| common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia | <haematology, oncology> A sub-type of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia affecting cells early in the B lymphocyte lineage which accounts for about 80% of all acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (13 Nov 1997) |
|---|---|
| acute lymphoblastic leukaemia | <haematology> A rapidly progressing cancer of the blood affecting the type of white blood cell known as lymphocytes. Approximately 650 new cases are diagnosed every year in the UK and it is the most common form of childhood leukaemia. Acronym: ALL Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (11 Nov 1997) |
| leukemia | <haematology> An acute or chronic disease of unknown cause in man and other warm blooded animals that involves the blood forming organs, is characterised by an abnormal increase in the number of leucocytes in the tissues of the body with or without a corresponding increase of those in the circulating blood and is classified according of the type leucocyte most prominently involved. (18 Nov 1997) |
| lymphoblastic | Pertaining to the production of lymphocytes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lymphoblastic leukaemia | Acute lymphocytic leukaemia in which the abnormal cells are chiefly (or almost totally) blast forms of the lymphocytic series, or in which unusually large numbers of the immature forms occur in association with adult lymphocytes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lymphoblastic lymphoma | <tumour> A diffuse lymphoma in children, with supradiaphragmatic distribution and T lymphocytes having convoluted nuclei; many patients develop acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lymphoma, lymphoblastic | A high-grade malignant lymphoma composed of a diffuse, relatively uniform proliferation of cells with round or convoluted nuclei and scanty cytoplasm. The cells are cytologically similar to the lymphoblasts seen in acute lymphocytic leukaemia, and in some cases, the disease may evolve into a leukaemic phase morphologically indistinguishable from acute t-lymphocytic leukaemia (leukaemia, T-cell, acute). Lymphoblastic lymphoma represents approximately one-third of the cases of non-hodgkin's lymphomas in children and 5% of the cases in adults. It is more prevalent in males. (12 Dec 1998) |
| carotid artery, common | The two principal arteries supplying the structures of the head and neck. They ascend in the neck, one on each side, and at the level of the upper border of the thyroid cartilage, each divides into two branches, the external (carotid artery, external) and internal (carotid artery, internal) carotid arteries. (12 Dec 1998) |
| migraine, common | Migraine without aura. The most frequent type, accounting for about 80-85% of migraines. See migraine. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cold, common | A viral upper respiratory tract infection. A contagious illness caused by a number of different types of viruses. Because of the great number of viruses that can cause a cold, the body never builds up resistance (immune) against all of them. For this reason, colds are a frequent and recurring problem. In fact, preschool children average 9 colds a year; those in kindergarten, 12 colds a year; and adolescents and adults, 7 colds per year. Going out into the cold weather has no effect on the spread of a cold. Antibiotics do not help the common cold. (12 Dec 1998) |
| common antigen | Cross reacting antigen (epitope), a common antigen that occurs in 2 or more different molecules/organisms. Synonym: heterogenic enterobacterial antigen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| common baldness | Hair loss in women that may be associated with aging, hormones (androgens) or genetic predisposition. The pattern of baldness in women is different from that of men. In women there is thinning of the hair all over the scalp, but the frontal hairline is maintained. The hair loss is usually permanent. Treatment has been successful with topical minoxidil in some cases. (27 Sep 1997) |
| common basal vein | <anatomy, vein> The tributary to the inferior pulmonary vein (right and left) that receives blood from the superior and inferior basal veins. Synonym: vena basalis communis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| common bile duct | <anatomy> A duct that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). (27 Sep 1997) |
| common bile duct calculi | The presence of gallstones in the common bile duct. It is usually the result of passage of gallstones formed in the gallbladder into the common duct. Less commonly, stones form in a duct behind an obstruction caused by a stricture or ampullary stenosis. Stone type helps to determine site of origin: cholesterol or black pigment stones more likely form in the gallbladder, while almost all brown pigment stones in patients from western countries form in the bile ducts. (12 Dec 1998) |