BIO - TERMS - BODY Flashcards
abduction
(ab-dŭk′shŭn) Movement of a body part away from the midline of the body.
adduction
(ăd-dŭk′shŭn) Medial movement of a body part toward the midline.
anaerobic threshold
The intensity of exercise at which the body cannot meet its energy demand with aerobic means; the point at which lactate production outweighs buffering capacities.
anatomic position
Standing upright, arms at the sides with palms forward and feet flat on the floor; reference position for naming body regions.
android
A pattern of adipose tissue accumulation, mainly in the trunk and upper body; often referred to as “appleshaped” or central obesity. Android fat accumulation is more common in males and increases the risk of obesityrelated diseases.
atrophy
(at′rō-fē) Wasting of tissues, organs, or the entire body.
axial
(ak′sē-ăl) Relating to or situated in the central part of the body—the head, neck, and trunk; e.g., the axial skeleton.
axial muscle
A muscle that controls movements of the trunk of the body.
core body temperature
Temperature at the core of the body in and around vital organs.
coronal
(kōr′ō-năl) A vertical plane that divides the body or organ into anterior and posterior parts; also called frontal plane.
densitometry
Method of assessing body composition based on body density assessment, including underwater weighing and plethysmography.
depression
(dē-presh′ŭn) Inferior displacement of a body part.
direct calorimetry
A method to assess whole-body energy expenditure; heat energy released by the body warms a layer of fluid surrounding a specialized room (metabolic chamber), and the change in fluid temperature is the energy expended.
disease
An abnormal state in which part or all of the body is not properly adjusted or is incapable of performing normal functions; any change from a state of health.
dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Assesses body composition using low levels of x-rays; includes assessment of bone tissue.
elevation
(el-ĕ-vā′shŭn) Superior movement of a body part.
endochondral ossification
(endō- kon′drāl os′i-fi-kā′shŭn) Bone formation that takes place within hyaline cartilage; used to form most bones of the body.
energy (calorie) balance
The balance between energy consumed (and absorbed) and energy expended by the body.
eutrophication
The addition of organic matter and subsequent removal of oxygen from a body of water.
excretion
(eks-krē′-shŭn) Process of removing waste products from the body.
fat-free mass (FFM)
The mass of the body that is not fat, including muscle, bone, skin, and organs.
fever
An abnormally high body temperature.
Germinal mutation
A mutation that occurs in the reproductive cells (germ-line cells) of the body and is transmitted to progeny (cf. Somatic mutation).
Gynandromorph
An individual in which one part of the body is female and another part is male; a sex mosaic.
gynoid
A pattern of adipose tissue accumulation, mainly in the lower body, including the legs, hips, and buttocks; it is often referred to as “pear-shaped” obesity. More common in females.
healthy weight
For a particular gender, height, and build, the body weight associated with a lower risk of disease.
Human Microbiome Project
A project to characterize the microbial communities found on the human body.
hyperextension
(hı̄′per-eksten′ shŭn) Extension of a body part beyond its normal range of movement.
hyperventilation
(hı̄-pĕr-ven′tilā′ shŭn) Increase in the breathing rate or depth above the body’s metabolic need.
hypoventilation
Decrease in the breathing rate or depth that does not adequately meet the metabolic needs of the body.
infection
The growth of microorganisms in the body.
interstitial
(in-ter-stish′ăl) Relating to spaces within a tissue or organ, but not a body cavity; e.g., interstitial fluid occupies the extracellular environment of the cells.
Invasive methods
Originally defined as a medical procedure in which breaks in the skin are created or the body cavity is entered; in cell-biology this term is used for visualization of excised, fixed, and sectioned cells/tissues/organs.
James–Lange theory
A theory proposing that the subjective experience of emotion is a consequence of physiological changes in the body.
lean body mass (LBM)
Sum of the body’s fat-free mass and essential fat.
limnetic zone
The surface zone of an inland body of water away from the shore.
lipostatic hypothesis
A hypothesis proposing that body fat is maintained homeostatically at a specific level.
local infection
An infection in which pathogens are limited to a small area of the body.
lymph nodes
A type of peripheral lymphoid organ present in many locations throughout the body where lymphatic vessels converge.
