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

jumping disease
any of several culture-specific disorders characterized by exaggerated responses to small stimuli, muscle tics including jumping, automatic obedience even to dangerous suggestions, and sometimes coprolalia or echolalia. It is unclear whether they are neurogenic or psychogenic in origin. See also latah, myriachit, jumping French...

jumping Frenchmen of Maine syndrome
a form of jumping disease observed in a group of lumbermen of French-Canadian descent working in a remote area of Maine; affected individuals had exaggerated startle responses, automatic obedience, and often echolalia. It is believed to have represented a form of operant conditioning rather than a true disease.

junction
(junk´shәn) a place of meeting or coming together. adj., junc´tional., adj.

junction nevus
junctional nevus a type of melanocytic nevus in which the nests of nevus cells are confined to the dermal-epidermal junction; it usually presents clinically as a small, discrete, flat or slightly raised macule.

junctional escape beat
an ectopic beat originating at the atrioventricular junction; see also junctional rhythm.

junctional extrasystole
atrioventricular extrasystole.

junctional pacemaker
atrioventricular junctional pacemaker.

junctional rhythm
an arrhythmia caused by an abnormality in the atrioventricular junction; see accelerated junctional rhythm and atrioventricular junctional rhythm.

junctional tachycardia
rhythm at the rate of 100 to 140 beats per minute that arises in response to impulses originating in the atrioventricular junction, i.e., the atrioventricular node. It is often seen with digitalis toxicity and is due to triggered activity, but it may also be due to altered automaticity. In the case of digitalis toxicity, the te...

junctional tubule
a short, curved part of the distal end of the renal tubule, extending from the distal convoluted tubule to a collecting duct.

junctura
(junk-too´rә) Latin word meaning joint; a term used in anatomy.

jungle yellow fever
see yellow fever.

Junin fever
Argentine hemorrhagic fever.

Junin virus
an arenavirus of the Tacaribe complex that is the etiologic agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever, transmitted by contact with infected rodents, especially of the genus Calomys. Called also Argentine hemorrhagic fever virus.

jurisprudence
(jldbomacr″is-proo´dәns) the science of the law. medical jurisprudence the science of the law as applied to the practice of medicine; see also forensic medicine.

Juster reflex
extension of the fingers instead of flexion on stimulation of the palm.

juvenile
(joo´vә-nīl) pertaining to youth or childhood; young or immature. a youth or child; a young animal; a cell or organism intermediate between the immature and mature forms.

juvenile cataract
a cataract in a child under nine years old; such cataracts are usually congenital or traumatic.

juvenile cell
metamyelocyte.

juvenile embryonal carcinoma
yolk sac tumor.

juvenile glaucoma
a type similar to congenital glaucoma but appearing in older children and young adults and not characterized by gross enlargement of the eyeball.

juvenile melanoma
Spitz nevus.

juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
a syndrome of sudden, jerky attacks of myoclonus, most often in the morning or under conditions of stress or fatigue. It is seen primarily in children and adolescents. Occasionally the jerks may progress to generalized tonic-clonic seizures, but there is no mental deterioration.

juvenile osteoporosis
any of several rare types of osteoporosis seen in children and adolescents; they are usually due to an underlying medical condition such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, hyperparathyroidism, or a malabsorption syndrome; in some cases the cause is not known.

juvenile paralysis
general paralysis in young persons.

juvenile paralysis agitans
a condition developing in early life, usually familial but occasionally occurring sporadically, marked by increased muscle tonus with the characteristic attitude and facies of paralysis agitans, due to progressive degeneration of the globus pallidus; involvement of the substantia nigra and pyramidal tracts may occur. Call...

juvenile pelvis
infantile pelvis.

juvenile pernicious anemia
congenital pernicious anemia.

juvenile polyposis
juvenile intestinal polyposis the occurrence of more than ten juvenile polyps in a single patient, occurring either sporadically or as an autosomal dominant trait and appearing in the first or second decade of life.

juvenile polyposis syndrome
juvenile intestinal polyposis.

juvenile polyps
small, benign hamartomas of the large intestine sometimes found in children.

juvenile reflex
a glistening white reflection from the smooth surface of the retina in young people.

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
rheumatoid arthritis in children under age 16, characterized by swelling, tenderness, and pain, involving one joint or several joints and lasting more than six weeks. It may lead to impaired growth and development, limitation of movement, and ankylosis and contractures of joints. See also systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arth...

juvenile spinal muscular atrophy
Kugelberg-Welander syndrome.

juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus
former name for type 1 diabetes mellitus.

juxta-articular
(juks″tә-ahr-tik´u-lәr) situated near or in the region of a joint.

juxtaglomerular
(juks″tә-glo-mer´u-lәr) near to or adjoining a glomerulus of the kidney.

juxtaglomerular tumor
juxtaglomerular cell tumor a rare benign tumor of renal juxtaglomerular cells in young men, causing hyperreninemia. Called also hemangiopericytoma of kidney and reninoma.

juxtaposition
(juks″tә-pә-zish´әn) apposition.

juxtapyloric
(juks″tә-pi-lor´ik) peripyloric.

juxtarestiform body
a structure connecting the lateral vestibular nucleus with the nucleus fastigii and conveying vestibular impulses.

juxtaspinal
(juks″tә-spi´nәl) paravertebral.

juxtavesical
(juks″tә-ves´ĭ-kәl) perivesical.

