Biomedical Engineering Theory And Practice/Introduction

The biomedical engineer works with the medical doctors, the nurses,the manufacturers and so on. In order to design new device for healthcare, basical understanding human body is prior. In order to find out the requirement of the special medical devices, therapy and so on, when we read the patents,journals, articles and so on and communicate with medical field people, it would be very helpful. In this chapter, fundamental anatomical terms and medical glossary would be introduced.

Anatomical Terms & Planes

Anatomical Terms

Anatomical planes in a human

Anatomical Terms

• The body is composed of the head, trunk and limbs.

• The trunk consists of the neck, thorax(chest) and abdomen (belly). The lowest part of the trunk is the perineum. The central axis of the trunk is the vertebral column, and the upper part of it(cervical part) supports the head.

• The main parts of the upper limb are the arm, forearm and hand. Arm in anatomical form means the part between the shoulder and elbow. But, generally the arm means from the shoulder to before the hand.

• The main parts of the lower limb are the thigh, leg and foot. Here also leg in anatomical term point out the part from knee to foot.But, generally the leg means from thigh to before the foot.

Anatomical Planes

• For the positions of structure in human anatomy, the whole body should stand upright with the feet together and the head and eyes looking to the front with the arms straight by the side and the palms of the hands facing forwards.
• The ‘Median plane’ is an virtual vertical longitudinal line through the middle of the body from front to back, dividing the body into right and left halves.
• The ‘Coronal planes’ are imaginary planes at right angles to the median plane.
• The 'Transverse plane' divides the body into head and tail portions.

Anatomical Movement

'See also Wikipedia,Anatomical terms of motion.

1. 'Flexion' means a bending movement that decreases the angle between two parts like bending elbow, sitting down and so on.
2. 'Extension' is the opposite of flexion. It is a straightening movement that increases the angle between body parts.
3. 'Abduction' is a motion that pulls a structure or part away from the midline of the body.
4. 'Adduction' is a motion that pulls a structure or part toward the midline of the body, or towards the midline of a limb.
5. 'Elevation' is the movement in a superior direction like raising the arm upwards.
6. 'Depression' is the movement in an inferior direction, the opposite of elevation.
7. 'Internal rotation' (or medial rotation) means rotation towards the axis of the body like the arms against the chest.
8. 'External rotation' (or lateral rotation) means rotation away from the center of the body. For instance, the leg can rotate.

