue sample by inserting a biopsy needle into your muscle. If a larger sample is required, your healthcare provider may make an incision in your skin (open biopsy) and remove a larger section of muscle. The muscle selected for your biopsy depends on the location of symptoms, which may include pain or weakness. The muscles often selected for sampling are the bicep (upper arm muscle), deltoid (shoulder muscle), or quadriceps (thigh muscle). |
| Genetic mutation | Some inherited genetic mutations can be good for the offspring. Some inherited genetic mutations cause few forms of cancer. Different genetic mutations cause few forms of cancer. Somatic mutations can be inherited from parents or acquired during life. Genetic mutations that cause diseases are always passed on to offspring. |
| Myasthenia gravis | Myasthenia gravis (my-us-THEE-nee-uh GRAY-vis) is characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles under your voluntary control. It’s caused by a breakdown in the normal communication between nerves and muscles. There’s no cure for myasthenia gravis, but treatment can help relieve signs and symptoms, such as weakness of arm or leg muscles, double vision, drooping eyelids, and difficulties with speech, chewing, swallowing and breathing. Though this disease can affect people of any age, it’s more common in women younger than 40 and in men older than 60. |
| Myclonic seizure | Myclonic Seizure is any of various disorders marked by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain and typically manifested by sudden brief episodes of altered or diminished consciousness, involuntary movements, or convulsions. |
| Myoclonus | Myoclonus is irregular involuntary contraction of a muscle usually resulting from functional disorder of controlling motor neurons. |
| Myopathy | Myopathy is a disorder of the muscle tissue or muscles. |
| Dehydrogenase | Dehydrogenase is an enzyme that accelerates the removal of hydrogen from metabolites and its transfer to other substances. |
| NADH | Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) may cause hemolytic anemia in patients. |
| Neuromuscular | Neuromuscular is “of or relating to nerves and muscles especially : jointly involving or affecting nervous and muscular elements”. |
| Neurontin | Neurontin is an anti-epileptic drug, also called an anticonvulsant.It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. Neurontin is used in adults to treat neuropathic pain (nerve pain) caused by herpes virus or shingles (herpes zoster).. The Neurontin is also used to treat seizures in adults and children who are at least 3 years old. |
| Neropathic pain | Neuropathic pain is pain caused by damage or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system. Neuropathic pain may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia or pain from normally non-painful stimuli. It may have continuous and/or episodic components. The latter resemble stabbings or electric shocks. Common qualities include burning or coldness, “pins and needles” sensations, numbness and itching. |
| Neuropathy | Neuropathy, or nerve damage, can result from a wide range of conditions such as diabetes and even treatments like chemotherapy. In fact, neuropathy, which is sometimes referred to as peripheral neuropathy, is not a single health condition but rather a term used to describe a range of health problems involving damage to the peripheral nerves, as well as the symptoms of those issues. While the group of conditions is irreversible, you can take steps to help prevent neuropathy or manage it through diet, lifestyle, and treatment. |
| Neuropathy, ataxis and retinities pigemntosa (NARP) | Neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa, also known as NARP syndrome, is a rare disease with mitochondrial inheritance that causes a variety of signs and symptoms chiefly affecting the nervous system Beginning in childhood or early adulthood, most people with NARP experience numbness, tingling, or pain in the arms and legs; muscle weakness; and problems with balance and coordination. Many affected individuals also have vision loss caused by changes in the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. In some cases, the vision loss results from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa. This eye disease causes the light-sensing cells of the retina gradually to deteriorate. |
| Neuropsychological evaluation (NPE) | Neuropsychological or also known as Neuropsychological Evaluation (NPE) is an important component of the assessment and treatment of brain injury, dementia, neurological conditions, and psychological and psychiatric disorders. Neuropsychological testing is also an important tool for examining the effects of toxic substances and medical conditions on brain functioning. |
| Neropsychological issue | Neuropsychological issues are the structure and function of the brain as they relate to specific psychological processes and behaviors. It’s an experimental field of psychology that aims to understand how behavior and cognition are influenced by brain functioning and is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral and cognitive effects of neurological disorders. |
