Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

petit mal
See 
seizure, absence; seizure disorder.
Peutz
-
Jeghers syndrome
A genetic condition
that predisposes to an increased risk of developing
cancer. The syndrome is characterized by freckle-
like spots on the lips, mouth, and fingers and benign
polyps in the intestines. Patients with Peutz-Jeghers
syndrome are at increased risk for cancer of the
esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, breast, ovary,
testis, and pancreas. The polyps may occur in any
part of the gastrointestinal tract, but polyps in the
jejunum (the middle portion of the small intestine)
are a consistent feature of the disease. Peutz-Jeghers
329
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
17_189283 ch16.qxp 4/18/08 10:17 PM Page 329
http://www.rashidislamiccenter.com
http://www.allofislam.com/

---

syndrome is inherited in an autosomal dominant
manner and is due to mutation in a gene on chro-
mosome 19 called STK11 (serine/threonine-protein
kinase 11). Half of patients with Peutz-Jeghers syn-
drome have affected parents and the other half have
new mutations in the STK11 gene. Also known as
polyps-and-spots syndrome.
p53
A specific protein with a mass of 53 kilodal-
tons that is produced by a tumor-suppressor gene.
Like other tumor-suppressor genes, the p53 gene
normally controls cell growth. If p53 is physically
lost or functionally inactivated, cells can grow with-
out restraint. Many human tumors have mutations in
the gene coding for the p53 protein. 
PFS
Patellofemoral syndrome.
PFT
Pulmonary function test.
Ph
See 
Philadelphia chromosome.
pH
The symbol for the measure of the acidity or
alkalinity of a solution. The pH number is from a
scale where a pH of 7 is neutral, numbers less than
a pH of 7 are increasingly more acidic, and num-
bers greater than a pH of 7 are increasingly more
alkaline.