You are here: Home / Archives for Glossary

VCAM-1 Gene

January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

VCAM1 gene is the gene responsible for encoding Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 which as the name suggests functions as a cell adhesion molecule VACM is a cell surface sialoglycoprotein, a type I membrane protein that is a member of the Ig superfamily.

The VCAM-1 gene is expressed on both large and small blood vessels only after the endothelial cells are stimulated by cytokines.  It contains six or seven immunoglobulin domains, It is alternatively spliced  to encode different isoforms in humans. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics Sciences, V-Z Tagged With: ,

What Is Apoptosis?

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Apoptosis programmed cell death that is carried out in multicellular organism. Apoptosis leads to production of cell fragments called apoptotic bodies that phagocytic cells engulf and quickly remove.

Apoptosis is designed to carry out functions of the body development.For example, the differentiation of fingers and toes in a developing human embryo occurs because cells between the fingers apoptose, separating the digits.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: A-F, Basics Sciences Tagged With: , ,

Chemotaxis

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chemotaxis is the phenomenon in which somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment.

In bacteria, chemotaxis is important for finding food by moving towards the highest concentration of food molecules, or to move away from dangers.

In multicellular organisms, chemotaxis is critical for development and function.

Positive chemotaxis occurs if the movement is toward a higher concentration of the chemical in question.

Negative chemotaxis occurs if the movement is in the opposite direction.

Filed Under: A-F, Basics Sciences, Glossary Tagged With: , ,

What Is A Ligand?

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ligand is a substance that forms a complex with a biomolecule to serve a biological purpose.

It acts as a signal triggering molecule, binding to a site on a target protein.

the forces included in the binding process may be ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds or van der Waals forces. High affinity ligand binding results from greater intermolecular force between the ligand and its receptor while low affinity ligand binding involves less intermolecular force between the ligand and its receptor. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics Sciences, G-M, Glossary Tagged With: , , ,

Addressin Endothelial Cell Receptor

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Addressin  Endothelial Cell Receptor is a receptor for adddresssin.

Addressin is also known as mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1.

It is an extracellular protein of the endothelium of venules.

Addressins are the ligands to the homing receptors of lymphocytes.

Filed Under: A-F, Basics Sciences, Glossary Tagged With: , ,

Osteopontin Gene

January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Oseteopontin is a extracellular linking protein which is also known by the names of  bone sialoprotein I , early T-lymphocyte activation 1, secreted phosphoprotein 1, 2ar and Rickettsia resistance.

It  is a  glycoprotein that was first identified in 1986 in osteoblasts.

Apart from, the protein is also expressed in other tissues bone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics Sciences, Glossary, N-R Tagged With: , ,

Peyer’s Patches

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Peyer’s patches aggregations of lymphoid tissue usually found in the lowest portion of the small intestine, the ileum.

Peyer’s patches are observable as elongated thickenings of the intestinal epithelium.

They have been named after the seventeenth century Swiss anatomist, Hans Conrad Peyer. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics Sciences, Glossary, N-R Tagged With: , ,

Stimulus

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A stimulus (pl. stimuli) is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity.

When a stimulus is applied to a sensory receptor, it elicits or influences a reflex via stimulus transduction. A stimulus is often the first component of a homeostatic control system.

Filed Under: G-M, Glossary, S-U Tagged With: ,

Pathogen

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A pathogen is an infectious agent such as a virus, bacteria, prion, or fungus that causes disease to its host.

The body contains many natural orders of defense against some of the common pathogens but if the immune system or “good” bacteria is damaged in any way  pathogenic bacteria can proliferate and cause harm to the host. Such cases are called opportunistic infection.

Types

Viral

Bacterial

Fungus

Parasites

Prions

Prions are abnormal proteins whose presence causes some diseases such as scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

A pathogen can be transmitted through various routes, which differ in different pathogens.

Filed Under: G-M, Glossary Tagged With: , , ,

What Is Palmar Erythema and Its Causes?

June 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Palmar erythema is bright red warm palms. The thenar and hypothenar eminences and soles of feet are especially erythematous. The erythema blanches on pressure.

Causes:

  1. Cirrhosis
  2. In alcoholics
  3. Viral hepatitis
  4. Thyrotoxicosis
  5. Rheumatoid arthritis
  6. Leukemias
  7. Pregnancy
  8. Febrile diseases
  9. Familial
Filed Under: Diseases, Glossary
« Older Posts