Medical Terminology

'See also Wikipedia,List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes

Table of Prefixes

Prefix	Translation of Greek or Latin	Examples
A	Without, lack of	Apathy (lack of feeling); apnea (without breath); aphasia (without speech)
Ab	Away from	Abductor (leading away from); aboral (away from mouth)
Ad	To, toward, near to	Adductor (leading toward); adhesion (sticking to); adnexia (structures joined to); adrenal (near the kidney)
Ambi,Amphi,Ampho	Both	Ambidextrous (ability to use hands equally); ambilaterally (both sides), Amphibious (living on both land and water), Amphogenic (producing offspring of both sexes)
Ana	Up, back, again, excessive	Anatomy (a cutting up); anagenesis (reproduction of tissue)
Ante	Before, forward	Antecubital (before elbow); anteflexion (forward bending)
Anti	Against, reversed	Antiperistalsis (reversed peristalsis); antisepsis (against infection)
Apo	From, away from	Aponeurosis (away from tendon); apochromatic (abnormal color)
Bi	Twice, double	Biarticulate (double joint); bifocal (two foci); bifurcation (two branches)
Cata	Down, according to, complete	Catabolism (breaking down); catalepsia (complete seizure); catarrh (flowing down)
Circum	Around, about	circumarticular (around joint)
Com, Con	With, together	Commissure (sending or coming together),Conductor (leading together); concrescence (growing together); concentric (having a common center)
Contra	Against, opposite	Contralateral (opposite side); contraception (prevention of conception); contraindicated (not indicated)
De	Away from	Dehydrate (remove water from); dedentition (removal of teeth)
Di	Twice, double	Diplopia (double vision); dichromatic (two colors)
Dia	Through, apart, across, completely	Diaphragm (wall across); diapedesis (ooze through); diagnosis (complete knowledge)
Dis	Reversal, apart from, separation	Disinfection (apart from infection); disparity (apart from equality); dissect (cut apart)
Dys	Bad, difficult, disordered	Dyspepsia (bad digestion); dyspnea (difficult breathing); dystopia (disordered position)
E, ex	Out, away from	Enucleate (remove from); eviscerate (take out viscera or bowels); exostosis (outgrowth of bone)
Ec	Out from	Ectopic (out of place); eccentric (away from center); ectasia (stretching out or dilation)
Em, en.	In	Empyema (pus in); encephalon (in the head)
Endo	Within	Endocardium (within heart)
Epi	Upon, on	Epidural (upon dura); epidermis (on skin)
Exo	Outside, on outer side, outer layer	Exogenous (produce outside); exocolitis (inflammation of outer coat of colon)
Extra	Outside	Extracellular (outside cell);
Hemi	Half	Hemiplegia (partial paralysis); hemianesthesia (loss of feeling on one side of body)
Hyper	Over, above, excessive	Hyperemia (excessive blood); hypertrophy (over­growth); hyperplasia (excessive formation)
Hypo	Under, below, deficient	Hypotension (low blood pressure); hypothyroidism (deficiency or underfunction of thyroid)
Im, in	In, Into	Infiltration (act of filtering in);immersion (act of dipping in); injection (act of forcing liquid into)
Im, in	Not	Involuntary (not voluntary);immature (not mature); inability (not able)
Infra	Below	Infraorbital (below eye); infraclavicular (below clavicle or collarbone)
Inter	Between	Intercostal (between ribs); intervene (come between)
Intra	Within	Intracerebral (within cerebrum); intraocular (within eyes); intraventricular (within ventricles )
Intro	Into, within	Introversion (turning inward); introduce (lead into)
Meta	Beyond, after,change	Metamorphosis (change of form); metastasis change (beyond original position)
Opistho	Behind, backward	Opisthotic (behind ears); opisthognathous (beyond jaws)
Para	Beside, beyond,near to	Paracardiac (beside the heart); paraurethral (near the urethra)
Per	Through,excessive	Permeate (pass through); perforate (bore through)
Peri	Around	Periosteum (around bone)
Post	After, behind	Postpartum (after childbirth); postocular (behind eye)
Pre,Pro	Before, in front of	Premaxillary (in front of maxilla),prognosis (foreknowledge); prophase (appear before)
Re	Back, again,contrary	Reflex (bend back); revert (turn again to); regurgitation (backward flowing, contrary to normal)
Retro	Backward,located behind	Retrocervical (located behind cervix); retrograde (going backward); retrolingual. (behind tongue)
Semi	Half	Semicartilaginous (half cartilage); semilunar(half­moon); semiconscious (half conscious)
Sub	Under	Subcutaneous (under skin); subarachnoid (under arachnoid); subungual (under nail)
Super,Supra	Above, upper, excessive	Supercilia (upper brows);suprasternal (above sternum); suprascapular (on upper part of scapula)
Sym, syndrome	Together, with	Symphysis (growing together); synapsis (joining together); synarthrosis (articulation of joints together)
Trans	Across, through, beyond	Transection (cut across); transduodenal (through duodenum); transmit (send beyond)

Table of Suffixes

Suffix	Use	Example
al, ­c, ­ious	Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing relationship, concern, or pertaining to	Neural (referring to nerve); neoplastic (referring to neoplasm); cardiac (referring heart); delirious ( suffering from delirium)
ent	Add to verbs to make adjectives or nouns of agency	Recipient (one who receives); concurrent (happening at same time)
id	Add to verbs or nouns to make adjectives expressing state or condition	Flaccid (state of being weak or lax); fluid (state of being liquid)
ia, ­ity	Add to adjectives or nouns to make nouns expressing quality or condition	Septicemia (poisoning of blood); disparity (inequality); acidity (condition of excess acid)
ible, ­ile	Add to verbs to make adjectives expressing ability or capacity	Contractile (ability to contract); edible (capable of being eaten)
ium, ­olus, ­olum, ­culus, ­culum, ­cule, ­cle	Add to nouns to make diminutive nouns	Add to nouns to make diminutive nouns
ous	Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing material	Ferrous (composed of iron); serous (composed of serum); mucinous (composed of mucin)
oid, ­form	Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing resemblance	Polypoid (resembling polyp); plexiform (resembling a plexus); fusiform (resembling a fusion); epidermoid (resembling epidermis)