| Neuropsychological testing | Neuropsychological testing (unlike bedside cognitive and behavioral neurologic screens) are standardized, meaning that they are given in the same manner to all patients and scored in a similar manner time after time. An individual’s scores on tests are interpreted by comparing their score to that of healthy individuals of a similar demographic background (i.e., of similar age, education, gender, and/or ethnic background) and to expected levels of functioning. In this way, a neuropsychologist can determine whether one’s performance on any given task represents a strength or weakness. |
| Neuropsychological | Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain as they relate to specific psychological processes and behaviors. It’s an experimental field of psychology that aims to understand how behavior and cognition are influenced by brain functioning and is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral and cognitive effects of neurological disorders. |
| Neutropenia | Neutropenia is the presence of abnormally few neutrophils in the blood, leading to increased susceptibility to infection. It is an undesirable side effect of some cancer treatments. |
| NPO | Neutropenia means “nothing by mouth”. While meaning nothing by mouth it is derived from the Latin words, “nil per os”, thus why it is called NPO. |
| Nuclear DNA | Nuclear DNA, or nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (nDNA), is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. Nuclear DNA encodes for the majority of the genome in eukaryotes, with DNA located in mitochondria and plastids coding for the rest. |
| Obsessive compulsive disoder (OCD) | Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over. |
| Occupational therapy | Occupational therapy is the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or occupations, of individuals, groups, or communities. It is an allied health profession performed by occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. OTs often work with people with mental health problems, disabilities, injuries, or impairments. |
| Oculocraniosomatic disease | Oculocraniosomatic Disease, also known as, Kearns–Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a mitochondrial myopathy with a typical onset before 20 years of age. KSS is a more severe syndromic variant of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (abbreviated CPEO), a syndrome that is characterized by isolated involvement of the muscles controlling movement of the eyelid (levator palpebrae, orbicularis oculi) and eye (extra-ocular muscles). This results in ptosis and ophthalmoplegia respectively. KSS involves a combination of the already described CPEO as well as pigmentary retinopathy in both eyes and cardiac conduction abnormalities. Other symptoms may include cerebellar ataxia, proximal muscle weakness, deafness, diabetes mellitus, growth hormone deficiency, hypoparathyroidism, and other endocrinopathies.[2] In both of these diseases, muscle involvement may begin unilaterally but always develops into a bilateral deficit, and the course is progressive. This discussion is limited specifically to the more severe and systemically involved variant. |
| OHI | OHI is a popular indicator developed in 1960 to determine oral hygiene status in epidemiological studies. The index consists of an oral debris score and a calculus score. Six indicator teeth are examined for soft deposits and calculus. Numerical values are assigned to the six indicator teeth according to the extraneous deposits present. The scores are added and divided by the number of surfaces examined to calculate the average oral hygiene score. |
| Optic nerve atrophy | Optic nerve atrophy also known as Optic Neuropathy is damage to the optic nerve from any cause. Damage and death of these nerve cells, or neurons, leads to characteristic features of optic neuropathy. The main symptom is loss of vision, with colors appearing subtly washed out in the affected eye. On medical examination, the optic nerve head can be visualised by an ophthalmoscope. A pale disc is characteristic of long-standing optic neuropathy. In many cases, only one eye is affected and patients may not be aware of the loss of color vision until the doctor asks them to cover the healthy eye. |
| Organelle | Organelle is a specialized cellular part (such as a mitochondrion, chloroplast, or nucleus) that has a specific function and is considered analogous to an organ. |
| Organic acidemia | Organic acidemia, is a term used to classify a group of metabolic disorders which disrupt normal amino acid metabolism, particularly branched-chain amino acids, causing a buildup of acids which are usually not present. |
| Clinical trial | Clinical trial is a scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutic agent (such as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects. |
| Osmotic laxative | Osmotic Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubricant and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under certain circumstances. Sufficiently high doses of laxatives may cause diarrhea. |
| Oxidative phosphorylation (OX-PHOS) | Oxidative phosphorylation (OX-phos) IS the synthesis of ATP by phosphorylation of ADP for which energy is obtained by electron transport and which takes place in the mitochondria during aerobic respiration |
| Oxidative stress | Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system’s ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. Disturbances in the normal redox state of cells can cause toxic effects through the production of peroxides and free radicals that damage all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. Oxidative stress from oxidative metabolism causes base damage, as well as strand breaks in DNA. Base damage is mostly indirect and caused by reactive oxygen species generated, e.g. O₂⁻, OH and H₂O₂. Further, some reactive oxidative species act as cellular messengers in redox signaling. Thus, oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling. |
