Pain Dictionary

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Capsule

Dense layer of protein or polysaccharide that surrounds a bacterial cell.

Carbon-Silver dressing

Carbon dressing impregnated with Silver. Activated charcoal attracts and traps bacteria and odour.

Cell

All living organisms are composed of one or more cells. A cell is an autonomous self-replicating unit that may constitute an organism (in the case of unicellular organisms) or be a subunit of multi-cellular organisms in which individual cells may be more or less specialised (differentiated) for particular functions.

Cell adhesion

See Adhesion.

Cell membrane / Plasma membrane

Membrane that surrounds a living cell. A cell membrane is a double layer of lipid molecules, so called phospholipids, and associated proteins.

CFU; colony forming units

CFUs represent single microbial cells or clumps of cells that form distinct colonies when grown in vitro, a way of viable counting in microbiology.

Charcot foot

is a term used to characterize a progressive arthropathy common to diabetes mellitus. A Charcot deformity is a destruction or fragmentation of the bones of the foot.

Chemokines

Small cellular signals that stimulate chemotaxis (which means cell motion toward, or away from, a chemical gradient) e.g. migration of leukocytes into the tissue from blood vessels. Chemokines function by binding to receptors on the surface of or inside target cells.

Chemotaxis

Motile response of a cell or an organism that carries it toward or away from a diffusible chemical in their environment. The movement is affected by the concentration gradient of the substance.

Collagen

Fibrous protein that is a major component of the extracellular matrix and connective tissues. Exists in many forms: type I, the most common is found in skin, tendon, and bone. Type IV is present in basal membranes. Collagen may be detected in a wound within 10 hours following injury. It is synthesised and modified during the proliferative and maturation phases of wound healing.

Colonisation

Multiplication of micro-organisms without a corresponding host reaction.

Contamination

Transient presence of bacteria which do not cause local or systemic symptoms of disease, no total increase of microbial population.

Critical colonization

Multiplying microbes with some local signs but no systemic signs leading to impaired healing.

Cytokines

Small, extracellular cell signals (polypeptides / proteins) that act as local mediators in cell communication. They affect the behaviour of cells, such as macrophages’ expression of growth factors, neutrophils’ migration to the wound site and fibroblast proliferation. Cytokines are released, mainly by neutrophils and macrophages, during episodes of inflammation, and they are crucial for the normal healing process. The cytokine activates the cell by binding to a specific cell surface receptor, associated with an intracellular enzyme that initiates a series of reactions in the cell.

Cytoplasm

Contents of a cell that are contained within its cell membrane but outside the nucleus, that is, a collective term for cytosol and organelles. Cytosol, the colloidal suspension within a cell, is mainly composed of water with ions and organic molecules and its viscosity constantly changes due to cellular metabolism.

Cytosol

See Cytoplasm.

Cytotoxic

Agent that is toxic to living cells.