Table of Basics Verbal Derivatives From Greek & Latin

Root	Meaning	Example
Algia	Pain	Cardialgia (heart); gastralgia (stomach); neuralgia (nerve)
Cau,caus	Burn	Caustic (suffix added to make adjective); cauterization; causalgia (burning pain); electrocautery
Centesis	Puncture, perforate	Thoracocentesis (chest); pneumocentesis (lung); arthrocentesis (joint); enterocentesis (intestine)
Clas, claz	Smash, break	Osteoclasis (bone); odontoclasis (tooth)
Duct	Draw	Ductal (suffix added to make adjective); oviduct (egg­uterine tube or fallopian tube); periductal (per means around); abduct (prefix meaning lead away from)
Dynia	Pain	Mastodynia (breast); pleurodynia (chest); esophagodynia (esophagus); coccygodynia (coccyx)
Ecta,ectas	Dilate	Venectasia(dilation of vein); cardioectasis (heart); ectatic (suffix added for adjective)
Edem	Swell	Myo ­ edema (muscle); lymphedema (lymph);(a is a suffix added to make a noun)
Esthes	Feel	Esthesia (suffix added to make noun); anesthesia (an is prefix)
Fiss	split	Fissure; fission (suffixes added to make nouns)
Flex,flec	Bend	Flexion (suffix added to make noun); flexor (suffix added); anteflect, (prefix added meaning before ­ bending forward)
Flu, Flux	Flow	Fluctuate; fluxion; affluent (abundant flowing)
Iatro, iatr	Treat, cure	Geriatrics (old age); pediatrics (children)
Kine,kino,kineto,kinesio	Move	Kinetogenic (producing movement); kinetic (suffix added to make adjective); kinesiology (study)
Liga	Bind	Ligament (suffix added to make noun) ligat ligature
Logy	Study	Parasitology (parasites); bacteriology (bacteria); histology (tissues)
Lysis	Breaking up, dissolving	Hemolysis (blood); glycolysis (sugar); autolysis (self­destruction of cells)
Morph,morpho	Form	Amorphous (no definite form); pleomorphic (more ­ occurring in various forms polymorphic (many)
Olfact	Smell	Olfactophobia (fear); olfactory (suffix added to make adjective)
Op,opto	See	Amblyopia (dull ­ dimness of vision); presbyopia (old ­ impairment of vision in old age); myopia (myein, meaning shut ­ nearsighted);optic
Palpit	Flutter	Palpitation
Par,partus	Labor	Postpartum (after birth); parturition (act of giving birth); para i, ii, iii, iv, etc., are symbols of number of births
Pep	Digest	Dyspepsia (bad, difficult); peptic (suffix added to make adjective)
Pexy	Fix	Mastopexy (fixation of breast); nephrosplenopexy (surgical fixation of kidney and spleen
Phag,phago	Eat	Phagocytosis (eating of cells); phagomania (madness ­ mad craving for food or eating); dysphagia (difficult eating or swallowing)
Phan,phas	Appear visible	Phanerosis (act of becoming visible); phantasia; phantasy; phasmophobia (fear of ghosts)
Phas	Speak	Aphasia (unable to speak); dysphasia (difficulty in speaking)
Phil	Love	Hemophilia (blood ­ a hereditary disease characterized by delayed clotting of blood); acidophilia (acid stain ­ liking or staining with acid stains);
Phobia	Fear	Hydrophobia (fear of water); photophobia (fear of light); claustrophobia (fear of close places
Phrax,phrag	Fence off, wall off	Diaphragm (across ­ partition separating thorax from abdomen); phragmoplast (formed)
Plas	Form, grow	Choledochoplasty (common bile duct);neoplasm (new growth); rhinoplasty (nose ­ operation for formation of nose); otoplasty (ear);
Plegia	Paralyze	Paraplegia (paralysis of lower limbs); ophthalmoplegia (eye); hemiplegia (partial paralysis)
Pne,pneo	Breathe	Dyspnea (difficult breathing); apnea (lack of breathing); hyperpnea. (overbreathing)
Poie	Make	Hematopoiesis (blood); erythropoiesis (red blood cells); leukopoiesis ( ' white blood cells)
Ptosis	Fall	Proctoptosis (anus ­ prolapse of anus); splanchnoptosis (viscera)
Rrhagia	Burst forth, pour	Menorrhagia (abnormal bleeding during menstruation); menometrorrhagia (abnormal uterine bleeding); hemorrhage (blood)
Rrhaphy	Suture	Herniorrhaphy (suturing or repair of hernia); hepatorrhaphy (Jiver); nephrorrhaphy (kidney)
Rrhea	Flow, discharge	Leukorrhea (white discharge from vagina); galactorrhea (milk discharge); rhinorrhea (nasal discharge)
Rrhexis	Rupture	Enterorrhexis (intestines); metrorrhexis (uterus)
Schiz	Split, divide	Schizophrenia (mind ­ split personality); schizonychia (nails); schizotrichia (hair)
Scope	Examine	Microscopic; cardioscope; endoscope (endo means within ­ an instrument for examining the interior of a hollow viscus)
Stasis	Stop, stand still	Hematostatic (pertaining to stagnation of blood);epistasis (checking or stopping of any discharge)
Stazien	Drop	Epistaxis (nosebleed)
Teg,tect	Cover	Tegmen; tectum (rooflike structure); integument (skin covering)
Therap	Treat, cure	Therapy; neurotherapy (nerves); chemotherapy (chemicals); physiotherapy
Tomy	Cut, incise	Phlebotomy (incision of vein); arthrotomy (joint); appendectomy (ectomy, meaning cut out ­ excision of appendix); oophorectomy (excision of ovary); ileocecostomy (ostomy, meaning creation of an artificial opening, and os, pertaining to opening or mouth ­ thus, an anastomosis of ileum and cecum)
Tropho	Nourish	Hypertrophy (enlargement or overnourishment); atrophy (under­nourishment)
Volv	Turn	Volvulus (twisting of an organ, intestinal obstruction with twisting of bowel, or twisting of the esophagus)

