VLDL: Abbreviation for very-low-density lipoprotein, a lipoprotein that transports triglyceride manufactured in the liver to fat tissue in the body. VLDL eventually becomes low-density lipoprotein (LDL) after the triglyceride has been removed.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:54:24
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 15:54:24
VO2 max: The bodys maximum capacity for oxygen consumption during peak exertion. Also known as aerobic power, maximal oxygen consumption, or cardiorespiratory endurance capacity.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:54:38
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 15:54:38
VSD: Abbreviation for ventricular septal defect one or more holes in the septum, the muscular wall separating the right and left sides of the heart.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:54:48
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Valproic acid: An anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
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Last Updated: 2024-12-06 15:54:59
Valvular Heart Disease: A group of conditions in which the heart's valves do not function properly, leading to inefficient blood flow through the heart.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:55:11
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Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) Test: A test used to detect antibodies or the virus itself, used to diagnose chickenpox or shingles.
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Vascular Endothelium: The thin layer of cells lining blood vessels, playing a role in controlling vascular tone and blood flow.
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Vascular Surgeon: A doctor who specializes in treating conditions related to the blood vessels, including aneurysms, varicose veins, and peripheral arterial disease.
Created: 2024-12-07 14:55:44
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Vascular Surgery Department: A department focused on treating disorders of the blood vessels, including arteries and veins.
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Vein: Blood vessels that return deoxygenated blood from tissues back to the heart.
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Vena Cava: Large veins (superior and inferior) that return deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart.
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Venlafaxine: An antidepressant used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety, and panic disorder.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:56:56
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 15:56:56
Venous Return: The flow of blood back to the heart, which depends on muscle contractions and the pressure gradients in veins.
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Ventilatory Muscles: Muscles involved in the process of breathing, including the diaphragm, intercostal muscles, and accessory muscles.
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Venule: Small blood vessels that collect deoxygenated blood from capillaries and lead to veins.
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Verapamil: A calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and arrhythmias.
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Vermiform Appendix: A small, worm-like organ attached to the cecum, involved in immune function and containing lymphoid tissue.
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Vertebrae: The individual bones making up the spine or vertebral column, providing structural support and protecting the spinal cord.
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Vertebral Arteries: Arteries that supply blood to the brainstem, cerebellum, and posterior brain via the subclavian arteries.
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Vesicle Priming: A preparatory step in regulated exocytosis where vesicles are chemically modified for rapid fusion upon receiving a signal.
Created: 2024-12-07 17:09:41
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Vibrio cholerae: A Gram-negative bacterium that causes cholera, leading to severe watery diarrhea and dehydration.
Created: 2024-12-07 14:56:05
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Viral Disease Specialist: A physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating viral infections such as HIV, herpes, and influenza.
Created: 2024-12-07 14:56:15
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Viral Lymphadenopathy: Enlargement of lymph nodes due to a viral infection, often a sign of lymphatic system involvement.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:58:54
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Virtual Simulation: A computer-based technique used to simulate the radiotherapy treatment, planning, and positioning of patients before actual treatment.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:59:24
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Visceral Pleura: The inner layer of the pleura that covers the lungs themselves.
Created: 2024-12-06 15:59:33
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Vitamin B12 Test: A blood test used to measure the level of vitamin B12, important for nerve function and blood cell production.
Created: 2024-12-06 16:00:00
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 16:00:00
Vitamins B12: A supplement used to treat vitamin B12 deficiency, which can affect nerve function and red blood cell production.
Created: 2024-12-06 16:00:09
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 16:00:09
Vocal Cords: The pair of muscle-controlled structures in the larynx that vibrate to produce sound when air passes through them.
Created: 2024-12-06 16:00:22
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 16:00:22
Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): A radiotherapy technique that delivers radiation in a 360-degree arc, allowing for precise dose delivery and reduced treatment time.
Created: 2024-12-06 16:00:38
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 16:00:38
vaccination: A method of protecting the body against disease by injecting parts or all of a microorganism that will cause the body to develop antibodies against the microorganism and later fight off disease.
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Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:53:20
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. It typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, such as a virus or bacterium, or a piece of it, such as proteins or genetic material. The agent is often weakened or inactivated so that it does not cause illness in the person being vaccinated.