| Palliative Care | Palliative care is an interdisciplinary approach to specialized medical and nursing care for people with chronic conditions. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress at any stage of illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the person and their family. Evidence as of 2016 supports palliative care’s efficacy in the improvement of a patient’s quality of life. Palliative care is provided by a team of physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and other health professionals who work together with the primary care physician and referred specialists and other hospital or hospice staff to provide additional support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided as the main goal of care or along with curative treatment. Although it is an important part of end-of-life care, it is not limited to that stage. Palliative care can be provided across multiple settings including in hospitals, at home, as part of community palliative care programs, and in skilled nursing facilities. Interdisciplinary palliative care teams work with people and their families to clarify goals of care and provide symptom management, psycho-social, and spiritual support. Physicians sometimes use the term palliative care in a sense meaning palliative therapies without curative intent, when no cure can be expected (as often happens in late-stage cancers). For example, tumor debulking can continue to reduce pain from mass effect even when it is no longer curative. A clearer usage is palliative, noncurative therapy when that is what is meant, because palliative care can be used along with curative or aggressive therapies.Medications and treatments are said to have a palliative effect if they relieve symptoms without having a curative effect on the underlying disease or cause. This can include treating nausea related to chemotherapy or something as simple as morphine to treat the pain of broken leg or ibuprofen to treat pain related to an influenza infection. |
| Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency | Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is the inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. EPI is found in humans afflicted with cystic fibrosis and Shwachman–Diamond syndrome, and is common in dogs. EPI is caused by a progressive loss of the pancreatic cells that make digestive enzymes; loss of digestive enzymes leads to maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients from normal digestive processes. |
| Paresthesia | Paresthesia is a sensation of pricking, tingling, or creeping on the skin that has no objective cause. |
| Paroxysmal neuropathies | Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder is considered a form of peripheral neuropathy because it affects the peripheral nervous system, which connects the brain and spinal cord to muscles and to cells that detect sensations such as touch, smell, and pain. |
| Peripheral nervous system (PNS) | Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is the part of the nervous system that is outside the central nervous system and comprises the cranial nerves excepting the optic nerve, the spinal nerves, and the autonomic nervous system. |
| Peripheral neuropathy | Peripheral Neuopathy is a disease or degenerative state of the peripheral nerves in which motor, sensory, or vasomotor nerve fibers may be affected and which is marked by muscle weakness and atrophy, pain, and numbness. |
| Pervasive development disorder (PDD) | The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders, as opposed to specific developmental disorders, is a group of five disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. The pervasive developmental disorders are: All autism spectrum disorders and Rett syndrome. |
| Petit mal seizure | Petit Mal Seizure, also known as an “absence seizure” is a nonconvulsive seizure that is marked by the temporary impairment of consciousness usually manifested as a blank facial expression, that begins and ends abruptly, and that is usually unremembered afterward. An absence seizure is a type of generalized seizure affecting both cerebral hemispheres and usually lasting from a few seconds to no more than 30 seconds. Absence seizures are often accompanied by unconscious repetitive movements (such as smacking of the lips or blinking of the eyelids) and may occur many times a day. This type of seizure is characteristic of childhood and juvenile absence epilepsies. |
| Grand mal seizure | A Grand mal seizure is a seizure marked by abrupt loss of consciousness with initially prolonged tonic muscle contractions followed by clonic muscle spasms |
| Phenotype | Phenotype is the observable properties of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment. |
| Phenylalanine | Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid C9H11NO2 that is converted in the normal body to tyrosine. |
| Phenylketonuria (PKU) | Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited metabolic disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency resulting in accumulation of phenylalanine and its metabolites in the blood causing usually severe intellectual disability and seizures unless phenylalanine is restricted from the diet beginning at birth. |