Table of Combining Forms

Form	Meaning	Form	Meaning
Adeno –	gland	Adreno –	adrenal gland
Angio –	vessel	Ano –	anus
Arterio –	artery	Arthro –	joint
Balano –	glans penis	Blepharo –	eyelid
Broncho –	bronchus (windpipe)	Cantho –	canthus
Capit –	head	Cardi- or cardio –	heart
Carpo –	wrist	Cephalo –	head
Cerebello –	cerebellurn	Cerebro –	cerebrum
Cheilo –	lip	Chole –	bile
Chondro –	cartilage	Chordo –	cord or string
Cilia –	hair (Latin)	Cleido –	collarbone
Coccygo –	coccyx	Colpo –	vagina
Cordo –	cord	Coxa –	hip
Coccygo –	coccyx	Cranio –	head
Cysto –	sac, cyst, or bladder	Cyto –	cell
Dacryo –	tear	Dento- or donto –	tooth
Derma-	skin	Duodeno –	duodenum
Emia –	blood	Encephalo –	blood
Entero –	intestines	Fascia –	sheet or band of fibrous tissue
Fibro –	fibers	Gastro –	stomach
Genu –	knee	Gingivo –	gums
Glomerulo –	glomerulus	Glosso –	tongue
Gnatho –	jaw	Hallux –	great toe
Hem, hema,hemo, hemato –	blood	Hepato –	liver
Hilus –	pit or depression in an organ where vessels and nerves enter	Histio –	tissue
Hystero –	uterus	Ileo –	ileum (part of small intestine)
Ilio –	flank or ilium (bone of the pelvis)	Jejuno –	jejunum (part of small intestine)
Kerato –	cornea or horny layer of the skin	Labio –	lips
Lacrimo –	tears	Laparo –	loin or flank (also refers to abdomen)
Laryngo –	larynx	Linguo –	tongue
Lympho –	lymph	Masto –	breast
Meningo –	meninges (coverings of the brain and spinal cord)	Metra,metro –	uterus
Myelo –	bone marrow and also spinal cord	Myo –	muscle
Myringo –	eardrum	Naso –	nose
Nephro –	kidney	Neuro –	nerve
Oculo –	eye	Odonto –	tooth
Omphalo –	navel or umbilicus	Onycho –	nails
Oophoro –	ovary	Ophthalmo –	eye
Orchio,orchido –	testis	Oro –	mouth
Os –,Osteo-	mouth	Ovario –	ovary
Palato –	palate of mouth	Palpebro –	eyelid
Pectus –	breast, chest, or thorax	Pharyngo –	pharynx
Phlebo –	vein	Pilo –	hair
Pleuro –	pleura of lung	Pneumo or pneumono –	lungs
Procto –	rectum	Pyelo –	pelvis of kidney
Pyloro –	pylorus (part of stomach just be fore duodenum)	Rhino	nose
Sacro –	sacrum	Salpingo –	fallopian tube or oviduct
Sialo –	saliva	Splanchno –	viscera
Spleno –	spleen	Sterno –	sternum
Stoma –	mouth	Tarso –	instep of foot; ankle
Teno,tenonto –	tendon	Thoraco –	thorax or chest
Trachelo –	neck, particularly the neck of the uterus	Tracheo –	trachea
Unguis –	nail	Uretero –	ureter
Urethro –	urethra	Uro –	urine
Vaso –	vessel	Veno –	vein
Ventriculo –	ventricle	Viscero –	viscera

