Dictionary

quotidian Recurring each day, as in a fever that returns every day.

quotient The result of mathematical division.

R 1 Respiration. For example, a medical chart note of “R20” is shorthand for 20 respirations (breaths) per minute. 2 Right. A medical chart note of a burn on the “R digit 5” places the burn on the right little finger or toe. 3 Roentgen. 4 In chemistry, a radical. 5 On a prescription, recipe,…

rabies A potentially fatal viral infection that attacks the central nervous system. Rabies is carried by wild animals (particularly bats and raccoons) and finds its way to humans by many routes. Most cases of rabies can be traced to animal bites, but cases have been documented in which the virus was inhaled in bat caves,…

racemose A descriptive term for something that is in a cluster or bunch. For example, a racemose aneurysm is an aneurysm that looks like a bunch of grapes.

rad Radiation absorbed dose, a measurement for a dose of ionizing radiation.

radial 1 Pertaining to the radius, the smaller bone in the forearm. The radial artery is so named because of its proximity to the radius. 2 Pertaining to the radius of a circle. 3 Spreading from a central point. A radial keratotomy, for instance, is an eye operation in which incisions are made in the…

radial aplasia-thrombocytopenia syndrome See TAR syndrome.

radial artery A major artery that emerges through the neck of the radius in the crook of the elbow and sends out 12 branches to various areas of the forearm, wrist, and hand.

radiate To spread out from a central area. For example, sciatic pain may radiate outward from the lower back.

q arm of a chromosome The long arm of a chromosome. All human chromosomes have 2 arms—a short arm and a long arm. By international convention, the short arm is termed p, and the long arm of the chromosome is termed q. For example, if a gene is on 3q12, that gene is on chromosome…

Q fever An infectious disease due to the bacterium Coxiella burnetii whose symptoms include fever, headache, malaise, and pneumonia (interstitial pneumonitis), but not rash. The Q stands for query because the cause of the disease was long a question mark. Q fever is a zoonotic disease and is contracted from cattle, sheep, and goats. Chronic…