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Glossary

Showing 661-670 out of 1156 Terms

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  • Irritable bowel syndrome

    (EER-ih-tuh-bul BOW-ul SIN-drome)

    A disorder of the intestines commonly marked by abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in a person’s bowel habits. This may include diarrhea or constipation, or both, with one occurring after the other. Also called IBS, irritable colon, mucus colitis, and spastic colon.

  • Ischemia

    (is-KEE-mee-uh)

    Lack of blood supply to a part of the body. Ischemia may cause tissue damage due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients.

  • Isolated infusion

    (I-soh-LAY-ted LIM per-FYOO-zhun)

    A procedure that may be used to deliver anticancer drugs directly to an arm or leg. The flow of blood to and from the limb is temporarily stopped with a tourniquet (a tight band around the limb), and anticancer drugs are put directly into the blood of the limb. This allows the person to receive a high dose of drugs in the area where the cancer occurred. Also called limb perfusion.

  • Isolation

    (I-soh-LAY-shun)

    State of being separated from others. Isolation is sometimes used to prevent disease from spreading.

  • J tube

    (... toob)

    J stands for jejunostomy , which is surgery to create an opening into the jejunum (part of the small intestine) from the outside of the body. A jejunostomy allows a feeding tube to be put into the small intestine.

  • Jamshidi needle

    (jam-SHEE-dee NEE-dul)

    A long, hollow needle with a tapered cutting edge on one end and a handle with a place to attach a syringe on the other end. It is used to remove a sample of tissue from the bone marrow. The needle is inserted through the bone into the bone marrow and the syringe is attached to the top to remove the sample or to deliver drugs or fluid into the bone. A Jamshidi needle is a type of bone marrow needle.

  • Jaundice

    (JAWN-dis)

    A condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes become yellow, urine darkens, and the color of stool becomes lighter than normal. Jaundice occurs when the liver is not working properly or when a bile duct is blocked.

  • Joints

    (joynts)

    In medicine, the place where two or more bones are connected. Examples include the shoulder, elbow, knee, and jaw.

  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia

    JOO-veh-NILE MY-eh-loh-MAH-noh-SIH-tik loo-KEE-mee-uh

    A rare form of childhood leukemia in which cancer cells often spread into tissues such as the skin, lung, and intestines. Also called JMML.

  • Kidney

    (KID-nee)

    One of a pair of organs in the abdomen. The kidneys remove waste and extra water from the blood (as urine) and help keep chemicals (such as sodium, potassium, and calcium) balanced in the body. The kidneys also make hormones that help control blood pressure and stimulate bone marrow to make red blood cells.