Life and health

Microvascular imaging

Microvascular imaging (MVI) is a Doppler ultrasound technique that detects low-velocity blood flow in vessels too small for conventional Doppler, without contrast agents, used to assess tissue perfusion and tumor vascularity.

Microvenular hemangioma

Microvenular hemangioma (MVH, microvenular haemangioma) is a rare benign acquired vascular tumor of the skin, first named by Hunt et al. in 1991, presenting as a small purple-red plaque on the trunk or limbs and distinguished histologically by branching venules with pericyte layers.

Microvillus

Microvillus (plural microvilli): actin-supported finger-like projection from an animal cell surface; intestinal brush border has ~1,000 per cell, boosting absorptive area; defects cause microvillus inclusion disease (MYO5B).

Microvillus inclusion disease

Microvillus inclusion disease (MVID, Davidson disease, congenital microvillus atrophy) is a rare autosomal recessive congenital enteropathy causing life-threatening neonatal secretory diarrhea, caused mainly by MYO5B mutations and treated with lifelong parenteral nutrition.

Microviridae

Microviridae is a family of non-enveloped ssDNA bacteriophages infecting bacteria with T=1 icosahedral capsids. It is typified by $\phi$X174, the first whole genome sequenced in 1977.

Microwave ablation

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally invasive, image-guided treatment that heats tumors with microwave energy, used chiefly for liver and lung cancers that cannot be resected.

Microwave Imaging

Microwave imaging, also called microwave tomography, is a non-ionizing diagnostic technique using 500 MHz–10 GHz waves and tissue dielectric contrast, aimed mainly at breast cancer and stroke detection; still pre-commercial.

Micrurus

Micrurus (American coral snakes), genus Wagler 1824 of venomous elapid snakes from the southern United States to Argentina; 85-91 species in monadal and triadal color-pattern clades; venoms of 3FTx and PLA2 neurotoxins; model genus for mimicry research.

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节)

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, Zhongqiu Jie), also called Moon or Mooncake Festival, is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month festival of family reunion, mooncakes, and lanterns; Korea's Chuseok, Japan's Tsukimi, and Vietnam's Tết Trung Thu are counterparts.

Mid-dermal elastolysis

Mid-dermal elastolysis (MDE), also called idiopathic or acquired mid-dermal elastolysis, is a rare acquired skin disease with selective loss of mid-dermal elastic fibers, causing fine wrinkling, perifollicular papules, or reticular erythema mainly in young women.

Oct 20, 2026

Mid2 domain

Mid2 domain (pfam04478, CDD PSSM-Id 398266) is a conserved C-terminal region of Mid2-like fungal cell wall stress sensors, covering the transmembrane segment and cytoplasmic tail that interacts with the Rho1 GEF Rom2; the extracellular Ser/Thr-rich part is unalignable.

Midazolam

Midazolam (Versed) is a short-acting, water-soluble imidazobenzodiazepine synthesized in 1975, FDA-approved in 1985, used for procedural sedation, anesthesia induction, and ICU sedation, with a boxed warning for respiratory depression.

Midbrain

Midbrain (mesencephalon): the rostral brainstem segment between diencephalon and pons, divided into tectum and tegmentum, containing the substantia nigra, VTA, colliculi, and cerebral aqueduct; central to Parkinson's disease research and organoid models.

Middle aortic syndrome

Middle aortic syndrome (MAS), also called mid-aortic or atypical abdominal coarctation, is rare segmental narrowing of the distal thoracic and abdominal aorta with renal and visceral artery involvement, causing refractory childhood hypertension; 64% idiopathic, treated medically, endovascularly, or surgically.

Middle back pain

Middle back pain, or thoracic spine pain, is pain in the T1–T12 spine between neck and rib cage. Less common than low back pain; causes include posture, strain, discs, and, rarely, fracture or cancer.

Middle cerebral artery

Middle cerebral artery (MCA), arteria cerebri media: major brain artery from the internal carotid supplying the lateral hemisphere; four segments M1–M4, lenticulostriate perforators, and the most common site of ischemic stroke and cerebral aneurysms.

Middle cerebral artery occlusion model

The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model is a rodent surgical stroke model in which a filament blocks the artery without craniectomy, producing focal cerebral ischemia.

Middle cerebral artery syndrome

Middle cerebral artery syndrome: deficits from occlusion of the MCA, the most common stroke site (50.8% of rehab cohort). Causes contralateral weakness, aphasia or neglect; proximal occlusion has 87% poor outcome untreated; treated by thrombolysis and thrombectomy.

Middle ear

The middle ear (tympanic cavity) is the air-filled space behind the eardrum holding the malleus, incus, and stapes, which transmit and amplify sound to the inner ear, ventilated by the eustachian tube.

Middle ear myoclonus

Middle ear myoclonus (MEM), also called tensor tympani syndrome, is a rare tinnitus from involuntary contraction of the stapedius or tensor tympani muscles, causing rhythmic clicking or buzzing, treated with medications, botulinum toxin, or tenotomy.

Middle ear neuroendocrine tumor

Middle ear neuroendocrine tumor (MeNET), formerly called middle ear adenoma, is a rare tumor of the middle ear causing hearing loss and tinnitus, treated by surgical excision.

Middle Ear Ventilation

Middle ear ventilation, also called tympanostomy or grommet insertion, treats glue ear by inserting tiny tubes through the eardrum to drain fluid and let air in.

Middle east respiratory syndrome

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), MERS-CoV, a zoonotic coronavirus disease first identified in Saudi Arabia and Jordan in 2012; dromedary camels are the reservoir, over 2,600 cases reported, roughly 36-37% of reported cases fatal, no licensed vaccine or treatment.

Middle meningeal artery

Middle meningeal artery (MMA), arteria meningea media: maxillary artery branch entering via foramen spinosum to supply most of the cranial dura; ruptures at pterion cause epidural hematoma and it is embolized for chronic subdural hematoma.

Middle Reef

Middle Reef, Townsville: inshore turbid-zone coral reef in Cleveland Bay, central Great Barrier Reef, 4 km offshore Townsville between Magnetic Island and the mainland; AIMS-monitored since 1993, over 81 hard coral species. Name also used for reefs in Egypt, Hawaii, Florida, and elsewhere.

Midge

Midges are small flies of several Diptera families: non-biting Chironomidae (lake flies, bloodworms), biting Ceratopogonidae (no-see-ums, Culicoides disease vectors), and gall midges; also cocoa pollinators and palaeoclimate indicators.

Midline cervical cleft

Midline cervical cleft (congenital midline cervical cleft, CMCC) is a rare branchial-arch malformation of the anterior neck: a vertical erythematous skin defect with a superior skin tag, fibrous cord, and caudal sinus, treated by early excision with Z-plasty.