| Physiatrist | Physiatrist is a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. |
| Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as Physical Therapy, Physiatry, and Physical Medicine |
Physical medicine and rehabilitation (Physical Therapy) is a medical specialty concerned with preventing, diagnosing, and treating disabling diseases, disorders, and injuries by physical means (as by the use of electrotherapy, therapeutic exercise, or pharmaceutical pain control) — called also physiatry, physical medicine. |
| Physiotherapist | A Physiotherapist is also known as a Physical Therapist. (see above) |
| Plasma Amino Acids | Plasma amino acids is a screening test done on infants that looks at the amounts of amino acids in the blood. Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins in the body. |
| Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) | Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme found primarily in the liver and kidney. It was originally referred to as serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT). Normally, a low level of ALT exists in the serum. ALT is increased with liver damage and is used to screen for and/or monitor liver disease. |
| DNA Polymerase subunit gamma (POLG) | DNA polymerase subunit gamma is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the POLG gene. POLG is a gene that codes for the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase, called DNA polymerase gamma. The human POLG cDNA and gene were cloned and mapped to chromosome band 15q25. |
| Prader-Willi Syndrome | Prader-Willi Syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized especially by short stature, intellectual disability, hypotonia, functionally deficient gonads, and uncontrolled appetite leading to extreme obesity. |
| Precautions against catabolism in people with mitochondrial diseases | The best treatment against catabolism is preventing it from occurring. This means: – Prevent prolonged fasting with maintaining oral fluid intake and/or IV fluids before and after a procedure/surgery – Ensure that the fluids provided contain a source of dextrose – Avoid medications that may be toxic to the mitochondria, such as propofol, aminoglycosides, and valproic acid, when possible – Avoid fluids that may be toxic to the mitochondria, such as ringer’s lactate – Prevent over-sedation by volatile anesthetics – Ensure that the patient has an illness precautions letter. |
| Primary diagnosis | Primary Diagnosis is the condition having the most impact on patient’s health, length of stay, resource consumption and the like, regardless of when it occurred during the hospital admission. The primary diagnosis may or may not be the same as the principal diagnosis. |
| Primary Generalized Epilepsy | Types of Primary Generalized Epilepsy Seizures Myoclonic: Limbs or the whole body experience “jerks” during the daytime, when the patient is awake. Absence: Brief staring spells that last three to five seconds. Eyelid myoclonia with absences: Absence seizures with eye rolling and fluttering. |
| Probiotics | Probiotics are microorganisms (such as lactobacillus) that when consumed (as in a food or a dietary supplement) maintains or restores beneficial bacteria to the digestive tract. |
| Prognosis | Prognosis is the prospect of recovery as anticipated from the usual course of disease or peculiarities of the case. |
| Propofol | Propofol is a sedating and hypnotic agent C12H18O administered intravenously to induce and maintain anesthesia or sedation. |
| Proton | A proton is an elementary particle that is identical with the nucleus of the hydrogen atom, that along with the neutron is a constituent of all other atomic nuclei, that carries a positive charge numerically equal to the charge of an electron, and that has a mass of 1.673 × 10−27 kilogram. |
| Intestinal Pseudo obstruction | An intestinal pseudo obstruction is a condition in which the patient has symptoms of intestinal obstruction with no sign of actual physical obstruction. This condition may be due to problems with the nerves that control intestinal muscles or to other causes. |
| Psychotropic drugs | The phrase “psychotropic drugs” is a technical term for psychiatric medicines that alter chemical levels in the brain which impact mood and behavior. |
| Ptosis | Ptosis is a sagging or prolapse of an organ or part especially : a drooping of the upper eyelid. |
| Pulmonary function assessment | Pulmonary function assessment carried out by pulmonary function tests, or PFTs, measure how well your lungs work. They include tests that measure lung size and air flow, such as spirometry and lung volume tests. Other tests measure how well gases such as oxygen get in and out of your blood. |
| Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) | Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a complex of three enzymes that convert pyruvate into acetyl-CoA by a process called pyruvate decarboxylation. Acetyl-CoA may then be used in the citric acid cycle to carry out cellular respiration, and this complex links the glycolysis metabolic pathway to the citric acid cycle. |
