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

clusterin
(klus´tәr-in) a multifunctional glycoprotein with roles in the metabolism and transport of lipids and membrane fragments, secretion of hormones, reproductive biology, inhibition of assembly of the membrane attack complex of complement activation, programmed cell death, and modulation of intercell interactions; its...

clyster
(klis´tәr) old term for enema.

Cm
curium.

cM
centimorgan.

cm
centimeter.

cm H2
O centimeter of water, a unit of pressure equal to that exerted by a column of water at 4°C one millimeter high at mean sea level.

cm2
square centimeter.

cm3
cubic centimeter.

CMS
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services; formerly called the Health Care Financing Agency (HCFA).

CMT
circus movement tachycardia.

CN
chloroacetophenone.

Cnidaria
(ni-dar´e-ә) a phylum of marine invertebrates that includes sea anemones, hydras, jellyfish, and corals. See also Coelenterata.

CNS
central nervous system.

CO
conscientious objection.

Co
cobalt.

co-trimoxazole
(ko″tri-moks´ә-zol) a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, an antibacterial used primarily in the treatment of urinary tract infections and pneumocystis pneumonia; administered orally or intravenously.

CoA
coenzyme A.

coadaptation
(ko-ad″ap-ta´shәn) the mutual, correlated, adaptive changes in two interdependent organs.

coagglutination
(ko″ә-gloo″tĭ-na´shәn) the aggregation of particulate antigens combined with agglutinins of more than one specificity.

coagulability
(ko-ag″u-lә-bil´ĭ-te) capability of forming or of being formed into clots.

coagulant
(ko-ag´u-lәnt) promoting, accelerating, or making possible coagulation of blood. an agent that promotes coagulation of blood.

coagulase
(ko-ag´u-lās) a bacterial enzyme that reacts with a cofactor found in blood plasma to catalyze the formation of fibrin from fibrinogen. It is produced by most of the virulent strains of staphylococci, and by Yersinia pestis.

coagulase test
(for coagulase activity) bacteria are added to citrated or oxalated (human or rabbit) blood plasma; in the presence of coagulase, the plasma gels within three hours. Coagulase activity is also demonstrable by mixing bacteria with blood plasma on a slide; if positive, clumping occurs, with fibrin formation.

coagulate
(ko-ag´u-lāt) to cause clotting. to become clotted.

coagulated protein
an insoluble form which certain proteins assume when denatured at their isoelectric point by heat, alcohol, ultraviolet rays, or other agents.

coagulation
(ko-ag″u-la´shәn) clotting. in surgery, the disruption of tissue by physical means to form an amorphous residuum, as in electrocoagulation or hotocoagulation. in colloid chemistry, solidification of a sol into a gelatinous mass. blood coagulation cl...

coagulation factors
factors essential to normal blood clotting, whose absence, diminution, or excess may lead to abnormality of the clotting. Twelve factors, commonly designated by Roman numerals, have been described (I–V and VII–XIII; VI is no longer considered to have a clotting function). See terms factor I to factor XIII.

coagulation necrosis
death of cells, with their protoplasm becoming fixed and opaque by coagulation of the protein elements; the outline of the cells may persist for a long time.

coagulation pathways
the steps in the mechanism of coagulation from the activation of factor X through the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. See common pathway of coagulation, extrinsic pathway of coagulation, and intrinsic pathway of coagulation. Click here to view image ...

coagulator
(ko-ag´u-la″tәr) a surgical device that utilizes electrical current or light to stop bleeding. argon beam coagulator(ABC) a device consisting of an electrode recessed inside a probe through which argon gas is passed; the energy from the electrode is carried ...

coagulopathy
(ko-ag″u-lop´ә-the) any disorder of blood coagulation; called also bleeding disorder. consumption coagulopathy disseminated intravascular coagulation.

coagulum
(ko-ag´u-lәm) pl. coa´gula Latin word meaning clot.

coal miner's lung
coal workers' pneumoconiosis a severe type of pneumoconiosis caused by deposition of large amounts of coal dust in the lungs, usually accompanied by centrilobular emphysema. Different varieties of coal have different risks, and those with certain types of contaminants may cause other types of pneumoconiosis. See also anthracosis...

coalescence
(ko″ә-les´әns) a fusion or blending of parts.

coalition
(ko″ә-lish´әn) the fusion of parts that are normally separate. tarsal coalition the fibrous, cartilaginous, or bony fusion of two or more of the tarsal bones, often resulting in talipes planovalgus, although other deformities occur and some patients are asymptomatic; it ...

coaptation splints
small splints adjusted about a fractured limb to produce coaptation of fragments.

coaptation suture
apposition suture.