Medical Glossary

'See also Wikipedia, Medical Dictionary

A

Words	Meaning
Anatomy	A science of the structure of the body and the relationship of its constituent parts to each other.
Alveoli	Air sacs in the lungs formed at the terminals of a bronchiole.The thin membrance of the alveoli lets oxygen enter the blood stream.
Aorta	The largest artery in the body.It carries blood from heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body.
Aortic valve	Outlet valve from left ventricle to the aorta.
Arrhythmia	An irregular heartbeat.The heart may beat too fast (tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia)
Arteriole	A small diameter blood vessel in the microcirculation that extends and branches out from an artery and leads to capillaries.
Artery	A vessel through which the blood is pumped away from the heart.
Atrio ventricular	Located between an atrium and ventricle of the heart.
Atrium	A main chamber of the heart into which blood returns from circulation
Auscultation	The term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope.
Axon	A nerve fibre in a neuron.

B

Words	Meaning
Bioelectricity	Electric potentials and currents produced by or occurring within living organisms.
Brachial	pertaining to the arm
Bradycardia	A slow heart rate.
Bronchus	A passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs.
Bundle of His	A small band of cardiac muscle fibers transmitting the wave of depolarization from the atria to the ventricles during cardiac contraction.
Bifurcation	The splitting of a main body into two parts. Branching as in blood vessel.

C

Words	Meaning
Capillaries	The smallest of a body's blood vessels system connecting arterioles with venules and forming or network throughout.
Cardiac	Having to do with the heart.
Cardiology	A medical special area dealing with disorders of the heart be it human or animal.
Cardiovascular	Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood vessels and carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes from them.
Catheter	a thin tube device extruded from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions.
Cell	The basic structural, functional and biological unit of all known living organisms.
Cerebellum	A region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions
Collagen	The major structural protein of the various connective tissues in animals.
Computerised Axial tomography (CAT)	Commonly known by its abbreviated name, CAT scan or CT scan. An x-ray procedure which combines many x-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views
Cortex	The outermost layered structure of neural tissue of the cerebrum (brain),
Cranium	The part of the skull that encloses the brain.

D

Words	Meaning
Defibrillation	A common treatment for life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Defibrillation is composed of delivering a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart with a device called a defibrillator.
Diastole	The period of time when the heart refills with blood after systole (contraction).
Diastolic	Referring to the time when the heart is in a period of relaxation and expansion (dilatation).
Dicrotic	Relating or being to the second part of the arterial pulse occurring during diastole of the heart or of an arterial pressure recording made during the same period.

E

Words	Meaning
Electro cardiogram(ECG or EKG from Greek)	The recording of the electrical activity of the heart.
Embryo	An organism in the early stages of growth and differentiation, from fertilization to the beginning of the third month of pregnancy (in humans).
Enzyme	A protein secreted by cells that acts as a catalyst to induce chemical changes in other substances and itself remains unchanged by the process.
Epilepsy	A disorder marked by disturbed electrical rhythms of the nervous system.

F

Words	Meaning
Fluoroscopy	A study of moving body structures—close to an X-ray

H

Words	Meaning
Hemorheology	The science of rheology of the blood, the relation of pressure,flow volume and resistance to blood vessels.
Heparin	A highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan which is used to prevent blood clots from forming in people who have certain medical conditions or who are undergoing certain medical procedures
Hormone	Our body's chemical messengers that is produced in all multicellular organisms by glands, and transported by the circulatory system to a distant target organ to control its physiology and behavior.
Hypoxia	A condition in which the body or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply.

