Hematology

Agranulocytosis – decrease in granulocytes, increased vulnerability to infection

Aleukemic Leukemia – decreased WBCs

Anisocytosis – RBC’s are unequal size (anemia, other blood conditions)

Anoxemia – subnormal oxygen of the arterial blood

Aplasia – failure of an organ or tissue

Basket Cell – GABAergic interneurons of the brain (in cerebellum, hippocampus)

Blood Dyscrasia – abnormal material in the blood (WBC count over 1,000,000)

Chemotaxis – movement of a motile cell or organism to increase/decrease concentration of a particular substance

Coagulation Time – time required by shed blood to clot

Cocatalyst – pair of cooperative catalysts

Complete Blood Count – RBCs and WBCs (overall health and can deices anemia, leukemia, and infection)

Dyscrasia – abnormal or disordered state of the body or of a bodily fluid

Erythremia – increase in blood volume and RBCs, bone marrow hyperplasia, enlarged spleen, redness of the skin

Erythrogenic – causing inflammation/redness of the skin (bacterial toxin)

Erythropenia – decreased erythrocytes in the blood

Extrinsic – not part of essential nature of someone or something (from outside)

Fragility Test – measures resistance of RBCs to hemolysis

Hematology – study of blood

Hematoma – solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues

Hemoglobinuria – excretion of free hemoglobin in the urine

Hemolysis – rupture or destruction of RBCs

Hemoptysis – coughing up blood

Intravascular – in the vessels (blood vessels of vascular system)

Isotonic – taking place with normal contraction (same osmotic pressure)

Jaundice – obstruction of the bile duct, liver disease, excessive breakdown of RBCS

Karyolysis – dissolution of a cell nucleus, especially during mitosis

Macrocyte – “large cell” – type of anemia with large RBCs

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) – mean hemoglobin / RBCs

Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) – volume of RBCs (Hct / RBC)

Megaloblast – Large RBC (anemia) associated with folic acid / B12 deficiency

Normoblast – immature RBC containing hemoglobin and a pyknotic nucleus in the bone marrow (anemia)

Pernicious Anemia – RBC deficiency related to B12

Poikilocytosis – presence of abnormally shaped RBCs called poikilocytes

Purpura – rash of purple spots (internal bleeding)

Sedimentation Rate – test used to detect and monitor inflammation in the body(RBC rate)

Sickle Cell Anemia – severe hereditary form of anemia – distorted RBCs in crescent shape at low oxygen levels

Target Cell – abnormal RBC that appears as a dark ring around a dark central spot (seen in some forms of anemia)

Xanthochromia – yellow discoloration indicating the presence of bilirubin in the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)

Nutrigenomics

 

Allele – one of two forms of a gene (one mother and one father)

Angiogenesis – the development of new blood vessels

Apoptosis – programmed cell death (normal; without harmful substance release)

Bioactive Food Component – chemical that interacts with molecular components of an organism

Chromatin – a complex of proteins (primarily histones) and DNA that make up the chromosome; can alter between forms of euchromatin or heterochromatin

Codon – 3 nucleotides together that form a genetic code in DNA/RNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) – carries genetic information, main constituent of chromosomes, self-replicating

Down-Regulation – decrease in the quantity of a cellular component (RNA/protein) in response to external variable

Epigenesis – theory that embryo develops progressively from an undifferentiated egg

Gene – unit of heredity used to transfer from parent to offspring

Genome – the complete set of genes / genetic material in an organism

Genotype – an individual’s genetic identity based on the specific set of alleles (maternal and paternal) – not outwardly visible!

Haplotypes – “haploid” + “genotype” meaning linked polymorphism; ex. SNP’s, simple tandem repeats, insertions/deletions in the same region

Histones – group of basic proteins found in chromatin

Ligand – a molecule that binds to a specific site on a protein (usually a receptor) and is either an activator or inhibitor

Metabolome – the sum total of all metabolites in a cell/tissue/organ/organism

Methylation – methyl group is added to the cytosine or adenine DNA nucleotides

Methylcytosine – a methylated form of the DNA base cytosine

Methyltransferase – enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a metyl group to DNA

Microarray – a grid of DNA segments of known sequence that is used to test and map DNA fragments, antibodies, or proteins

Nanotechnology – design / manufacture of artificial nucleic acid structures

Nuclear Receptor – ligand-induced transcription factors (these ligands are found in various chemical classes such as steroid hormones, dietary lipids, etc.)

Nucleotide – form the basic structure of nucleic acids (i.e. DNA); nucleoside linked to a phosphate group

Nutritional preemption – DNA and amino acid to form food development, related to drug response and food response in foods to prevent disease

Phenotype – an observable characteristic or trait (ht, wt, hair/eye color, disease) that is directed by the genotype

Polymorphism – differences between otherwise identical macromolecules (via changes in DNA), similar to single nucleotide polymorphism

Proteome – the total collection of proteins in a cell or cellular substructure

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) – a nucleic acid present in all living cells; messenger to carry instructions to DNA for controlling the synthesis of protein

Ribosome – a minute particle consisting of RNA and associated proteins, found in large numbers in the cytoplasm of living cells; they bind messenger RNA and transfer RNA to synthesize polypeptides and proteins

RNA Interference – process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression (by destroying mRNA molecules)

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) – involved in methyl group transfers; naturally occurring in the body, but also a medication

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) – common genetic variant consisting of a single nucleotide  pair difference  between the DNA of subject and a reference ind.

