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.
Term | Definition |
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Stem cells | Cells that are able to develop into many (or all) types of cells |
Statins | A group of drugs that reduce the production of cholesterol and promote the clearance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from the blood by the liver. |
Stage |
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Sputum | Viscous material that is derived from the lower air passages such as the lungs and bronchi that may contain substances such as mucus, blood, pus and/or bacteria; it is not the saliva that is produced by the glands in the mouth. |
Spore | 1. Small, usually single-celled reproductive unit of some microorganisms such as fungi. |
Spondylitis | An inflammation of the vertebrae |
Spleen | organ located in the abdomen that functions mainly to store blood cells, remove old blood cells from circulation, produce lymphocytes to fight infection, and filter foreign substances from the blood |
Spirochete | Any of a group of spiral-shaped bacteria |
Spina bifida | A birth defect in which the bones of the spine do not close around the spinal cord (the continuation of brain tissue that normally is surrounded by the spinal bones); this opening may be covered by skin (also called spina bifida occulta, which means hidden), in which case there may be no or mild symptoms. In other cases, the skin does not cover the defect, allowing the covering of the brain and spinal cord, the meninges, to protrude out through the skin (meningocele) or, in some cases, to rupture, exposing the spinal cord itself (meningomyelocyle). These latter two examples may cause severe damage to the nerves of the legs and lower abdomen, causing paralysis and bowel and bladder malfunction. |
Specificity | In the clinical laboratory: |
Somatic Cells | All body cells, except the reproductive cells |
Sign | Evidence of a disease or condition perceived by a physician or person other than the patient |
Sigmoidoscopy | Examination of the rectum and lower colon with a rigid or flexible lighted instrument |
Sideroblastic Anemia | An iron disorder and form of anemia resulting from the inability to incorporate iron into hemoglobin in red blood cells (RBCs); it is characterized by the buildup of iron within developing RBCs resulting in abnormal RBCs called sideroblasts. Since the RBCs cannot develop normally, this condition causes anemia. |
Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome | Also known as: SDS
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