Medical Dictionary

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autopentaploid (aw-to-pen′ta-ployd)
See autoploid.

autopepsia (aw-to-pep′se-a)
Rarely used term for self-digestion, said of ulceration of the gastric mucous membrane by its own secretion, or the digestion of the skin surrounding a gastrostomy or colostomy opening. [auto- + G. pepsis, digestion]

autophagia (aw-to-fa′je-a)
1. Biting one's own flesh; e.g., as a symptom of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. 2. Maintenance of the nutrition of the whole body by metabolic consumption of some of the body tissues. 3. SYN: autophagy. [auto- + G. phago, to eat]

autophagic (aw-to-fa′jik)
Relating to or characterized by autophagia.

autophagolysosome (aw′to-fa-go-li′so-som)
The digestive vacuole of autophagy that results from the fusion of a primary lysosome with an autophagic vacuole.

autophagy (aw-tof′a-je)
Segregation and disposal of damaged organelles within a cell. SYN: autophagia (3) . [auto- + G. phago, to eat]

autophobia (aw-to-fo′be-a)
Morbid fear of solitude or of self. [auto- + G. phobos, fear]

autophony (aw-tof′o-ne)
Increased hearing of one's own voice, breath sounds, arterial murmurs, etc., noted especially in disease of the middle ear or of the nasal fossae. SYN: tympanophonia, tympanophony. [auto- + G. phone, sound]

autoploid (aw′to-ployd)
Relating to an individual or cell with two or more copies of a single haploid set; depending on the number of multiples of the haploid set, autoploids are referred to as autodiploids, autotriploids, autotetraploids, autopentaploids, autohexaploids, etc. [auto- + -ploid]

autoploidy (aw′to-ploy-de)
The condition of being autoploid.

autoplugger (aw′to-plug-er)
Obsolete term for automatic plugger.

autopod (aw′to-pod)
SYN: autopodium.

autopodium, pl .autopodia (aw′to-po′de-um, de-a)
The distal major subdivision of a limb (hand or foot). SYN: autopod. [auto- + G. pous (pod-), foot]

autopoisonous (aw-to-poy′zun-us)
SYN: autotoxic.

autopolymer (aw-to-pol′i-mer)
See a. resin.

autopolymerization (aw-to-pol′i-mer-i-za′shun)
Polymerization without the use of external heat, as a result of the addition of an activator and a catalyst.

autopolyploid (aw-to-pol′i-ployd)
An autoploid having two or more multiples of the haploid sets of chromosomes.

autopolyploidy (aw-to-pol′i-ploy-de)
The condition of being allopolyploid.

autopsy (aw′top-se)
1. An examination of the organs of a dead body to determine the cause of death or to study the pathologic changes present. SYN: necropsy. 2. In the terminology of the ancient Greek school of empirics, the intentional reproduction of an effect, event, or circumstance that occurred in the course of a disease and observation of its influence in ameliorating or aggravating the patient's symptoms. SYN: postmortem examination. [G. autopsia, seeing with one's own eyes] verbal a. method of obtaining as much information as possible about a deceased person by asking questions of family and others who can describe the mode of death and circumstances preceding death; used especially in developing countries and in settings and situations in which postmortem pathological examination is not feasible.

autoradiogram (aw-to-ra′de-o-gram)
SYN: autoradiograph. [auto- + radiogram]

autoradiograph (aw-to-ra′de-o-graf)
Image of the distribution and concentration of radioactivity in a tissue or other substance made by placing a photographic emulsion on the surface of, or in close proximity to, the substance. SYN: autoradiogram.

autoradiography (aw′to-ra-de-og′ra-fe)
The process of producing an autoradiograph. SYN: radioautography. paper a. a. in which compounds are separated by paper chromatography.

