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PLTW PBS Unit Terms
PLTW PBS Entire Course Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adenine | A component of nucleic acids, energy-carrying molecules such as ATP, and certain coenzymes. Chemically, it is a purine base. |
| Chromosome | Any of the usually linear bodies in the cell nucleus that contain the genetic material. Tightly coiled DNA that is found in the nuclei of cells. |
| Cytosine | A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a pyrimidine base. |
| Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) | A double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule capable of replicating and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins. |
| Gel Electrophoresis | The separation of nucleic acids or proteins, on the basis of their size and electrical charge, by measuring their rate of movement through an electrical field in a gel. |
| Gene | A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses). |
| Guanine | A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a purine base. |
| Helix | Something spiral in form. |
| Model | A simplified version of something complex used, for example, to analyze and solve problems or make predictions. |
| Nucleotide | A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. |
| Restriction Enzyme | A degradative enzyme that recognizes specific nucleotide sequences and cuts up DNA. |
| Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs) | Differences in DNA sequence on homologous chromosomes that can result in different patterns of restriction fragment lengths (DNA segments resulting from treatment with restriction enzymes). |
| Thymine | A component of nucleic acid that carries hereditary information in DNA in cells. Chemically, it is a pyrimidine base. |
| Biomedical Science | The application of the principles of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to clinical medicine. |
| Control Group | The group in an experiment where the independent variable being tested is not applied so that it may serve as a standard for comparison against the experimental group where the independent variable is applied. |
| Dependent Variable | The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested. |
| Experiment | A research study conducted to determine the effect that one variable has upon another variable. |
| Forensic Science | The application of scientific knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law. |
| Hypothesis | Clear prediction of the anticipated results of an experiment. |
| Independent Variable | The variable that is varied or manipulated by the researcher. |
| Negative Control | Control group where conditions produce a negative outcome. Negative control groups help identify outside influences which may be present that were not accounted for when the procedure was created. |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | Specialized clothing or equipment, worn by an employee for protection against infectious materials (as defined by OSHA). |
| Positive Control | Group expected to have a positive result, allowing the researcher to show that the experimental set up was capable of producing results. |
| Autopsy | An examination of the body after death usually with such dissection as will expose the vital organs for determining the cause of death. |
| Bibliography | A document showing all the sources used to research information. |
| Citation | A written reference to a specific work (book, article, dissertation, report, musical composition, etc.) by a particular author or creator which identifies the document in which the work may be found. |
| Documentation | The act of creating citations to identify resources used in writing a work. |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) | A comprehensive set of standards and practices designed to give patients specific rights regarding their personal health information. |
| Medical Examiner | A physician who performs an autopsy when death may be accidental or violent. He or she may also serve in some jurisdictions as the coroner. |
| Glucagon | A protein hormone secreted by pancreatic endocrine cells that raises blood glucose levels; an antagonistic hormone to insulin. |
| Glucose Tolerance Test | A test of the body’s ability to metabolize glucose that involving measuring the dose of glucose to the fasting stomach & the determination of blood glucose levels in the blood or urine at intervals thereafter & that is used especially to detect diabetes. |
| Homeostasis | The maintenance of relatively stable internal physiological conditions (as body temperature or the pH of blood) in higher animals under fluctuating environmental conditions. |
| Hormone | A product of living cells that circulates in blood and produces a specific, often stimulatory, effect on the activity of cells that are often far from the source of the hormone. |
| Insulin | A protein hormone secreted by the pancreas that is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates and the regulation of glucose levels in the blood. |
| Negative Feedback | A primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable that is being monitored triggers a response that counteracts the initial flucuation. |
| Positive Feedback | Feedback that tends to magnify a process or increase its output. |
| Type 1 Diabetes | Diabetes of a form that usually develops during childhood or adolescence and is characterized by a severe deficiency of insulin, leading to high blood glucose levels. |
| Type 2 Diabetes | Diabetes of a form that develops especially in adults and most often obese individuals and that is characterized by high blood glucose resulting from impaired insulin utilization coupled with the body’s inability to compensate with increas |
| Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) | A compound composed of adenosine and three phosphate groups that supplies energy for many biochemical cellular processes by undergoing enzymatic hydrolysis. |
| Amino Acid | An organic monomer which serves as a building block of proteins. |
| Calorie | The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by 1°C; also the amount of heat energy that 1 g of water releases when it cools by 1°C. The Calorie (with a capital C), usually used to indicate the energy content of food |
| Carbohydrate | A sugar in the form of a monosaccharide, disaccharide or polysaccharide. |
| Chemical Bond | An attractive force that holds together the atoms, ions, or groups of atoms in a molecule or compound. |
| Chemical Indicator | A substance (as a dye) used to show visually usually by its capacity for color change, the condition of a solution with respect to the presence of free acid or alkali or some other substance. |
| Chemical Reaction | Chemical transformation or change; the interaction of chemical entities. |
| Compound | A substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio. |
| Covalent bond | A type of strong chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons. |
| Dehydration Synthesis | A chemical reaction in which two molecules are bonded together with the removal of a water molecule. |
| Disaccharide | A double sugar molecule made of two monosaccharides bonded together through dehydration synthesis. |
| Element | The smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms. |
| Glucose | A monomer of carbohydrate, simple sugar. |
| Hydrolysis | A chemical process that splits a molecule by adding water. |
| Ionic bond | A chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions. |
| Lipid | One of a family of compounds including fats, phospholipids, and steroids that is insoluble in water. |
| Macromolecule | A type of giant molecule formed by joining smaller molecules which includes proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids. |
| Molecule | Two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds. |
| Monomer | The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer. |
| Monosaccharide | A single sugar molecule such as glucose or fructose, the simplest type of sugar. |
| Nutrient | A substance that is needed by the body to maintain life and health. |
| Polymer | A large molecule consisting of many repeating chemical units or molecules linked together. |
| Polysaccharide | A polymer of thousands of simple sugars formed by dehydration synthesis. |
| Protein | A three dimensional polymer made of monomers of amino acids. |
| Hemoglobin A1c | A test that measures the level of hemoglobin A1c in the blood as a means of determining the average blood sugar concentrations for the preceding two to three months. |
| Hyperglycemia | An excess of sugar in the blood. |
| Hypertonic | In comparing two solutions, referring to the one with a greater solute concentration. |
| Hypoglycemia | Abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood. |
| Hypotonic | In comparing two solutions, referring to the one with a lower solute concentration. |
| Isotonic | Having the same solute concentration as another solution. |
| Osmosis | The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. |
| Solute | A substance that is dissolved in a solution. |
| Solution | A liquid that is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. |
| Solvent | The dissolving agent of a solution. Water is the most versatile solvent known. |
| Anemia | A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells, in hemoglobin, or in total volume. |
| Blood Plasma | The pale yellow fluid portion of whole blood that consists of water and its dissolved constituents including, sugars, lipids, metabolic waste products, amino acids, hormones, and vitamins. |
| Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells) | Any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of vertebrate blood. |
| Hematocrit | The percent of the volume of whole blood that is composed of red blood cells as determined by separation of red blood cells from the plasma usually by centrifugation. |
| Leukocytes (White Blood Cells) | Any of the blood cells that are colorless, lack hemoglobin, contain a nucleus, and include the lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. |
| Sickle Cell Disease | Individuals who are homozygous for the gene controlling hemoglobin S. The disease is characterized by the destruction of red blood cells and by episodic blocking of blood vessels by the adherence of sickle cells to the vascular endothelium. |
| Thrombocytes (Platelets) | A minute colorless anucleate disklike body of mammalian blood that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium. |
| Anticodon . | A triplet of nucleotide bases in transfer RNA that identifies the amino acid carried and binds to a complementary codon in messenger RNA during protein synthesis at a ribosome |
| Codon | A three-nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or termination signal; the basic unit of the genetic code. |
| Hydrophilic | Having an affinity for water. |
| Hydrophobic | Having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form droplets in water. |
| Messenger RNA (mRNA) | A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA and attached to ribosomes in the cytoplasm; it specifies the primary structure of a protein. |
| Mutation | A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity. |
