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glutamic oxalacetic transaminase

glutamic oxalacetic transaminase

8.1
A protein measured in blood that shows liver damage when high
  • noun
  • /ɡluˈtæmɪk ˌɑksəˈlæsɪtɪk ˌtrænəˈmɪneɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : transaminasa glutámico-oxalacética
  • Elevated glutamic oxalacetic transaminase is often an indicator of hepatitis or other liver conditions.

Examples

  • The doctor ordered a blood test to check the level of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase for possible liver damage.

  • Scientists measured glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity to assess the effect of the new drug on liver function.

  • The doctor tested my glutamic oxalacetic transaminase levels.

  • High levels of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase can indicate liver damage.

  • Elevated glutamic oxalacetic transaminase is often an indicator of hepatitis or other liver conditions.

  • Scientists measured glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity to assess the effect of the new drug on liver function.

  • The doctor ordered a blood test to check the level of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase for possible liver damage.

Surface Forms

Morphology

glutamic + oxalacetic + transaminase

The term is a systematic biochemical compound name: 'transaminase' clearly signals an enzyme and the modifiers 'glutamic' + 'oxalacetic' indicate the chemical substrates involved, so the overall function (an enzyme acting on glutamic and oxaloacetic acids) is compositionally derived. However, this is highly technical vocabulary (one constituent is obscure or misspelt here) and requires domain knowledge to interpret precise function, so a B1 learner would only partially infer the meaning.

Etymology

Glutamic oxalacetic transaminase is like a tiny worker that moves a small 'amino' parcel from glutamic to oxalacetic, and the part transaminase tells us it does that 'transfer'. Because this worker is common in the liver, doctors measure its level to check for 'liver damage'.