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

miscarriage
(mis´kar-әj) popular term for spontaneous abortion.

miscible
(mis´ĭ-bәl) able to be mixed.

misogamy
(mĭ-sog´ә-me) aversion to marriage.

misogyny
(mĭ-soj´ĭ-ne) aversion to women.

misoprostol
(mi-so-pros´tol) a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue used to treat gastric irritation resulting from long-term therapy with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. It is also used in conjunction with mifepristone for termination of pregnancy in the first trimester. Administered orally.

missed abortion
retention of dead products of conception in utero for more than 8 weeks.

missed labor
that in which contractions begin and then cease, the fetus being retained for weeks or months.

missense mutation
one that changes a codon so that it codes for a different amino acid; see also nonsense mutation.

Mitchell disease
(mich´әl) erythromelalgia.

Mitchell operation
a procedure for correction of hallux valgus, involving distal osteotomy of the first metatarsal.

mite
(mīt) any arthropod of the order Acarina except the ticks; they are characterized by minute size, a usually transparent or semitransparent body, and other features distinguishing them from the ticks. They may be free living or parasitic on animals or plants, and may produce various irritations of the skin (ac...

mite-borne typhus
scrub typhus.

mithramycin
(mith″rә-mi´sin) plicamycin.

miticide
(mi´tĭ-sīd) an agent destructive to mites.

mitochondrial body
a fused colony of mitochondria found in the spermatids of insects.

mitochondrial diseases
a diverse group of mainly multisystemic and maternally inherited disorders caused by mutations of mitochondrial DNA; some are sporadic and tissue-specific. They affect tissues having a high rate of oxidative metabolism, including the brain and peripheral nervous system, skeletal muscle, heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and endo...

mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) the DNA of the mitochondrial genome.

mitochondrial encephalopathy
encephalopathy associated with mitochondrial abnormalities, such as MELAS syndrome and MERRF syndrome.

mitochondrial inheritance
the inheritance of traits controlled by genes on the DNA of mitochondria in the ooplasm; the genes are thus inherited entirely from the mother (maternal inheritance). Inheritance is nonmendelian, since mitochondria are randomly distributed to the daughter cells at meiosis or mitosis. Mutations of the mitochondrial DNA cau...

mitochondrial myopathy
any of a group of myopathies associated with an increased number of enlarged, often abnormal, mitochondria in muscle fibers, manifested by exercise intolerance, generalized weakness, lactic acidosis, infantile tetraparesis, ophthalmoplegia, and cardiac abnormalities.

mitochondrion
(mi″to-kon´dre-on) pl. mitochon´dria a small, round or oval, membrane-bounded cytoplasmic organelle, the principal site of synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); mitochondria also contain enzymes of the citric acid cycle and ones for fatty acid oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation, and other biochemical pathways. The...

mitogen
(mi´to-jәn) a substance that induces blast transformation; DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis; and proliferation of lymphocytes; examples are concanavalin, phytohemagglutinin, and lipopolysaccharide.

mitogenesis
(mi″to-jen´ә-sis) the induction of mitosis in a cell.

mitomycin
(mi″to-mi´sin) any of a group of antitumor antibiotics (such as mitomycin A, B, C) produced by Streptomyces caespitosus. mitomycin C, which inhibits DNA and RNA synthesis by causing cross-linking of DNA. It is effective against cancers of the breast, lung, cervix, bladder, and gastrointestinal tract ...

mitosis
(mi-to´sis) the ordinary process of cell division resulting in formation of two daughter cells, by which the body replaces dead cells. The daughter cells have identical diploid complements of chromosomes (46 in human somatic cells). Cell division that results in haploid reproductive cells is known as meiosis. The period...

mitotane
(mi´to-tān) a cytotoxic compound that causes severe damage to the adrenal cortex; administered orally as an antineoplastic agent for palliative treatment of inoperable adrenocortical carcinoma.

mitoxantrone
(mi″to-zan´trōn) a DNA-reactive agent of the anthracenedione group that inserts into DNA, causing crosslinks and strand breaks; administered intravenously as the hydrochloride salt as an antitumor antibiotic for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia and advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer. It i...

mitral
(mi´trәl) shaped like a miter (tall pointed hat worn by Roman Catholic bishops). pertaining to the left atrioventricular valve.