| Protein Synthesis | The creation of a protein from a DNA template. |
| Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) | A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of some viruses. |
| Ribosome | A cell organelle that functions as the site of protein synthesis in the cytoplasm; consists of ribosomal RNA and protein molecules and is formed by combining two subunits. |
| Transcription | The synthesis of RNA on a DNA template. |
| Transfer RNA (tRNA) | An RNA molecule that functions as an interpreter between nucleic acid and protein language by picking up specific amino acids and recognizing the appropriate codons in the mRNA. |
| Translation | The synthesis of a polypeptide using the genetic information encoded in an mRNA molecule. There is a change of language from nucleotides to amino acids. |
| Autosome | A chromosome that is not directly involved in determining sex, as opposed to a sex chromosome. |
| Dominant trait | A genetic trait is considered dominant if it is expressed in a person who has only one copy of the gene associated with the trait. |
| Genetic Material | Molecules responsible for heredity and variation of organisms. |
| Heredity | The transmission of traits from ancestor to descendant. |
| Homologous Chromosomes | Chromosomes having the same or allelic genes with genetic loci usually arranged in the same order. |
| Karyotype | A display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size and shape. |
| Meiosis | The cellular process that results in the number of chromosomes in gamete-producing cells being reduced to one half and that involves a reduction division in which one of each pair of homologous chromosomes passes to each daughter cell. |
| Mitosis | A process that takes place in the nucleus of a dividing cell, involves a series of steps, and results in the formation of two new nuclei each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus. |
| Pedigree | A diagram of a family tree showing the occurrence of heritable characteristics in parents and offspring over multiple generations. |
| Phenotype | The observable properties of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment. |
| Recessive Trait | A condition that appears only in individuals who have received two copies of a mutant gene, one copy from each parent. |
| Sex Chromosome | One of the pair of chromosomes responsible for determining the sex of an individual. |
| Punnett Square | A simple graphical way of discovering all of the potential combinations of genotypes of an offspring, given the parents’ genotypes. |
| Aorta | The large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body. |
| Aortic Valve | The semilunar valve separating the aorta from the left ventricle that prevents blood from flowing back into the left ventricle. |
| Artery | Any of the tubular branching muscular and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body. |
| Atrium | An anatomical cavity or passage; especially a chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles. |
| Cell | The smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently. |
| Inferior Vena Cava | A vein that is the largest vein in the human body and returns blood to the right atrium of the heart from bodily parts below the diaphragm. |
| Mitral Valve | A valve in the heart that guards the opening between the left atrium and the left ventricle; prevents the blood in the ventricle from returning to the atrium. Alternative name is bicuspid valve. |
| Pulmonary Circulation | The passage of venous blood from the right atrium of the heart through the right ventricle and pulmonary arteries to the lungs where it is oxygenated and its return via the pulmonary veins to enter the left atrium and participate in systemic circulation. |
| Superior Vena Cava | A vein that is the second largest vein in the human body and returns blood to the right atrium of the heart from the upper half of the body. |
| Systemic Circulation | The branch of the circulatory system that supplies all body organs and then returns oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium via the veins. |
| Tissue | An integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both. |
| Tricuspid Valve | A valve that is situated at the opening of the right atrium of the heart into the right ventricle and that resembles the mitral valve in structure but consists of three triangular membranous flaps. |
| Valve | A body structure that temporarily closes a passage or orifice, or permits movement of fluid in only one direction. |
| Vein | A vessel that returns blood to the heart. |
| Atrioventricular Node | A specialized mass of conducting cells located at the atrioventricular junction in the heart. |
| Blood Pressure | Pressure exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels, especially arteries, usually measured by means of a sphygmomanometer and expressed in millimeter s of mercury. |
| Cardiology | The study of the heart and its action and diseases. |
| Diastole | The stage of the heart cycle in which the heart muscle is relaxed, allowing the chambers to fill with blood. |
| Diastolic Pressure | Blood pressure that remains between heart contractions. |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG) | A measurement of heart electrical activity. |
| Heart Rate | A measure of cardiac activity usually expressed as the number of beats per minute. |
| Hypertension | An abnormally high blood pressure. |
| Pacemaker | An electrical device for stimulating or steadying the heartbeat or reestablishing the rhythm of an arrested heart. |
| Pulse | The rhythmic expansion and recoil of arteries resulting from heart contraction; can be felt from the outside of the body. |
