1. A nonangular continuous bend or line. 2. A chart or graphic representation, by means of a continuous line connecting individual observations, of the course of a physiologic activity, of the number of cases of a disease in a given period, or of any entity that might be otherwise presented by a table of figures. SYN: chart (2). [L. curvo, to bend]
- active length-tension c. the relationship between active isometric tension and preload (rest length) for a contracting muscle.
- alignment c. the line passing through the center of the teeth laterally in the direction of the c. of the dental arch.
- Barnes c. a c. corresponding in general with Carus c., being the segment of a circle whose center is the promontory of the sacrum.
- calibration c. the graphic or mathematic relationship between the readings obtained in an analytic process and the quantity of analyte in a calibration. The relationship is often a straight line rather than a c..
- Carus c. an imaginary curved line obtained from a mathematical formula, supposed to indicate the outlet of the pelvic canal. SYN: Carus circle.
- cephalic c. c. conforming to that of the fetal head, used in reference to the shape of obstetrical forceps.
- characteristic c. sensitometric c. of radiographic film, a plot of the film density versus the logarithm of the relative exposure. SYN: H and D c., Hunter and Driffield c..
- compensating c. the anteroposterior and lateral curvature in the alignment of the occluding surfaces and incisal edges of artificial teeth; used to develop balanced occlusion.
- distribution c. a systematic grouping of data into classes or categories according to the frequency of occurrence of each successive value or ranges of such values, resulting in a graph of a frequency distribution. SYN: frequency c..
- dose-response c. a graph showing the relationship between the dose of a drug, infectious agent, etc. and the biological response.
- dye-dilution c. graph of the serial concentrations (dilutions) of a dye, e.g., Evans blue, following its intravascular or intracardiac injection; useful in the diagnosis of congenital cardiac shunts, measurement of cardiac output, and detection of cardiovalvular incompetence. SYN: indicator-dilution c..
- epidemic c. a graph in which the number of new cases of a disease is plotted against an interval of time to describe a specific epidemic or outbreak.
- flow-volume c. the graph produced by plotting the instantaneous flow of respiratory gas against the simultaneous lung volume, usually during maximal forced expiration.
- force-velocity c. the relationship between isotonic velocity of shortening and afterload for a contracting muscle.
- frequency c. SYN: distribution c..
- growth c. a graphic representation of the change in size of an individual or a population over a period of time.
- H and D c. SYN: characteristic c..
- Heidelberger c. SYN: precipitation c..
- Hunter and Driffield c. SYN: characteristic c..
- intracardiac pressure c. c. of pressure recorded within the atrium or ventricle (intra-atrial and intraventricular pressure curves).
- isovolume pressure-flow c. the relationship between transpulmonary pressure and respiratory air flow, expressed as a function of lung volume.
- milled-in curves SYN: milled-in paths, under path.
- Monson c. the c. of occlusion in which each cusp and incisal edge touches or conforms to a segment of the surface of a sphere 8 inches in diameter with its center in the region of the glabella.
- c. of occlusion 1. a curved surface which makes simultaneous contact with the major portion of the incisal and occlusal prominences of the existing teeth; 2. the c. of a dentition on which the occlusal surfaces lie. SYN: occlusal curvature.
- passive length-tension c. the relationship between passive tension and preload (rest length) for a muscle at rest.
- Pleasure c. a c. of occlusion which when viewed in sagittal section conforms to a line that is convex upward except for the last molars.
- precipitation c. a graph of the quantity of precipitate formed as a function of the quantity of antigen added during the titration of an antibody with an antigen. SYN: Heidelberger c..
- Price-Jones c. a distribution c. of the measured diameters of red blood cells; it is to the right of the normal c. ( i.e., indicating larger diameters) in instances of pernicious anemia and other forms in which macrocytes are present, and to the left ( i.e., indicating smaller diameters) in iron deficiency and other forms of microcytic anemia.
- progress c. a graphical representation of a chemical or enzyme-catalyzed reaction in which the product concentration or the substrate concentration or the ES binary complex are plotted against time.
- pulse c. SYN: sphygmogram.
- receiver operating characteristic c. 1. a plot of percentage true positive versus percentage false positive results, usually in a trial of a diagnostic test. 2. a graphical means of assessing the ability of a screening test to discriminate between healthy and diseased persons. SYN: ROC c..
- ROC c. SYN: receiver operating characteristic c..
- c. of Spee the anatomic curvature of the mandibular occlusal plane beginning at the tip of the lower cuspid and following the buccal cusps of the posterior teeth, continuing to the terminal molar. SYN: von Spee c..
- Starling c. a graph in which cardiac output or stroke volume is plotted against mean atrial or ventricular end-diastolic pressure; with increasing venous return and atrial pressure the output proportionately increases until further increments overload the heart and the output falls. SYN: Frank-Starling c..
- strength-duration c. a graph relating the intensity of an electrical stimulus to the length of time it must flow to be effective. See chronaxie, rheobase.
- stress-strain c. a c. showing the ratio of deformation to load during the testing of a material in tension.
- tension c. the direction of the trabeculae in cancellous bone tissue that forms as an adaptation to resist stress.
- Traube-Hering curves slow oscillations in blood pressure usually extending over several respiratory cycles; related to variations in vasomotor tone; rhythmical variations in blood pressure. SYN: Traube-Hering waves.
- volume-time c. volume of an expelled breath plotted against time. This is the basic c. generated by so-called “simple spirometry.”
- whole-body titration c. a graphic representation of the in vivo changes in hydrogen ion, PaCO2, and bicarbonate which occur in arterial blood in response to primary acid-base disturbances.
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(kurv) [L. curvum] a nonangular deviation from a straight course in a line or surface.Medical dictionary. 2011.