Copy of `Dorland's Medical Dictionary`

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Dorland's Medical Dictionary Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Dictionary Date & country: 31/12/2010, USA Words: 39128

aging
(āj´ing) the gradual changes in the structure of any organism that occur with the passage of time, that do not result from disease or other gross accidents, and that eventually lead to the increased probability of death as the individual grows older. See also aged.

agitated depression
major depressive disorder accompanied by signs and symptoms of agitation, such as restlessness, racing thoughts, pacing, hand-wringing, sighing, or moaning.

agitation
(aj″ĭ-ta´shәn) extreme restlessness, as manifested in depression and other mental disorders. Called also psychomotor agitation.

Agkistrodon
(ag-kis´trә-don) a genus of venomous pit vipers.A. contor´trix is the copperhead and A. pisci´vorus is the water moccasin. See also snakebite.

aglossia
(a-glos´e-ә) congenital absence of the tongue.

aglossia-adactylia syndrome
hypoglossia-hypodactyly syndrome.

aglossostomia
(a″glos-o-sto´me-ә) congenital absence of the tongue and the mouth opening.

aglycemia
(a″gli-se´me-ә) absence of sugar from the blood; see also hypoglycemia.

aglycon
(a-gli´kon) the noncarbohydrate group of a glycoside molecule.

aglycone
(a-gli´kōn) aglycon.

aglycosuric
(a-gli″ko-sur´ik) free from glycosuria.

agnathia
(ag-na´the-ә) congenital absence of the lower jaw.

agnogenic
(ag″no-jen´ik) of unknown origin.

agnosia
(ag-no´zhә) inability to recognize the import of sensory impressions; the varieties correspond with several senses and are distinguished as auditory (acoustic), gustatory, olfactory, tactile, and visual.

agonad
(a-go´nad) an individual having no sex glands (gonads).

agonadal
(a″go-nad´әl) having no sex glands; due to absence of sex glands.

agonal
(ag´ә-nәl) pertaining to death or extreme suffering.

agonist
(ag´ә-nist) one involved in a struggle or competition. agonistic muscle. in pharmacology, a drug that has affinity for the cellular receptors of another drug or natural substance and that produces a physiological effect.

agonistic muscle
one opposed in action by another muscle (the antagonistic muscle). Called also agonist.

agony
(ag´ә-ne) severe pain or extreme suffering.

agoraphobia
(ag″ә-rә-fo´be-ә) an anxiety disorder characterized by intense, irrational fear of open spaces, especially a marked fear of venturing out alone or of being in public places where escape would be difficult or help might be unavailable. It may be associated with panic attacks (see panic disorder) o...

agrammatism
(a-gram´ә-tiz-әm) inability to speak grammatically because of brain injury or disease, usually with simplified sentence structure (telegraphic speech) and errors in tense, number, and gender.

agranular leukocyte
nongranular leukocyte.

agranulocyte
(a-gran´u-lo-sīt″) nongranular leukocyte.

agranulocytosis
(a-gran″u-lo-si-to´sis) an acute disease characterized by severely decreased production of granulocytes, with neutropenia that leaves the body defenseless against bacterial invasion. The first symptoms are usually related to severe infection and include high fever, chills, prostration, and ulcerations of mucous me...

agranuloplastic
(a-gran″u-lo-plas´tik) forming only nongranular cells.

agraphia
(ә-graf´e-ә) loss of ability to express thoughts in writing.

agyria
(a-ji´re-ә) a malformation in which the gyri of the cerebral cortex are not normally developed; called also lissencephaly.

AHA
American Heart Association; American Hospital Association.

AHF
antihemophilic factor (factor VIII).

AHG
antihuman globulin (test). antihemophilic globulin (factor VIII).

AHG test
direct Coombs test.

AHIMA
American Health Information Management Association.

Ahumada-del Castillo syndrome
(ah-oo-mah´thah dāl kahs-te´yo) galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome with low gonadotropin secretion.

AI
aortic incompetence; aortic insufficiency; apical impulse; artificial insemination; artificial intelligence.

Aicardi syndrome
(ĕ-kahr-de´) a syndrome affecting female infants, characterized by agenesis of the corpus callosum, large discrete areas of chorioretinopathy, spasms and tonic seizures, and mental retardation.