Kabuki make-up syndrome
(kah-boo´ke) a congenital, possibly inherited, syndrome of mental retardation, dwarfism, scoliosis, peculiar facies resembling the makeup of Japanese actors of Kabuki, and frequently cardiovascular abnormalities.

Kaiserstuhl disease
(ki´zәr-shtldbomacl″) a form of chronic arsenic poisoning that occurred prior to World War II among German workers in vineyards, due to arsenic-containing insecticides used on the grapes.

kakosmia
(kak-oz´me-ә) cacosmia.

kala-azar
(kah´lah-ah-zahr´) visceral leishmaniasis.

kalemia
(kә-le´me-ә) the presence of potassium in the blood; see also hyperkalemia.

kaliemia
(ka″le-e´me-ә) kalemia.

kaliuresis
(ka″le-u-re´sis) excretion of potassium in the urine.

kaliuretic
(ka″le-u-ret´ik) promoting kaliuresis. an agent that so acts.

kallidin
(kal´ĭ-din) a kinin produced by the action of tissue and glandular kallikreins on low-molecular-weight kininogen; it has physiologic effects similar to those of bradykinin.

kallikrein
(kal″ĭ-kre´in) any of several serine endopeptidases that cleave kininogens to form kinins. plasma kallikrein a hydrolytic enzyme of the plasma that cleaves HMW (high-molecular-weight) kininogen to produce bradykinin. It also activates several blood coagulation factors and plasm...

kallikreinogen
(kal″ĭ-kre-in´ә-jәn) prekallikrein.

Kallmann syndrome
(kahl´mahn) a type of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism caused by failure of fetal gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons to migrate to the thalamus, usually associated with anosmia or hyposmia. It is usually passed by autosomal recessive inheritance, and some cases are x-linked.

Kambin triangular working zone
a triangular space free of significant vascular and neural structures that allows safe access to a lumbar disk in microdiskectomy; it is bounded anteriorly by the spinal nerve, inferiorly by the upper rim of the next lower vertebral plate, and posteriorly by the lateral edge of the superior articular process.

Kammerer-Battle incision
a vertical abdominal incision through the skin and superficial fascia, vertical division of the anterior layer of the rectus sheath, with retraction of the rectus muscle medialward, and vertical division of the posterior layer of the sheath nearer the median line, together with the subserous areolar tissue and peritoneum.

kanamycin
(kan″ә-mi´sin) a broad-spectrum aminoglycosideantibiotic derived from Streptomyces kanamyceticus; effective against many gram-negative bacteria, and some gram-positive bacteria, including mycobacteria; used as the sulfate salt, administered orally, parenterally, or by inhalation.

Kanavel sign
a point of maximum tenderness in the palm 2.5 cm proximal to the base of the little finger in infection of tendon sheath.

Kanner syndrome
(kah´nәr) autistic disorder.

Kantor sign
string sign.

Kantrex
(kan´treks) trademark for preparations of kanamycin, an antibiotic.

kaolin
(ka´o-lin) native hydrated aluminum silicate, powdered and freed from gritty particles by elutriation; used as an adsorbent and, often with pectin, an antidiarrheal.

kaolinosis
(ka″o-lin-o´sis) a type of silicatosis due to inhaling particles of kaolin.

Kaposi sarcoma
a multicentric, malignant neoplastic vascular condition characterized by blue to red nodules under the skin, usually on the lower limbs, especially the toes or feet; the nodules slowly increase in size and number and spread to more proximal sites. Tumors may remain confined to skin and subcutaneous tissue, or may become m...

karaya gum
(kar´a-ah) the dried gummy exudation from Sterculia urens or other species of Sterculia, which becomes gelatinous when moisture is added; used as a bulk cathartic and dental adhesive. It is available in rings that can be molded into any desired shape. Products containing karaya gum are often used as protective skin barr...

Karnofsky scale
Karnofsky performance scale a widely used performance scale, assigning scores ranging from 0 for a nonfunctional or dead patient to 100 for one with completely normal functioning.

Karplus sign
a modification of the vocal resonance, in which, on auscultation over a pleural effusion, the vowel u spoken by the patient is heard as a.

