GC: n

S: MDLP – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000081.htm (last access: 9 December 2014); EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/372180/mediastinitis (last access: 14 December 2014).

N: 1. mediastinitis (n): mediastinal comes from Latin mediastinus, midway + –itis: noun suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, Modern Latin, from Greek -itis, feminine of adjectival suffix -ites “pertaining to.” Feminine because it was used with feminine noun nosos “disease,” especially in Greek arthritis (nosos) “(disease) of the joints,” which was one of the earliest borrowings into English and from which the suffix was abstracted in other uses.
2. Mediastinitis is swelling and irritation (inflammation) of the area between the lungs (mediastinum).
3. Mediastinitis is a life-threatening condition with an extremely high mortality rate if recognized late or treated improperly. Although long recognized as a complication of certain infectious diseases, most cases of mediastinitis are associated with cardiac surgery (>300,000 cases per year in the United States). This complication affects approximately 1-2% of these patients. Although small in proportional terms, the actual number of patients affected by mediastinitis is substantial. This significantly increases mortality and cost. After 10 years of evolution, the optimal therapy for mediastinitis is more clearly understood.

S: 1. MEDICAL – http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/mediastinal (last access: 9 December 2014); OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=itis&searchmode=none (last access: 9 December 2014). 2. MDLP – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000081.htm (last access: 9 December 2014). 3. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/425308-overview (last access: 9 December 2014).

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CR: bacterium