Glossary of Terms in Biomedical Science

ABO system

A system of four types (A, AB, B, and O) which human blood is classified into, based on the presence or absence of certain antigens.

accuracy

How close a measurement is to the true or accepted value.

acquired immunity

Specific immune defense mechanisms. This form of immunity is acquired over a lifetime and uses antibodies to respond to specific antigens. There are two forms: 1. Active immunity: acquired as a result of infection and recovery or from a vaccine; your body makes its own antibodies. 2. Passive immunity: acquired from the mother; antibodies are given to a child through the placenta or through breast feeding.

adenine

A component of nucleic acids found in DNA and RNA and in the energy-carrying molecule, ATP. Adenine is a purine base.

adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP)

A compound composed of adenosine and three phosphate groups that supplies energy for many biochemical cellular processes.

agglutination

The clumping of particles.

algor mortis

The change in body temperature after death.

allele

Any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at the same place on a chromosome, for example, the genes responsible for blood type that are found on chromosome 9.

amino acid

One of a group of compounds that, when linked in a chain with other amino acids, forms a protein.

anemia

A condition in which blood is deficient in red blood cells or in functional red blood cells; leads to reduced oxygen levels in the body.

angiogram

A medical imaging technique used to visualize blood vessels; uses an imaging dye.

angioplasty

A surgical method to restore the flow of blood through an artery.

antibody

A protein produced by B cells in the blood; works to impair pathogens. Also called an immunoglobulin.

anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides in a transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule. Complementary to a codon on messenger RNA (mRNA). Critical to protein synthesis, anticodons function in building an amino acid chain.

antigen

Anything that stimulates an immune response.

aorta

The largest artery in the body, the aorta carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle of the heart to the rest of the body.

aortic valve

One of four valves in the heart, the aortic valve separates the left ventricle and the aorta, and functions to prevent blood from flowing back into the left ventricle.

app

A software application, especially one that a user downloads to a mobile device.

artery

A type of vessel that carries blood from the heart through the body; part of the circulatory system.

aseptic technique

The practice and/or process of preventing contamination.

atherosclerosis

The deposition of fats and/or cholesterol on artery walls, which negatively impacts blood flow.

atrioventricular node

Part of the heart's conduction system that is responsible for controlling the impulse delivered by the sinoatrial node (SA); also called the AV node.

atrium

An upper chamber of the heart where blood enters. The heart has two atria: the left atrium connects to the lungs and the right atrium connects to the veins.

attribute

Nonspatial information about a geographic feature in a geographic information system (GIS), usually stored in a table and linked to the feature by a unique identifier.

autopsy

A postmortem evaluation to determine cause of death.

autosome

A chromosome that is not directly involved in determining sex (such as chromosomes 1-22), as opposed to the sex chromosomes X and Y.

B lymphocyte (B cell)

A type of lymphocyte (white blood cell) that matures in bone marrow and produces antibodies.

bacillus

A rod-shaped (cylindrical) bacterium; plural is bacilli.

bacteria

A single-celled, prokaryotic microorganism.

benign

A tumor that is not cancerous; benign tumors are generally considered harmless.

bibliography

A document listing all sources used to research a given topic.

bioactive compounds

Substances that have a biological effect, such as anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial compounds.

biodiversity

The variety of life on Earth.

biomarker

A measurable signal or predictor of disease or injury, such as protein or hormone level.

biomedical science

A professional field combining biology and medicine with a focus on healthcare.

biomimicry

Designing materials, structures, and systems that are modeled after living organisms or processes.

biomolecule

A large molecule, or macromolecule, produced by living organisms. Examples include: nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.

bioprospecting

The search for medicinal drugs and other valuable bioactive compounds from living things.

blood plasma

The pale yellow, liquid portion of blood that consists of water and dissolved substances, including sugars, lipids, metabolic waste products, amino acids, hormones, and vitamins.

blood pressure

The pressure that blood exerts upon the walls of blood vessels, especially arteries, usually measured with a sphygmomanometer and expressed in millimeters of mercury.

calorie

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C; also the amount of heat energy that 1 gram of water releases when it cools by 1 °C.

cancer

A disease caused when cells divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissue.

carbohydrate

A compound, such as sugar, starch and cellulose, found in foods and living tissues that can be broken down and used for energy.

cardiology

The field of study focused on the function and diseases of the heart.

cardiovascular system

The transport system of the body responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to the body and carrying away carbon dioxide and other wastes; composed of the heart, blood vessels, and blood.

cell

The smallest unit of life.