Kartagener syndrome
(kahr-tag´ә-nәr) a hereditary syndrome consisting of dextrocardia, bronchiectasis, and sinusitis.

karyokinesis
(kar″e-o-kĭ-ne´sis) division of the cell nucleus. adj., karyokinet´ic., adj.

karyolysis
(kar″e-ol´ә-sis) dissolution of the nucleus of a cell; see also karyorrhexis. adj., karyolyt´ic., adj.

karyomegaly
(kar″e-o-meg´ә-le) abnormal enlargement of the nucleus of a cell.

karyophage
(kar´e-o-fāj″) a protozoon that phagocytizes the nucleus of the cell it infects.

karyopyknosis
(kar″e-o-pik-no´sis) shrinkage of a cell nucleus, with condensation of the chromatin. adj., karyopyknot´ic., adj.

karyorrhexis
(kar″e-o-rek´sis) rupture of the cell nucleus with disintegration of the chromatin into formless granules that are extruded from the cell. See also karyolysis. adj., karyorrhec´tic., adj.

karyotype
(kar´e-o-tīp) the full set of chromosomes in a cell nucleus; by extension, the photomicrograph of chromosomes arranged according to a standard classification. See also karyotyping. adj., karyotyp´ic, adj. .

karyotyping
(kar´e-o-tīp″ing) laboratory analysis of an individual's karyotype of chromosomes to find abnormal ones, such as those with missing, extra, or rearranged sequences that might be linked to disease states, birth defects, or other conditions . It can be done on a fetus with cells obtained by amniocentesis or cho...

Kasabach-Merritt syndrome
(kas´ә-bahk mer´it) a blood disorder usually occurring in the first few months of life in which severe thrombocytopenia and other evidence of intravascular coagulation are accompanied by rapidly expanding hemangiomas of the trunk, extremities, and abdominal viscera, sometimes associated with bleeding and ane...

Kasai operation
portoenterostomy.

Kashin-Bek disease
(kah´shin bek´) Kaschin-Beck disease a slowly progressive, chronic, disabling, degenerative disease of the peripheral joints and spine, which principally occurs in children and is endemic in eastern Siberia, northern China, and Korea. It is believed to be caused by the ingestion of cereal grains infected with Fusar...

Kast syndrome
(kahst) Maffucci syndrome.

katathermometer
(kat″ә-thәr-mom´ә-tәr) a thermometer with a wet bulb and a dry bulb, for detecting cooling rates.

Katayama fever
(kah-tah-yah´mah) acute systemic schistosomiasis japonica causing a syndrome resembling serum sickness, characterized by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, cough, headache, urticaria, enlargement of the liver and spleen, lymphadenopathy, marked eosinophilia, and usually increased levels of immunoglobulins E and G.

Kato test
(for estimation of worm burden) a standard 50-mg sample of fresh feces is collected, cleared with glycerine, and examined for worms.

Kaufman-McKusick syndrome
(kouf´man mә-ku´sik) a rare autosomal recessive disorder of hydrometrocolpos accompanied by postaxial polydactyly, congenital cardiac defects, and sometimes subsequent bilateral hydronephrosis. Manifestations in males include hypospadias and prominent scrotal raphe. Called also McKusick-Kaufman syndrome.

Kawasaki disease
(kah″wah-sah´ke) an illness of unknown etiology affecting primarily children, and characterized by high fever, polymorphous rash, cervical lymph node swelling, and pain. Treatment is largely supportive; corticosteroids are contraindicated. Death may occur as a result of cardiomyopathy and vasculitis. Called ...

Kayser-Fleischer ring
a golden brown or green discoloration in the zone of the Descemet membrane of the cornea, seen in Wilson disease and other liver disorders.

Kazanjian operation
a technique of surgical extension of the buccal vestibular sulcus of edentulous ridges to increase their height and to improve denture retention. the use of extraskeletal fixation for support in compound zygomaticomaxillary fractures: a small hole is drilled through the infraorbital rim, and a stainless stee...

kcal
kilocalorie.

Kearns-Sayre syndrome
(kernz´ sār) progressive ophthalmoplegia, pigmentary degeneration of the retina, myopathy, ataxia, and cardiac conduction defect; onset is before age 20. Almost all patients have large mitochondrial DNA deletions, and ragged red fibers are seen on muscle biopsy. Called also ophthalmoplegia plus.

Keen point
a point for puncture of the lateral ventricles; 3 cm above and 3 cm behind the external auditory meatus.

Keen sign
increased diameter of the lower limb at the malleoli in Pott fracture of the fibula.

Keflex
(kef´leks) trademark for preparations of cephalexin, an oral cephalosporinantibiotic.

Kegel exercises
(ka´gәl) a set of exercises originally developed to strengthen pelvic-vaginal muscles and control stress incontinence in women. It was later found that this also improved feminine sexual response including orgasm, because there are specialized nerve endings in the muscles. Kegel exercises are important in pregnanc...

Kehr sign
severe pain in the left shoulder in some cases of rupture of the spleen.

Kehrer reflex
Kisch reflex closure of the eye as a result of tactile or thermal stimulation of the deepest part of the external auditory meatus and tympanum.

Keith node
Keith-Flack node sinoatrial node.

Keith-Wagener-Barker classification
(kēth´ wag´ә-nәr bahr´kәr) a classification of hypertension and arteriolosclerosis based on retinal changes.

Keller operation
sagittal resection of the medial prominence of the first metatarsal head and excision of the base of the proximal phalanx of the great toe; done for hallux valgus.

Kellock sign
increase of the vibration of the ribs on sharp percussion with one hand, the other hand being placed firmly on the thorax under the nipple; a sign of pleural effusion.