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
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
in situ

 1. confined to the original site

2. in the original position
Impetigo

Shallow, fluid-filled blisters surrounded by yellow crusts
Immunosuppressive

Pertaining to a substance that decreases the body's normal immune response
Immunoglobulins

Also known as: Ig; Antibody; Immune serum globulin; Immune globulin; Gamma globulin

1) Special proteins produced by the body in response to foreign substances including bacteria and viruses; there are five structurally distinct classes of immunoglobulins produced by plasma cells in the bone marrow and other lymphoid tissue that bind to and neutralize foreign substances (antigens). The five major kinds of immunoglobulins are A, D, E, G and M.

2) A solution made from human blood plasma that contains concentrated antibodies that protect against specific diseases, such as short-term protection against certain infections and Rh sensitization during pregnancy; it is made from human blood plasma that has been pooled, processed from donated blood, and purified.
Immunoglobulin M

Also known as: IgM


One of the five classes of immunoglobulins; a large molecule, it is found in blood and is involved in combating blood infections. It is the first or primary immunoglobulin produced following exposure to an antigen.
Immunoglobulin G

Also known as: IgG


One of the five classes of immunoglobulins; widespread in the body, it provides long-lasting defense against most bacterial invasions and other antigens.
Immunoglobulin E

Also known as: IgE


One of the five classes of immunoglobulins; it is present primarily in the skin and mucous membranes and is believed to function in response to environmental antigens and to play a role in allergic reactions.