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

diplobacillus
(dip″lo-bә-sil´әs) pl. diplobacil´li A short, rod-shaped organism occurring in pairs, joined end-to-end; diplobacterium.

diplobacterium
(dip″lo-bak-tēr´e-әm) diplobacillus.

diploblastic
(dip″lo-blas´tik) having two germ layers.

diplococcus
(dip″lo-kok´әs) pl. diplococ´ci any of the spherical, lance-shaped, or coffee bean–shaped bacteria occurring usually in pairs as a result of incomplete separation after cell division in a single plane. any organism of the genus Diplococcus.

diploë
(dip´lo-e) the spongy layer between the inner and outer compact layers of the flat bones of the skull. adj., diploet´ic, diplo´ic., adj.

diplogenesis
(dip″lo-jen´ә-sis) the production of a fetus that is double in part or almost completely.

diploic veins
veins of the skull, including the frontal, occipital, anterior temporal, and posterior temporal diploic veins, which form sinuses in the cancellous tissue between the laminae of the cranial bones and communicate with meningeal veins, dural sinuses, pericranial veins, and each other.

diploid
(dip´loid) having two full sets of chromosomes, as normally found in the somatic cells of eukaryotes (2n or, in humans, 46). See also haploid.

diploidy
(dip´loi-de) the state of being diploid.

diplomyelia
(dip″lo-mi-e´le-ә) lengthwise fissure and seeming doubleness of the spinal cord.

diplopia
(dĭ-plo´pe-ә) the perception of two images of a single object; called also double vision.

diplosomatia
(dip″lo-so-ma´she-ә) symmetrical conjoined twins.

diplosomia
(dip″lo-so´me-ә) diplosomatia.

diplotene
(dip´lo-tēn) the fourth stage of prophase in meiosis I, during which the synaptonemal complex disintegrates and the homologous chromosomes separate, held together only by chiasmata.

dipole
(di´pōl) a molecule having separated charges of equal and opposite sign. a pair of electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a short distance.

diprosopus
(di-pros´o-pәs) a malformed fetus with any degree of duplication of the face.

dipsogen
(dip´so-jәn) an agent or measure that induces thirst and promotes ingestion of fluids. adj., dipsogen´ic., adj.

dipsotherapy
(dip″so-ther´ә-pe) the therapeutic limitation of the amounts of fluids ingested.

dipstick
(dip´stik) a strip of cellulose treated with chemicals to make it sensitive to protein, glucose, or other substances and used to test the urine for the presence these substances.

Diptera
(dip´tәr-ә) an order of insects, including flies, gnats, and mosquitoes.

dipterous
(dip´tәr-әs) having two wings. pertaining to insects of the order Diptera.

dipygus
(di-pi´gәs) a malformed fetus with a double pelvis.

dipylidiasis
(dip″ә-lĭ-di´ә-sis) infection with Dipylidium caninum.

Dipylidium
(dip″ә-lid´e-әm) a genus of tapeworms. D. cani´num is parasitic in dogs, cats, and occasionally humans.

dipyridamole
(di″pĭ-rid´ә-mōl) a platelet inhibitor and coronary vasodilator, used to prevent clotting associated with mechanical heart valves and to treat transient ischemic attacks. It is also used as an adjunct in the prevention of myocardial reinfarction and as an adjunct in radionuclide myocardial perfusio...

direct antiglobulin test
see Coombs test.

direct care
the provision of services to a patient that require some degree of interaction between the patient and the health care provider. Examples include assessment, performing procedures, teaching, and implementation of a care plan.

direct current
a current that flows in one direction only; when modeled as a wave, its amplitude is constant. When used medically it is called galvanic current. This current has distinct and important polarity and marked secondary chemical effects.

direct diplopia
horizontal diplopia in which the image belonging to the right eye appears to the right of the image belonging to the left eye (convergent strabismus).

direct fracture
one at the site of injury.

direct generation
asexual generation.

direct hernia
direct inguinal hernia an inguinal hernia that goes directly into the inguinal canal through an opening between the inferior epigastric artery and the edge of the rectus abdominis muscle.

direct light reflex
when a ray of light is thrown upon the retina through the pupil there is immediate contraction of the sphincter iridis, reducing the size of the pupillary aperture.

direct transfusion
immediate transfusion.

direct vision
central vision.

directional atherectomy catheter
a type of atherectomy catheter whose direction can be shifted to shave off additional plaque.

directive
(dĭ-rek´tiv) a stated instruction or order. See also will. advance directives instructions about a person's wishes, goals, and values regarding what will be done in case the person becomes incapable of making decisions about medical care; called also living will, durable pow...

director
(dĭ-rek´tәr) a grooved instrument for guiding a knife or other surgical instrument.

dirithromycin
(di-rith″ro-mi´sin) a macrolideantibiotic used in treatment of bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, streptococcal pharyngitis, and skin and soft tissue infections; administered orally.