I

Words	Meaning
Inferior vena cava(IVC)	also referred to as the posterior vena cava. A vein that carries blood from the lower body to the heart.
In-vivo	Latin for "within the living".Often employed over in vitro because it is better suited for observing the overall effects of an experiment on a living subject.
Ischemic	also spelled as ischaemia or ischæmia.Supply to tissues, causing a shortage of oxygen and glucose needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive).
Isometric	Comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement".
Isotonic	Having equal tension. Having the same concentration of solutes as the blood. Physiology Of or involving muscular contraction in which the muscle remains under relatively constant tension while its length changes.

K

Words	Meanings
Korotkoff sounds	The blood flow sound that medical personnel listen for when they are taking blood pressure using a non-invasive procedure.

L

Words	Meanings
Latency	The time required to locate the first bit or character in a storage location, expressed as access time minus word time.
Liver	A vital organ of the digestive system present in vertebrates and some other animals
Lung	The important respiration organ

M

Words	Meaning
Membrane	A very thin layer of tissue that covers a 'surface.
Metabolism	All the chemical processes inside your body. It depends on your age, gender, muscle-to-fat ratio, the food you eat and physical activity. Your hormones and nervous system control your body’s metabolism.
Mitral valve	One of the heart's four valves, opens to allow blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
Motor	A muscle, nerve or centre that effects or producesmovement.
Myelin	An insulating layer, or sheath, that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of protein and fatty substances.
Myocardium	The middle and thickest layer of the heart wall, composed of cardiac muscle.
Myograph	Any device used to measure the force produced by a muscle when under contraction.

N

Words	Meaning
Necrosis	The death of living cells or tissues. It occurs when there is not enough blood flowing to the tissue, whether from injury, radiation, or chemicals.
Nerve	Enclosed bundles of the long fibers or axons.The peripheral nervous system consists mainly of nerves.
Neuron	A neuron receives electrical input signals from sensory cells (called sensory neurons) and from other neurons and sends electrical output signals to muscle neurons (called motoneurons or motor neurons) and to other neurons.

O

Words	Meaning
Orthosis	An orthopedic appliance or apparatus used to support, align, prevent, or correct deformities or to improve function of movable parts of the body.
Oxyhaemoglobin	The combination of the red blood haemoglobin cells with the oxygen in the lungs.

P

Words	Meaning
Pathology	A field of medical science primarily concerning the examination of organs, tissues, and bodily fluids in order to make a diagnosis of disease.
Perfuse	To force a fluid through (an organ or tissue) especially by way of the blood vessels
Permeate	To spread or diffuse through
Pneumograph	Known as a pneumatograph or spirograph.A device for recording velocity and force of chest movements during respiration.
Prosthesis	An artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions.
Protein	Macromolecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acid residues
Pulmonary	Relating to the lungs
Pulse pressure	The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure readings.

R

Words	Meaning
Radioisotope	An atom that has an unstable nucleus and emits radiation during its decay to a stable form.
Radiology	a medical field that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the body.

S

Words	Meanings
(Semilunar) pulmonary valve	A semilunar valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery; prevents blood from flowing from the artery back into the heart
Sinoatrial	Involving, or being the sinus node. Sinoatrial node indicates the heart's natural pacemaker, one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system, the system that controls the heart rate.
Sphygmomanometer	An apparatus for measuring blood pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to restrict blood flow, and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure.
Spirometer	A device for measuring the volume of air inspired and expired by the lungs.
Spleen	An organ located just below your rib cage on your left side. It acts primarily as a blood filter.
Stenusis	An abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure.
Stroke volume	The amount of blood pumped out of the heart (left ventricle - to the body) during each contraction measured in mL/beat (millilitres per beat). It is calculated through measurements of ventricle volumes from an echocardiogram and subtracting the volume of the blood in the ventricle at the end of a beat (called end-systolic volume) from the volume of blood just prior to the beat (called end-diastolic volume). The stroke volume is not all the blood contained in the left ventricle; normally, only about two-thirds of the blood in the ventricle is expelled with each beat.
Superior vena cava	A large vein in the body that carries deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart. It is also commonly referred to as the precava.
Systemic	Of or relating to an entire system. medical : Of, relating to, or affecting the entire body.
Systole	The time period when the heart is contracting. The period specifically during which the left ventricle of the heart contracts.

