| plus | 1. <mathematics> More, required to be added; positive, as distinguished from negative; opposed to minus. 2. Hence, in a literary sense, additional; real; actual. "Success goes invariably with a certain plus or positive power." (Emerson) 3. <mathematics> Plus sign, the sign (+) which denotes addition, or a positive quantity. Origin: L, more; akin to Gr, and cf. Piu, Pleonasm. (11 Mar 1998) |
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| plus lens | A converging lens. Synonym: plus lens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plus strand | See: replicative form. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fluorescence plus Giemsa stain | <technique> A stain used to demonstrate sister chromatid exchange; cells are grown in 5-bromodeoxyuridine, followed by chromosome preparation, staining in Hoechst 33258, exposure to light, and staining in Giemsa; chromosomes exhibit a "harlequin" appearance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aneurysmal cough | Cough due to impingement of an aortic aneurysm on the recurrent laryngeal nerve or other nearby structures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brassy cough | Loud metallic barking cough caused by subglottic oedema. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex cough | A cough excited reflexly by irritation in some distant part, as the ear or the stomach. (05 Mar 2000) |
| weaver's cough | An obsolete term for cough, dyspnea, and sense of constriction of the chest, caused in persons working with mildewed yarns. (05 Mar 2000) |
| whooping cough | <paediatrics> A bacterial infection that has become quite rare due to effective and widespread vaccination programs (DPT vaccine). Only about 4, 500 cases are reported annually in the U.S. Can present as a mild or severe illness. Symptoms include runny nose, low-grade fever, conjunctivitis and a characteristic cough. Coughing spells end in a whoop caused by the forceful inspiration of air. (13 Nov 1997) |
| whooping-cough vaccine | See: diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis vaccine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough | <clinical sign> A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs typically in order to clear the lung airways of fluids, mucus, or material. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cough fracture | <orthopaedics> A fracture of a rib or cartilage, usually the fifth or seventh, from vigorous coughing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough reflex | <chest medicine, neurology, physiology> The reflex which mediates coughing in response to irritation of the larynx or tracheobronchial tree. Synonym: laryngeal reflex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough suppressant | <pharmacology> A medication which acts to suppress the cough reflex. Examples include codeine and dextromethorphan. (27 Sep 1997) |
| privet cough | An allergic cough, occurring in China during May and June, supposed to be caused by inhalation of the pollen of a species of privet (Lingustrum); it is analogous to the laurel fever seen in New England. (05 Mar 2000) |