| Sinoatrial Node | A small mass of tissue that is made up of Purkinje fibers, ganglion cells, and nerve fibers, that is embedded in the musculature of the right atrium, and that originates the impulses stimulating the heartbeat -- called also S-A node, sinus node. |
| Sphygmomanometer | An instrument for measuring blood pressure and especially arterial blood pressure. |
| Systole | The stage of the heart cycle in which the heart muscle contracts and the chambers pump blood. |
| Systolic Pressure | The pressure generated by the left ventricle during systole. |
| Allele | Alternative versions of a gene that produce distinguishable phenotypic effects. Any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at a given locus. |
| Atherosclerosis | Changes in the walls of large arteries consisting of lipid deposits on the artery walls. |
| Cholesterol | A lipid that forms an essential component of animal cell membranes and acts as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids. |
| Electrophoresis | The movement of suspended particles through a fluid or gel under the action of an electromotive force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension. |
| Familial Hypercholesterolemia | A metabolic disorder that is caused by defective or absent receptors for LDLs on cell surfaces, that is marked by an increase in blood plasma LDLs and by an accumulation of LDLs in the body resulting in an increased risk of heart attack and coronary heart |
| Genotype | All or part of the genetic constitution of an individual or group. |
| HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) | A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up of cholesterol & other lipids in a single layer protein embedded phospholipids, may carry less cholesterol than a related lipoprotein, LDL, & is related to a decreased risk of blood vessel blockage. |
| Heterozygous | Having two different alleles for a given gene. |
| Homozygous | Having two identical alleles for a given gene. |
| LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) | A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up of cholesterol and other lipids surrounded by a single layer of phospholipids in which proteins are embedded. An LDL particle carries more cholesterol than a related lipoprotein, HDL, and high LDL leve |
| PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) | A laboratory technique for amplifying DNA in vitro by incubating with special primers, DNA polymerase molecules, and nucleotides. |
| Phenotype | The physical and physiological traits of an organism that are determined by its genetic makeup. The observable properties of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment. |
| Angiogram | The radiographic visualization of blood vessels after the injection of radiopaque substance. |
| Angioplasty | Surgical repair or recanalization of a blood vessel. |
| Coronary Bypass | A surgical bypass operation performed to shunt blood around an obstruction in a coronary artery that involves grafting one end of a segment of vein removed from another part of the body into the aorta and the other end into the coronary artery beyond the |
| Heart Attack | An acute episode of heart disease marked by death or damage of heart muscle due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle usually as a result of coronary thrombosis or a coronary occlusion and that is characterized especially by chest pain. |
| Heart Disease | An abnormal organic condition of the heart or of circulation. |
| Metabolic Syndrome | A syndrome marked by the presence of usually three or more of a group of factors (as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, and high fasting levels of blood sugar) that are linked to increased risk of cardiovascu |
| Risk Factor | Something which increases risk or susceptibility. |
| Stenting | A surgical procedure or operation for inserting a stent, a mold to keep a passageway open, into an anatomical vessel. |
| Stroke | Sudden loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion caused by rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a blood vessel of the brain. |
| Antibody | An antigen-binding immunoglobulin, produced by B cells, that functions as the effector in an immune response. |
| Aseptic Technique | A procedure performed under sterile conditions. |
| Bacillus | A cylindrical or rod-shaped bacterium. |
| Bacteria | Single-celled microorganisms that are often in colonies or motile by means of flagella, typically live in soil, water, organic matter, or the bodies of plants & animals, usually autotrophic, saprophytic, or parasitic. |
| B Lymphocyte (B Cell) | A type of lymphocyte that develops in the bone marrow and later produces antibodies. |
| Coccus | A spherical bacterium. |
| Contagious | Communicable by contact. |
| Fungus | Saprophytic and parasitic spore-producing eukaryotic organisms that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts. |
| Gram Stain | A method for the differential staining of bacteria that involves fixing the bacterial cells to a slide and staining with crystal violet and iodine, then washing with alcohol, and counterstaining with safranin. Results in gram-positive bacteria. |
| Helminth | A parasitic worm (as a tapeworm, liver fluke, ascarid, or leech). |
| Immunity | A condition of being able to resist a particular disease, especially through preventing development of a pathogenic microorganism or by counteracting the effects of its products. |
| Infection | The state produced by the establishment of an infective agent in or on a suitable host. |
| Microbiology | A branch of biology dealing especially with microscopic forms of life (as bacteria, protozoans, viruses, and fungi). |
