Terminology Flashcards
Define Physiology
the study of normal function, control and integration of various body systems
Define Anatomy.
the study of the normal body organs and structures
Define A band
One of the dark bands that alternate with light (I) bands to create a striated appearance in skeletal or cardiac muscle fibers when these fibers are viewed with a light microscope
Define abomasum
The fourth compartment of the ruminant stomach, which has functions similar to the glandular stomach of non-ruminants
Define absorptive state
The metabolic state following a meal when nutrients are being absorbed and stored; fed state
Define accessory digestive organs
Exocrine organs outside the wall of the digestive tract that empty their secretions through ducts into the digestive tract lumen
Define accessory sex glands
Glands that empty their secretions into the reproductive tract
Define acclimation
A laboratory phenomenon in which the chronic response of an animal to a change in environment is measured; normally the old and new environments differ in one or two highly specific ways
Define acclimatization
The (usually slow) process of changing physiological processes to function more optimally under new conditions
Define accommodation in relation to the eye
In the eye, the ability to adjust the strength of the lens so that both near and far sources can be focused on the retina
Define acetylcholine (ACh)
The neurotransmitter released from all autonomic
preganglionic fibers, parasympathetic postganglionic fibers, and motor neurons
Define acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
An enzyme present in the motor end-plate membrane of a skeletal muscle fiber that inactivates acetylcholine
Define achalasia
A condition that occurs commonly in dogs (and in humans) in which the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax during swallowing but instead contracts more vigorously
Define acid
A hydrogen-containing substance that on dissociation yields a free hydrogen ion
Define acidosis
Blood pH below the normal range (<7.35 in most mammals)
Define acini
The secretory component of saclike exocrine glands, such as enzyme-producing pancreatic glands or milk-producing mammary glands
Define acquired immune responses
Responses (also called adaptive) that are selectively targeted against particular foreign material to which the body has previously been exposed; see also antibody-mediated immunity and cell-mediated immunity
Define acrorhagia
Special stinging “battle” tentacles in some Anthozoan Cnidarians (anemones, corals)
Define actin
The contractile protein that forms the backbone of the thin filaments in muscle fibers; also contributes to the motility of other kinds of cells
Define active expiration
Emptying of the lungs more completely than when at rest by contracting the expiratory muscles; also called forced expiration
Define active reabsorption
The condition when any step in the transepithelial transport of a substance requires energy expenditure
Define active transport
Active carrier-mediated transport involving transport of a substance against its concentration gradient across the plasma membrane
Define acuity
Discriminative ability; the ability to discern two different points of stimulation
Define adaptation
(1) A reduction in receptor potential despite sustained stimulation of the same magnitude; (2) any feature of an organism that enhances evolutionary fitness