Body systems

The part of the trunk between the chest and the pelvis, holding the stomach, intestines, liver and other organs.

Having to do with the abdomen, the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis; the belly.

A weak, bulging section of the aorta where it passes through the belly.

Moving a limb or part away from the midline of the body, such as raising an arm out to the side.

A scrape: a wound where the top layer of skin has been rubbed or worn away.

Early separation of a normally placed placenta from the wall of the uterus, before the baby is born.

A closed pocket of pus in tissue, walled off by the body.

The taking in of a substance, such as a drug or a nutrient, into the bloodstream.

The eye's ability to change its focus from distant objects to near ones.

The deep, cup-shaped socket on the side of the hip bone where the head of the femur fits to form the hip joint.

A chemical messenger that nerves release to signal muscles, glands and other nerves.

The thick tendon at the back of the ankle that joins the calf muscles to the heel bone.

The body's control of how acidic or alkaline the blood is, keeping its pH in a narrow normal range.

A state in which the blood is more acidic than normal, with a pH below 7.35.

A skin condition in which hair follicles become clogged with skin oil and dead skin cells.

A benign tumor of the Schwann cells around the balance part of the eighth cranial nerve, also called a vestibular schwannoma.

Immunity that targets one particular germ or substance and remembers it, built by the B cells and T cells; also called adaptive immunity.

A rare hormone disorder in adults in which the body makes too much growth hormone.

The bony tip of the shoulder blade that forms the top of the shoulder.

A protein that forms thin threads inside muscle cells and works with myosin to make a muscle contract.

Immunity the body makes for itself, with its own antibodies and memory cells, after an infection or a vaccine; slow to build, it lasts.

Starting suddenly and lasting a short time; also used for something severe or sharp.

A group of conditions in which blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly reduced or blocked.

Sudden inflammation of the glomeruli, the tiny filters in the kidneys.

A sudden loss of kidney function over hours to days.

A fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which too many immature lymphocytes are made.

Sudden inflammation of the pancreas, in which its own digestive enzymes start to damage it.

A sudden, severe lung injury in which fluid leaks into the air sacs, so the lungs cannot get enough oxygen into the blood.

A change that helps a person or the body adjust to new conditions or stress.

A long-term condition in which a person keeps using a substance or doing a behavior despite the harm it causes.

A condition in which the adrenal glands do not make enough cortisol and often not enough aldosterone.

Moving a limb or part toward the midline of the body, such as bringing an arm back down to the side.

A cancer that starts in gland tissue or whose cells form gland-like structures, as most cancers of the prostate, pancreas and breast do.

A tumor of gland tissue that is not cancer.

A band of scar tissue that joins two surfaces inside the body that are normally separate.

Body fat: connective tissue made mostly of fat cells that store energy.

The structures beside the uterus: the fallopian tubes, the ovaries and their ligaments.

A young person in the stage between childhood and adulthood, roughly ages 12 to 18.

Adenosine diphosphate: the molecule left when ATP gives up one phosphate to release energy in a cell.

Having to do with the adrenal glands, the two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys.

The outer layer of each adrenal gland, which makes the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone.

A sudden, life-threatening shortage of the adrenal hormones cortisol and aldosterone, in which the blood pressure falls and the patient can go into shock.

One of two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys and make hormones such as cortisol, aldosterone and epinephrine.

The inner part of each adrenal gland, which releases epinephrine and norepinephrine.

A hormone from the pituitary gland that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol.

The outermost layer of connective tissue around a blood vessel, or around an organ with no serosa, such as the esophagus.

Living, growing or happening only where oxygen is present, as an aerobic organism, an aerobic culture or aerobic metabolism.

In mental health, the outward expression of a person's emotions, as seen in the face, voice and body language.

Relating to feelings, emotions or mood.

Carrying something toward a center or organ, such as nerve signals toward the brain.