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

multicellular
(mul″te-sel´u-lәr) composed of many cells.

multicentric basal cell carcinoma
multifocal basal cell carcinomamultifocal superficial basal cell carcinoma superficial basal cell carcinoma.

multicuspidate
(mul″te-kus´pĭ-dāt) having numerous cusps.

multicystic
(mul″te-sis´tik) polycystic.

multicystic renal dysplasia
renal dysplasia with multiple cysts, usually unilateral and seen in children; the affected kidney is nonfunctional but often asymptomatic. If bilateral, the condition is fatal. See also polycystic kidney disease.

multidrug resistance
multiple drug resistance a phenomenon seen in some malignant cell lines: cells that have developed natural resistance to a single cytotoxic compound are also resistant to structurally unrelated chemotherapy agents. Called also cross-resistance.

multifactorial
(mul″te-fak-tor´e-әl) of or pertaining to, or arising through the action of, many factors. in genetics, arising as the result of the interaction of several genes and usually, to some extent, of nongenetic factors.

multifactorial disorder
a disorder caused by interaction of genetic factors and perhaps also nongenetic, environmental factors, e.g., some forms of birth defects and diabetes mellitus. See also genetic disease.

multifidus muscles
origin, sacrum, sacroiliac ligament, mammillary processes of lumbar vertebrae, transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae, and articular processes of cervical vertebrae; insertion, spines of adjacent vertebrae above; innervation, posterior rami of spinal nerves; action, extend, rotate vertebral column.

multifocal
(mul″te-fo´kәl) arising from or pertaining to many sites or locations.

multiglandular
(mul″te-glan´du-lәr) pluriglandular.

multigravida
(mul″te-grav´ĭ-dә) a woman pregnant for at least the third time; called also plurigravida. grand multigravida a woman who has had six or more previous pregnancies.

multilamellar body
any of the osmiophilic, lipid-rich, layered bodies found in the great alveolar cells of the lung.

multilobar
(mul″te-lo´bәr) having numerous lobes.

multilobular
(mul″te-lob´u-lәr) having many lobules.

multilocular
(mul″te-lok´u-lәr) having many compartments.

multilocular cyst
a cyst containing several loculi or spaces. a hydatid cyst with many small irregular cavities that may contain scoleces but generally little fluid. a thick-walled cyst in the kidney, found in clusters and usually unilaterally. In children it contains blastema and may develop into a Wilms tumor.

multilocular cystic renal tumor
multilocular cyst (def. 2).

multimodality therapy
combined modality therapy.

multinodular
(mul″te-nod´u-lәr) having many nodules.

multinucleate
(mul″te-noo´kle-āt) polynuclear.

multipara
(mәl-tip´ә-rә) a woman who has had two or more pregnancies resulting in viable offspring; called also pluripara. adj., multip´arous., adj. grand multipara a woman who has had six or more pregnancies that resulted in viable offspring.

multiparity
(mul″te-par´ĭ-te) the condition of being a multipara; called also pluriparity.

multipennate muscle
one in which the fiber bundles converge to several tendons.

multiple
(mul´tĭ-pәl) occurring in several different parts of the body at once.

multiple alleles
alleles of which there are more than two alternative forms possible at any one locus.

multiple epiphyseal dysplasia
an inherited developmental abnormality of various epiphyses, which appear late and are mottled, flattened, fragmented, and usually hypoplastic; the digits are short and thick, with blunt ends, and stature may be diminished owing to flattening deformities at the hips, knees, and ankles. It can be caused by any of several m...

multiple fracture
a variety in which there are two or more lines of fracture of the same bone not communicating with each other.

multiple hamartoma syndrome
Cowden disease.

multiple lentigines syndrome
LEOPARD syndrome.

multiple myeloma
a malignant neoplasm of plasma cells in which the plasma cells proliferate and invade the bone marrow, causing destruction of the bone and resulting in pathologic fracture and bone pain. It is the most common type of monoclonal gammopathy, characterized by presence of a monoclonal immunoglobulin (immunoglobulin recognized as a ...

multiple neuritis
polyneuritis.

multiple neuropathy
polyneuropathy. multiple mononeuropathy.

multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
multiple organ failure failure of two or more organ systems in a critically ill patient because of a complex and interrelated series of events.

multiple personality
dissociative identity disorder.

multiple personality disorder
dissociative identity disorder.

multiple pregnancy
the presence of more than one fetus in the uterus at the same time.

