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Autosomal Dominant
This term refers to a characteristic coded for by the non-sex chromosomes which
is expressed in an organism whether the alleles are the same or different.
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Bile Acids
Alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and responsible for emulsification of
lipids, thereby facilitating digestion
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Developed World
A necessarily vague term used to describe countries with employment patterns,
diet, activity profiles, and other features characteristic of post-industrial
economies such as are found in Western Europe and North America
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Heterozygous
When a pair of genes determining a particular characteristic are different from
each other, we describe the individual in which the genes occur as
"heterozygous"
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High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
The major plasma lipoproteins are separated and identified by physical
properties (size and density) following ultracentrifugation
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Homozygous
When both members of a pair of genes are the same, they are "homozygous."
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Hyperlipidemia
The presence of abnormally high concentrations of fats in the blood
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Myopathy
Any disease of the muscles; myopathy secondary to HMG CoA reductase inhibitors
is characterized by muscular discomfort, stiffness, and weakness
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Nephrotic Syndrome
A condition characterized by abnormal loss of proteins in the urine, resulting
in reduced levels of serum proteins, including albumin, and causing generalized
swelling
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Prevalent
A disease or characteristic's "prevalence" refers to the number of individuals
with that disease or characteristic at a certain point in time
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Phenotype
The "phenotype" of an organism refers to an observable characteristic resulting
from the complex interaction between genes and the environment; in contrast, an
organism's "genotype" is its set of genes as they exist in the DNA--not as they
are expressed.
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Saturated Fats
Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids are defined by
common biochemical structural elements--specifically, the number of double bonds
in their molecular structure
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Sequela
A disease or disorder that is caused by a preceding disease in the same individual
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Serum
The fluid that separates from clotted blood; serum is similar in composition to
plasma, but lacks fibrinogen and other substances that are used in the
coagulation process