T

Words	Meaning
Tarso –	instep of foot; ankle (also edge of eyelid)
Teno,tenonto –	tendon
Thoraco –	thorax or chest
Thyro –	thyroid
Trachelo –	neck, particularly the neck of the uterus
Tracheo –	trachea

U

Words	Meaning
Unguis –	nail
Uretero –	ureter
Urethro –	urethra
Uro –	urine; urinary
Utero –	uterus

V

Words	Meaning
Vaso –	vessel
Veno –	vein
Ventriculo –	ventricle, either of heart or brain
Viscero –	viscera

Histology

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues. All organs of the body are formed of tissues. A tissue is a collection of similar type cells associated with some intercellular matrix (ground substance) controlled by some laws of growth and development. These cells perform the same functions. Tissues are usually divided into four categories:muscle tissue, nervous tissue, connective tissue, and epithelial tissue.

Muscle tissue

Muscle structure

Muscle tissue is composed of "excitable" cells which can contract. Muscle tissue include a lot of microfilaments composed of actin and myosin, which are contractile proteins. There are three major types of muscle tissue:

• Skeletal Muscle:It is attached to bones by tendons and associated with the body's voluntary movements. Skeletal muscle is striated muscle. Unlike cardiac muscle, the cells are not branched.
• Visceral (Smooth) Muscle:It is found in many parts of the body such as the arteries, the bladder, the digestive tract and so on. Visceral muscle is also called smooth muscle as it doesn't have cross striations. Visceral muscle contracts slower than skeletal muscle, but the contraction can be continued for a longer period.
• Cardiac muscle:It is so named because it is found in the heart. Cells are joined to one another by intercalated discs which allow the synchronization of the heart beat. Cardiac muscle is branched, striated muscle.

Nervous tissue

Nerve structure

Nervous tissue is specialized to sense stimuli and transmit signals to and from different parts of an organism. The nervous system is split into two parts. One is the central nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord while the peripheral nervous system contains the cranial and spinal nervous and provides the communication between the CNS and the rest of the body. Two main cell types are neurons and neuroglia. The neurons are the basic structural units of the nervous system. The neuroglia assist the propagation of the nerve impulse and provide nutrients to the neuron. Neurons transmit electricity through their plasma membrane and lose their ability to split once they commit to their roles (after birth). They last a life time and store memory. However, if they are destroyed they cannot be replaced. However with that said, you cannot avoid other parts of the brain to take over functions. Neurons also needs lots of oxygen and glucose and will die within 5 minutes without oxygen. Nervous tissue is composed of various types of nerve cells, all of which having an axon, the long stem-like part of the cell that sends action potential signals to the next cell. Nervous tissue is discussed more in Chapter 3.

Connective tissue

Connective tissue (CT) supports, connects, or separates various tissues and organs of the body. It is one of the four major type tissues—the others of which are epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissues. Connective tissue can be found everywhere in the body except the central nervous system.

408 Connective Tissue

Epithelial tissue

It is one of the four major types tissues. It is related to secretion, selective absorption, protection, transcellular transport and detection of sensation. In Greek ἐπί (epi) means "on" or "upon", and θηλή (thēlē) means "nipple".

Summary showing different epithelial cells/tissues and their characteristics.

Further Reading

• Bronzino, Joseph D. (April 2006). The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Third Edition. [CRC Press]. ISBN 978-0-8493-2124-5.
• Villafane, Carlos, CBET. (June 2009). Biomed: From the Student's Perspective, First Edition. [Techniciansfriend.com]. ISBN 978-1-61539-663-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Practise

Fill up the gaps

1. The body consists of the head, ______and limbs. ((a) arms (b) trunks)
2. Sagittal plane is parallel to _______ plane.((a)lateral (b) median)
3. Nose is _______ to the ears. ((a) anterior (b) posterior)
4. Rotation is the movement of a part of the body around its _______axis. ((a) central (b) long)
5. All organs of the body are formed of ______.((a) flesh (b) tissue)
6. Epithelium is ______ tissue. ((a) covering (b) connecting)

References

1. Anatomy & Physiology Workbook For Dummies by Janet Rae-Dupree
2. Wikipedia,Anatomical terms of motion.
3. Wikipedia,List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes
4. Wikipedia, Medical Dictionary
5. Medical Terminology Database
6. Dictionary of Medicines and Devices
7. Medical Dictionary Database for the iPhone
8. Medical Terminology Database iPhone
9. Wikipedia,Histology