multiple pterygium syndrome
an autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by pterygia of the neck, axillae, and popliteal, antecubital, and intercrural areas, accompanied by hypertelorism, cleft palate, micrognathia, ptosis of eyelids, and short stature. Skeletal abnormalities include camptodactyly, syndactyly, equinovarus, and rocker-bottom feet, a...

multiple sclerosis
(MS) a chronic neurologic disease in which there are patches of demyelination scattered throughout the white matter of the central nervous system, sometimes extending into the gray matter. The disease primarily affects the myelin and not the neurons themselves. Symptoms are usually weakness, incoordination, paresthesias...

multiple sleep latency test
(MSLT) measurement of the speed at which an individual falls asleep when given multiple opportunities to sleep throughout the day and instructed not to resist doing so; used as a measure of physiological sleepiness.

multiple system atrophy
a name grouping the four cerebral degenerative diseases of olivopontocerebellar atrophy, Shy-Drager syndrome, striatonigral degeneration, and one form of parkinsonism, considering them different forms of the same disease process.

multiple vision
polyopia.

multiple-puncture test
an intracutaneous test in which the material used (such as tuberculin) is introduced into the skin by pressure of several needles or pointed tines or prongs. This procedure is used in mass screenings, but it is not as accurate as other tests because of lack of precise measurement of the amount of medication actually entering ...

multipolar
(mul″te-po´lәr) having more than two poles or processes.

multipolar neuron
any neuron with several to many processes; these vary in shape, depending on the arrangement of the processes, with pyramidal and star shapes being common.

multipurpose catheter
a catheter with several functions or applications. a catheter for coronary angiography that is shaped so that it can be used in either coronary artery.

multisensory neuron
a neuron in the brain that can receive input from more than one sensory modality; sometimes the inputs are simultaneous and reinforce each other.

multisynaptic
(mul″te-sĭ-nap´tik) pertaining to or relayed through two or more synapses.

multivalent
(mul″te-va´lәnt) having a valence of two or more. denoting an antiserum, vaccine, or antitoxin specific for more than one antigen or organism; called also polyvalent.

multivariate
(mul″te-var´e-āt) involving more than one variable (usually taken to mean three or more variables).

multivariate analysis
statistical techniques used to examine more than two variables at the same time.

mummified fetus
a dead fetus that is dried up and shriveled.

mumps
(mumps) a communicable disease caused by a paramyxovirus, attacking the parotid glands and sometimes other salivary glands. It usually strikes children, but older people can also contract it. Mumps is spread by droplet infection, and has an incubation period of 12 to 26 days. One attack usually gives immunity. The first...

mumps skin test
(for immunity to mumps) an intradermal test formerly widely used to determine previous exposure to mumps virus; killed virus (mumps skin test antigen) is injected intradermally; a positive response is development of tuberculin-type delayed hypersensitivity.

mumps skin test antigen
a sterile suspension of mumps virus; used as a dermal reactivity indicator.

mumps virus
a virus of the family Paramyxoviridae that causes mumps and sometimes tenderness and swelling of the testes, pancreas, ovaries, or other organs.

mumps virus vaccine live
a live attenuated virus vaccine used in immunization against mumps; usually administered as the combination measles, mumps, and rubella virus vaccine.

Munchausen syndrome
(moon´chou-zәn) habitual seeking of hospital treatment for apparent acute illness, the patient giving a plausible and dramatic history, all of which is false. It is a subtype of factitious disorder.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy
(mun´chow-zen) see factitious disorder by proxy.

Munro Kerr incision
a transverse incision of the lower uterine segment for cesarean section.

Munro point
a point midway between the umbilicus and the left anterior iliac spine; used for performing abdominal puncture.

Munson sign
abnormal bulging of the lower lid when the patient rolls the eyes downward, caused by keratoconus (abnormal curvature of the cornea).

mupirocin
(mu-pir´o-sin) an antibacterial derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens, effective against staphylococci and non-enteric streptococci; used in the treatment of impetigo and, as the calcium salt, in the treatment of nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus.

mural
(mu´rәl) pertaining to or occurring in a wall of an organ or cavity.

mural endocarditis
that affecting the lining of the walls of the heart chambers only.

mural pregnancy
interstitial pregnancy.

muramidase
(mu-ram´ĭ-dās) lysozyme.

