Explore tens of thousands of sets crafted by our community.
Common Medical Terms
55
Flashcards
0/55
Hematopoiesis
The process of forming and developing new blood cells, commonly occurring in the bone marrow.
Antigen
A substance that enters the body and starts a process that can cause disease. The immune system then produces antibodies against it.
Biopsy
The removal of tissue from a living subject for diagnostic examination.
Stent
A tube designed to be inserted into a vessel or passage to keep the lumen open and ensure proper flow.
Osteoblast
A type of cell that is responsible for bone formation and is involved in the mineralization and bone matrix creation.
Electrophoresis
A technique used in labs in order to separate macromolecules based on size and electrical charge.
Cytokine
Any of a number of substances that are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells, vital in cell signaling.
Fluoroscopy
An imaging technique that uses X-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the interior of an object.
Dialysis
A medical treatment for removing waste and excess substances from the blood, mimicking kidney function.
Endoscopy
A procedure where an endoscope is inserted into the body to give a view of its internal parts.
Hemostasis
A process which causes bleeding to stop, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel.
Myocardial Infarction
Another term for a heart attack. It occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle.
Cytotoxicity
The quality of being toxic to cells, describing the ability of a substance or treatment to kill or damage cells.
Catheter
A flexible tube inserted through a narrow opening into a body cavity, particularly the bladder, for removing fluid.
Laparoscopy
A type of surgery done through several small incisions, using a camera and instruments; it's minimally invasive.
Tensile Strength
The resistance of a material to breaking under tension. It's important in the context of biomaterials that are subject to stress.
Graft
A piece of living tissue that is transplanted surgically.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
A diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radio waves, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.
Bioreactor
A device that supports a biologically active environment, used for growing cells or tissues in the context of cell culture.
Scaffold
In tissue engineering, a structure used to support the growth of new tissue by providing a suitable environment.
Immunosuppressant
A drug that inhibits or prevents the activity of the immune system, used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs.
Chromatography
A laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture by passing it in solution or suspension through a medium in which the components move at different rates.
Oncogene
A gene that in certain circumstances can transform a cell into a tumor cell. Often involved in the regulation or synthesis of proteins linked to tumorous growth.
Pharmacokinetics
The branch of pharmacology concerned with the movement of drugs within the body, including the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
Xenotransplantation
The transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another, such as from pigs to humans.
Biocompatibility
The ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application.
Arthroscopy
A minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which examination and sometimes treatment is performed using an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision.
Anastomosis
A surgical connection between two structures. It usually refers to connections between blood vessels or between two segments of intestine.
Radiology
The science dealing with X-rays and other high-energy radiation, especially the use of such radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Stem Cell
An undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism which is capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type, and from which certain other kinds of cell arise by differentiation.
Ablation
The removal or destruction of tissue, usually by surgical means. Often used to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
Nanotechnology
The manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale, often used for drug delivery systems in biomedical applications.
Monoclonal Antibodies
Antibodies that are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell and can bind to a specific antigen.
Hyperplasia
An increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue which may then have increased volume.
Angiogenesis
The development of new blood vessels, a process critical for wound healing and the growth of tumors.
Cytoskeleton
The microscopic network of protein filaments and tubules in the cytoplasm of many living cells, giving them shape and coherence.
Spectroscopy
The study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation.
Biomarker
A naturally occurring molecule, gene, or characteristic by which a particular pathological or physiological process, disease, etc., can be identified.
Osmosis
The spontaneous passage or diffusion of water or other solvents through a semipermeable membrane.
Somatic Cell
Any cell of a living organism other than the reproductive cells.
Pacemaker
A device that delivers electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate and rhythm.
Bioinformatics
An interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, particularly when the data sets are large and complex.
Genomics
The branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes.
Apoptosis
The process of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms, which is a controlled, energy-dependent process.
Enzyme
Proteins that act as biological catalysts, speeding up chemical reactions that take place within cells.
Prosthesis
An artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions.
Neurotransmitter
Chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse.
Plasma
The liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended, excluding the cells.
Polymorphism
The occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative phenotypes, in the population of a species.
Ligand
A molecule that binds to another (usually larger) molecule, used in drug design and receptor studies.
Viscosity
A property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow.
Contrast Medium
A substance used in medical imaging to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body, thus improving the quality of the images.
Mutagen
An agent, such as radiation or a chemical substance, which causes genetic mutation.
Biomechanics
The study of the mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of living organisms.
Tumor Suppressor Gene
A gene that protects a cell from one step on the path to cancer. When this gene mutates to cause a loss or reduction in its function, the cell can progress to cancer.
© Hypatia.Tech. 2024 All rights reserved.