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Subject: f
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 95 23:34 PDT (77 lines of text)

FALLOPIAN TUBES:

Part of the female reproductive system. A pair of ducts opening at one end into the uterus and at the other end into the peritoneal cavity, over the ovary. Each tube serves as a passage through which the ovum (egg) is carried to the uterus and through which spermatozoa (sperm) move toward the ovary. See also Ovary; Uterus.

FDA:

See Food and Drug Administration.

FDCs:

See Follicular Dendritic Cells.

FOLIC ACID:

A crystalline vitamin of the B complex that is used especially in the treatment of nutritional anemias. It occurs in green plants, fresh fruit, liver and yeast. Also called folacin, folate, vitamin B9.

FOLINIC ACID:

Also called citrovorum factor. A metabolically active form of folic acid that has been used in cancer therapy to protect normal cells against methotrexate (a cancer chemotherapy agent). Also used to treat megaloblastic anemias. See also Folic Acid.

FOLLICLE:

A small anatomical cavity or deep narrow-mouthed depression; a small lymph node.

FOLLICULAR DENDRITIC CELLS (FDCs):

Cells found in the germinal centers of lymphoid organs. FDCs have thread-like tentacles that form a weblike network to trap invaders and present them to other cells of the immune system (for destruction). See also Lymphoid Organs.

FOMITE:

An inanimate object that can harbor pathogenic microorganisms and thus serve as an agent of transmission of an infection.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA):

The Public Health Service agency responsible for (among others) ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drugs, biologics, vaccines and medical devices used in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV infection, AIDS and AIDS-related opportunistic infections. The FDA also works with the blood banking industry to safeguard the nation's blood supply. See also Public Health Service.

FUNCTIONAL ANTIBODY:

An antibody that binds to an antigen and has an effect. For example, neutralizing antibodies inactivate HIV or prevent it from infecting other cells. See also Antibodies; Antigen.

FUNGUS:

1. A general term used to denote a class of microbes including mushrooms, yeasts and molds. 2. Fungi, which were once classified as plants, have since been reclassified as unmoving organisms that lack chlorophyll. Mycologists (scientists working with fungi) estimate that there are 100,000 species of fungi, ranging from baker's yeast to dermatophytes (fungi that cause ringworm and athlete's foot) to potentially invasive species such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus. As many as 150 of these organisms have now been linked to animal or human diseases.