Medical terms - Letter D
901 terms start with the letter D.
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Doctor
In a medical context, any medical professional with an MD, a PhD, or any other doctoral degree. The term doctor is quite nonspecific. A doctor may, for example, be a physician, psychologist, biomedical scientist…
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Doctor discontent
See: Physician discontent
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Doctor-assisted suicide
The term in the UK for physician-assisted suicide
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Doctors Without Borders
A group which sends physicians and other health workers to some of the most destitute and dangerous parts of the world and encourages them not only to care for people, but also to condemn the injustices they encounter…
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Doctors' symbol
A staff or rod, with a snake curled around it. It is the staff or rod of Aesculapius (also called Asklepios), the ancient mythical god of medicine. His Greek name was Asklepios and his Roman name Aesculapius. In…
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DOE
Department of Energy, U.S. One of the agencies contributing to the Human Genome Project
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Dog genome
All of the genetic information from the dog. The genetic first draft of the dog genome sequence was completed in 2004. A team led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Mass., and…
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Dog heartworm
Dirofilaria immitis. See: Heartworm
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Dol
A unit of measurement of pain. The term dol was invented by James Hardy and his research colleagues Herbert Wolff and Helen Goodell at Cornell University where from 1950 to 1959, they carried out pioneering experiments…
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Dolor
1. Pain, one of the four classic signs of inflammation (together with calor, rubor and tumor). 2. By extension, grief or sorrow. From Latin dolor, pain. See also: Calor; Rubor; Tumor
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Domagk, Gerhard
German physician and chemist (1895-1946) who discovered the first sulfa drug, prontosil, which ushered in the era of antibacterial medicine. For more information, see Prontosil.
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Domain
In molecular biology, a discrete portion of a protein with its own function. The combination of domains in a single protein determines its overall function. (Not to be confused with an Internet domain.)
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Dominant
>Achondroplasia (a common form of dwarfism with short arms and legs), >Familial hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol leading to premature coronary artery disease), >Huntington disease (a form of progressive…
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Dominant, autosomal
See: Fredrickson, Donald.
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Donald Fredrickson
See: Fredrickson, Donald
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Donor
The giver of a tissue or organ, for example, of blood or a kidney
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Donor insemination
A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample from a man other than the woman's mate directly into…
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Donor lymphocyte infusion
(DLI) A cancer treatment in which lymphocytes from a bone marrow donor are infused into the person who received the original bone marrow transplant. The goal of donor lymphocyte infusion is to induce a remission of the…
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Donor, universal
A person who is type O in the ABO blood group system and can donate blood to all recipients
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Dopa
A precursor (forerunner) of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain. Dopa is used in the treatment of Parkinson disease. Parkinson disease is believed to be related to low levels of dopamine in certain…
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Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD)
Dystonia (DRD): A condition that typically begins in childhood or adolescence with progressive difficulty in walking and, in some cases, spasticity and can be successfully treated with drugs. Segawa dystonia is an…
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Dopamine
An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain. Dopamine is classified as a catecholamine (a class of molecules that serve as neurotransmitters and hormones). It is a monoamine (a compound containing nitrogen…
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Doppler ultrasound
A form of ultrasound that can detect and measure blood flow. Doppler ultrasound depends on the Doppler effect, a change in the frequency of a wave resulting here from the motion of a reflector, the red blood cell. There…
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Doraphobia
An abnormal and persistent fear of fur. Sufferers of this fear avoid fur-bearing animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, beavers and rabbits because fur is repulsive to them. Perhaps some of these phobics associate fur with…
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Dorian Gray effect
Sudden aging, an abrupt change from seeming youthfulness to the reality and ravages of age, as can occur naturally or when the effects of plastic surgery and Botox treatments wear off. Named after 'The Picture of Dorian…
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Dormant tuberculosis
See: Tuberculosis, dormant. See also: Tuberculous meningitis.
