Glossary

BioScience.com.pk try the best to avoid the use of medical terms that could make it more difficult to understand the information on this website. Still, there are a number of terms that can’t be avoided and that are useful to know because they are so often used by the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals with whom you might speak. The list below includes the terms used on BioScience.com.pk for which we have provided definitions.

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Term Definition
Islet cells

Specialized cells in the pancreas that produce and secrete one of several hormones that affect certain body functions; some examples include alpha cells that produce glucagon and beta cells that produce insulin.
Ischemia

Decreased supply of blood and therefore oxygen to tissue, organ (heart, brain) or body part often caused by a blockage or constriction of blood vessels
Iron-Deficiency Anemia
Anemia occurs when you have a level of red blood cells (RBCs) in your blood that is lower than normal. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and it occurs when your body doesn't have enough of the mineral iron. Your body needs iron to make a protein called hemoglobin.
Intravenous

Into or within a vein
Intramuscular

Within a muscle, as an injection
Insulinoma

A tumor of the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas, causing low blood glucose levels
Inhibitor

1) A substance that stops, blocks, or slows down the action of an enzyme
2) A substance that stops or impedes a process from taking place in the body
Inflammation

The response of body tissues to injury such as trauma or infection. Inflammation is a complex process that can be localized or systemic. When localized, it causes pain, heat, swelling and redness of the affected area; when systemic, it may present as a general feeling of malaise with fatigue and fever.
Infection

Disease caused by microorganisms
Infarction

Tissue death caused by the blockage of blood flow by a blood clot or other material
Incubation period

Time between exposure to an infectious agent, such as a virus, and the onset of symptoms of disease
Incidence

Rate at which new cases of a disease occur within a population
In vivo

Within the body; within a living environment
In vitro

Outside the body; in the clinical lab, in an artificial environment such as a test tube or petri dish
In utero

Within the uterus