centromere

The centralized region joining two sister chromatids.

chemical bond

An attractive force that holds together the atoms, ions, or groups of atoms in a molecule or compound.

chemical indicator

A substance that changes color depending on the properties (such as pH) of the solution being tested.

chemical reaction

A process where atoms and/or molecules are rearranged to transform matter.

cholesterol

A lipid that is an essential component of animal cell membranes and acts as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids.

chromatid

One half of a chromosome.

chromosome

Tightly coiled DNA that is found in the nuclei of cells.

chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

A progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells caused by repeated head injuries.

citation

A reference, written in a specified format, to a specific source of information (such as a book, article, dissertation, report, musical composition) by a particular author or creator.

coccus

Any spherical, or generally round, bacterium; plural is cocci.

codon

A sequence of three nucleotides found in DNA or mRNA. Codons code for a specific amino acid or stop signal.

compound

A substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio.

concussion

An injury to the head that causes the brain to quickly move back and forth, hitting the inside of the skull.

constraints

Restrictions that limit process design. Appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities are constraints.

contagious

When a disease is transmissible by either direct or indirect contact.

control group

The group in an experiment where the independent variable being tested is not applied. The control group serves as a standard for comparison against the experimental group where the independent variable is applied.

coronary artery disease

The narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, usually caused by atherosclerosis.

coronary bypass

A surgical bypass procedure to reroute blood around an obstruction in a coronary artery.

grafting

The procedure involves grafting one end of a segment of vein removed from another part of the body onto the aorta and the other end onto the coronary artery beyond the obstructed area to allow for increased blood flow.

covalent bond

A chemical bond in which atoms share electron pairs.

criteria

Standards used to make judgments or decisions.

cytosine

A component of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA); a pyrimidine base.

decision matrix

A tool used to compare design solutions against one another using specific criteria.

dehydration synthesis

A chemical reaction that results in the loss of a water molecule.

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). DNA is double-stranded and helical and functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of some viruses.

dependent variable

In an experiment, the variable being measured and whose value is influenced by another variable.

design brief

A written plan that identifies a problem to be solved, its criteria, and its constraints.

design process

A systematic, problem-solving process, with criteria and constraints; used by scientists and engineers to develop many possible solutions to solve a problem.

design statement

A description of the anticipated design effort to address the needs of stakeholders in the problem statement.

diagnosis

The process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs.

diastole

The stage in a heartbeat when the heart is relaxed and the heart chambers fill with blood.

diastolic pressure

The pressure in arteries between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxed.

digestive system

An organ system that breaks down food to extract energy and nutrients and then evacuates remaining waste.

disaccharide

A sugar that forms when two monosaccharides join in a dehydration reaction.

disease

A disorder of structure or function in an organism that results in specific signs or symptoms, may affect a specific location in the organism, and is not a direct result of physical injury.

documentation

A record of citations that identify resources you used in writing a work.

dominant trait

A genetic trait is considered dominant if the associated phenotype is seen in an individual who has only one copy of the gene associated with the trait.

electrocardiogram (EKG)

A measurement of heart electrical activity.

electrophoresis

The separation of charged biological molecules by electrical current in a gel matrix.

element

The building block of all matter. An element (for example, carbon) is composed of only one type of atom.

end user

A representative consumer for whom a hardware or software product is designed.

epidemiology

A branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, causes, and control of health problems in a population.

erythrocyte (red blood cell)

Hemoglobin-rich, red blood cells that transport oxygen through a body. Erythrocytes give the red color to vertebrate blood and do not have nuclei.

etiology

The cause of a disease or condition.

eukaryotic

Organisms that have membrane-bound organelles.

experiment

A research study conducted to understand an observed phenomenon; determines the effect that one variable has upon another variable.

experimental design

A process used to carefully plan experiments in order to investigate scientific questions or problems.

familial hypercholesterolemia

An autosomal, dominant genetic disorder that disrupts the body's ability to eliminate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from the blood, resulting in an increased risk of heart attack.

feature

A representation of a real-world object on a map.

field

A column in a table that stores the values for a single attribute.

filter

A desktop geographic information system (GIS) operation used to hide (but not delete) features in a map document or attribute table.

forensic chemistry

A field of chemistry that tests non-biological samples, such as powders, pills, and other substances, to identify or quantify them.

forensic science

The application of scientific knowledge to resolve questions of civil and criminal law.

fungus

Saprophytic and parasitic spore-producing eukaryotic organisms that lack chlorophyll, such as molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts.