 | Term | Definition |
| |
blast/o, -blast |
germ or bud |
| |
chrom/o, chromat/o |
color |
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chyl/o |
juice |
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hem/o, hemat/o |
blood |
| |
immun/o |
safe |
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lymph/o |
clear fluid |
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morph/o |
form |
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phag/o |
eat or swallow |
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plas/o |
formation |
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reticul/o |
a net |
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splen/o |
spleen |
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thromb/o |
clot |
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thym/o |
thymus gland |
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plasma |
liquid portion of the blood and lymph containing water, proteins, and cellular components (leukocytes, erythrocytes, and platelets) |
| |
serum |
liquid portion of the blood left after clotting |
| |
erythrocyte |
red blood cell, which transports oxygen and carbon dioxide |
| |
hemoglobin |
protein-iron compound contained in erythrocytes that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide |
| |
leukocyte |
white blood cell, which protects the body from invading harmful substances |
| |
granulocytes |
a group of leukocytes containing granules in their cytoplasm |
| |
neutrophil |
a granular leukocyte, named for the neutral stain of its granules, that fights infection by swallowing bacteria |
| |
polymorphonuclear leukocyte |
another term for neutrophil, named for the many segments present in its nucleus |
| |
band |
an immature neutrophil |
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eosinophil |
a granular leukocyte, named for the rose-colored stain of its granules, that increases in allergic and some infectious reactions |
| |
basophil |
a granular leukocyte, named for the dark stain of its granules, that brings anticoagulant substances to inflamed tissues |
| |
agranulocytes |
a group of leukocytes without granules in their nuclei |
| |
lymphocyte |
an agranulocytic leukocyte active in the process of immunity; the three categories of lymphocytes are T cells (thymus dependent), B cells (bone marrow derived), and NK (natural killer) clls |
| |
monocyte |
an agranulocytic leukocyte that performs phagocytosis to fight infection |
| |
platelets |
thrombocytes; cell fragments in the blood essential for blood clotting (coagulation) |
| |
thymus |
primary gland of the lympatic system, located within the mediastinum, that helps maintain the body's immune response by producing T lymphocytes |
| |
spleen |
organ between the stomach and diaphragm that filters out aging blood cells, removes cellular debris by performing phagocytosis, and provides an environment for lymphocytes to initiate immune responses |
| |
lymph |
fluid circulated through the lymph vessels |
| |
lymph capillaries |
microscopic vessels that draw lymph from tissues to the lymph vessels |
| |
lymph vessels |
vessels that receive lymph from the lymph capillaries and circulate it to the lymph nodes |
| |
lacteals |
specialized lymph vessels in the small intestine that absorb fat into the bloodstream |
| |
chyle |
white or pale yellow substance in lymph that contains fatty substances absorbed by the lacteals |
| |
lymph nodes |
several small, oval structures that filter lymph from the lymph vessels; major locations include the cervical, axillary, and inguinal regions |
| |
lymph ducts |
collecting channels that carry lymph from the lymph nodes to the veins |
| |
right lymphatic duct |
receives lymph from the right upper part of the body |
| |
thoracic duct |
receives lymph from the left side of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, left arm, and lower extremities |
| |
immunity |
process of disease protection induced by exposure to an antigen |
| |
antigen |
a substance that, when introduced into the body, causes formation of antibodies against it |
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antibody |
a substance produced by the body that destroys or inactivates an antigen that has entered the body |
| |
active immunity |
an immunity that protects the body against a future infection, as the result of antibodies that develop naturally in response to an infection or artifically after administration of a vaccine |
| |
passive immunity |
an immunity resulting from antibodies that are conveyed naturally through the placenta to a fetus or artificially by injection of a serum containing antibodies |
| |
anisocytosis |
presence of red blood cells of unequal size |
| |
pancytopenia |
an abnormally reduced number of all cellular components in the blood |
| |
erythropenia |
an abnormally reduced number of red blood cells |
| |
hemolysis |
breakdown of the red blood cell membrane |
| |
immunocompromised |
impaired immunologic defenses caused by an immunodeficiency disorder or therapy with immunosuppressive agents |
| |
immunosuppression |
impaired ability to provide an immune response |
| |
lymphadenopathy |
enlarged (diseased) lymph nodes |
| |
lymphocytopenia |
an abnormally reduced number of lymphocytes |
| |
macrocytosis |
presence of large red blood cells |
| |
microcytosis |
presence of small red blood cells |
| |
neutropenia |
decrease in the number of neutrophils |
| |
poikilocytosis |
presence of large, irregularly shaped red blood cells |
| |
reticulocytosis |
increased number of immature erythrocytes in th blood |
| |
splenomegaly |
enlargement of the spleen |
| |
AIDS |
a syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that renders immune cells ineffective, permitting opportunistic infections, malignancies, and neurologic diseases to develop; transmitted sexually or through contaminated blood |
| |
anemia |
a condition of reduced numbers of red blood cells, hemoglobin, or packed red cells in the blood, resulting in a diminished ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen to the tissues |
| |
iron deficiency anemia |
a microcytic-hypochromic type of anemia characterized by a lack of iron, affecting production of hemoglobin and small red blood cells containing low amounts of hemoglobin |
| |
pernicious anemia |
a marcocytic normaochromic type of anemia characterized by an inadequate supply of vitamin B12, causing red blood cells to become large, varied in shape, and reduced in number |
| |
aplastic anemia |
a normcytic-normchromic type of anemia characterized by the failure of bone marrow to produce red blood cells |
