Medical terms - Letter G (page 10) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Gram-positive

Gram-positive bacteria retain the color of the crystal violet stain in the Gram stain. This is characteristic of bacteria that have a cell wall composed of a thick layer of a particular substance (called…
Granary weevil

A true weevil that is among the most destructive of all insects in stored grain and that is the culprit responsible for a disease called miller's lung. The weevil larvae develop inside kernels of whole grain in storage…
Grand mal

A form of epilepsy characterized by tonic-clonic seizures. involving two phases -- the tonic phase in which the body becomes rigid, and clonic phase in which there is uncontrolled jerking. Tonic-clonic seizures may or…
Grand mal epilepsy

See: Grand mal
Grand multipara

The term 'multipara' applies to any woman who has given birth 2 or more times. A woman who has given birth 5 or more times is called a grand multipara. For a pregnancy to count as a 'birth', it must go to at least 20…
Grand rounds

A formal meeting at which physicians discuss the clinical case of one or more patients. Grand rounds originated as part of residency training wherein new information was taught and clinical reasoning skills were…
Granny cam

A camcorder (a video camera and video recorder in one unit) that displays a live feed of elderly people, as in a nursing home, to keep an eye on them and the care they receive. The issue of the granny cams has a matter…
Granny-cam

See: Granny cam
Grannycam

See: Granny cam
Granular leukocyte

>Neutrophils have 'neutral' subtle granules; >Eosinophils have prominent granules that stain readily with the acid dye eosin; and >Basophils have prominent granules that stain readily basic (non acidic) dyes. This…
Granulation

That part of the healing process in which rough, pink tissue containing new connective tissue and capillaries forms around the edges of a wound. Granulation of a wound is normal and desirable
Granulocyte

>Neutrophils have 'neutral' subtle granules; >Eosinophils have prominent granules that stain readily with the acid dye eosin; and >Basophils have prominent granules that stain readily basic (non acidic) dyes. This…
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

See: G-CSF
Granulocytopenia

A marked decrease in the number of granulocytes. Granulocytes are a type of white blood cell filled with microscopic granules that are little sacs containing enzymes that digest microorganisms. Granulocytes are part of…
Granuloma

A granuloma is one of a number of forms of localized nodular inflammation found in tissues. The fact that a granuloma is localized is important. So is its nodularity. Granulomas have a typical pattern when examined…
Granuloma annulare

The definition of granuloma annulare in one of the standard print medical dictionaries begins: 'a benign, usually self-limited granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, chiefly involving the dermis.' Translation: This…
Granuloma, calcified

A calcified granuloma is a granuloma containing calcium deposits. Since it usually takes some time for calcium to be deposited in a granuloma, it is generally assumed that a calcified granuloma is an old granuloma. A…
Granuloma, fish bowl

Localized nodular skin inflammation (small reddish raised areas of skin) caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium marinum. Fish bowl granuloma is typically acquired by occupational or recreational exposure to salt or…
Granuloma, swimming pool

Localized nodular skin inflammation (small reddish raised areas of skin) caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium marinum. Swimming pool granuloma is typically acquired by occupational or recreational exposure to salt…
Granulomatosis, allergic

A disease (also more commonly called the Churg-Straus syndrome) characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels in persons with a history of asthma or allergy. The symptoms of the Churg-Strauss syndrome include…
Granulomatosis, Wegener's

An inflammatory disease of small arteries and veins (vasculitis) that classically involves vessels supplying the tissues of the lungs, nasal passages (sinuses), and kidneys. Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss…
Granulomatous colitis

Crohn's disease of the colon (the large intestine). Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect other parts of the digestive system as…
Grapefruit diet

The Grapefruit diet is a weight loss plan that incorporates eating half a grapefruit with each meal and following a severely restrictive low-calorie diet. Like many other 'fad' diets, rumors have circulated that this…
Graves disease

