B5 Key Terms

B5 Key Terms

Pink- Higher and Foundation

Blue- Foundation

Adolescence- 11-15 years of age

Afferent arteriole- Blood vessel that carries blood into the glomerulus

Agglutinins- Antigens (proteins) on the surface of red blood cells that determine your blood group

Amniocentesis- Test that may be carried out on pregnant women to test for foetal abnormality (problems with the foetus)  

Atria- Top chambers of the heart that receive blood from veins

AVN- Atrioventricular node, part of the pacemaker in the heart that transmits electrical impulses to the central part of the heart

Blood vessels- Tube-like structures that carry blood throughout the body. Blood vessels include arteries, veins and capillaries

Bone- Living tissue that makes up most of the skeleton; bone is rigid

Breathing- Movements of the rib cage a diaphragm that cause air to enter and leave the lungs

Bypass surgery- Operation in which a piece of blood vessel is taken from elsewhere in the body and transplanted to bypass blocked coronary arteries, supplying the heart muscles with blood

Carbohydrase- Enzyme that digests carbohydrates to simple sugars

Cartilage- Living tissue that occurs in the skeleton; cartilage is tough and elastic

Childhood- 2-11 years of age

Conception- Formation of a fertilised egg; the start of pregnancy

Constrict- Get narrower

Contraception- Preventing pregnancy (preventing pregnancy)

Donor- Someone who donates (gives) something, such as an organ in an organ transplant

ECG- Electrocardiogram, a trace measured by doctors that shows the electrical activity in the heart

Efferent arteriole- Blood vessel that carries blood away from the glomerulus

Fibrin- Insoluble protein that forms a blood clot when you cut yourself

Genitals- Primary sexual characteristics- The external features that show the sex of an individual

Glomerulus- Knot of capillaries in the nephron of the kidney, where filtration occurs

Gullet- Another name for oesophagus; in the digestive system, a tube that leads from the mouth to the stomach

Heart- Muscular organ that pumps blood around the body

Immunosuppressant drugs- Drugs that suppress the immune system, given to recipients of a transplanted organ to reduce the risk of rejection

Infancy- First 2 years of…