Category: Cb-Ch

The whole set of chromosomes for a species. In humans, the normal chromosome complement consists of 46 chromosomes, including the 2 sex chromosomes. Also known as the karyotype.

A carrier of genetic information that is visible under an ordinary light microscope. Each human chromosome has two arms, the p (short) arm and the q (long) arm. These arms are separated from each other only by the centromere, which is the point at which the chromosome is attached to the spindle during cell division. The…

A highly malignant tumor that arises from trophoblastic cells within the uterus. Choriocarcinoma tends to be invasive and to metastasize early and widely through both the venous and lymphatic systems. Choriocarcinoma is one of the two types of gestational trophoblastic tumor, the other being hydatidiform mole. Choriocarcinoma may follow any type of pregnancy. It is especially likely to occur with a…

Ceaseless rapid complex body movements that look well coordinated and purposeful but are, in fact, involuntary. Chorea was thought suggestive of a grotesque dance. The term “chorea” is derived from the Greek word “choreia” for dancing (as is choreography).

Thread-like bands of fibrous tissue which attach on one end to the edges of the tricuspid and mitral valves of the heart and on the other end to the papillary muscles, small muscles within the heart that serve to anchor the valves.

A glycosaminoglycan (formerly called a mucopolysaccharide) found in cartilage, bone, blood vessels and connective tissues. There are two forms: chondroitin sulfate A and chondroitin sulfate C. One or both types accumulate abnormally in several of the mucopolysaccharidosis disorders. Chondroitin sulfate B is now called dermatan sulfate.

The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for being associated with an increased risk for heart and blood vessel disease. However, cholesterol is essential to the formation of bile acids, vitamin D, progesterone, estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estriol), androgens (androsterone, testosterone), mineralocorticoid hormones (aldosterone, corticosterone), and glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol). Cholesterol is also necessary to the normal permeability and function of the membranes that surround cells.…

Cholestasis: a decrease or blockage in the flow of bile. Bile is a fluid produced by the liver that travels through ducts to enter the digestive system in the small intestine. Diseases of the liver, pancreas, or of the bile ducts themselves can all cause cholestasis. Symptoms of cholestasis include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes look yellow), dark…

An infectious disease characterized by intense vomiting and profuse watery diarrhea and that rapidly leads to dehydration and often death. Cholera is caused by infection with the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which may be transmitted via infected fecal matter, food, or water. With modern sanitation, cholera is no longer as common as it once was, but epidemics still…

1. The presence of stones in the gallbladder. 2. The process of formation of such stones. From the Greek roots chole, bile + lithos, stone.