Term | Definition |
Cyclic AMP | cyclic adenosine monophosphate; a chemical substance known as a second messenger because it amplifies the message sent by a cell to a hormone |
Diabetes Mellitus | a metabolic disease resulting from the lack of production of or lack of response to insulin made by the pancreas; causes high blood sugar levels |
Diabetes Insipidus | a disorder in which there is a lack of production of or response to the hormone vasopressin; causes excessive thirst and urination |
Endocrine Glands | glands that secrete substances directly into the blood, not through a duct |
Endocrinology | the study of endocrine glands, the actions of hormones, and their metabolic consequences in the body |
Exophthalmos | the protrusion of the eye anteriorly from the socket |
Germ Theory | the idea that disease are spread by the actions and presence of microorganisms in the body |
Glucose | a monosaccharide nutrient that give the cells energy |
Glycogen | a polysaccharide nutrient stored in the liver and muscles that can be inverted to glucose |
Goiter | abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland |
Graves' disease | an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid gland to overproduce the thyroid hormone |
Hormone | a chemical released by a cell, gland or organ in one part of the body that affects other parts of the body |
Humoral | of or relating to bodily fluids |
Insulin | a polypeptide hormone made by the beta cells in the pancreas that regulates the metabolism of sugar and fat |
Neurohormones | hormones produced by the neurosecretory cells of the NS |
Norepinephrine | substance that is both a hormone released by the adrenal medulla, and a neurotransmitter released by sympathetic nerves; acts to mobilize the body for action |
Palpitation | abnormally rapid, strong, or irregular heart rate |
Phosphorylase | an enzyme that adds a phosphate group to an organic molecule |
Second messenger | substances that transmit and amplify messages sent by a hormone to a cell; the hormone is the first messenger |
Secretin | polypeptide hormone produced by the small intestine that activates the pancreas during digestion to secrete pancreatic juice |
Symptoms | any departure from normal function that is reported or felt by the patient |
Testosterone | sex hormone that stimulates the development of male sex organs, secondary sexual characteristics and sperm; produced mainly in the testes, but also in the ovaries and adrenal cortex of both males and females |