Generalized diffuse overactivity ('toxicity') of the entire thyroid gland which becomes enlarged into a goiter. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. There are three components to Graves disease: >…
Gravid

Pregnant
Gray

A unit of absorbed radiation equal to the dose of one joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of matter, or 100 rad. The unit is named for the British physician L. Harold Gray (1905-1965), an authority on the use of…
Gray baby syndrome

A syndrome due to toxicity of the antibiotic chloramphenicol in the newborn, especially the premature newborn, because of lack the necessary liver enzymes to metabolize this drug. Chloramphenicol accumulates in the…
Gray matter

The cortex of the brain which contains nerve cell bodies. The gray matter is in contrast to the white matter, the part of the brain that contains myelinated nerve fibers. The gray matter is so named because it in fact…
Gray syndrome

See: Gray baby syndrome
Gray's Anatomy

A book entitled 'Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical' by Henry Gray appeared in 1858. Little could Dr. Gray have suspected that his textbook of human anatomy would still be in print today and be perhaps the best known of…
Great Plague

The 'Great Plague' that swept London in 1665 was probably not really the plague but rather typhus. The plague was a highly contagious, infectious, virulent, devastating disease due to a bacteria called Yersinia pestis…
Great pox

Syphilis. An old name to distinguish it from the smallpox
Great saphenous vein

The larger of the two saphenous veins, the principal veins that run up the leg superficially (near the surface). The great saphenous vein goes from the foot all the way up to the saphenous opening, an oval aperture in…
Greek medicine

Medicine in Greece and the Greek world. The foundations of much of modern Western medicine lie in classical Greece, from about 800 B.C.E. to about 200 C.E. During this period, Greek medicine departed from the divine and…
Green fluorescent protein

Abbreviated GFP. A protein that glows green under fluorescent light. Found naturally in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, GFP fluoresces green when exposed to blue light. It has a sequence of three amino acids…
Greenstick fracture

A fracture in which one side of a bone is broken while the other is bent (like a green stick). NTER>
Gregarious

Living in the company of others. A gregarious parasite is one whose nutritional requirements are such that from several to many can live simultaneously in or on the body of the host
Gregarious parasite

A parasite whose nutritional requirements permit several to many of them to live simultaneously in or on the body of the host
Grid, Amsler

The normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical (such as a death), social (such as divorce), or occupational (such as a job). Emotional reactions of grief can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness…
Grief

Therapy for people who have unusually serious grief reactions. The goal of grief therapy is to identify and solve problems the mourner may have in separating from the person who died. When separation difficulties occur…
Grief therapy

>Develop the ability to experience, express, and adjust to painful grief-related changes. >Find effective ways to cope with painful changes. >Establish a continuing relationship with the person who died. >Stay healthy…
Grief, anticipatory

See: Anticipatory grief
Grief, complicated

See: Complicated grief
Grief, public

See: Public mourning
Grief, unresolved

See: Complicated grief
Groin

In anatomy, the area where the upper thigh meets the trunk. More precisely, the fold or depression marking the juncture of the lower abdomen and the inner part of the thigh. In sports medicine, 'groin injuries' are well…
Gross anatomy

The study of the form of structures that can be seen with the naked eye, as opposed to microscopic anatomy (or histology) which involves structures seen under the microscope. Traditionally, both gross and microscopic…
Gross hematuria

Hematuria means blood in the urine and gross hematuria refers to hematuria that is so plentiful that it is visible grossly with just the naked eye. Gross hematuria is in contrast to microhematuria in which the blood is…
Group A strep

A well-known strain (a type) of streptococcus (strep) bacteria that can cause strep throat and common skin problems such as impetigo as well as rheumatic fever. Autoimmune reactions to strep have also recently been…
Group B streptococcus infection

A major cause of infections, including infections involving the pregnant woman and her newborn infant. Strep B can infect the mother's uterus, placenta, and urinary tract; in fact, they are present in the vagina of 10…