med terms Flashcards
audiometer
instrument to measure or test hearing
postmortem
after death
electroencephalography
process of recording the electricity in the brain
insomniac
pertaining to without sleep; an insomniac is a person who cannot sleep
brachial artery
artery that carries blood to the arm
cystoscopy
visual examination of the urinary bladder
neonatal
pertaining to a new birth
pineal gland
small endocrine gland in the center of the brain; secretes melatonin
retroflexion
bending backward
retinoblastoma
malignant tumor of the retina of the eye; childhood malignancy
ileum
third part of the small intestine
oncogene
region of DNA in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses (viral oncogene) that cause cancer
radius
bone in the lower arm on the thumb side of the wrist
bone density test
low energy x-ray absorption in bones of the spinal column, pelvis, and wrist; used to measure bone mass
also called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA or DX)
anisocytosis
inequality in the size of red blood cells
aniso = uneven, unequal
cyto = cell
osis = condition or state, often abnormal
integumentary system
skin and its accessory organs such as hair and nails
epiglottis
lid-like piece of cartilage that covers the voice box and windpipe when a person is swallowing
glucose
simple sugar; necessary as a source of energy for body cells
parotid gland
salivary gland within the cheek, just anterior to the ear
cephalic version
procedure for turning the fetus so that its head is the presenting part to enter the birth canal first
spinal cavity
space within the spinal column (backbones) containing the spinal cord
norepinephrine
hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla; increases heart rate and blood pressure
also called noradrenaline
mediastinum
centrally located space outside of an between lungs of the thoracic cavity
suppressor T cell
lymphocyte that inhibits the activity of B and T cell lymphocytes
also called a Treg (regulatory T cell)