How Vaccines Work:1. Immune System Activation :When a vaccine is administered, the immune system recognizes the foreign agent (or part of it) as a potential threat. The immune system then responds by producing antibodies and activating other defense mechanisms.2. Memory Cells: The immune system "remembers" the agent, creating memory cells that "remember" how to fight the pathogen if it is encountered again in the future. This means that if the person is exposed to the actual pathogen later, their immune system can respond more quickly and effectively.Types of Vaccines:- Inactivated or Killed Vaccines: Contain viruses or bacteria that have been killed or inactivated (e.g., polio vaccine).- Live Attenuated Vaccines: Contain weakened versions of the live pathogen (e.g., measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine).
- Subunit, Recombinant, or Conjugate Vaccines: Contain pieces of the pathogen, such as proteins or sugars, to stimulate an immune response without using the whole microorganism (e.g., HPV vaccine).- mRNA Vaccines: Use messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce a protein from the pathogen, prompting an immune response (e.g., COVID-19 vaccines).
Benefits of Vaccines:- Prevention of Disease: Vaccines can prevent serious diseases and conditions like measles, polio, influenza, and COVID-19.- Herd Immunity: When a large percentage of a population is vaccinated, the spread of the disease is slowed, protecting those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons (e.g., allergies, weakened immune systems).
- Eradication: Vaccines have led to the eradication of some diseases, like smallpox, and have significantly reduced the incidence of others, like polio.Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent infectious diseases and protect public health.
Created: 2025-01-28 21:42:51
Last Updated: 2025-01-28 21:42:42
vacuum erection devices: Various manual or battery-operated pumps that a man can use to draw blood into the penis to create an erection.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:53:15
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:53:15
vaginismus: Spasms of the muscles around the vaginal opening that prevent penile penetration.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:53:09
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:53:09
valves: Structures consisting of leaflets that divide the chambers of the heart and prevent the backflow of blood from one chamber to another during contraction of the heart.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:53:06
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:53:06
variant angina pectoris: Also called Prinzmetal's angina, these are attacks of chest pain caused by spasms of one or more coronary arteries almost always while a person is at rest.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:53:01
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:53:01
vascular surgery: An operation to improve blood flow either by repairing leaks in blood vessels or by rerouting arteries to bypass blockages.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:52:53
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:52:53
vasculitis: Inflammation of blood vessels.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:52:42
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:52:42
vasectomy: An operation that ties off or cuts the tubes through which sperm travel from the testicles to the urethra; used as a form of birth control.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:52:39
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:52:39
vasoconstrictor: A substance or condition, such as drugs, cold, fear, and nicotine, that causes blood vessels to narrow and thus decreases the flow of blood.
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vasodilation: A widening of the blood vessels that results in increased blood flow.
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vasodilator: A substance or condition that causes blood vessels to open wider and increase the flow of blood.
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vasospasm: Uncontrollable contraction or spasm of a blood vessel.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:52:22
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vector: An animal or insect that transmits an infectious disease from a reservoir to a susceptible host.
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vein: A vessel that carries blood back to the heart.
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venous leak: Seepage of blood out of a vein.
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ventilator: Machine that inflates the lungs with oxygen.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:52:01
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:52:01
ventricle: One of the two lower chambers of the heart. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs; the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:58
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:58
ventricular tachycardia: A very fast heartbeat that starts in the ventricles. Ventricular tachycardia can be deadly if it renders the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:53
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venules: Small veins.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:45
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:45
verb: to harm someone by making a hole in the tissue of the body. She was wounded three times in the head.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:40
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vertebra: One of the cylindrical bones that form the spine (plural: vertebrae).
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:29
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:29
vertebral artery: One of two blood vessels that run up the back of the neck and join at the base of the skull to form the basilar artery. The vertebral arteries carry blood from the heart to the brain.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:26
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:26
vertebroplasty: A minimally invasive procedure to stabilize compressed vertebrae and alleviate pain. A needle is inserted into the compressed portion of a vertebra and surgical cement is injected to support the vertebra and prevent further collapse.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:19
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vertigo: Dizziness; often a spinning sensation or a feeling that the ground is tilting.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:15
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very low-calorie diet: A weight-loss diet that allows 800 or fewer calories per day (usually followed under medical supervision).