Dirofilaria
(di″ro-fĭ-lar´e-ә) a genus of nematode parasites of the superfamily Filarioidea. D. im´mitis is common in dogs.

dirofilariasis
(di″ro-fil″ә-ri´ә-sis) infection with nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria; it is common in dogs and occasionally seen in humans, causing symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, and sometimes hemoptysis.

disability
(dis″ә-bil´ĭ-te) impairment of function to below the maximal level, either physically or mentally; the United States Government defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual's major life activities.” See also handicap an...

disabling positional vertigo
constant vertigo or dysequilibrium and nausea in the upright position, without hearing disturbance or loss of vestibular function.

disaccharidase deficiency
less than normal activity of the enzymes of the intestinal mucosa that cleave disaccharides, usually referring to a generalized deficiency of all such enzymes secondary to a disorder of the small intestine.

disaccharide
(di-sak´ә-rīd) any of a class of sugars in which each molecule yields two molecules of monosaccharide on hydrolysis. Common disaccharides found in food include sucrose, maltose, and lactose.

disaccharide intolerance
inability to properly metabolize one or more disaccharide(s), usually due to deficiency of the corresponding disaccharidase(s), although it may have other causes such as impaired absorption. After ingestion of the disaccharide there may be abdominal symptoms such as diarrhea, flatulence, borborygmus, distention, and pain. One c...

disacchariduria
(di-sak″ә-rīd-u´re-ә) the presence of excessive amounts of a disaccharide in the urine.

disappearing bone disease
gradual, but often complete, resorption of a bone or group of bones, which may be associated with multiple hemangiomas; it usually occurs in children or young adults, sometimes following trauma, but its etiology is unknown.

disarticulation
(dis″ahr-tik″u-la´shәn) amputation or separation at a joint; called also exarticulation.

disaster
(dĭ-zas´tәr) a situation that produces damage and varying amounts of destruction; there is a three-tiered classification for disasters, based on the number of casualties. See also emergency.

disc
(disk) disk. embryonic disc , germ disc , germinal disc a flattened round bilaminar plate of cells in the blastocyst of a mammal, where the first traces of the embryo are seen; called also embryonic or germinal area.

discectomy
(dis-kek´tә-me) diskectomy.

discharge
(dis-chahrj´) to release from a health care setting.

discharge
(dis´chahrj) material or force set free. an excretion or evacuation. release from a health care setting.

disciform
(dis´ĭ-form) in the shape of a disk.

disciform keratitis
keratitis with formation of a round, disklike opacity of the cornea.

disciform macular degeneration
a severe form of the exudative or wet type of age-related macular degeneration, characterized by hemorrhages between the Bruch membrane and the pigment epithelium that produce a disclike area of sclerosis. Called also Kuhnt-Junius disease.

discission
(dĭ-sizh´әn) incision, or cutting into, as of a soft cataract.

discission needle
a special form of cataract needle.

discitis
(dis-ki´tis) diskitis.

disclination
(dis″klĭ-na´shәn) extorsion.

discogenic
(dis″ko-jen´ik) caused by derangement of an intervertebral disk.

discography
(dis-kog´rә-fe) diskography.

discoid
(dis´koid) disk-shaped. a disklike medicated tablet. a disk-shaped dental excavator designed to remove the carious dentin of a decayed tooth. Discoid.

discoid lupus erythematosus
(DLE) a chronic form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus in which the skin lesions mimic those of the systemic form but systemic signs are rare and develop only occasionally after many years. It is characterized by round skin plaques with edema, erythema, scaliness, follicular plugging, and skin atrophy surroun...

discoid psoriasis
a common type whose lesions are round with distinct borders; when they coalesce to form plaques, it is called plaque psoriasis.

disconnection syndrome
any neurologic disorder caused by an interruption in impulse transmission along cerebral fiber pathways; one result may be an inability to carry out a desired movement in response to a given sensory input, as in the apraxias.

discontinuity theory
a theory of motor development, saying that each stage of these abilities has its own new and unique feature that is added to distinguish it from the previous stage.