| Phagocyte | A cell (as a white blood cell) that engulfs and consumes foreign material (as microorganisms) and debris. |
| Prion | Any of various infectious proteins that are abnormal forms of normal cellular proteins, that proliferate by inducing the normal protein to convert to the abnormal form, and that in mammals include pathogenic forms. |
| Protozoan | Any protist of the phylum or subkingdom Protozoa. |
| Spirillum | A spiral-shaped bacterium. |
| T Lymphocyte (T Cells) | A type of lymphocyte responsible for cell-mediated immunity that differentiates under the influence of the thymus. |
| Transmission | The way a microbial organism moves from one host to another. |
| Virus | Any microscopic infective agents that typically contain a protein coat surrounding an RNA or DNA genetic material core that are capable of growth & multiplication only in living cells, & that cause various important diseases in humans, animals, or plants. |
| Cardiovascular System | The transport system of the body responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to the body and carrying away carbon dioxide and other wastes; composed of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. |
| Digestive System | The group of organs that break down foods into chemical components that the body can absorb and use for energy and for building and repairing cells and tissues. |
| Nervous System | The bodily system that in vertebrates is made up of the brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs and that receives and interprets stimuli and transmits impulses to the effector organs. |
| Organ | Collection of tissues which performs a particular function or set of functions in an animal's body. The heart, brain, and skin are three organs found in most animals. Organs are composed of tissues and may be organized into larger organ systems. |
| Respiratory System | A system of organs, functioning in the process of gas exchange between the body and the environment, consisting especially of the nose, nasal passages, nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. |
| System | A collection of components organized to accomplish a specific function or set of functions. |
| ABO System | A system of four types (A, AB, B, and O) which human blood is classified into, based on the presence or absence of certain antigens. |
| Acquired Immunity | Specific immune defense mechanisms acquired over a lifetime & uses antibodies to respond to specific antigens. 2 forms: Active immunity: acquired as a result of infection &/or a vaccine; body makes its own antibodies. Passive immunity: acquired from |
| Agglutination | the clumping of particles |
| Algor Mortis | the change in body temperature after death |
| Antigen | Anything that stimulates an immune response. |
| Bacillus | A rod-shaped (cylindrical) bacterium; plural is bacilli. |
| Benign | A tumor that is not cancerous; benign tumors are generally considered harmless. |
| Bioactive Compounds | Substances that have a biological effect, such as anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial compounds. |
| Biodiversity | The variety of life on Earth. |
| Biomarker | A measurable signal or predictor of disease or injury, such as protein or hormone level. |
| Biomimicry | Designing materials, structures, and systems that are modeled after living organisms or processes. |
| Biomolecule | A large molecule, or macromolecule, produced by living organisms. Examples include: nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. |
| Blood Plasma | The pale yellow, liquid portion of blood that consists of water and dissolved substances, including sugars, lipids, metabolic waste products, amino acids, hormones, and vitamins. |
| Cancer | a disease caused when cells divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissue. |
| Centromere | The centralized region joining two sister chromatids. |
| Chromatid | One half of a chromosome. |
| Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) | A progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells caused by repeated head injuries. |
| Concussion | An injury to the head that causes the brain to quickly move back and forth, hitting the inside of the skull. |
| Constraints | Restrictions that limit process design. Appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities are constraints. |
| Coronary Artery Disease | The narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, usually caused by atherosclerosis. |
| Diagnosis | The process of determining which disease or condition explains a person’s symptoms and signs. |
| Disease | A disorder of structure or function in an organism that results in specific signs or symptoms, may affect a specific location in the organism, and is not a direct result of physical injury. |
| Epidemiology | A branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, causes, and control of health problems in a population. |
| Etiology | The cause of a disease or condition. |
| Eukaryotic | Organisms that have membrane-bound organelles. |
| Forensic Chemistry | A field of chemistry that tests non-biological samples, such as powders, pills, and other substances, to identify or quantify them. |
| Genome | A complete set of the genes in one organism. |
| Histology | The study of the microscopic anatomy of tissues. Also known as microanatomy. |
| Histone | A protein that DNA winds around to condense into a chromosome. |
| Host | An organism in which another organism lives. |
| Immunoglobulin | A protein that functions as antibodies. |
| Innate Immunity | Non-specific immune defense mechanisms that we are born with. These mechanisms work to keep anything outside of us from coming in. |