coarctate
(ko-ahrk´tāt) to press close together; contract. pressed close together; restrained.

coarctation
(ko″ahrk-ta´shәn) stenosis. coarctation of aorta a congenital heart defect consisting of localized deformity of the tunica media of the aorta, causing narrowing (usually severe) of the lumen of the vessel. reversed coarctation pulseless disease.

coarse tremor
one involving large groups of muscle fibers that contract slowly.

coat
(kōt) a membrane or other structure covering or lining a part or organ; in anatomic nomenclature called tunica. the layer or layers of protective protein surrounding the nucleic acid in a virus. See also capsid. buffy coat the thin yellowish layer of leukocytes overlyin...

coated pits
small protein-coated pits in the plasma membrane of many cells, involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis.

coated tongue
one covered with a white or yellow layer of desquamated epithelium, debris, bacteria, fungi, or other material.

Coats disease
(kōts) a type of retinopathy with masses of white to yellow exudate and blood debris from hemorrhage in the posterior part of the fundus of the eye. If not treated, it can progress to destruction of the macula and blindness.

cobalamin
(ko-bal´ә-min) a cobalt-containing complex common to all members of the vitamin B12 group.

cobalt
(Co) (ko´bawlt) a chemical element, atomic number 27, atomic weight 58.933. cobalt 57 a radioisotope of cobalt, atomic mass 57, having a half-life of 270 days; used as a label for cyanocobalamin. Symbol 57Co. cobalt 60 a radioisotope ...

cobalt lung
hard metal disease.

cobalt poisoning
poisoning from long-term excessive exposure to cobalt, seen in those who work with cobalt and formerly in beer drinkers because for years cobalt was added to beer as a foam stabilizer. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, nerve deafness, and cardiomyopathy.

cobbler's suture
double-armed suture.

cobra
(ko´brә) any of numerous extremely poisonous elapid snakes commonly found in Africa, Asia, and India. They are capable of expanding the neck region to form a hood, and have two comparatively short, erect, deep grooved fangs. A serum obtained from animals inoculated with cobra venom is used in counteracting t...

cocaine
(ko-kān´) an alkaloid obtained from the leaves of various species of Erythroxylon (coca plants) or produced synthetically; used as a topical anesthetic for surgery of mucous membranes. Abuse of cocaine by inhalation through the nose is a serious health problem. crack cocaine a smokab...

cocaine test
after instillation of a cocaine solution in each eye, the pupil of an eye affected by Horner syndrome remains smaller than that of the normal eye.

cocarcinogen
(ko-kahr-sin´ә-jәn) an agent that increases the effect of a carcinogen by direct concurrent local effect on the tissue.

cocarcinogenesis
(ko-kahr″sĭ-no-jen´ә-sis) the development, according to one theory, of cancer only in preconditioned cells as a result of conditions favorable to its growth.

cocci
(kok´si) plural of coccus.

Coccidia
(kok-sid´e-ә) a subclass of sporozoa commonly parasitic in epithelial cells of the intestinal tract, but also found in the liver and other organs; it includes two genera, Eimeria and Isospora.

coccidia
(kok-sid´e-ә) plural of coccidium.

coccidial
(kok-sid´e-әl) of, pertaining to, or caused by Coccidia.

coccidian
(kok-sid´e-әn) pertaining to Coccidia. coccidium.

coccidioidal granuloma
secondary coccidioidomycosis.

coccidioidal pneumonia
pneumonia following primary coccidioidomycosis. It varies from a slowly developing disease with chronic cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, and fever to a more rapidly spreading acute condition, usually seen in immunocompromised patients, with cavitation, spread to other organ systems, and frequently a fatal outcome.

Coccidioides
(kok-sid″e-oi´dēz) a genus of pathogenic fungi. C. im´mitis is the etiologic agent of coccidioidomycosis.

coccidioidin
(kok-sid″e-oi´din) a sterile preparation containing by-products of growth products of Coccidioides immitis, injected intracutaneously as a test for coccidioidomycosis.

coccidioidin test
an intracutaneous test for coccidioidomycosis, using the antigen coccidioidin. Because most individuals in endemic areas are skin test positive it is not useful in diagnosis. A negative skin test (cutaneous anergy) occurs in many patients with disseminated disease and indicates a poor prognosis.

coccidioidoma
(kok-sid″e-oi-do´mә) residual solid, round nodules in the lungs, seen on x-rays of coccidioidomycosis.

coccidioidomycosis
(kok-sid″e-oi″do-mi-ko´sis) a fungal disease caused by infection with Coccidioides immitis, which grows in hot, dry areas, especially in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. The disease has a primary and a secondary form. primary coccidioidomyco...