| Pyruvate dehyrdogenase complex deficiency (PDCD) | Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency (also known as pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency or PDCD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders associated with abnormal mitochondrial metabolism. PDCD is an X-linked disease that shows heterogeneous characteristics in both clinical presentation and biochemical abnormality. |
| Pyruvic acid | Pyruvic acid is a yellowish organic acid which occurs as an intermediate in many metabolic processes, especially glycolysis. |
| Quadriparesis | Quadriparesis is a muscle weakness affecting all four limbs and is also referred to as tetraparesis. |
| Ragged red fibers (RRF) | Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF) is a disorder that affects many parts of the body, particularly the muscles and nervous system. In most cases, the signs and symptoms of this disorder appear during childhood or adolescence. The features of MERRF vary widely among affected individuals, even among members of the same family. |
| Reactive oxygen species (ROS) | Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen. Examples include peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and singlet oxygen. In a biological context, ROS are formed as a natural byproduct of the normal metabolism of oxygen and have important roles in cell signaling and homeostasis. |
| Autosomal Recessive inheritance | Autosomal Recessive Inheritance is a result of a recessive mutation in one of the autosomes. This genetic defect affects children whose parents, both father and mother, are carriers of one recessive gene mutation. |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux | Gastroesophageal Reflux, also known as heartburn, is the backward flow of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus that is due to malfunctioning of a sphincter at the lower end of the esophagus. |
| Refractory to treatment | In medicine, refractory describes a disease or condition which does not respond to attempted forms of treatment. A cancer is said to be refractory when it does not respond to (or is resistant to) cancer treatment. |
| Regression | Regression (also known as reversion) is a progressive decline of manifestation of a disease; a gradual loss of differentiation and function by a body part especially as a physiological change accompanying aging; and/or a gradual loss of memories and acquired skills. |
| Rehabilitation physician | Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry and physiatrics, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field may be referred to as a physiatrist or a Rehabilitation physician. Physiatrists specialize in restoring optimal function to people with injuries to the muscles, bones, ligaments, or nervous system. |
| Renal tubular acidosis | Renal tubular acidosis is the decreased ability of the kidneys to excrete hydrogen ions that is associated with a defect in the renal tubules without a defect in the glomeruli and that results in the production of urine deficient in acidity. |
| Respiratory chain | Respiratory chain is the metabolic pathway along which electron transport occurs in cellular respiration; the series of respiratory enzymes involved in this pathway. |
| Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a paramyxovirus (species Human respiratory syncytial virus of the genus Pneumovirus) that is responsible for severe respiratory diseases (such as bronchopneumonia and bronchiolitis) in children and especially in infants. |
| Restorative | Restorative is something that serves to restore to consciousness, vigor, or health. |
| Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation. |
| Secondary diagnosis | Secondary diagnosis means a diagnosis other than the principal diagnosis for which an inpatient is admitted to a hospital. |
| Primary mitochondrial myopathy (PMM) | Primary mitochondrial myopathy (PMM) is a mitochondrial disease that causes prominent muscular problems is called a mitochondrial myopathy (myo means muscle, and pathos means disease), while a mitochondrial disease that causes both prominent muscular and neurological problems is called a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (encephalo refers to the brain). |
| Seizure | A seizure is a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder (i.e. an epileptic seizure). |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) | SSRI definition is – any of a class of antidepressants (such as fluoxetine) that inhibit the inactivation of serotonin by blocking its reuptake by presynaptic neuron endings —called also selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. |
| Sensorineural deafness, also known as Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) |
Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) is due to problems of the inner ear, also known as nerve-related hearing loss. |
| Sensory processing disorder or SPD, originally called Sensory Integration Dysfunction |
Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD (originally called Sensory Integration Dysfunction) is a neurological disorder in which the sensory information that the individual perceives results in abnormal responses. Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into responses. |
| Sensory peripheral neuropathy | Sensory peripheral neuropathy can make a simple task such as walking into a store or physician’s office a difficult one. Sensory peripheral neuropathy impedes your ability to feel or “sense” your feet, making it difficult to keep a steady gait. You may lose your balance and become more prone to falls. |
