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K (potassium)
K is the symbol for potassium, the major positive ion (cation) found inside of cells. The chemical notation for potassium is K+.
The proper level of potassium is essential for normal cell function. An abnormal increase of potassium (hyperkalemia) or decrease of potassium (hypokalemia) can profoundly affect the nervous system and heart, and when extreme, can be fatal.
The normal blood potassium level is 3.5 - 5.0 milliEquivalents/liter (mEq/L), or in international units, 3.5 - 5.0 millimoles/liter (mmol/L).
Kala-azar
A chronic and potentially fatal parasitic disease of the vicera (particularly the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes) due to infection by Leishmania donovani.
Leishmania donovani, the agent of kala-azar, is transmitted by sandfly bites in parts of Asia (primarily India), Africa (primarily Sudan) and South America (primarily Brazil) where all together there are an estimated half million cases per year. There are also several hundred cases yearly in Europe (primarily in the Mediterranean region) and a few in North America.
Kala-azar can cause no or few symptoms but typically is associated with fever, loss of appetite (anorexia), fatigue, enlargement of the liver, spleen and nodes and suppression of the bone marrow. Kala-azar also increases the risk of other secondary infections. The first oral drug found to be effective for treating kala-azar is miltefosine.
Kala-azar is the Hindi term for black fever. Also known as visceral leishmaniasis, Indian visceral leishmaniasis, black sickness, or black fever.
Kaposi's sarcoma
A relatively rare type of cancer that develops on the skin of some elderly persons or those with an abnormal immune system, including that in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of vascular (angioblastic) cancer of the skin characterized by soft purplish plaques and papules that form nodules which typically start on the feet and ankles and then slowly spread across the skin of the legs, hands and arms. In AIDS patients, these tumors also can develop internally and cause severe internal bleeding.
The treatment depends on the severity of the tumor. Low dosages of radiation therapy can be effective in treating mild cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma. However, in more severe cases, there is no effective treatment, although anti-cancer drugs can slow the spread of the tumors.
The tumor was first described in 1872 by the dermatologist Moritz Kaposi (Moritz Kaposi Kohn) (1837-1902). Born in Austro-Hungary, Kaposi first identified this skin cancer in older Italian and Eastern European Jewish men. Kaposi's sarcoma became much more common and spread more aggressively through the body among patients with AIDS. It also became better known because of its association with AIDS.
Kartagener syndrome
The trio of sinusitis, bronchitis and situs inversus (lateral reversal of the position all organs in the chest and abdomen with the heart and stomach on the right, the liver on the left, etc. - opposite or "inverted" from their usual position).
Karyocyte
Any cell that possesses a nucleus.
A neuron (nerve cell) is a karyocyte; it has a nucleus. A mature erythrocyte (red blood cell) is not a karyocyte; it lacks a nucleus.
The term "karyocyte" is made up of "kary-" from the Greek "karyon" meaning "nut or kernel" + "-cyte" from the Greek "kytos" meaning a "hollow vessel" = a hollow vessel (a cell) containing a nut or kernel (a nucleus).
Karyotype
A standard arrangement of the chromosome complement, done for chromosome analysis.
Karyotyping
Chromosome study.
Karyotyping, flow
Use of flow cytometry to analyze and/or separate chromosomes on the basis of their DNA content. Flow cytometry detects the light- absorbing or fluorescing properties of chromosomes passing in a narrow stream through a laser beam and with automated sorting devices can sort successive droplets of the stream into different fractions depending on the fluorescence emitted by each droplet.
Kawasaki disease
A syndrome of unknown origin, Kawasaki disease mainly affects young children, causing fever, reddening of the eyes (conjunctivitis), lips and mucous membranes of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen glands in the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy) and a rash that is raised and bright red (maculoerythematous) in a glove-and-sock fashion over the skin of the hands and feet which becomes hard, swollen (edematous) and peels off. Also called the mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. The name, the mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is quite descriptive because the disease is characterized by the typical changes in the mucus membranes that line the lips and mouth and by the enlarged and tender lymph glands. The syndrome was first described in the late 1960's in Japan by the pediatrician Tomisaku Kawasaki.
Kawasaki disease affects the vascular system, and is now the main cause of acquired heart disease in children. It is most common in people of Asian descent, and is both more common and more deadly in males. Its cause is unknown; current theories include viral causes or an environmental toxin. Treatment is usually by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
Kb
Abbreviation for kilobase
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