abbreviations

AFP

Alfa-Fetoprotein

CD

Celiac disease

GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

HBV

Hepatitis B virus

LFTs

liver function test

NASH

nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

PUD

peptic ulcer disease

TPN

Total parenteral nutrition

rugae

ridges on the hard palate and the wall of the stomach

amylase

enzyme secreted by the pancreas and salivary glands to digest starch

bile

digestive juice made in liver and stored in the gallbladder

bilirubin

pigment released by the liver in bile

common bile duct

carriers bile from the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum

gallbladder

small sac under the liver; stores bile

insulin

hormone produced by endocrine cells of the pancreas

lipase

pancreatic enzyme needed to digest fats

arteriole

small artery

erythropoietin(EPO)

hormone secreted by the kidney to stimulate production of red blood cells

nephron

functional unit where filtration, reabsorption, and secretion take place

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter chemical released at ends of nerve cells

axon

microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell

blood-brain barrier

protective separation between blood and brain cells that keep substances from penetrating capillary walls & entering the brain

central nervous system (CNS)

the brain and spinal cord

meninges

three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord

myelin sheath

covering of white fatty tissue that surrounds and insulates the axon of a nerve cell; speeds impulse condition

neuron

nerve cell that carries impulses throughout the body; parenchyma of the nervous system

neurotransmitter

Chemical Mesenger released at the end of a nerve cell; stimulates or inhibits another cell

synapse

the space through which a nervous impulse travels between nerve cells or between nerve and muscule/granular tissue

aorta

largest artery in the body

arteriole

a small artery

artery

largest type of blood vessel; carries blood away from the heart to all parts of body

atroventricular bundle (bundle of his)

muscle fibers connecting the atria with the ventricles and transmitting electrical impulses between them

atrioventricular node (AV node)

tissue in the wall between atria; electrical impulses pass from pacemaker through av node

endocardium

inner lining of the heart

endothelium

innermost lining of blood vessels

sinoatrial node (SA node)

The pacemaker of the heart