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:04
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:04
very-low-density lipoprotein: A lipoprotein that transports triglyceride manufactured in the liver to fat tissue in the body. VLDL eventually becomes low-density lipoprotein (LDL) after the triglyceride has been removed.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:51:11
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:51:11
vestibular system: The balance organs, located in the labyrinth in the inner ear.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:56
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Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:50
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virtues: Core characteristics that are universally valued by philosophers and religions across time and cultures, such as wisdom and courage.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:47
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virulent: A disease or condition that is highly infectious or dangerous or rapidly progressing.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:42
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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that is incapable of independent life and can only replicate inside the living cells of a host organism. It consists of genetic material (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. Some viruses may also have an outer lipid envelope. Viruses are responsible for a wide range of diseases in animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria (in the form of bacteriophages).
Because viruses lack the necessary machinery to perform metabolic functions or reproduce on their own, they hijack the host cell's biological processes to replicate and produce new viral particles, often damaging the host cell in the process. Due to their dependence on a host for replication, viruses are considered obligate intracellular parasites.
Created: 2025-01-28 21:37:39
Last Updated: 2025-01-28 21:37:22
viscera: The internal organs, especially those found in the abdomen.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:38
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:38
visceral fat: Fat that lies beneath the abdominal wall, in the spaces surrounding the liver, intestines, and other organs. Sometimes called belly fat or abdominal adiposity.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:35
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:35
visual field: The full scope of what the eye sees; includes central and peripheral vision.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:28
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:28
visualized laser-assisted prostatectomy: A technique used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate gland) that allows the surgeon to view the prostate directly while it is being shrunk by a laser beam.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:22
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vital signs: Measurements that indicate how well the body is functioning, including pulse rate, respiration (breathing rate), temperature, and blood pressure.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:15
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:15
Vitamins are essential organic compounds that our bodies need in small amounts to carry out various physiological functions. They are required for processes such as energy production, immune function, bone health, and cell repair. Since our bodies cannot produce most vitamins (or cannot produce them in sufficient amounts), they must be obtained through food or supplements. Vitamins are classified into two main groups:
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are stored in the body's fatty tissues and liver.Water-soluble vitamins (C and the B vitamins) are not stored in the body and need to be replenished regularly.Vitamin A: Essential for vision, immune function, and skin health. Found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens.Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Helps convert food into energy and supports nerve function. Found in whole grains, pork, and legumes.Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Aids in energy production and the metabolism of fats, drugs, and steroids. Found in dairy products, eggs, and green vegetables.Vitamin B3 (Niacin): Supports metabolism, reduces cholesterol, and improves skin health. Found in meat, fish, and whole grains.Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): Necessary for the production of hormones and cholesterol, and supports the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Found in chicken, beef, potatoes, and oats.Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Plays a key role in protein metabolism, brain function, and the production of red blood cells. Found in poultry, fish, potatoes, and non-citrus fruits.Vitamin B7 (Biotin): Important for energy production, and skin, hair, and nail health. Found in eggs, almonds, and sweet potatoes.Vitamin B9 (Folate): Essential for DNA synthesis and cell division, especially during pregnancy. Found in leafy greens, beans, and citrus fruits.Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): Necessary for red blood cell production and nerve function. Found in animal products like meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.Vitamin C: An antioxidant that supports the immune system, skin health, and wound healing. Found in citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers.Vitamin D: Essential for bone health, calcium absorption, and immune system regulation. Found in sunlight, fatty fish, and fortified dairy.
Vitamin E: An antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative damage and supports immune function. Found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
Vitamin K: Vital for blood clotting and bone health. Found in leafy greens, broccoli, and vegetable oils.
Created: 2025-01-28 22:00:33
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vitamin D: A hormone that plays a key role in ensuring the absorption of calcium from the intestines.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:09
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:09
vitrectomy: A microsurgical procedure in which part of the vitreous humor of the eye is removed and then replaced with sterile saline or some other fluid.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:50:03
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:50:03
vitreous humor: The clear, gel-like substance that fills the space behind the lens of the eye and supports the shape of the rear portion of the eye.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:49:58
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volatile oils: Unstable components of a preparation that evaporate easily.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:49:52
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vulnerary: An agent that is believed to aid in wound healing.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:49:46
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vulvar vestibulitis: Inflammation of the tissue around the opening of the vagina that makes sexual activity painful.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:49:42
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:49:42
vulvodynia: Pain in the vulva that may or may not be brought on by touch or pressure.
Created: 2024-12-06 10:49:35
Last Updated: 2024-12-06 10:49:35