| GIP | gastric inhibitory polypeptide; giant cell interstitial pneumonia; glucose-dependent insulinotropic ... |
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| GMC | general medical clinic; general medical council; giant migratory contraction; grivet monkey cell |
| MCGC | metacerebral giant cell |
| MGCE | multifocal giant cell encephalitis |
| MGG | May-Grunwald-Giemsa [staining]; molecular and general genetics; mouse gammaglobulin; multinucleated ... |
| giant | 1. A man of extraordinari bulk and stature. "Giants of mighty bone and bold emprise." 2. A person of extraordinary strength or powers, bodily or intellectual. 3. Any animal, plant, or thing, of extraordinary size or power. Giant's Causeway, a vast collection of basaltic pillars, in the county of Antrim on the northern coast of Ireland. Origin: OE. Giant, geant, geaunt, OF. Jaiant, geant, F. Geant, L. Gigas, fr. Gr, from the root of E. Gender, genesis. See Gender, and cf. Gigantic. Like a giant; extraordinary in size, strength, or power; as, giant brothers; a giant son. Giant cell. <anatomy> A very large African heron (Ardeomega goliath). It is the largest heron known. Giant kettle, a pothole of very large dimensions, as found in Norway in connection with glaciers. See Pothole. Giant powder. See Nitroglycerin. <botany> Giant puffball, one of several species of very large squids, belonging to Architeuthis and allied genera. Some are over forty feet long. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| giant axon | <biology> Extraordinarily large unmyelinated axons found in invertebrates. Some, like the squid giant axon, can approach 1 mm diameter. Large axons have high conduction speeds, the giant axons are invariably involved in panic or escape responses and may (e.g. Crayfish) have electrical synapses to further increase speed. Vertebrate axons with high conduction velocites are much narrower: they are myelinated, allowing saltatory conduction. (17 Dec 1997) |
| giant axonal neuropathy | <paediatrics> A rare disorder beginning at or after the third year of life, and presenting clinically with kinky hair, progressive painless clumsiness, muscle weakness and atrophy, sensory loss, and areflexia. Pathologically, both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres contain axonal spheroids packed with neurofilaments; sporadic in nature. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant cells, foreign-body | Multinucleated cells (fused macrophages), characteristic of granulomatous inflammation, which form around exogenous material in the skin. They are similar in appearance to langhans giant cells (giant cells, langhans), but foreign-body giant cells have more abundant chromatin and their nuclei are scattered in an irregular pattern in the cytoplasm. (12 Dec 1998) |
| giant cells, langhans | Multinucleated cells (fused macrophages) seen in granulomatous inflammations such as tuberculosis, syphilis, sarcoidosis, and deep fungal infections. They resemble foreign-body giant cells (giant cells, foreign body) but langhans giant cells contain less chromatin and their nuclei are arranged peripherally in a horseshoe-shaped pattern. Langhans giant cells occur frequently in delayed hypersensitivity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| giant chromosome | <cell biology> Giant chromosomes produced by the successive replication of homologous pairs of chromosomes, joined together (synapsed) without chromosome separation or nuclear division. They thus consist of many up to 1000) identical chromosomes (strictly chromatids) running parallel and in strict register. The chromosomes remain visible during interphase and are found in some ciliates, ovule cells in angiosperms and in larval Dipteran tissue. The best known polytene chromosomes are those of the salivary gland of the larvae of Drosophila melanogaster which appear as a series of dense bands interspersed by light interbands, in a pattern characteristic for each chromosome. The bands, of which there are about 5,000 in Drosophila melanogaster, contain most of the DNA (ca 95%) of the chromosomes and each band roughly represents one gene. The banding pattern of polytene chromosomes provides a visible map to compare with the linkage map determined by genetic studies. Some segments of polytene chromosome show chromosome puffs, areas of high transcription. (18 Nov 1997) |
| giant colon | An abnormally large or dilated colon, the condition may be congenital or acquired, acute or chronic. (18 Nov 1997) |
| giant condyloma | A large type of condyloma acuminatum found in the anus, vulva, or preputial sac of the penis of middle-aged, uncircumcised men; it tends to extend deeply and recur. Synonym: Buschke-Lowenstein tumour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant drusen | An obsolete term for a glial hamartoma of the optic nerve head or the peripapillary retina, seen in tuberous sclerosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant follicular lymphoblastoma | <tumour> A malignant lymphoma arising from lymphoid follicular B-cells which may be small or large, growing in a nodular pattern. Synonym: follicular lymphoma, giant follicular lymphoblastoma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant follicular thyroiditis | A variant of Hashimoto's thyroiditis in which lymphocytic infiltrate in thyroid has formed into giant follicles. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant gastric folds | Enlarged gastric submucosal ridges covered by hyperplastic mucosa, as seen in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, Menetrier's disease, and hypertrophic hypersecretory gastropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| giant hairy nevus | <dermatology> These large pigmented (often hairy) congenital nevi are important because of their increased risk (10 to 15%) of conversion into malignant melanoma. A biopsy can confirm if cells have turned malignant. Any change in a pre-existing nevus should prompt a physician evaluation. (17 Dec 1997) |
| giant hives | A vascular reaction involving the deep dermis or subcutaneous or submucal tissues, representing localised oedema caused by dilatation and increased permeability of the capillaries and characterised by development of giant wheals. (18 Nov 1997) |
| giant hypertrophy of gastric mucosa | Gastric mucosal hyperplasia, either mucoid or glandular; the latter type may be associated with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Synonym: giant hypertrophy of gastric mucosa, hypertrophic gastritis, Menetrier's syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |