Week 3 Vocabulary

Front 1

ALPHA FOETOPROTEIN

Back 1

an abnormally large amount of this fetoprotein in the fetus can signal an abnormality of the neural tube (as spina bifida or anencephaly)
AFP, alpha fetoprotein
fetoprotein, foetoprotein - any of several antigens that occur naturally in the fetus and sometimes in adults with cancer

Front 2

BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER

Back 2

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a membranic structure that acts primarily to protect the brain from chemicals in the blood, while still allowing essential metabolic function. It is composed of endothelial cells, which are packed very tightly in brain capillaries. This higher density restricts passage of substances from the bloodstream much more than endothelial cells in capillaries elsewhere in the body. Astrocyte cell projections called astrocytic feet (also known as "glia limitans") surround the endothelial cells of the BBB, providing biochemical support to those cells. The BBB is distinct from the similar blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, a function of the choroidal cells of the choroid plexus, and from the Blood-retinal barrier, which can be considered a part of the whole[1] (the retina of the eye is an extension to the central nervous system [2], and as such, can be considered part of the BBB).

Front 3

Cerebrospinal fluid

Back 3

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Liquor cerebrospinalis, is a clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain. Essentially, the brain "floats" in it.

More specifically the CSF occupies the space between the arachnoid mater (the middle layer of the brain cover, meninges) and the pia mater (the layer of the meninges closest to the brain). Moreover it constitutes the content of all intra-cerebral (inside the brain, cerebrum) ventricles, cisterns and sulci (singular sulcus), as well as the central canal of the spinal cord.

It is an approximately isotonic solution and acts as a "cushion" or buffer for the cortex, providing also a basic mechanical and immunological protection to the brain inside the skull.

Front 4

COBALAMIN

Back 4

Cyanocobalamin is an especially common "vitamer" (that is, member of a family of vitamins, all of which have some particular nutritional activity in preventing some vitamin deficiency disease) of the B-12 vitamin family. It is the most famous vitamer of the family, because it is chemically the most air-stable, and it is the easiest to crystallize and therefore easiest to purify after it is produced by bacterial fermentation. The cyanide is added to the molecule by activated charcoal columns in purification. Thus, the use of this form of B-12 is the most wide-spread.[1]

Front 5

FLACCIDITY

Back 5

Flaccid is a term used in medicine to refer to an object that is soft, or not tense.

In the context of of muscles, it is a near synonym for hypotonia. It can also be used to describe certain types of paralysis (such as flaccid paralysis), as a contrast to spastic paralysis.

It can also be used to describe other tissues, such as the labia.

The medical meaning of the term is sometimes used in other contexts, to describe objects or actions which are weak or ineffectual

Front 6

FOLATE

Back 6

Folic acid and folate (the anion form) are forms of the water-soluble Vitamin B9. These occur naturally in food and can also be taken as supplements. Folate gets its name from the Latin word folium ("leaf").

Front 7

IRRITABILITY

Back 7

Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli. Irritability takes many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched, to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. In plants, response is usually different from that seen in animals, but is nonetheless present. The term irritability is used for both the physiological reaction to stimuli and for the pathological, abnormal or excessive sensitivity to stimuli.

Front 8

MYELOMENINGOCOELE

Back 8

is a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. The condition is a type of spina bifida

Front 9

NEONATAL

Back 9

Of or relating to newborn infants or an infant: neonatal care; neonatal disorders

Front 10

NEORULATION

Back 10

Neurulation is a part of organogenesis in vertebrate embryos. Steps of neurulation include the formation of the dorsal nerve cord, and the eventual formation of the central nervous system. The process begins when the notochord induces the formation of the central nervous system (CNS) by signaling the ectoderm germ layer above it to form the thick and flat neural plate. The neural plate folds in upon itself to form the neural tube, which will later differentiate into the spinal cord and the brain, eventually forming the central nervous system.

Different portions of the neural tube form by two different processes, called primary and secondary neurulation, in different species.

In primary neurulation, the neural plate creases inward until the edges come in contact and fuse.
In secondary neurulation, the tube forms by hollowing out of the interior of a solid precursor.

Front 11

OCCULT

Back 11

Medicine Detectable only by microscopic examination or chemical analysis, as a minute blood sample.
b. Not accompanied by readily detectable signs or symptoms: occult carcinoma.

Front 12

SCHWANN CELL

Back 12

Any of the cells that cover the axons in the peripheral nervous system and form the myelin sheath.

Front 13

VASCULAR PERMEABILITY

Back 13

characterizes the capacity of a blood vessel wall to pass through small molecules (ions, water, nutrients) or even whole cells (lymphocytes on their way to the site of inflammation). Blood vessel walls are lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. The gaps between endothelial cells (cell junctions) are strictly regulated depending on the type and physiological state of the tissue.

Front 14

WITHDRAWAL

Back 14

also known as withdrawal/abstinence syndrome, refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that causes physical dependence is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or decreased in dosage. The term can also, less formally, refer to symptoms that appear after discontinuing a drug or other substance (unable to cause true physical dependence) that one has become psychologically dependent upon.