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
Abnormal Fibrinolysis

Overactivity of the process normally responsible for clearing blood clots from blood vessels

24-Hour Urine Sample

A collection of all urine voided over a 24-hour period of time.

Obtain a collection container from your doctor or the laboratory and follow the directions you are given for collecting your samples. To preserve the substance to be tested, the container may need to be refrigerated during the entire collection process. After getting up in the morning, empty your bladder and discard that urine. Note the time. For the next 24 hours, save all urine voided in the container provided. When 24 hours are over, empty your bladder and ADD this urine to the container. Note the time. Bring all of the urine collected to the lab or doctor's office. If you miss collecting one or more voids, consult your doctor or the laboratory for further instructions.

The reason a 24-hour urine sample may be requested instead of a random urine sample is because amounts of various substances in the urine changes during the course of a day. By collecting all urine for 24 hours, the amount of the substance being measured in the urine can be averaged over the entire day and will give a better indication of what is going on in the body.

Microbe

Also known as: Microorganism

Life form that is not visible to the naked eye such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses

Granulocyte

Also known as: Neutrophil


Normally the most abundant type of white blood cell in healthy adults

ECG, EKG

Also known as: ElectrocarDiogram

Graphic recording of the electrical activity of the heart

Digital Rectal Exam

Also known as: DRE

Part of a physical examination performed in order to examine nearby structures (e.g., the prostate in men)

Articulation

Also known as: Joint


Point where two or more bones meet in the body; they allow the body to be flexible and are classified by their range of movement: immovable (fibrous) do not move, such as in the skull, slightly movable (cartilaginous) as in the vertebrae in the spine, or freely movable (synovial) as in the knees and elbows, which move in many directions and are further classified as hinge, pivot or ball-and-socket joints.