Chapter 2: The Human Body in Health and Disease

aden/o

gland

adip/o

fat

anter/o

before, front

caud/o

lower part of body, tail

cephal/o

head

cyt/o, -cyte

cell

end-, endo-

in, within, inside

exo-

out of, outside, away from

hist/o

tissue

-ologist

specialist

-ology

the science or study of

path/o, -pathy

disease, suffering, feeling, emotion

plas/i, plas/o, -plasia

development, growth, formation

poster/o

behind, toward the back

-stasis, -static

control, maintenance of a constant level

abdominal cavity (ab-DOM-ih-nal)

contains the major organs of digestion.

adenocarcinoma (ad-eh-noh-kar-sih-NOH-mah)

a malignant tumor that originates in the glands and may spread to other parts of the body.

adenoma (ad-eh-NOH-mah)

a benign tumor that starts in the epithelial tissue of a gland or gland-like structure.

anaplasia (an-ah-PLAY-zhee-ah)

a change in the structure of cells and in their orientation to each other.

anatomy (ah-NAT-oh-mee)

the study of the structures of the body.

anomaly (ah-NOM-ah-lee)

a deviation from what is regarded as normal.

anterior (an-TEER-ee-or)

situated in the front; also means on the front or forward part of an organ.

aplasia (ah-PLAY-zhee-ah)

the defective development, or the congenital absence, of an organ or tissue.

atresia (ah-TREE-zee-ah)

the congenital absence or narrowing of a normal body opening or passage.

bloodborne transmission

the spread of pathogens through infected blood or other body fluids.

caudal (KAW-dal)

the spread of pathogens through infected blood or other body fluids.

cephalic (seh-FAL-ick)

toward the head.

chromosome (KROH-moh-sohme)

a genetic structure located within the nucleus of each cell.

communicable disease (kuh-MEW-nih-kuh-bul)

also known as a contagious disease, is any condition that is transmitted from one person to another either directly or by indirect contact with contaminated objects.

congenital disorder (kon-JEN-ih-tahl)

an abnormal condition that exists at the time of birth.

cytoplasm (SIGH-toh-plazm)

the material within the cell membrane that is not part of the nucleus.

distal (DIS-tal)

situated farthest from the midline or beginning of a body structure.

dorsal (DOR-sal)

the back of the organ or body.

dysplasia (dis-PLAY-zhee-ah)

the abnormal development or growth of cells, or the presence of abnormal cells within a type of tissue.

endemic (en-DEM-ick)

the ongoing presence of a disease within a population, group, or area.

endocrine glands (EN-doh-krin)

produce hormones, do not have ducts.

epidemic (ep-ih-DEM-ick)

a sudden and widespread outbreak of a disease within a specific population group or area.

epigastric region (ep-ih-GAS-trick)

located above the stomach.

etiology (ee-tee-OL-oh-jee)

the study of the causes of diseases or abnormal conditions.

exocrine glands (ECK-soh-krin)

secrete chemical substances into ducts that lead either to other organs or out of the body.

functional disorder

also known as a non-organic disorder, produces physical symptoms for which no disease or other organic cause can be identified.

genetic disorder

also known as a hereditary disease, is a pathological condition caused by an absent or defective gene.

genome (JEE-nohm)

the complete set of genetic information of an organism.

hemophilia (hee-moh-FILL-ee-ah)

a hereditary bleeding disorder in which a blood-clotting factor is missing.

histology (hiss-TOL-oh-jee)

the microscopic study of the structure, composition, and function of tissues.

homeostasis (hoh-mee-oh-STAY-sis)

the processes through which the body maintains a constant internal environment.

hyperplasia (high-per-PLAY-zhee-ah)

an increase in the number of cells in a tissue or organ.

hypertrophy (high-PER-troh-fee)

a general increase In the bulk of a body part or organ that is due to an increase in the size, but not the number, of cells in the tissues.

hypogastric region (high-poh-GAS-trick)

located below the stomach.

hypoplasia (high-poh-PLAY-zhee-ah)

the underdevelopment of an organ or tissue, usually due to a deficiency in the number of cells.

iatrogenic illness (eye-at-roh-JEN-ick)

an unfavorable response due to prescribed medical treatment.

idiopathic disease (id-ee-oh-PATH-ick)

any disease without a known cause.

infectious disease (in-FECK-shus)

an illness caused by living pathogenic organisms such as bacteria and viruses.

inguinal (ING-gwih-nal)

relating to the groin, refers to the entire lower area of the abdomen.

intensivist (in-TEN-siv-ist)

relating to the groin, refers to the entire lower area of the abdomen.

medial (MEE-dee-al)

the direction toward, or nearer, the midline.

mesentery (MESS-en-terr-ee)

a fused double layer of the parietal peritoneum that attaches parts of the intestine to the interior abdominal wall.

midsagittal plane (mid-SADJ-ih-tal)

also known as the midline, is the sagittal plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves.

nosocomial infection (nahs-oh-KOH-mee-al)

also known as a hospital-acquired infection (HAI), is a disease acquired in a hospital or clinical setting.

pandemic (pan-DEM-ick)

an outbreak of a disease occurring over a large geographic area, possibly worldwide.

pathology (pah-THOL-oh-jee)

the study of disease: its nature and cause as well as the produced changes in structure and function.

pelvic cavity (PEL-vick)

the space formed by the hip bones and contains the organs of the reproductive and excretory systems.

peritoneum (pehr-ih-toh-NEE-um)

a multilayered membrane that protects and holds the organs in place within the abdominal cavity.

peritonitis (pehr-ih-toh-NIGH-tis)

inflammation of the peritoneum.

physiology (fiz-ee-OL-oh-jee)

the study of the functions of the structures of the body.

posterior (pos-TEER-ee-or)

situated in the back; also means on the back part of an organ.

proximal (PROCK-sih-mal)

situated nearest the midline or beginning of a body structure.

retroperitoneal (ret-roh-pehr-ih-toh-NEE-al)

located behind the peritoneum.

stem cells

unspecialized cells that are able to renew themselves for long periods of time by cell division.

thoracic cavity (thoh-RAS-ick)

also known as the chest cavity or thorax, surrounds and protects the heart and the lungs.

transverse plane (trans-VERSE)

a horizontal plane that divides the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions.

umbilicus (um-BILL-ih-kus)

commonly known as the belly button or navel; this pit in the center of the abdominal wall marks the point where the umbilical cord was attached before birth.

vector-borne transmission

or an insect bite, is the spread of certain disease through blood-sucking vectors.

ventral

the front, or belly side, of the organ or body.