Predictive value negative Health Dictionary

A negative test result for a condition that is, in fact, present.... false negative

Gram’s Method is a staining procedure that separates bacteria into those that stain (positive) and those that don’t (negative). Gram-positive bugs cause such lovely things as scarlet fever, tetanus, and anthrax, while some of the gram negs can give you cholera, plague, and the clap. This is significant to the microbiologist and the pathologist; otherwise I wouldn’t worry. Still, knowing the specifics (toss in anaerobes and aerobes as well), you can impress real medical professionals with your knowledge of the secret, arcane language of medicine.... gram-positive/negative

1 The statistic generated by dividing the number of true positives by the sum of the true positives and false positives. For example, the number of cases with truly good care divided by the sum of the cases with truly good care plus those cases classified with good care who did not receive it i.e. the likelihood that a person classified as the recipient of good care actually received good care. 2 In screening and diagnostic tests, the probability that a person with a positive test result is a true positive (i.e. does have the disease) is referred to as the “predictive value of a positive test”. The predictive value of a negative test is the probability that a person with a negative test does not have the condition or disease. The predictive value of a screening test is determined by the sensitivity and specificity of the test, and by the prevalence of the condition for which the test is used.... predictive value

The probability that a person with a reactive test has the disease and is not a false reaction.... predictive value positive

a physiological loop for the control of hormone production by a gland. High levels of a circulating hormone act to reduce production of the releasing factors triggering its own production, i.e. they have a negative *feedback on these trigger factors. As circulating levels of the hormone fall, the negative feedback is reduced and the releasing factor starts to be produced again, allowing the hormone level to rise again.... negative feedback loop

(in psychiatry) symptoms of schizophrenia characterized by a deficiency in or absence of some aspect of functioning, such as social withdrawal, loss of initiative, and blunted affect. Compare positive symptoms.... negative symptoms

an arthritis in which rheumatoid factor or anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) are not present in the serum. See also spondyloarthropathy.... sero-negative arthritis