M-type ganglion cell
A type of ganglion cell in the retina characterized by a large cell body and dendritic arbor, a transient response to light, and no sensitivity to different wavelengths of light; also called M cell.
meatus
(mē-ā′tŭs) Passage or opening in the body; e.g., external acoustic meatus.
mechanical transmission
The process by which arthropods transmit infections by carrying pathogens on their feet and other body parts.
metamerism
Division of the body into segments, as in insects, for example.
midsagittal
(mid-saj′-i-tăl) Vertical plane cutting the body or body part into an even left and right half.
mucosal epithelia
Mucus-coated epithelia lining the body’s internal cavities that connect with the outside (such as the gut, airways, and vaginal tract).
muscle cells
The unit of muscle responsible for contraction of movement of the human body.
neglect syndrome
A neurological disorder in which a part of the body or a part of the visual fi eld is ignored or suppressed; most commonly associated with damage to posterior parietal areas of the brain.
neurite
A thin tube extending from a neuronal cell body; the two types are axons and dendrites.
organ
Composed of two or more tissue types that perform a specific function for the body.
P-type ganglion cell
A type of ganglion cell in the retina characterized by a small cell body and dendritic arbor, a sustained response to light, and sensitivity to different wavelengths of light; also called P cell.
parietal
(pă-rı̄′ĕ-tăl) Relating to the wall of any ventral body cavity.
perikaryon
The central region of the neuron containing the nucleus; also called soma or cell body.
period of convalescence
The recovery period, when the body returns to its predisease state.
physiology
(fiz-ē-ol′ō-jē) Study of how body parts function together.
plethysmography
Method of estimating body composition based on densitometry. Body volume is based on air displacement.
Polar bodies
In female animals, the smaller cells produced at meiosis that do not develop into egg cells. The first polar body is produced at division I and may not go through division II. The second polar body is produced at division II.
portal of entry
The avenue by which a pathogen gains access to the body.
portal of exit
The route by which a pathogen leaves the body.
primary sensory neuron
A neuron specialized to detect environmental signals at the body’s sensory surfaces.
profundal zone
The deeper water under the limnetic zone in an inland body of water.
proglottid
A body segment of a tapeworm containing both male and female organs.
proprioception
The sensation of body position and movement using sensory signals from muscles, joints, and skin.
protraction
(prō-trak′shun) Movement of a body part anteriorly in a horizontal plane; e.g., thrusting out of the mandible (chin).
psychological constructionist theories of emotion
Explanations of emotions in which each emotion is an emergent consequence of combining non-emotional psychological components such as body sensations and attention.
pyramidal cell
A neuron characterized by a pyramid- shaped cell body and elongated dendritic tree; found in the cerebral cortex.
relative strength
The ratio between the athlete’s maximum strength and his body weight or lean body mass.
skeleton
(skel′ĕ-tŏn) Bony framework of the body; collectively, all the bones of the body.
soma
The central region of the neuron containing the nucleus; also called cell body or perikaryon.
somatic sensation
The senses of touch, temperature, body position, and pain.
stability (of training stimuli)
The body needs a certain number of exposures to a training stimulus for an adaptation to be induced; the repetitiveness of the training stimulus defines its stability.
starvation
A state of negative energy balance in which energy intake fails to meet the body’s demands, resulting in a loss of fat tissue. See also obesity.
striatum
A collective term for the caudate nucleus and putamen; involved in the initiation of willed movements of the body; plays a role in procedural memory.
subluxation
(sŭb-lŭk-sā′shŭn) Incomplete dislocation of a body part.
symptom
A change in body function that is felt by a patient as a result of a disease.
systemic (generalized) infection
An infection throughout the body.
Systemic infection
An infection that results in spread to many organs of the body. (Chapter 2)
Target
Any component of the human body that can be affected by a drug.
terminal differentiation
The limit of cell determination when a cell forms one of the highly specialized cell types of the adult body.
terminally differentiated
A cell at the limit of cell determination, being one of the highly specialized cell types of the adult body.
total energy expenditure (TEE)
Sum of all energyreleasing processes of the human body.
underwater weighing (UWW)
Technique for assessing body composition (fat mass and lean body mass) by applying a person’s weight underwater as an estimator of volume.
urethra
(ū-rē′thră) Tube that extends from the bladder for transport of urine to the exterior of the body.
vellus
(vel′ŭs) Fine, nonpigmented hair covering most of the fetal body.
velocity
The speed of movement of the body or an object.
viscera
(vis′er-ă) Internal organs of the body; especially those in the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.
Basal body
Small granule to which a cilium or flagellum is attached.
bodybuilding
A sport in which muscle size, definition, and symmetry determine the winner.
elementary body
The infectious form of chlamydiae.
reticulate body
The intracellular growing stage of chlamydiae.