mitral atresia
congenital obliteration of the mitral orifice; it is associated with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and transposition of great vessels.

mitral incompetence
mitral insufficiency.

mitral insufficiency
inadequate closure of the mitral valve, permitting mitral regurgitation.

mitral murmur
a heart murmur due to disease of the mitral valve; it can be either obstructive or regurgitant.

mitral orifice
the opening between the left atrium and ventricle of the heart.

mitral regurgitation
backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium, owing to insufficiency of the mitral valve; it may be acute or chronic, and is usually due to mitral valve prolapse, rheumatic heart disease, or a complication of cardiac dilatation.

mitral stenosis
a narrowing of the mitral valve due to inflammation and scarring; the cause is almost always rheumatic heart disease. Normally the leaflets open with each pulsation of the heart, allowing blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle; the leaflets close as the ventricle becomes full, so that they prevent a backward...

mitral valve
the cardiac valve between the left atrium and left ventricle, usually having two cusps (anterior and posterior).

mitral valve prolapse
(MVP) a condition in which some part of the mitral valve is pushed back into the left atrium during ventricular contraction. This occurs when there has come to be excessive tissue on one or both leaflets of the valve. The prolapsed portion of the valve causes a clicking sound halfway through the ventricular contra...

mitral valve prolapse syndrome
prolapse of the mitral valve, often with regurgitation, associated with myxomatous proliferation of the leaflets of the mitral valve, a common, usually benign, often asymptomatic condition characterized by midsystolic clicks and late systolic murmurs on auscultation. Palpitations and chest discomfort may occur, and in som...

mitralization
(mi″trәl-ĭ-za´shәn) a straightening of the left border of the cardiac shadow, commonly seen on an x-ray of the heart of a person with mitral stenosis.

Mitrolan
(mi-trol´an) trademark for a preparation of calcium polycarbophil, a bulk laxative.

Mitsuda test
lepromin test.

Mittelmeyer test
(for vestibular disorders) the patient tries to march in place with eyes closed; in vestibular disorder he or she will turn to the side ipsilateral to vestibular loss, or contralateral to vestibular excitation.

mittelschmerz
(mit´әl-shmәrtz) pain at the time of ovulation, midway between the menstrual periods.

Mittendorf dot
a congenital anomaly of the eye manifested as a small gray or white opacity just inferior and nasal to the posterior pole of the lens, representing the remains of the lenticular attachment of the hyaloid artery; it does not affect vision.

mivacurium
(mi″vә-ku´re-әm) a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent of short duration, administered intravenously as the chloride salt as an adjunct to anesthesia.

mixed aneurysm
compound aneurysm.

mixed anxiety-depressive disorder
a mental disorder characterized by symptoms of depression and of anxiety, but not meeting the full criteria for either a depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder.

mixed aphasia
combined expressive and receptive aphasia.

mixed apnea
sleep apnea that is a combination of the central and obstructive types.

mixed astigmatism
that in which one principal meridian is hyperopic and the other myopic.

mixed cirrhosis
a type marked by morphological changes of both the micronodular and macronodular patterns.

mixed connective tissue disease
a combination of scleroderma, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis, and marked serologically by the presence of antibody against extractable nuclear antigen.

mixed delusion
one in which no central theme predominates. It is one of the subtypes of delusional disorder.

mixed gland
one having both endocrine and exocrine portions. a gland composed of both mucous and serous secreting cells, such as the labial glands. Called also seromucous gland.

mixed hearing loss
hearing loss that is both conductive and sensorineural in nature.

mixed hyperlipemia
a type of hyperlipoproteinemia in which several classes of lipoproteins are elevated.

mixed infection
infection with more than one kind of organism at the same time.

mixed nerve
a nerve composed of both sensory and motor fibers.

mixed paralysis
combined motor and sensory paralysis.

mixed triglyceride breath test
a breath test for pancreatic function; a mixture of synthetic triglycerides labeled with carbon 13 is administered to the fasting patient and levels of labeled carbon dioxide in the breath are subsequently measured at regular time intervals; excessively low carbon dioxide indicates inadequate levels of the digestive enzyme panc...

mixed tumor
one composed of more than one type of neoplastic tissue.

mixed vaccine
polyvalent vaccine.

mixed-cell adenoma
a pituitary adenoma containing more than one cell type, usually making it plurihormonal.

mixture
(miks´chәr) a combination of different drugs or ingredients, as a fluid with other fluids or solids, or of a solid with a liquid.

mL
ml milliliter.