| Livor Mortis | pooling of the body following death that causes a purplish red discoloration of the skin; also referred to as lividity. |
| Locus | A location on a chromosome; plural is loci. |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | A medical imaging technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to take pictures of the soft tissues of the body. |
| Malignant | A cancerous tumor which will grow and spread to invade other tissues or parts of the body. |
| Medical History | A record of information about a patient’s past and current health. Includes information about the patient’s habits, lifestyle, and the health of their family. |
| Medical Surge | A situation in which an influx of new patients challenges or exceeds a hospital's ability to serve them. |
| Metabolism | The chemical reaction processes of breaking down molecules for energy and of using simple building blocks to build up more complex molecules needed for growth and repair. |
| Metacognition | Metacognition is the mental process that learners use to understand and monitor their learning. |
| Metastasis | The spread of cancerous cells to other tissues or parts of the body. |
| Morgue | A place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy. |
| Nondisjunction | An accident during mitosis or meiosis, in which members of a pair of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids fail to move apart properly. |
| Nosocomial Infection | An infection acquired in a hospital; also known as a hospital-acquired infection or HAI. |
| Organelle | Tiny structures that perform a function in a cell. Functions can include: producing energy, housing DNA, packaging proteins, and more. |
| Organ System | A group of organs that work together to perform one or more functions. |
| Pathogen | A disease-causing organism. |
| Precipitate | cause (a substance) to be deposited in solid form in a solution |
| Prognosis | The likely course a disease will take over an individual’s lifetime. |
| Prokaryotic | Lacking membrane-bound organelles. Unicellular organisms are prokaryotic. |
| Pulmonary Valve | A one-way valve by which blood leaves the heart through arteries. The valve prevents blood from returning into the right ventricle. |
| Purine | An aromatic, heterocyclic organic compound that consists of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Adenine and guanine are purines. |
| Pyrimidine | An aromatic, heterocyclic organic compound. Thymine and cytosine are pyrimidines. |
| Qualitative | A description of the qualities of something; color, shape, texture. |
| Quantitative | A description of the amount of something; how much, how often. |
| Recognition Site | A sequence of DNA where a restriction enzyme cuts. |
| Regenerative Medicine | A scientific field that combines tissue engineering and molecular biology to replace or “regenerate” human cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish normal function. |
| Respiratory Rate | The number of breaths an organism takes per minute. |
| 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. |
| Rigor Mortis | the stiffening of joints and muscles after death |
| Somatic Cell | Any cell in the human body that is not a sex cell (egg or sperm). |
| Stem Cell | A type of cell that has the ability to develop into many different types of cells, such as heart cells, brain cells, and others. |
| Surge Capacity | The ability of a health facility to evaluate and care for a markedly increased volume of patients. |
| Symptom | Any subjective evidence of disease that a patient perceives. |
| Therapeutic | The ability of a treatment, drug, or therapy to cure or reduce the effects of disease. |
| 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. |
| Toxicant | Manufactured and extracted chemicals such as pesticides, cleaning agents, industrial emissions or by-products, mining by-products, etc. that are in our environment and produce adverse biological effects of any nature. |
| Toxin | A naturally-occurring poison produced by living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, plants, insects, and algae. |
| Trace Evidence | Tiny fragments of physical evidence, such as hairs, fibers from clothing or carpeting, and pieces of glass. |
| Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) | A brain dysfunction caused by an outside force to the head. |
| Triage | The sorting and prioritization of patients based on the urgency of their need for care. |
| Tumor | A lump or mass of cells caused by uncontrolled cell division; categorized as benign or malignant. |
| Uracil | A component of the nucleic acid, RNA; a pyrimidine base. |
| Vaccine | A substance used to stimulate an immune response with the goal of creating antibodies and providing immunity to specific infections. |
| Ventricle | A lower chamber of the heart where blood exits. The heart has two ventricles: the left ventricle connects to the aorta and the right ventricle connects to the main pulmonary artery (or pulmonary trunk). |
| Vessel | A tube—a blood vessel or lymph vessel—in which a body fluid is transported through the body. |
| Virulent | An infectious agent that is likely to cause disease when it enters a host. |
| Vital Signs | Measurements—specifically pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure—that indicate the state of a patient’s essential body functions. |
| Xenotransplantation | The transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs from a different species into a human for the purpose of improving health or extending life of the human. |
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