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

chemotic
(ke-mot´ik) pertaining to or affected with chemosis.

chemotroph
(ke´mo-trōf) a microorganism that derives energy from the oxidation of inorganic compounds.

chemotrophic
(ke″mo-tro´fik) deriving energy from the oxidation of organic (chemo-organotrophic) or inorganic (chemolithotrophic) compounds; said of bacteria.

chemotropism
(ke-mot´ro-piz-әm) tropism elicited by chemical stimulation.

chenodeoxycholic acid
(ke″no-de-ok″se-kol´ik) one of the primary bile acids in humans, usually found conjugated with glycine or taurine; it facilitates fat absorption and cholesterol excretion. The pharmaceutical preparation, called chenodiol, is used in treatment of gallstones.

chenodiol
(ke″no-di´ol) nonproprietary drug name for the bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid; administered orally to dissolve radiolucent cholesterol gallstones; most are dissolved in one to two years of therapy.

Cherney incision
an abdominal incision in the surgical approach to the female reproductive organs.

cherry angioma
a bright red, circumscribed, round angioma with many vascular loops, seen mainly in the elderly on the trunk or sometimes elsewhere, due to a telangiectatic vascular disturbance.

cherry-red spot
the choroid appearing as a red circular area surrounded by gray-white retina, as viewed throught the fovea centralis in Tay-Sachs disease. Called also Tay spot.

cherubism
(cher´әb-iz-әm) hereditary and progressive bilateral swelling at the angle of the mandible, sometimes involving the entire jaw, imparting a cherubic look to the face, in some cases enhanced by upturning of the eyes.

chest
(chest) thorax. barrel chest a rounded, bulging chest with abnormal increase in the anteroposterior diameter, showing little movement on respiration; seen in emphysema, kyphosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. flail chest loss of stabi...

chest tube
a tube inserted into the chest cavity for removal of air or fluid, or both; it is needed when the normally airtight pleural space has been penetrated through surgery or trauma, when a defect in the alveoli allows air to enter the intrapleural space, or when there is an accumulation of fluid, as from pleural effusion. Exce...

Chester disease
(ches´tәr) xanthomatosis of the long bones with spontaneous fractures.

chewing
(choo´ing) mastication.

Cheyne nystagmus
(chān) a peculiar rhythmical eye movement resembling Cheyne-Stokes respiration in rhythm.

Cheyne-Stokes respiration
(chān´ stōks´) Cheyne-Stokes sign breathing characterized by rhythmic waxing and waning of the depth of respiration; the patient breathes deeply for a short time and then breathes very slightly or stops breathing altogether. The pattern occurs over and over, every 45 seconds to 3 minutes. Periodic breathi...

CHF
congestive heart failure.

chi-square test
a statistical procedure for determining significant differences between frequencies observed within the data and frequencies that were expected. There are two chi-squared tests: the chi-square test of independence, which tests whether two or more series of frequencies are independent of one another; and the chi-square test of g...

Chiari malformation
(ke-ah´rē) a congenital anomaly in which the cerebellum and medulla oblongata, which is elongated and flattened, protrude into the spinal canal through the foramen magnum. It is classified into three types according to severity: type I involves prolapse of the cerebellar tonsils into the spinal canal without elonga...

Chiari syndrome
(ke-ah´rē) Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Chiari-Arnold syndrome
(ke-ah´re ahr´nәld) Arnold-Chiari malformation.

Chiari-Frommel disease
(ke-ah´re from´әl) Chiari-Frommel syndrome galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome occurring after pregnancy; called also Frommel disease.

chiasm
(ki´az-әm) a decussation or X-shaped crossing. optic chiasm a structure in the forebrain formed by the decussation of fibers of the optic nerve from each half of each retina.

chiasma
(ki-az´mә) pl. chias´mata Latin word meaning chiasm, or X-shaped crossing. in genetics, a point where pairs of homologous chromatids remain in contact during the first meiotic division, indicating where an exchange of homologous segments has taken place between nonsister chromatids by recombination.

chiasma syndrome
chiasmatic syndrome a syndrome indicative of lesions affecting the optic chiasma: impairment of vision, limitations of the field of vision, central scotoma, headache, vertigo, and syncope.