| Sensory processing disorder (SPD) | Sensory Processing Disorder is currently a symptom or an “other” (meaning SPD doesn’t exist) The DSM-5 lists sensory processing issues as a symptom of a number of mental health conditions. The ICD book lists “sensory integration disorder” under F88; however, this code is classified as an “other condition”. |
| Serum ALT/ AST | A normal serum ALT test result can range from 7-55 units per liter (U/L); levels are normally higher in men; slightly high ALT levels may be caused by: Alcohol abuse, Cirrhosis (long-term damage and scarring of the liver), Mononucleosis, and drugs such as statins, aspirin, and some sleep aids. Aspartate aminotransferase (also known as AST or glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase) is an enzyme that promotes transfer of an amino group from glutamic acid to oxaloacetic acid and that when present in abnormally high levels in the blood is a diagnostic indication of heart attack or liver disease. |
| Short bowel syndrome | Short bowel syndrome is defined as malabsorption from the small intestine that is marked by diarrhea, malnutrition, and steatorrhea and that results from resection of the small intestine. |
| Smooth muscle dysfunction | Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome is a disease in which the activity of smooth muscle throughout the body is impaired This leads to widespread problems including blood vessel abnormalities, a decreased response of the pupils to light, a weak bladder, and weakened contractions of the muscles used for the digestion of food (hypoperistalsis). |
| Skeletal muscle | Skeletal muscle dysfunction is very common in patients with COPD, and may play an important role in limiting exercise performance in these patients. Muscle strength and endurance are both decreased and the muscle is more easily fatigued. Muscle atrophy is largely responsible for the reduction in muscle strength. |
| Soft signs | Soft signs are any of a number of signs that, considered collectively, are felt to indicate the presence of damage to the central nervous system. These signs include incoordination, visual motor difficulties, nystagmus, the presence of associated movements, and difficulties with motor control. |
| Speech Delay | Speech delays in toddlers are common. In fact, language and speech problems are the most common type of developmental delay. Speech refers to verbal expression, including the way words are formed. Language is a broader system of expressing and receiving information, such as being able to understand gestures. |
| Speech, language, oral-motor therapy | Speech and language oral motor therapy is considered to be an effective approach when it comes to treating speech and language disorders. Aside from being useful in improving speech production, it is also capable of treating a lot of issues linked to feeding. If you have a child who is facing difficulty in moving food around using his tongue and chew it, then the therapy can work perfectly in improving his condition. If provided by a competent and effective speech language pathologist, the therapy can even be expected to offer a great number of advantages. |
| Stamina | Stamina is the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity : endurance |
| Statins | Statins are any of a group of drugs (such as lovastatin and simvastatin) that inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol and promote the production of LDL-binding receptors in the liver resulting in a usually marked decrease in the level of LDL and a modest increase in the level of HDL circulating in blood plasma. Statins are one of the medications that should generally be avoided during times of illness in individuals with mitochondrial disease. |
| Stroke | A stroke is a sudden diminution or loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion caused by rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a blood vessel of the brain; also called apoplexy, brain attach, and cerebrovascular accident. |
| Swallow dysfunction | Swallowing dysfunction is a late complication of nephropathic cystinosis, probably related to muscular dysfunction. Changes in the consistency of foods, swallowing exercises, and long-term cysteamine therapy should be considered for patients with cystinosis who have difficulty in swallowing. |
| Swallow study | Commonly referred to as the barium swallow study, swallow study is a radiological examination that helps in visualization of the esophagus for diagnostic purposes. It involves swallowing a radio contrast agent known as barium sulfate. Barium comes prepared in powder form. |
| Synapse | Synapse definition is – the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another. |
| Tachycardia | Tachycardia is a relatively rapid heart action whether physiological (as after exercise) or pathological. |
| Total prenanteral nutrition (TPN) | Parenteral nutrition (PN) is feeding a person intravenously, bypassing the usual process of eating and digestion. The person receives nutritional formulae that contain nutrients such as glucose, amino acids, lipids and added vitamins and dietary minerals. It is called total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or total nutrient admixture (TNA) when no significant nutrition is obtained by other routes. |
