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 |
---|---|
Microorganism | |
Mole | a growth on the skin comprised of a cluster of skin cells that produce the skin pigment melanin (melanocytes); a mole is often raised and dark in color. |
Monoclonal antibody | |
Monoclonal cells | Group of cells derived from a single type (clone) of cell; the cells formed are identical. |
Monoclonal gammopathy | Abnormal condition in which clones of a single plasma cell or B lymphocyte produce greatly increased amounts of an immunoglobulin molecule; analysis of serum or urine will show a distinct "monoclonal" band, typically in the "gamma" or beta region. |
Monocyte | Leukocyte (white blood cell) that functions in the ingestion of bacteria and other foreign particles. Monocytes make up 5-10% of the total white blood cell count. |
Musculoskeletal | |
Mutation | Change in the genetic structure (DNA); it may occur spontaneously or be induced (e.g., by radiation, drugs, or certain mutagenic chemicals). |
Mycobacteria | A diverse group of rod-shaped bacteria that include Mycobacterium tuberculosis (which causes tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium leprae (which causes leprosy) and more than 100 different species found in the environment; the environmental mycobacteria may be referred to as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT), and/or atypical mycobacteria. |
Myelin | Also known as: Myelin sheath The fatty covering that insulates nerve fibers |
Myelin sheath | Also known as: Myelin The fatty covering that insulates nerve fibers |