Chick-Martin test
a method for determining the phenol coefficient of disinfectants in water contaminated by organic matter; serial dilutions of disinfectant are incubated with a specified quantity of yeast and bacteria for a period of 30 minutes to see how many of the microorganisms have been killed.

chickenpox
(chik´әn-poks) an acute, highly contagious, viral disease characterized by a blistering maculopapular skin eruption with mild constitutional symptoms. It is a common childhood disease and is rarely severe, but in infants and some adults there may be more severe symptoms; in immunocompromised patients it can ...

chicle ulcer
chiclero ulcer an endemic, zoonotic form of the New World variety of cutaneous leishmaniasis, found mainly in forest workers in southeastern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It is caused by Leishmania mexicana, transmitted by sandflies of the genusLutzomyia. There are usually just a few lesions, self-limited and healing within six month...

chief cell adenoma
adenoma of the parathyroid gland composed of solid masses of small chief cells similar to those seen in the normal gland.

chief cells
epithelial cells that line the lower portions of the gastric glands and secrete pepsin. pinealocytes. the most common type of cell in the parenchyma of the parathyroid gland; they are rich in glycogen and are arranged in plates or cords. See also oxyphil cells. the principal chromaffin cells ...

chigger
(chig´әr) the six-legged red larva of any of the mites of the family Trombiculidae (see Trombicula and Neotrombicula); they attach to their host's skin and their bite produces a wheal, usually with severe itching and dermatitis. Some species are vectors of the rickettsiae of scrub typhus. Called also harvest mite.

chigger dermatitis
dermatitis due to infestation with chiggers; see also trombiculiasis.

chigoe
(chig´o) the sand flea, Tunga penetrans, of tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas and Africa. The pregnant female flea burrows into the skin of the feet, legs, or other part of the body, causing intense irritation and resulting in ulceration, sometimes leading to spontaneous amputation of a digit, if untr...

Chilaiditi sign
positioning of the colon between the liver and the diaphragm on x-ray; called also hepatoptosis.

Chilaiditi syndrome
(ke-lah-the´te) interposition of the colon between the liver and diaphragm. Usually the condition is asymptomatic in adults, but symptoms are evident in children and include vomiting, abdominal pain, anorexia, constipation, aerophagia. Signs include abdominal distention and absence of liver dullness.

chilblain
(chil´blān) one of the mildest forms of cold injury, characterized by recurrent localized itching, swelling, painful erythema, and sometimes blistering and ulceration upon exposure to cold and dampness; it occurs chiefly on the fingers, toes, ears, and face, but may involve other areas of the body. (This cond...

chilblain lupus erythematosus
a chronic form that is aggravated by cold; early lesions resemble chilblains, with reddened, infiltrated patches on exposed areas of the body, and later it resembles discoid lupus.

child
(chīld) the human young, from infancy to puberty. autistic child a child suffering from autistic disorder. exceptional child a child with special learning needs; they may have learning disabilities, be handicapped, or be gifted.

child abuse
the nonaccidental use of physical force or a nonaccidental act of omission by a parent or other custodian responsible for the care of a child. Acts of omission include malnutrition and other kinds of neglect through ignorance as well as deliberate withholding from the child of necessary and basic physical care, such as me...

CHILD syndrome
(congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) a disorder of skin cornification characterized by unilateral erythema, scaling, and epidermal nevi; ipsilateral limb defects; and sometimes defective bone growth, brain defects, and defects of the abdominal organs. It first appears in infa...

childbed fever
(chīld´bed) puerperal fever.

childbirth
(child´bәrth) the process of giving birth to a child, including both labor and delivery. Called also accouchement and parturition. cooperative childbirth , educated childbirth , natural childbirth prepared childbirth.

childhood disintegrative disorder
a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by marked regression in a variety of skills, including language, social skills or adaptive behavior, play, bowel or bladder control, and motor skills, after at least two, but less than ten, years of apparently normal development.

childhood schizophrenia
see pervasive developmental disorders.

chill
(chil) a sensation of cold, with convulsive shaking of the body. A true chill results from an increase in chemical activity within the body and usually ushers in a considerable rise in body temperature. The accompanying pallor and coldness, and the piloerection of the skin (goose flesh) that often accompanies it, are ca...

Chilomastix
(ki″lo-mas´tiks) a genus of pear- or lemon-shaped parasitic protozoa found in the intestines of various vertebrates, including humans. All species are considered nonpathogenic or only slightly pathogenic, but one species, C. mesni´li, has been associated with rare cases of watery diarrhea.