coccidiosis
(kok″sid-e-o´sis) protozoal infection by coccidia. In humans it takes the form of Isospora belli in the stools; such infection is usually asymptomatic but occasionally causes a severe watery mucous diarrhea.

coccidium
(kok-sid´e-әm) pl. cocci´dia an individual protozoan belonging to the Coccidia; coccidian.

coccobacillus
(kok″o-bә-sil´әs) pl. coccobacil´li an oval bacterial cell intermediate between the coccus and bacillus forms. adj., coccobac´illary., adj.

coccobacteria
(kok″o-bak-tēr´e-ә) a common name for spheroid bacteria, or for various bacterial cocci.

coccoid
(kok´oid) resembling a coccus.

coccus
(kok´әs) pl. coc´ci a spherical bacterium, usually slightly less than 1 μm in diameter, belonging to the Micrococcaceae family. It is one of the three basic forms of bacteria, the other two being bacillus (rod-shaped) and spirillum (spiral-shaped). A pathogenic coccus can almost always be classified as either ...

coccyalgia
(kok″se-al´jә) coccygodynia.

coccydynia
(kok″sә-din´e-ә) coccygodynia.

coccygeal artery
median sacral artery.

coccygeal bone
coccyx.

coccygeal gland
glomus coccygeum.

coccygeal nerve
either of the thirty-first pair of spinal nerves, arising from the coccygeal segment of the spinal cord.

coccygeal plexus
a nerve plexus formed by the ventral branches of the coccygeal and fifth sacral nerve and by a communication from the fourth sacral nerve, giving off the anococcygeal nerves.

coccygeal sinus
a sinus or fistula just over or close to the tip of the coccyx.

coccygeal vertebrae
the lowest segments of the vertebral column, comprising three to five rudimentary vertebrae that are normally fused to form the coccyx.

coccygectomy
(kok″sĭ-jek´tә-me) excision of the coccyx.

coccygeus
(kok-sij´e-әs) pertaining to the coccyx.

coccygeus muscle
coccygeal muscle: origin, ischial spine; insertion, lateral border of lower part of sacrum, upper coccyx; innervation, third and fourth sacral nerves; action, supports and raises coccyx.

coccygodynia
(kok″sĭ-go-din´e-ә) pain in the coccyx and neighboring region. Called also coccyalgia and coccydynia.

coccygotomy
(kok″sĭ-got´ә-me) freeing of the coccyx from its attachments.

coccyx
(kok´siks) the small bone below the sacrum, formed by the union of four (sometimes five or three) rudimentary vertebrae, and forming the lower end of the vertebral column.

cochlea
(kok´le-ә) anything of a spiral shape. a spiral tube shaped like a snail shell, which forms part of the inner ear and is the essential organ of hearing. It is filled with fluid and is connected with the middle ear by two membrane-covered openings, the oval window and the round window. Inside it is the orga...

cochlear canal
cochlear duct a spiral membranous tube in the bony canal of the cochlea between the Reissner and basilar membranes; it is divided into the scala tympani, the scala vestibuli, and the spiral lamina. Called also scala media.

cochlear ganglion
a sensory ganglion in the inner ear, located within the spiral canal of the modiolus. It sends fibers peripherally to the organ of Corti and centrally to the cochlear nuclei of the brainstem. Called also spiral or Corti ganglion.

cochlear hearing loss
sensorineural hearing loss due to a defect in the receptor or transducing mechanisms of the cochlea.

cochlear implant
a device consisting of a microphone, signal processor, external transmitter, and implanted receiver; the receiver is surgically implanted under the skin near the mastoid process above and behind the ear. It is an alternative to total deafness, although it does not actually restore hearing. Deaf persons using the implant do not ...

cochlear labyrinth
the part of the membranous labyrinth that includes the perilymphatic space and the cochlear duct.

cochlear microphonic
any of the electrical potentials generated in the hair cells of the organ of Corti in response to acoustic stimulation.

cochlear nerve
the part of the vestibulocochlear nerve concerned with hearing, consisting of fibers that arise from the bipolar cells in the spiral ganglion and have their receptors in the spiral organ of the cochlea.

cochlear nuclei
the terminator nuclei of sensory fibers of the cochlear nerve, occurring as anterior and posterior cochlear nuclei; they partly encircle the inferior cerebellar peduncle at the junction of the medulla oblongata and pons.

cochlear window
round window.

cochleariform
(kok″le-ar´ĭ-form) spoon-shaped.

cochleitis
(kok″le-i´tis) inflammation of the cochlea.

cochleo-orbicular reflex
cochleopalpebral reflex contraction of the orbicularis palpebrarum muscle when a sharp, sudden noise is made close to the ear; it does not occur in total deafness from labyrinthine disease.