discontinuous
(dis″kәn-tin´u-әs) interrupted; intermittent; marked by breaks. discrete; separate. lacking logical order or coherence.

discontinuous sounds
adventitious sounds that last less than 0.2 sec and come in a series; the most common kind are rales (crackles).

discopathy
(dis-kop´ә-the) any disease of an intervertebral disk.

discoplacenta
(dis″ko-plә-sen´tә) a disk-shaped placenta.

discordance
(dis-kor´dәns) the occurrence of a given trait in only one member of a twin pair, as opposed to concordance. adj., discor´dant., adj.

discrete
(dis-krēt´) made up of separated parts; characterized by lesions that do not become blended.

discrimination
(dis-krim″ĭ-na´shәn) the making of fine distinctions. right-left discrimination the ability to differentiate one side of the body from the other.

discriminative stimulus
a stimulus associated with reinforcement, which exerts control over a given type of behavior; the subject must discriminate between closely related stimuli and respond positively only with this particular stimulus.

discus
(dis´kәs) pl. dis´ci Latin word meaning disk. discus oophorus , discus ovigerus , discus proligerus cumulus oophorus.

disease
(dĭ-zēz´) a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown. See also illness, mal, sickness, and syndrome.

disengagement
(dis″әn-gāj´mәnt) emergence of the fetus, or part thereof, from the vaginal canal.

disequilibrium
(dis-e″kwĭ-lib´re-әm) dysequilibrium. dialysis disequilibrium dialysis dysequilibrium syndrome. linkage disequilibrium the occurrence in a population of two linked alleles at a frequency higher than expected by chance.

disinfect
(dis″in-fekt´) to free from pathogenic organisms, or to render them inert.

disinfectant
(dis″in-fek´tәnt) an agent that disinfects, usually referring to chemical substances such as mercury bichloride or phenol. Disinfectants are usually applied to inanimate objects since they are too strong to be used on living tissues. Chemical disinfectants are not always effective against spore-forming bacte...

disinfection
(dis″in-fek´shәn) the act of disinfecting, using specialized cleansing techniques that destroy or prevent growth of organisms capable of infection.

disinfestation
(dis″in-fәs-ta´shәn) destruction of insects, rodents, or other animal forms present on or near a person or his or her clothes, whether or not these transmit disease.

disintegrant
(dis-in´tә-grәnt) an agent used in pharmaceutical preparation of tablets, which causes them to disintegrate and release their medicinal substances on contact with moisture.

disintegration
(dis-in″tә-gra´shәn) the process of breaking up or decomposing. disruption of the integration functions of the personality in mental illness.

disintegrative
(dis-in´tә-gra″tiv) being reduced to components, particles, or fragments; losing cohesion or unity. having disorganized psychic and behavioral processes.

disjunction
(dis-junk´shәn) the act or state of being disjoined. in genetics, the moving apart of bivalent chromosomes during anaphase of meiosis or mitosis.

disk
(disk) a circular or rounded flat plate; often spelled disc in names of anatomic structures.

disk diffusion test
a test for antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria; agar plates are inoculated with a standardized suspension of a microorganism. Antibiotic-containing disks are applied to the agar surface. Following overnight incubation, the diameters of the zones of inhibition are interpreted as sensitive (susceptible), indeterminate (inter...

disk herniation
herniated disk.

diskectomy
(dis-kek´tә-me) excision of an intervertebral disk.

diskitis
(dis-ki´tis) inflammation of a disk, especially of an intervertebral disk.

diskography
(dis-kog´rә-fe) radiography of the spinal column after injection of radiopaque material into an intervertebral disk.

dislocation
(dis″lo-ka´shәn) displacement of a bone from a joint. The most common ones involve a finger, thumb, shoulder, or hip; less common are those of the mandible, elbow, or knee. Symptoms include loss of motion, temporary paralysis of the joint, pain, swelling, and sometimes shock. Dislocations are usually caused ...

dislocation fracture
fracture of a bone near an articulation with concomitant dislocation of that joint.

dismemberment
(dis-mem´bәr-mәnt) amputation of a limb or a portion of it.

disocclude
(dis″ŏ-klldbomacd´) to grind a tooth so that it does not touch the tooth opposite to it in the other jaw while chewing.

disomus
(di-so´mәs) a malformed fetus with a double trunk.

disomy
(di´so-me) the presence of two chromosomes of a homologous pair in a cell; in humans the normal state, with each pair usually made up of one chromosome from each parent. uniparental disomy the abnormal state in which both copies of a homologous pair of chromosomes are from the same ...