Murchison-Pel-Ebstein fever
Pel-Ebstein fever.

murexide test
Weidel test (def. 1).

muriform cells
sclerotic bodies.

murine
(mu´rin) pertaining to or affecting mice or rats.

murine typhus
a less common variety, similar to but milder than epidemic typhus; it is transmitted by rat or mouse fleas. Called also endemic,flea-borne, or rat typhus.

murmur
(mur´mәr) an auscultatory sound, benign or pathologic, loud or soft, particularly a periodic sound of short duration of cardiac or vascular origin.

muromonab-CD3
(mu″ro-mo´nab) a murine monoclonal antibody to the CD3 antigen of human T cells, functioning as an immunosuppressant in treatment of acute rejection of renal, hepatic, and cardiac transplants.

Murphy sign
(mur´fe) a sign of gallbladder disease consisting of pain on taking a deep breath when the examiner's fingers are on the approximate location of the gallbladder.

Murphy test
(for location of deep-seated muscular pain) the patient sits with arms folded in front; the examiner's thumb is placed under the twelfth rib and short jabbing movements are made to determine the origin of deep-seated tenderness and muscular rigidity.

Murray Valley disease
(mur´e val´e) Murray Valley encephalitis (mur´e val´e) a type of epidemic encephalitis seen in Australia and New Guinea, caused by a flavivirus with its reservoir in birds and mosquitoes; epidemics are infrequent, with children the most seriously affected.

Murray Valley encephalitis virus
a mosquito-borne virus of the genus Flavivirus, antigenically related to Japanese encephalitis virus, that is the etiologic agent of Murray Valley encephalitis.

Musca
(mus´kә) a genus of flies, including the common housefly, M. domes´tica.

musca
(mus´kә) fly. muscae volitantes specks seen as floating before the eyes.

muscarine
(mus´kә-rēn) a deadly alkaloid from various mushrooms, such as Amanita muscaria (the fly agaric), and also from rotten fish. See also muscarinic receptors.

muscarinic
(mus″kә-rin´ik) pertaining to the transmission of nerve impulses mediated by muscarinic receptors.

muscarinic receptor
cholinergic receptors on autonomic effector cells (and also on some autonomic ganglion cells and in some central neurons) that are stimulated by muscarine and parasympathomimetic drugs and blocked by atropine.

muscle
(mus´әl) a bundle of long slender cells (muscle fibers) having the power to contract and hence to produce movement. Muscles are responsible for locomotion and play an important part in performing vital body functions. They also protect the contents of the abdomen against injury and help support the body. The...

muscle cell
any contractile cell peculiar to muscle. Smooth muscle cells are elongated spindle-shaped cells containing a single nucleus and longitudinally arranged myofibrils. For cardiac and skeletal muscle cells, see muscle fiber. Called also myocyte.

muscle fiber
any of the cells of skeletal or cardiac muscle tissue. Skeletal muscle fibers are cylindrical multinucleate cells containing contracting myofibrils, across which run transverse striations. Cardiac muscle fibers have one or sometimes two nuclei, contain myofibrils, and are separated from one another by an intercalated disk; alth...

muscle of terminal notch
a muscular slip continuing forward from the tragicus muscle to bridge the incisure of the cartilaginous meatus. It is not always present.

muscle of uvula
origin, posterior nasal spine of palatine bone and aponeurosis of soft palate; insertion, uvula; innervation, pharyngeal plexus of vagus nerve; action, raises uvula.

muscle plate
myotome (def. 2).

muscle pump
compression of veins by the contraction of skeletal muscles, forcing blood towards the heart against the flow of gravity; seen particularly in the deep veins of the lower limbs. Called also venous pump.

muscle sense
muscular sense the faculty by which muscular movements are perceived.

muscle tissue
muscular tissue the substance of muscle, consisting of muscle fibers, muscle cells, connective tissue, and extracellular material.

muscle-setting exercise
isometric exercise.

muscles of auditory ossicles
the two muscles of the middle ear, the tensor tympani and the stapedius.

muscles of expression
a group of cutaneous muscles of the facial structures, including the muscles of the scalp, ear, eyelids, nose, and mouth, and the platysma.

muscles of eye
extraocular muscles.

muscles of hyoid bone
the infrahyoid and suprahyoid muscles.

muscles of larynx
the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the larynx, including the oblique and transverse arytenoid, ceratocricoid, lateral and posterior cricoarytenoid, cricothyroid, thyroarytenoid, and vocalis muscles.

muscles of lower limb
the muscles acting on the thigh, leg, and foot.

muscles of neck
cervical muscles.