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Life and health

72,234 articles

Chiroderma

Chiroderma, big-eyed bats, is a Neotropical phyllostomid bat genus from western Mexico to southern Brazil, with seven species recognized in 2020, fig-eating habits, and seed-predation in C. doriae and C. villosum.

Chironectes

Chironectes is a monotypic opossum genus (Didelphidae) holding the water opossum, or yapok, Chironectes minimus, the only living semiaquatic marsupial, with webbed hind feet and waterproof pouches in both sexes, from Mexico to Argentina.

Chironex fleckeri

Chironex fleckeri, the Australian box jellyfish or sea wasp, is a large cubozoan jellyfish of northern Australian waters whose nematocyst venom, dominated by CfTX pore-forming toxins, can kill within minutes; 77 fatal stings recorded.

Chironomidae

Chironomidae, non-biting midges or bloodworms, is a large Diptera fly family with ~7,500 species whose hemoglobin-rich aquatic larvae dominate freshwater benthos and serve as bioindicators and paleoclimate archives.

Chironomus

Chironomus, established in 1803, is a genus of non-biting midges whose blood-red, tube-dwelling larvae live in low-oxygen lake sediments and serve as water-quality indicators and toxicology test organisms.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic, founded by D.D. Palmer in 1895, is a licensed health care profession using spinal manipulation and manual therapy, mainly for pain; 11.0% of U.S. adults used it in 2022.

Chiropractic controversy and criticism

Chiropractic controversy and criticism: disputes over the profession founded by D.D. Palmer in 1895, covering the AMA conflict and Wilk v AMA, efficacy evidence for low-back pain, adverse events, and scope-of-practice criticism.

Chiroteuthidae

Chiroteuthidae (Gray, 1849) is a family of gelatinous deep-sea squids in Oegopsida, also called chiroteuthid squids, with genera Chiroteuthis, Asperoteuthis, Grimalditeuthis, and Planctoteuthis, a unique doratopsis paralarva, ammonium-chloride buoyancy chambers, and an ornamented tail.

Chirotherium

Chirotherium is an ichnogenus of hand-like Triassic archosauriform footprints named by Kaup in 1835, type species C. barthii from Hildburghausen, Germany; famous from Storeton, Cheshire (1838), and used as an early Anisian index taxon.

Chirurgia

Chirurgia (ISSN 1221-9118) is a bimonthly open-access peer-reviewed general surgery journal from Bucharest, official journal of the Romanian Society of Surgery, published by Editura Celsius, indexed in MEDLINE and ESCI, 2025 impact factor 1.1.

Chital

The chital, also called the spotted deer or axis deer, is a medium-sized deer native to the Indian subcontinent, recognized by a reddish, white-spotted coat kept for life.

Chitayat syndrome

Chitayat syndrome is an extremely rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by ERF gene variants, marked by respiratory distress from birth, shortened index fingers, and distinctive facial features.

Chitin

Chitin, a structural polysaccharide of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose, forming arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls; its derivative chitosan and sources, extraction, and applications are covered.

Chitin synthase

Chitin synthase (EC 2.4.1.16), a membrane glycosyltransferase family 2 enzyme, polymerizes chitin from UDP-GlcNAc in fungi, animals, and oomycetes; classified into fungal divisions and classes, structurally solved by cryo-EM, and targeted by nikkomycins and polyoxins.

Chitin synthase export chaperone

Chitin synthase export chaperone (Chs7p, CHS7, CSE proteins) is a fungal ER membrane chaperone, 316 aa in yeast, that enables Chs3 chitin synthase folding, ER export, and plasma membrane activity.

Chitin-glucan

Chitin-glucan is a fungal cell-wall copolymer of chitin-derived units and beta-glucan, produced from Aspergillus niger mycelium; EFSA deemed it safe at 2-5 g/day and FDA issued GRN 412 with no questions.

Chitinase-like

Chitinase-like proteins (CLPs) are proteins resembling true chitinases but lacking catalytic activity; in mammals they mark inflammation, and CHI3L1, or YKL-40, serves as a disease biomarker.

Chitinase, C-terminal

Chitinase, C-terminal (Pfam PF01373, chitinase/beta-hexosaminidase C-terminal domain) is an auxiliary domain at the carboxyl end of many chitinases; in fungi it is a dispensable extension, in insects a chitin-binding domain, and in some enzymes a catalytic domain.

Chiton

Chitons (class Polyplacophora) are marine molluscs with eight overlapping shell plates in a girdle, over 900 species, magnetite-coated radular teeth, and eyes embedded in the shell plates.

Chiton (disambiguation)

Chiton (disambiguation): the marine mollusc class Polyplacophora and genus Chiton Linnaeus, 1758, versus the ancient Greek tunic χιτών; both senses share the Greek khiton etymology.

Chiton (genus)

Chiton (Linnaeus, 1758) is the type genus of chitonid chitons, family Chitonidae, class Polyplacophora; type species Chiton tuberculatus; eight shell plates, girdle, radula, shell eyes.

Chiton foot and locomotion

The chiton foot is a broad, flat muscular organ covering the underside of chitons, used for crawling and for suction-based adhesion to rock, aided by mucus and clamping muscles.

Chiton girdle

Chiton girdle: the muscular skirt of tissue surrounding the eight shell plates of chitons (Polyplacophora), bearing scales, spicules, spines, or tufts; key to taxonomy, defense, and development.

Chiton glaucus

Chiton glaucus (blue-green chiton, Amaurochiton glaucus) is a New Zealand endemic intertidal chiton, Polyplacophora, up to 55 mm, dark yellowish-green plates with light blue interiors, also introduced to Tasmania.

Chiton mantle cavity

The chiton mantle cavity is the space holding a chiton's gills and excretory, reproductive, and anal openings, formed as two pallial grooves rather than one chamber.

Chiton nervous and sensory systems

Chitons have a tetraneurous nervous system, a nerve ring around the mouth and two pairs of longitudinal cords without ganglia, plus subradular organs, shell eyes, and girdle sensilla.

Chiton radula and digestive system

The chiton radula is the toothed feeding organ of chitons, marine molluscs whose major lateral teeth are capped with magnetite, among the hardest known biominerals.

Chiton reproduction and development

Chiton reproduction and development covers how marine mollusks with eight shell plates reproduce, typically by free spawning of sperm and eggs followed by a non-feeding trochophore larva.

Chiton valves and articulation

Chiton valves and articulation: the eight aragonite shell plates of chitons (Polyplacophora) and how the articulamentum layer, apophyses, insertion plates, and slits anchor and flex the armor while housing sensory aesthete canals.

Chitons of Australia

The chitons of Australia are a distinctive fauna of shell-plated marine molluscs, with 171 species, 136 endemic, and the world's richest chiton fauna in southern Australia.