Cytotoxic
Cytotoxic: Toxic to cells, cell-toxic, cell-killing. Any agent or process that kills cells. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are forms of cytotoxic therapy. They kill cells.
The prefix cyto- denotes a cell. It comes from the Greek kytos meaning hollow, as a cell or container. Toxic is from the Greek toxikon = arrow poison.
Read Also:
- Cytoskeleton
Cytoskeleton: The scaffolding structure of the cell cytoplasm. The cytoskeleton consists of intermediate filaments, actin filaments, and microtubules.
- Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte: A T cell that is antigen-specific and is able to search out and kill specific types of virus-infected cells. When cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) find cells carrying the viral peptide they are looking for, they induce these cells to secrete proteins that attract nearby macrophages (a type of white blood cells). These macrophages then […]
- CVC
CVC: Commonly used abbreviation for a Central Venous Catheter, a catheter (tube) that is passed through a vein to end up in the thoracic (chest) portion of the vena cava (the large vein returning blood to the heart) or in the right atrium of the heart. Central venous catheters have a number of different uses, […]
- d-
d-: Abbreviation for dextrorotatory, applied to a chemical compound. Dextrorotary is opposed to levorotary which is abbreviated as l-. From the Latin dexter, on the right-hand side.
- D-dimer
A fragment produced during the degradation of a clot. The D here stands for domain. Dimer indicates two identical units, in this case two identical domains. D-dimer result from complete breakdown of the clot. Monoclonal antibody to the D-dimer fragment provide the basis for the main methods of detecting it. The presence of D-dimers in […]