AICC
anti-inhibitor coagulant complex.

AICD
activation-induced cell death; automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

AID
artificial insemination by donor.

aide
(ād) a worker who is an assistant to another.

AIDS
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

AIDS dementia complex
HIV encephalopathy.

AIDS encephalopathy
HIV encephalopathy.

AIDS nephropathy
former name for HIV-associated nephropathy.

AIDS-related complex
(ARC) former term for a complex of signs and symptoms occurring in less severe human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

AIH
artificial insemination by husband.

ailurophobia
(i-loor″o-fo´be-ә) irrational fear of cats.

ainhum
(i´num) (ān´hum) (Port. īn´yoom) a condition of unknown origin, seen chiefly in dark-skinned people, consisting of a linear constriction that causes spontaneous amputation of the fourth or fifth toe.

air
(ār) the gaseous mixture that makes up the earth's atmosphere; it is an odorless, colorless gas, consisting of about 1 part by volume of oxygen to 4 parts of nitrogen, the proportion varying somewhat according to conditions. It also contains small amounts of carbon dioxide, ammonia, argon, and other gases organic m...

air block
interference with the normal inflation and deflation of the lungs and with the pulmonary blood flow, produced by the leakage of air from the pulmonary alveoli into the interstitial tissue of the lung (interstitial emphysema) and into the mediastinum (mediastinal emphysema).

air cell
any of various tiny chambers in the body that are filled with air, such as an alveolus of the lung. a cavity within the body that contains air, such as within one of the bones of the head; see ethmoidal air cells, mastoid air cells, and tubal air cells.

air conditioner lung
humidifier lung.

air conduction
conduction of sound waves to the organ of hearing in the inner ear through the air.

air dose
air exposure.

air exposure
the amount of exposure to ionizing radiation, measured in a small mass of air, excluding backscatter from irradiated objects. Called also air dose.

air sacs
the spaces into which the alveolar ducts open distally, and with which the alveoli communicate; see also lung. Called also alveolar sacs. Air sacs (alveolar sacs).

air-cushion sign
Klemm sign.

airborne
(ār´born) suspended in, transported by, or spread by air, as an infectious disease or a pathogen.

airborne infection
infection by inhalation of organisms or spores suspended in air on water droplets or dust particles.

airborne precautions
a group of transmission-based precautions used when caring for patients who have diseases that spread through the air, such as tuberculosis, chickenpox, and measles. The patient should be in a private room. Called also respiratory precautions.

airplane splint
one that holds the splinted limb suspended in the air.

airsickness
(ār´sik-nis) air sickness sickness due to change in air pressure and to the movements experienced in an airplane, marked by nausea, salivation, and cold sweats. See also motion sickness.

airway
(ār´wa) the passage by which air enters and leaves the lungs. a mechanical device used for securing unobstructed respiration when the patient is not breathing or is otherwise unable to maintain a clear passage, such as during general anesthesia or respiratory arrest.

airway resistance
the opposition of the tissues of the air passages to air flow: the mouth-to-alveoli pressure difference divided by the rate of air flow. Symbol RA or RAW.

AIUM
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

AJCC
American Joint Committee on Cancer.

AJCC system
a method of staging malignant tumors proposed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, based on TNM staging; it divides cancers into five stages.

akamushi disease
scrub typhus.

akathisia
(ak″ә-thĭ´zhә) a condition of motor restlessness in which there is a feeling of muscular quivering, an urge to move about constantly, and an inability to sit still, a common side effect of neuroleptic drugs.

Akin operation
resection of the medial prominence of the first metatarsal head and cuneiform osteotomy of the proximal phalanx of the great toe, done for hallux valgus.

akinesia
(a″kĭ-ne´zhә) absence or loss of the power of voluntary movement. the temporary paralysis of a muscle by the injection of procaine. akinesia algera a condition characterized by generalized pain associated with movement of any kind.

akinesthesia
(ә-kin″es-the´zhә) absence of the perception of movement.

akinetic
(a-kĭ-net´ik) affected with akinesia.

akinetic-rigid syndrome
muscular rigidity with varying degrees of slowness of movement; seen in parkinsonism and disorders of the basal ganglia.

Akineton
(a-kin´ә-ton) trademark for preparations of biperiden, an antidyskinetic.

Al
aluminum.

AL amyloidosis
primary amyloidosis.

AL protein
AL amyloid.

AL test
a type of patch test in which the materials being tested are applied to cellulose disks arrayed on polyethylene-coated aluminum paper, which is affixed to the skin for several days.

Al-Anon
(al´ә-non) a resource and support group for adult relatives and close friends of alcoholics. Al-Anon is available to interested individuals even if the alcoholic does not participate in Alcoholics Anonymous.

ala
(a´lә) pl. a´lae Latin word meaning wing; used in anatomy to name a winglike process. adj., a´lar, a´late., adj. ala nasi the cartilaginous flap on the outer side of each nostril. The major and minor alar cartilages of the a...

alacrima
(a-lak´rĭ-mә) deficiency or absence of the secretion of tears. It may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, or it may occur in association with other disorders or as an isolated congenital defect.

Alagille syndrome
(ah-lah-zhēl´) a syndrome caused by the stoppage or suppression of bile flow because of absence or paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts. Besides causing neonatal jaundice, it affects many body systems and is associated with stenosis of the pulmonary valve, peripheral pulmonary stenosis, deep-set eyes with anterior chamber ...

Alajouanine syndrome
(ah´lah-zhoo-ah-nēn´) symmetric lesions of the sixth and seventh cranial nerves with bilateral facial paralysis and bilateral lateral rectus palsy of the eyeball, associated with bilateral clubfoot. Cf. Möbius syndrome.

alanine
(al´ә-nēn) a nonessential amino acid, also found at high levels in plasma. β-alanine an amino acid related to alanine but not found in proteins. It occurs free and in some peptides, and is a precursor of acetyl CoA and an intermediate in uracil and cytosine catabo...

alanine aminotransferase
(al´ә-nēn ә-me″no-trans´fәr-ās) alanine transaminase.

alanine transaminase
(al´ә-nēn trans-am´ĭ-nās) an enzyme that catalyzes the reversible transfer of an amino group from alanine to α-ketoglutarate to form pyruvate and glutamate. Normally present in many tissues and body fluids, especially in the liver, it is released into the serum as a result of tissue injur...

alar
(a´lәr) pertaining to or like a wing.

alar bone
sphenoid bone.

alar cartilages
the cartilages of the wings of the nose.

alar ligaments
two bands passing from the apex of the dens to the medial side of each occipital condyle. a pair of folds of the synovial membrane of the knee joint.

alarm reaction
the first stage of the general adaptation syndrome, the response of the sympathetic nervous system to either physical stress or a strong emotional state; see also stress reaction. It is an automatic and instantaneous response that increases the body's capability to cope with a sudden emergency and begins with physiologic change...

Alateen
(al´ә-tēn) a self-help program sponsored by Al-Anon for children (ages 12 to 20) of alcoholics. Alateen provides a forum for the discussion of the problems of living in a family affected by alcohol abuse and the opportunity to develop healthy coping skills.

alatrofloxacin
(ә-lat″ro-flok´sә-sin) a broad-spectrum antibacterial that is the prodrug of trovafloxicin, to which it is rapidly converted after intravenous infusion; used in the form of the mesylate salt.

alba
(al´bә) Latin word meaning white; used to describe anatomic structures and diseases.

Albee operation
(al´be) an operation for ankylosis of the hip.

Albee-Delbet operation
an operation for fracture of the neck of the femur, done by drilling a hole through the trochanter and the neck and head of the femur and inserting a bone peg in this hole.

albendazole
(al-ben´dә-zōl) a broad-spectrum anthelmintic used against many parasites, including in treatment of hydatid disease and cysticercosis.

Albers-Schönberg disease
(ahl´berz-shurn´bәrg) osteopetrosis.

Albert disease
(ahl´bert) inflammation of the calcaneal bursa, which may be secondary to trauma or arthritis and is characterized by signs of inflammation in the retrocalcaneal space and by difficulty in walking. Called also Swediaur disease.