Transcription – 1^st step in gene expression DNA => RNA by RNA polymerase

Transcriptome – the sum total of all the messenger RNA molecules expressed from the genes of an organism

Transcriptomics – the study of transcriptomes and their functions

Translation – mRNA => a specific amino acid chain, or polypeptide; ribosomes create proteins

Up-regulation – increasing the response to a stimulus (cellular response to a molecular stimulus due to an increase in number of receptors on the cell surface)

Immunology

Adhesion – abnormal union of membranous surfaces due to inflammation or injury

Antiseptic – prevents the growth of disease causing microorganisms

Apoptosis – the death of cells that occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development

Betadine – topical anti-infective to destroy microbes / less likely to sensitive or sting the affected area than iodine (soluble in water and does not stain clothes)

Clinical Manifestation – an indication of the existence, reality, or presence of something such as an illness (objective: by physician, subjective: by patient)

Contracture – a condition of shortening and hardening of muscles, tendons, or other tissues; resulting in deformity and rigid joints

Dehiscence – complication of surgical wound – breaking open of surgical incision when granulation tissue fails to form

Disinfectants – chemical liquid that destroys bacteria

Endotoxins – is present inside a bacterial cell and is released when cell disintegrates (in botulism, this causes the symptoms of the disease)

Epidemiology – the branch of medicine that deals with incidence, distribution, and possible causes of disease and other health factors

Etiology – branch of medicine that investigates the cause or set of causes of a disease or condition

Exotoxins – toxin released by a bacterial cell into its surroundings

Exudate – a mass of cells and fluid that has seeped out of blood vessels or an organ, especially in inflammation

Hyperemia – an excess of blood in the vessels supplying an organ or other part of the body

Morbidity – incidence of disease

Mortality – death due to a disease (rate is divided by the total population)

Necrosis – death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue from disease/injury/blood supply

Outcome – the way things turn out / result

Pathogenesis – the manner of development of disease

Pathophysiology – the disordered physiological processes (function) associated with disease/injury

Prognosis – likely course of a disease or ailment

Signs – objective (ex. nose bleed – can be seen)

Sterilization – removal of all microorganisms/pathogens from an object or surface by treating it with chemicals or subjecting it to heat/radiation

Symptoms – subjective evidence of disease (back pain, anxiety, fatigue – patient)

Vasomotor – causing or relating to the constriction or dilation of blood vessels (or change in diameter), related to region in the medulla of the brain (vasomotor center) that regulates blood pressure

Water, Electrolytes, and Acid-Base Balance

Acid-base balance – The state of equilibrium between proton donors and proton acceptors in the buffering system of the blood (arterial blood: 7.4)

Acidemia – acidity of the blood

Acidosis – acidity of the body fluids or tissues

Alkalemia – a condition reducing hydrogen ion concentration of arterial blood plasma

Alkalosis – serum pH is higher than normal (7.45 of higher)

Anion Gap – the different between measured cations (Na+ and K+) and anions (Cl- and HClO3-)

Buffer – resists the change of pH (via an acid or alkali to neutralize a weak acid or salt)

Contraction Alkalosis – increase in blood pH that occurs as a result of fluid losses (esp. from vomiting)

Dehydration – the use or loss of more water than what is being taken in

Edema – excess fluid buildup in the cavities or tissues of the body

Electrolytes – an ionized or ionizable constituent of a living cell, blood, or other organic matter

Extracellular Fluid – (ECF or ECFV) is all body fluid outside of the cells

Extracellular Water – the sum of interstitial fluid and blood plasma

Insensible Water Loss – loss through evaporation from the skin and respiration

Intercellular (interstitial) Water – water found inside the cell

Intracellular Water (ICW)

Metabolic Acidosis – the body is producing too much acid OR the kidneys are not removing enough

Metabolic Alkalosis – pH tissue is above normal (7.35-7.45) signifying there is too much base or alkali in the body

Metabolic Water – the water created inside a living organism through their metabolism

Oncotic Pressure – (colloid osmotic pressure) pressure exerted by proteins (alb) in the blood vessel’s plasma that PULLS water into the circulatory system

Osmolality – concentration of a solution expressed as total number of solute particles per kg

Osmolarity – concentration of a solution – total number of solute per L

Osmotic Pressure – pressure needed against pure solvent to prevent it from passing into a solution through osmosis (expresses the concentration of the solution)

Respiratory Acidosis – carbon dioxide levels are too high and blood becomes acidic

Respiratory Alkalosis – carbon dioxide levels drop too low (blood pH rises and becomes alkaline)

Sensible Water Loss – sweating and vomiting

Third Space Fluid – where fluid usually does not collect in large amounts (i.e. peritoneal cavity and pleural cavity / loss is via tissue edema and evaporation

Water Intoxication – potentially fatal when brain functions result in normal balance of electrolytes in the body are beyond safe limits