Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

adjuvant chemotherapy
Chemotherapy given
after removal of a cancerous tumor to further help
in treatment. Many chemotherapy drugs are most
effective after the majority of the tumor has been
removed.
ADLs
Activities of daily living.
admitting physician
The doctor responsible for
admitting a patient to a hospital or other inpatient
health facility.
adnexa
In gynecology, the appendages of the
uterus, namely the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, and
the ligaments that hold the uterus in place.
adrenal gland
A small gland located on top of
the kidney. The adrenal glands produce hormones
that help control heart rate, blood pressure, the way
the body uses food, the levels of minerals such as
sodium and potassium in the blood, and other func-
tions particularly involved in stress reactions.
adrenal medulla
See 
medulla, adrenal.
adrenaline
A stress hormone produced within
the adrenal gland that quickens the heart beat,
strengthens the force of the heart’s contraction, and
opens up the bronchioles in the lungs, among other
effects. The secretion of adrenaline is part of the
human “fight or flight” response to fear, panic, or
perceived threat. Also known as epinephrine.
adult hemoglobin
See 
hemoglobin A.
adult-onset diabetes
Non-insulin-dependent,
or type 2, diabetes, the most common form of dia-
betes mellitus. Unlike patients with insulin-depend-
ent, or type 1, diabetes, in whom the pancreas makes
no insulin, patients with adult-onset diabetes produce
some insulin, sometimes even large amounts.
However, their bodies do not produce enough insulin
or their body cells are resistant to the action of
insulin. People with this form of diabetes are fre-
quently overweight and can sometimes control their
disease by losing weight through diet and exercise.
Otherwise, they may need to combine insulin or
another diabetes medication with diet and exercise.
See also 
diabetes, type 1.