Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

folate
See 
folic acid.
Foley catheter
See 
catheter, Foley.
folic acid
A B vitamin that is an important factor
in nucleic acid synthesis. A deficiency of folic acid
causes megaloblastic anemia. Lack of folic acid dur-
ing pregnancy can lead to neural tube birth defects,
including spina bifida and anencephaly. An ade-
quate intake of folic acid reduces the risks for a
remarkably broad range of birth defects and
appears to be important to the health of arteries,
reducing the risk of second heart attacks and
strokes. See Appendix C, “Vitamins.”
follicle
A shaft in the skin through which hair
grows. Inflammation of the follicle is referred to as
folliculitis.
follicle-stimulating hormone
A hormone pro-
duced by the pituitary gland that controls estrogen
production by the ovaries. Abbreviated FSH. See
also 
gonadotropin.
follicular cyst of the ovary
See 
cyst of the
ovary, follicular.
flow cytometry
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Fondation Jean Dausset
The Centre d’Etudes
du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH), an internation-
ally renowned research laboratory created in Paris
in 1984 by Professor Jean Dausset to provide the
scientific community with resources for human
genome mapping.
Fong disease
See 
nail-patella syndrome.
fontanel
A soft spot of the skull of a newborn
infant where the cartilage has not yet hardened into
bone between the skull bones. There are normally
two fontanels, both in the midline of the skull. The
anterior fontanel is well in front of the posterior
fontanel. The posterior fontanel closes first, at latest
by the age of 8 weeks in a full-term baby. The ante-
rior fontanel closes at around 18 months of age, but
it can close normally as early as 9 months. Also
known as fontanelle.