| Toxicity | Toxicity is often a relative thing; in the words of a famous old saying, “The dose makes the poison”. Thus, it’s possible to die from drinking too much water, and lives have been saved by tiny doses of arsenic. Even though botulinum toxin is the most toxic substance known, it’s the basic ingredient in Botox, which is injected into the face to get rid of wrinkles. With some poisons, mere skin contact can be lethal; others are lethal when breathed into the lungs in microscopic amounts. To determine if a chemical will be officially called a poison, researchers often use the “LD50” test: If 50 milligrams of the substance for every kilogram of an animal’s body weight results in the death of 50% of test animals, the chemical is a poison. But there are problems with such tests, and toxicity remains a very individual concept. |
| Toxins | Toxins are a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation. |
| Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulations therapy (TENS) | Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes. TENS, by definition, covers the complete range of transcutaneously applied currents used for nerve excitation although the term is often used with a more restrictive intent, namely to describe the kind of pulses produced by portable stimulators used to treat pain. The unit is usually connected to the skin using two or more electrodes. A typical battery-operated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity. Generally TENS is applied at high frequency with an intensity below motor contraction or low frequency with an intensity that produces motor contraction. While the use of TENS has proved effective in clinical studies, there is controversy over which conditions the device should be used to treat. |
| Treatment for catabolism in patients with mitochondrial diseases | Once a patient is already in a catabolic state, treatment should begin immediately. This treatment includes: – Stop the oral intake of a toxic compound, including any applicable medications (usually by making the patient NPO) – Provide IV fluids with dextrose – Give IV fluids at a higher than maintenance rate – Insulin may be needed, not only to prevent hyperglycemia but also to provide the body with a hormonal signal to stop catabolism – Monitor routine chemistries, glucose, ammonia, ketones and liver function for metabolic derangements – Correct any metabolic derangements: (1) Hypoglycemia – if hypoglycemic, administer 1-2 g/kg of glucose IV STAT; follow with (at least) a 10% glucose solution; (2) Metabolic acidosis – administer NaHCO3 as a bolus (1 mEq/kg) if acutely acidotic with pH < 7.22 or bicarb level < 14, followed by a continuous infusion. (3) Hyperammonemia – the elevated ammonia reflects a secondary inhibition of the urea cycle. As treatment for the metabolic decompensation proceeds, the ammonia level should diminish. A level > 200 may require treatment. – – Provide medications such as IV levo-carnitine (100 mg/kg/day, divided tid) to facilitate the removal of toxic metabolic species – Treat any underlying infection and fever. |
| Urinary retension | Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. |
| Vagal nerve stimulators (VNS) | Vagal nerve stimulators (VNS) are devices that stimulate the vagus nerve. They can be used for a variety of medical reasons. (1) They can be used to treat epilepsy and seizures. (2) VNS have been proven to ease Rheumatoid Arthritis. The study, of 17 adults with the painful autoimmune disease, tested the effects of vagus nerve stimulation — a technique long used to control seizures in some people with epilepsy. It found that over six weeks, most of the patients showed some improvements in joint swelling. (3) Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been shown to be helpful for chronic depression, controlling intractable epileptic seizures, and now, when coupled with sound therapy, has the potential to reduce noise levels in those with tinnitus. (4) Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a surgical procedure that can be used to treat those with treatment-resistant depression. A pacemaker-like device, implanted in the body, is attached to a stimulating wire that is threaded along a nerve called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve travels up the neck to the brain, where it connects to areas believed to be involved in regulating mood. Once implanted, this device delivers regular electrical impulses to the vagus nerve. (5) This non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment option decreases the likelihood of headaches. Recent clinical trials have been evaluating vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for the treatment of various headache conditions, including migraine and cluster headaches. In November 2018, the FDA cleared the VNS device for treatment of cluster headache. |
| Valproic acid | Valproic acid is a synthetic crystalline compound with anticonvulsant properties, used (generally as salts) in the treatment of epilepsy. Valproic acid is one of the medications that should generally be avoided during times of illness in individuals with mitochondrial disease. If valproic acid (valproate) be used for the first time during an acute mitochondrial illness, liver enzymes, ammonia and synthetic live function should be closely monitored. |
| X-linked gene inheritance | Genes are inherited from our biological parents in specific ways. One of the basic patterns of inheritance of our genes is called X-linked inheritance. X-linked gene inheritance means that the gene causing the trait or the disorder is located on the X chromosome. |