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Dorothy Hodgkin
See: Hodgkin, Dorothy
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Dorsal
The back or posterior side of a structure. "Dorsum" is the Latin word for the back. Something pertaining to the dorsum is dorsal. The dorsal surface of the hand is the back of the hand, the side opposite the palm. The…
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Dorsum
The back or posterior side of a structure. 'Dorsum' is the Latin word for the back. Something pertaining to the dorsum is dorsal. The dorsal surface of the hand is the back of the hand, the side opposite the palm. The…
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Dose, absorbed
In radiology, the absorbed dose is the amount of energy that is deposited in any material by ionizing radiation. The unit of absorbed dose, the rad, is a measure of energy absorbed per gram of material. An alternative…
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DOTS
Stands for Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course. DOTS is a strategy used to reduce the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases. In DOTS, healthcare workers observe patients as they take their medicine. Left alone, many…
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Double contrast barium enema
A series of x-rays of the colon and rectum taken after the patient is given an enema, followed by an injection of air. The barium outlines the intestines on the x-rays, allowing many abnormal growths to be visible. See…
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Double helix
The structure of DNA with the two strands of DNA spiraling about one other. The double helix looks something like an immensely long ladder twisted into a helix, or coil. The sides of the 'ladder' are formed by a…
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Double pneumonia
Inflammation of both lungs. Medically called bilateral pneumonia
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Double-blind
Term used to described a study in which both the investigator or the participant are blind to (unaware of) the nature of the treatment the participant is receiving. Double-blind trials are thought to produce objective…
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Double-blinded study
A study in which at least two separate groups receive the experimental medication or procedure at different times, with neither group being made aware of when the experimental treatment or procedure has been given…
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Double-jointed
Popular term to describe a joint that is unusually flexible. Medically, the joint is said to be hyperflexible, hyperextensible, or hypermobile. People whose fingers are hypermobile have higher rates of arthritis in the…
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Double-masked
See: Double-blind
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Douche
A stream of water directed at any part of the body or any body cavity, often into the vagina, for cleansing or medicinal purposes. A douche can be with a simple solution of vinegar in water. Some commercial douche…
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Douching
Using water or a medicated solution to clean the vagina. Vaginal douching has been done for many, many years. However, there is currently concern that it may sometimes cause problems. It may mask, or even worsen…
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Douglas, pouch of
>Culdoscopy, the introduction of a viewing tube (endoscope) through the vagina into the cul-de-sac; >Culdoscope, the endoscope that is used to look into the cul-de-sac; and >Culdocentesis, the aspiration (withdrawal) of…
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Doula
1. A non-medical assistant in childbirth. A doula is not the father but is usually a woman who is experienced in childbirth. The role of the doula is to provide the mother with physical and emotional assistance before…
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Dowager's hump
An abnormal outward curvature of the vertebrae of upper back. Compression of the front (anterior) portion of the involved vertebrae leads to forward bending of the spine (kyphosis) and creates a hump at the upper back…
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Down syndrome
Down syndrome: A common chromosome disorder due to an extra chromosome number 21 (trisomy 21). Down syndrome causes mental retardation, a characteristic face, and multiple malformations. Down syndrome is a relatively…
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Down syndrome critical region
Down syndrome critical region: (Abbreviated DSCR) A region on the long (q) arm of chromosome 21 thought to be responsible for some, if not all, of the features of Down syndrome. A number of genes in this region may be…
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Down syndrome features
Children with Down syndrome have multiple malformations and mental impairment due to the presence of extra material from chromosome 21. Among the more common physical features are hypotonia (floppiness), small head with…
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Down-regulation
See: Downregulation
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Downregulation
An decrease in the number of receptors on the surface of target cells, making the cells less sensitive to a hormone or another agent. Some receptors can be rapidly down regulated.
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Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy
Brand name: Vibramycin. A synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from tetracycline. Doxycycline is used for many different types of infections, including respiratory tract infections due to Hemophilus influenzae…
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Doxycycline
Doxycycline: Brand name: Vibramycin. A synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from tetracycline. Doxycycline is used for many different types of infections, including respiratory tract infections due to Hemophilus…