HBS 4.1 Vocab

Abstraction

The process of taking away or removing characteristics from something in order to reduce it to a set of essential characteristics.

Accuracy

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

Algorithm

A procedure used for solving a problem or performing a computation.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Damage to your kidneys that happens slowly over a long period of time.

Collecting duct

The last part of the twisting tubules that collects urine from the nephrons and moves it into the renal pelvis and ureters.

Conversion factor

Ratio used to convert one unit to the equivalent amount in a different unit of measurement.

Data

Characteristics or information, usually numerical, that are collected through observation.

Decision tree

Frameworks with only if/then statements that allow a medical professional or organization to make consistent choices or classifications of data that can help with possible outcomes and guide someone toward the best choice based on the provided data.

Demographics

Statistics that describe populations and their characteristics such as age, sex, education, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.

Dialysis

A process of purifying the blood of a person whose kidneys are not working correctly to remove waste products from the blood.

Gel electrophoresis

The separation of nucleic acids or proteins on the basis of their size and electrical charge for analytical purposes.

Genotype

All or part of the genetic composition of an individual or group.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

The amount of fluid and dissolved substances both kidneys are capable of filtering per minute.

Glomerulus

A ball of capillaries surrounded by Bowman's capsule in the nephron and serving as the site of filtration in the vertebrate kidney.

Gross examination

The macroscopic examination of organs and tissues performed with the naked eye.

Homogenous

The same or alike. For example this type of data set might have all men in their 20s or all Goldendoodle dog owners.

Kidney

One of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4½ inches (11½ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into the pelvis of the kidney whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder.

Model

An accurate representation of an object or phenomenon that can be visual, physical, mathematical, or computational; they are often used in the development of scientific theories or the engineering of artifacts.

Nephron

The tubular excretory unit of the vertebrate kidney.

Pedigree

A diagram that shows the occurrence of phenotypes through several generations of genetically related individuals. Symbols are used to represent each individual.

Peritubular capillaries

Tiny blood vessels in your kidneys that deliver wastes to be secreted into urine and also reabsorb nutrients your body needs.

Phenotype

The physical and physiological traits of an organism that are determined by the organism's genetic makeup.

Polycystic kidney disease

An inherited disorder of the kidneys that is characterized by hundreds of fluid filled cysts throughout both kidneys.

Polymerase chain reaction

A laboratory technique for amplifying DNA in-vitro. Uses a thermocycler, primers, DNA polymerase, and nucleotides.

Precision

The degree to which repeated measurements show the same result.

Punnet square

A simple, graphical way to discover all potential combinations of an offspring's genotypes, given the parents' genotypes.

Qualitative data

Data dealing with descriptors and characteristics, such as color, texture, odor, etc.

Quantitative data

Data dealing with numbers, such as height, volume, length, time, temperature, etc.

Renal capsule

The fibrous connective tissue that surrounds each kidney.

Renal cortex

The outer portion of the kidney between the renal capsule and the renal medulla that is the site of filtration of blood as well as erythropoietin production.

Renal medulla

Regulates the concentration of urine by being the site of primary reabsorption of materials back into the blood supply.

Renal pelvis

The area at the center of the kidney where urine collects and is funneled into the ureter.

Restriction enzyme

A degradative enzyme that recognizes specific nucleotide sequences and cuts DNA at these sequences called restriction sites. Also known as a restriction endonuclease.

Resuscitate

To bring someone back to life or wake someone who had lost consciousness.

Tissue typing

A process where surface antigens, the HLA, of the tissues of a prospective donor and recipient are tested to determine compatibility for transplantation.

Transitional epithelium

The tissue that comprises the bladder that has the ability to adapt quickly to distention.

Unit conversion

The process of converting one unit to the equivalent amount in another unit.

Urethra

A tube that releases urine from the body near the vagina in females or through the penis in males.

Ureter

A duct leading from the kidney to the urinary bladder.

Urinalysis

Macroscopic, chemical, and microscopic analysis of urine.

Urinary system

The organs of the urinary tract comprising the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.

Urine

Waste material that is secreted by the kidney, is rich in end products (as urea, uric acid, and creatinine) of protein metabolism together with salts and pigments, and forms a clear amber and usually slightly acidic fluid.

Variable

Something that changes or that can be changed.

Vasa recta

A series of blood vessels in the blood supply of the kidney that enter the medulla as the straight arterioles, and leave the medulla to ascend to the cortex as the straight venules - the peritubular capillaries are between the arteriole and venous sides.

Vasodilation

The widening of blood vessels as a result of the relaxation of the blood vessel's muscular walls, which decreases blood pressure.