autoreceptor (au′to-re-sep-tor, tor)
A site on a neuron that binds the neurotransmitter released by that neuron, which then regulates the neuron's activity. [auto- + receptor]

autoregulation (aw′to-reg-u-la′shun)
1. The tendency of the blood flow to an organ or part to remain at or return to the same level despite changes in the pressure in the artery which conveys blood to it. 2. In general, any biologic system equipped with inhibitory feedback systems such that a given change tends to be largely or completely counteracted; e.g., baroreceptor reflexes form a basis for a. of the systemic arterial blood pressure. heterometric a. intrinsic regulation of the strength of cardiac contraction as a function of diastolic fiber length (volume), independent of afterload, autonomic nerves and other extrinsic influences. Heterometric a. is also known as the length-tension relationship, the relationship of end diastolic volume to end diastolic pressure, Starling law of the heart, and the Frank-Starling curve. homeometric a. intrinsic regulation of strength of cardiac contraction in response to influences that do not depend on change in fiber length, i.e., the Frank-Starling curve, ( e.g., the Anrep effect in which strength increases in response to increased afterload, and the Bowditch effect (treppe) in which strength increases in response to increased heart rate) and do not depend on extrinsic regulation ( e.g., in which strength increases in response to sympathetic nerve stimulation or norepinephrine).

autoreinfection (aw′to-re-in-fek′shun)
SYN: autoinfection.

autoreproduction (aw′to-re-pro-duk′shun)
The ability of a gene or virus, or nucleoprotein molecule generally, to bring about the synthesis of another molecule like itself from smaller molecules within the cell.

autorrhaphy (aw-tor′a-fe)
Wound closure using strands of fascia from the edges of the wound. [auto- + G. rhaphe, sewing]

autosensitize (aw-to-sen′si-tiz)
To sensitize against one's own body cells. SYN: isosensitize.

autosepticemia (aw′to-sep-ti-se′me-a)
Septicemia apparently originating from microorganisms existing within the individual and not introduced from without. [auto- + G. sepsis, decay, + haima, blood]

autoserotherapy (aw′to-se-ro-thar′a-pe)
The treatment of certain conditions, such as dermatoses, by injection of the patient's own blood serum.

autoserum (aw-to-se′rum)
Serum obtained from the patient's own blood and used in autoserotherapy.

autosite (aw′to-sit)
That member of abnormal, unequal conjoined twins that is able to live independently and nourish the other member (parasite) of the pair. [auto- + G. sitos, food]

autosmia (aw-toz′me-a)
The smelling of one's own body odor. [auto- + G. osme, smell]

autosomal (aw-to-so′mal)
Pertaining to an autosome.

autosomatognosis (aw-to-so′ma-tog-no′sis)
The sensation that an amputated portion of the body is still present. See phantom limb. [auto- + G. soma, body, + gnosis, recognition]

autosomatognostic (aw-to-so′ma-tog-nos′tik)
Pertaining to autosomatognosis.

autosome (aw′to-som)
Any chromosome other than a sex chromosome; autosomes normally occur in pairs in somatic cells and singly in gametes. SYN: euchromosome. [auto- + G. soma, body]

autosuggestibility (aw′to-sug-jes-ti-bil′i-te)
A mental state in which autosuggestion (1) readily occurs.

autosuggestion (aw′to-sug-jes′chun)
1. Constant dwelling upon an idea or concept, thereby inducing some change in the mental or bodily functions. SEE ALSO: autohypnosis. 2. Reproduction in the brain of impressions previously received which become then the starting point of new acts or ideas.

autosynnoia (aw′to-sin-noy′a)
A mental disorder in which one never has a thought not connected with oneself. SYN: self-centeredness. [auto- + G. synnoia, deep thought, fr. syn, with + noeo, to think]

autosynthesis (aw-to-sin′the-sis)
Self-reproduction or -replication.

autotelic (aw-to-tel′ik)
Denoting those traits closely associated with the central purposes of an individual. [auto- + G. telos, end, completeness, purpose]

autotemnous (aw-to-tem′nus)
Denoting a cell that propagates itself by fission without previous conjugation. [auto- + G. temno, to cut]

autotetraploid (aw-to-tet′ra-ployd)
See autoploid.

autotherapy (aw-to-thar′a-pe)
1. Self-treatment. 2. Spontaneous cure.

autotomy (aw-tot′o-me)
The act of casting off a body part as a means of escape; e.g., the limb of a crab or the tail of a lizard. [auto- + G. tome, a cutting]

autotopagnosia (aw′to-top′ag-no′ze-a)
Inability to recognize or to orient any part of one's own body; caused by a parietal lobe lesion. Cf.:somatotopagnosis. [auto- + G. topos, place, + G. a- priv. + gnosis]

autotoxemia (aw′to-tok-se′me-a)
Autointoxicants present in the blood, usually resulting in autointoxication.

autotoxic (aw-to-toks′ik)
Relating to autointoxication. SYN: autopoisonous.

autotoxicosis (aw′to-tok-si-ko′sis)
SYN: autointoxication.

autotoxin (aw-to-tok′sin)
SYN: autointoxicant.

autotransfusion (aw′to-tranz-fu′zhun)
Withdrawal and reinjection/transfusion of the patient's own blood; commonly the patient's own blood is collected on several occasions over time to be reinfused during an operative procedure in which substantial blood loss is anticipated. Cf.:autoinfusion.

autotransplant (aw-to-tranz′plant)
SYN: autograft.

autotransplantation (aw′to-tranz-plan-ta′shun)
The performance of an autograft. SYN: autografting.

autotriploid (aw-to-trip′loyd)
See autoploid.

autotroph (aw′to-trof)
A microorganism that uses only inorganic materials as its source of nutrients; carbon dioxide serves as the sole carbon source. [auto- + G. trophe, nourishment]

autotrophic (aw-to-trof′ik)
1. Self-nourishing. The ability of an organism to produce food from inorganic compounds. 2. Pertaining to an autotroph.

autotrophy (aw′to-trof-e)
The state of being self-sustaining and able to produce food from inorganic compounds, with carbon dioxide serving as the sole source of carbon. carbon a. ability to assimilate CO2 from the air. nitrogen a. ability to assimilate nitrate or to do nitrogen fixation. sulfur a. ability to assimilate sulfate.

autovaccination (aw′to-vak-si-na′shun)
A second vaccination with virus from a vaccine sore or liberation of antigenic products from invading microorganisms on the same individual.

autoxidation (aw-tok-si-da′shun)
SYN: auto-oxidation.

autozygous (aw-to-zi′gus)
Denoting genes in a homozygote that are copies of the identical ancestral gene as a result of a consanguineous mating. [auto- + G. zygotos, yoked]

auxano-, auxo-, aux-
Increase, e.g., in size, intensity, speed. [G. auxano, to increase]

auxanogram (awk-san′o-gram)
A plate culture of bacteria in which variable conditions are provided in order to determine the effect of these conditions on the growth of the bacteria. [auxano- + G. gramma, something written]

auxanographic (awk′san-o-graf′ik)
Pertaining to auxanogram or auxanography.

auxanography (awk-sa-nog′ra-fe)
The study, using auxanograms, of the effects of different conditions on the growth of bacteria.

auxanology (awk-sa-nol′o-je)
The study of growth. [auxano- + G. logos, study]

auxesis (awk-se′sis)
Increase in size, especially as in hypertrophy. [G. increase]

auxiliary (og-zil′ya-re)
1. Functioning in an augmenting capacity; supplementary. 2. Functioning as a subordinate; secondary.

auxiliomotor (awg-zil′e-o-mo-tor)
Aiding motion.

auxilytic (awk′si-lit′ik)
Increasing the destructive power of a lysin, or favoring lysis. [G. auxo, to increase, + lysis, dissolution]

auxo-
See auxano-.

auxocardia (awk-so-kar′de-a)
1. Enlargement of the heart, either by hypertrophy or dilation. 2. Diastole of the heart. [auxo- + G. kardia, heart]

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