MLB test
monaural loudness balance test.

MLD
minimum lethal dose.

MLS syndrome
[microphthalmia, linear skin defects] a rare X-linked syndrome of linear defects on the face and neck with microphthalmia and sometimes brain defects such as agenesis of the corpus callosum and mental retardation. Most patients are female because it is lethal for male fetuses. Called also MIDAS syndrome.

mM
millimolar.

mm
millimeter.

mm Hg
millimeters of mercury; a unit of pressure equal to 1 torr, or 133.3 pascals.

MM virus
an encephalomyocarditis virus originally isolated in 1943 from the brain of a hamster that was previously inoculated with material from a human case of paralytic disease.

MMF
maximal midexpiratory flow.

MMFR
maximal midexpiratory flow rate.

MMIH syndrome
megacystis-microcolon–intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome.

mmol
millimole.

MMPI
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

MMR
measles-mumps-rubella (vaccine); see measles, mumps, and rubella virus vaccine.

Mn
manganese.

mnemonics
(ne-mon´iks) improvement of memory by special methods or techniques. adj., mnemon´ic., adj.

MO
Medical Officer.

Mo
molybdenum.

MOAB
monoclonal antibody.

mobility
(mo-bil´ĭ-te) the ability to move in one's environment with ease and without restriction. tooth mobility physiologic movement of a tooth, varying in degree for different teeth and different times of day; that exceeding a normal range is pathological.

mobilization
(mo″bĭ-lĭ-za´shәn) the process of making a fixed part movable by separating it from surrounding structures so that it is accessible for an operative procedure. the release of a substance stored in the body into the circulation for bodily use. joint mobilization&nb...

Mobitz type I block
a second degree atrioventricular block in which the P-R interval increases progressively until an atrial impulse is blocked. Called also Wenckebach phenomenon or block.

Mobitz type II block
a second degree atrioventricular block in which the P-R interval is fixed, with periodic blocking of the atrial impulse to the ventricle.

moccasin
(mok´ә-sin) any of several species of snakes of the genus Agkistrodon. highland moccasin copperhead. water moccasin Agkistrodon piscivorus, a venomous semiaquatic pit viper with an olive or brown back, found in the southern United States. Called also ...

modafinil
(mo-daf´ĭ-nil″) a central nervous system stimulant used in the treatment of narcolepsy.

modality
(mo-dal´ĭ-te) in homeopathy, a condition that modifies drug action; a condition under which symptoms develop, becoming better or worse. a method of application of, or the employment of, any therapeutic agent; limited usually to physical agents. a specific sensory entity, such as taste.

mode
(mōd) a manner, way, or method of acting; a particular condition of functioning. in statistics, the most frequently occurring value or item in a distribution. pacing mode. the manner of interaction between a ventilator and the person being ventilated, usually defined in terms of ...

mode code
a five-letter code used to describe the function of an artificial pacemaker.

moderate hypothermia
body temperature of 28 to 32°C (82.4° and 91.4°F), resulting from surface cooling.

modified live viral vaccine
modified live virus vaccine a vaccine containing live virus that is still capable of reproducing in the recipient's body but has had its disease-causing ability restricted or removed.

modified milk
cow's milk made to correspond to the composition of human milk.

modified radical mastectomy
simple mastectomy together with removal of lymph nodes in the armpit, but with preservation of the pectoral muscles.

modifier
(mod´ĭ-fi″әr) an agent or method that causes something else to change. biologic response modifier(BRM) , biological response modifier a method or agent, such as a cytokine, monoclonal antibody, or vaccine, that alters host-tumor interact...

modiolus
(mo-di´o-lәs) the central pillar or columella of the cochlea. Modiolus in a cross section through the axis of the cochlea.

MODS
multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

modulation
(mod″u-la´shәn) the normal capacity of cell adaptability to its environment. antigenic modulation the alteration of antigenic determinants in a living cell surface membrane following interaction with antibody.