Chilopoda
(ki-lop´ә-dә) a class of arthropods that includes the centipedes.

Chimani-Moos test
a test for detecting simulated deafness.

chimera
(ki-mēr´ә) an organism whose body contains different cell populations derived from different zygotes of the same or different species, occurring spontaneously or produced artificially. a substance created from proteins or genes of two species, as by genetic engineering. adj., chimer´ic, adj. ...

chimerism
(ki-mēr´iz-әm) the state of being a chimera; the presence in an individual of cells of different origin.

chin
(chin) the anterior prominence of the lower jaw; called also mentum.

chin reflex
jaw reflex.

Chinese hamster ovary cells
CHO cells an established line of fibroblasts isolated from the ovary of a spontaneous aneuploid mutant Chinese hamster; used in a variety of biomedical applications.

Chinese herbal medicine
a highly complex system of diagnosis and treatment using medicinal herbs, one of the branches of traditional Chinese medicine. Herbs used range from the nontoxic and rejuvenating, such as ginseng, which are used to support the body's healing system, to highly toxic ones, such as aconite, used in the treatment of disease.

Chinese restaurant syndrome
transient arterial dilatation due to ingestion of monosodium glutamate, which is sometimes used liberally in seasoning Chinese food, marked by throbbing head, lightheadedness, tightness of the jaw, neck, and shoulders, and backache.

chionablepsia
(ki″o-nә-blep´se-ә) snow blindness.

chirality
(ki-ral´ĭ-te) the property of handedness, of not being superimposable on a mirror image; the handedness of an asymmetric molecule, as specified by its optical rotation or absolute configuration.

chiropodist
(ki-rop´ә-dist) former term for podiatrist.

chiropractic
(ki″ro-prak´tik) a nonpharmaceutical, nonsurgical system of health care based on the self-healing capacity of the body and the primary importance of the proper function of the nervous system in the maintenance of health; therapy is aimed at removing irritants to the nervous system and restoring proper functi...

chiropractor
(ki´ro-prak″tәr) a practitioner in chiropractic.

chisel fracture
oblique detachment of a piece from the head of the radius.

chitin
(ki´tin) a horny polysaccharide, the principal constituent of shells of arthropods and shards of beetles, and found in certain fungi.

Chlamydia
(klә-mid´e-ә) a widespread genus of gram-negative, nonmotile bacteria. They are obligate intracellular parasites, totally dependent on the host cell for energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, which they cannot synthesize. The genus has two species, Chlamydia tracho´matis and Chlamydia psit´taci. Chlam...

chlamydia
(klә-mid´e-ә) any member of the genus Chlamydia.

Chlamydia trachomatis
pneumonia a mild type of bacterial pneumonia, usually seen in infants whose mothers are infected with Chlamydia trachomatis; characteristics include coughing, tachypnea, and eosinophilia.

Chlamydiaceae
(klә-mid″e-a´se-e) a family of bacteria containing a single genus, Chlamydia.

chlamydial pneumonia
general term for pneumonia caused by members of the phylum Chlamydiae; see Chlamydophila pneumoniae pneumonia,Chlamydophila psittaci pneumonia, and Chlamydia trachomatis pneumonia.

chlamydiosis
(klә-mid″e-o´sis) any infection or disease caused by Chlamydia; this is a common sexually transmitted disease. Symptoms may be mild; infected males who have symptoms usually have painful urination and a watery discharge from the penis. Women may have itching and burning in the genital area, an odorless, thic...

Chlamydophila pneumoniae
pneumonia a mild form of primary atypical pneumonia caused by infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae, characterized by fever, rales, and infiltration of a middle or lower lobe; the recovery period is usually prolonged.

Chlamydophila psittaci
pneumonia a severe type of pneumonia seen in the course of psittacosis, lasting several weeks and characterized by fever, coughing, and sputum production.

chlamydospore
(klam´ĭ-do-spor″) a thick-walled terminal asexual spore formed by the rounding-up of a cell; it is not shed.

chloasma
(klo-az´mә) melasma.

Chlor-Trimeton
(klor-tri´mә-ton) trademark for preparations of chlorpheniramine maleate, an antihistamine.

chloracne
(klor-ak´ne) an acneiform eruption, caused by exposure to chlorine compounds.

chloral
(klor´әl) an oily liquid with a pungent, irritating odor; used in the manufacture of chloral hydrate and DDT. chloral hydrate.

chloral hydrate
a sedative and hypnotic used primarily as an adjunct to anesthesia and for sedation of children before certain medical or dental procedures. It is now only rarely used to treat insomnia.

chlorambucil
(klor-am´bu-sil) a nitrogen mustardalkylating agent used as an antineoplastic agent.

chloramphenicol
(klor″әm-fen´ĭ-kol) a broad-spectrum antibiotic with specific therapeutic activity against rickettsiae and many different bacteria. Side effects include serious, even fatal, blood dyscrasias in certain patients. Frequent blood tests are recommended during therapy.

chlorcyclizine
(klor-si´klĭ-zēn) an antihistamine derived from piperazine, used as the hydrochloride salt; it has anticholinergic, antiemetic, local anesthetic, and mild sedative properties. Administered orally as a component of various cold and allergy preparations and topically to relieve itching.

chlordane
(klor´dān) a poisonous chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide. Signs of acute poisoning include irritability, convulsions, and deep depression. Chronic exposure can result in liver degeneration.

chlordiazepoxide
(klor″di-az″ә-pok´sīd) a benzodiazepine used as the base or hydrochloride salt in the treatment of anxiety disorders and short-term or preoperative anxiety, for alcohol withdrawal, and as an antitremor agent; administered orally, intravenously, or intramuscularly.

chloremia
(klor-e´me-ә) chlorosis. hyperchloremia.

chlorhexidine
(klor-heks´ĭ-dēn) an antibacterial compound used in antimicrobial skin cleansers for surgical scrub, preoperative skin preparation, and cleansing skin wounds.

chlorhydria
(klor-hi´dre-ә) hyperchlorhydria.

chloride
(klor´īd) a salt of hydrochloric acid; any binary compound of chlorine.

chloride shift
the exchange of chloride and carbonate between the plasma and the erythrocytes that takes place when the blood gives up oxygen and receives carbon dioxide. It serves to maintain ionic equilibrium between the cell and surrounding fluid.

chloridorrhea
(klor″ĭ-dә-re´ә) diarrhea with an excess of chlorides in the stool.

chloriduria
(klor″ĭ-du´re-ә) chloruresis.

chlorinated
(klor´ĭ-nāt″әd) charged with chlorine.

chlorination
(klor″ĭ-na´shun) the addition of chlorine to water or sewage to kill germs. Liquid chlorine has been found to be the most effective water disinfectant, and is almost invariably used in the United States for the purification of both public water supplies and swimming pools.

chlorine
(Cl) (klor´ēn) a gaseous chemical element, atomic number 17, atomic weight 35.453. It is a disinfectant, decolorizer, and irritant poison. It is used for disinfecting, fumigating, and bleaching, either in an aqueous solution or in the form of chlorinated lime.

chlorine acne
chloracne.

chloriodized oil
an iodine monochloride addition product of vegetable oil, a radiopaque medium.

chlorite
(klor´īt) a salt of chlorous acid; disinfectant and bleaching agent.

chloroacetophenone
(CN) (klo″ro-as″ә-to-fe´nōn) a commonly used tear gas.

chloroform
(klor´ә-form) a colorless, mobile liquid with an ethereal odor and sweet taste, used as a solvent; it is hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic when ingested. It was once used widely medicinally, such as for inhalation anesthesia and analgesia.

chloroleukemia
(klor″o-loo-ke´me-ә) chloroma. a tumor of rose or greenish color seen in rats or mice with leukemia.

chloroma
(klor-o´mә) a malignant, green-colored tumor arising from myeloid tissue, associated with myelogenous leukemia; it can occur anywhere in the body but has an affinity for the central nervous system, bone, and soft tissues of the head and neck. Called also granulocytic sarcoma.

Chloromycetin
(klor″o-mi-se´tin) trademark for preparations of chloramphenicol, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

chlorophyll
(klor´o-fil) any of a group of green pigments, containing a magnesium-porphyrin complex, that are involved in oxygen-producing photosynthesis. Preparations of water-soluble chlorophyll derivatives are sometimes applied topically for deodorization purposes. They may also be administered orally to deodorize ulcerati...