Medical Terminology - CHAPTER 3: Integumentary System (PT702)

44 flashcards · Biology · by Jack Shi

epithelium = cells covering external and internal surfaces of the body The skin has three layers: 1. epidermis = thin outer layer of the skin squamous cell layer = flat, scale-like epithelial cells comprising the outermost epidermis basal layer = deepest layer of epidermis melanocyte = cell in the basal layer that gives color to the skin melanin = dark brown to black pigment contained in the melanocytes 2. dermis = dense, fibrous connective tissue layer of the skin, also known as corium 3. subc…
The name for the cells covering the external and internal surfaces of the body is the epithelium. Recall that the prefix epi- means upon, and that the suffix -ium means structure or tissue.
The thin, outer cellular layer of the skin is called the epidermis, which is formed from the prefix epi-, and the combining form derm/o, meaning skin. The middle layer of skin is called the dermis and is where nerves and blood vessels are located.
The squamous cell layer is the outermost layer of the epidermis. The combining form squam/o means scale, and this layer is so named because the dead skin cells in the outermost layer scale off.
Below the squamous cell layer is the basal cell layer. Recall that the suffix -al means pertaining to. This layer is therefore the deepest (or base) layer of the epidermis.
Recall that the combining form for cell is cyt/o. A melanocyte therefore is a cell containing melanin, the dark pigment of the skin. Melan/o means black.
The sebaceous glands produce sebum, an oily substance. The suffix -ous is added to a combining form to create an adjective. These glands are located in the skin layer called the dermis.
The sweat glands are called the sudoriferous glands, from sudor (sweat) and ferre (to bear). They are located in the skin layer called the dermis.
Beneath the dermis is the subcutaneous layer. The prefix sub- means below or under, and the combining form cutane/o means skin.
Hair is an outgrowth of the skin composed of keratin. The nails on the fingers and toes also are composed of keratin. The combining form kerat/o means hard.
COMBINING FORMS adip/o, lip/o, steat/o = fat derm/o, dermat/o, cutane/o = skin erythr/o = red hidr/o = sweat hist/o, histi/o = tissue kerat/o = hard leuk/o = white melan/o = black myc/o = fungus onych/o = nail plas/o = formation purpur/o = purple scler/o = hard seb/o = sebum (oil) squam/o = scale trich/o = hair xanth/o = yellow xer/o = dry
Derm/o and dermat/o are Greek combining forms meaning skin. The medical field specializing in the study of the skin is dermatology. The physician who specializes in the study and treatment of the skin is called a dermatologist. Cutane/o is a Latin combining form meaning skin. Subcutaneous therefore pertains to under the skin.
Recall that cyt/o means cell. Cells with specialized functions combine to form varying types of tissue. Hist/o is a combining form meaning tissue. The study of tissues is called histology. Histiogenic pertains to the origin or production of tissue.
The combining form meaning formation is plas/o. Dys- is a prefix meaning painful, difficult, or faulty, and -ia refers to a condition of. Therefore, the term used to describe a condition of (faulty) abnormal development of tissue is dysplasia.
The prefix epi-, meaning upon, is used in naming the outer tissue layer of the skin, called the epidermis. The combining form squam/o means scale. The suffix -ous means pertaining to. The flat, scale-like cells of the epidermis are aptly called squamous cells.
The pigment called melanin is found in the basal layer of the epidermis. The combining form melan/o means black, and people with more melanin have darker skin. Melanocytes are the cells in the basal layer that produce melanin.
Kerat/o is the combining form that means hard. Keratin is the hard protein substance found in the basal layer of the skin. Keratosis is a condition characterized by an overgrowth of cells having a large amount of keratin.
Hair follicles are found in the dermis layer of the skin. The combining form for hair is trich/o. Combined with the suffix meaning rupture, trichorrhexis is the term describing hair that is broken or split.
Sebaceous glands ,which open to the hair follicles in the skin, produce sebum (oil).The combining form is seb/o. Seborrhea refers to an overproduction of sebum by these glands.
Hydr/o, a combining form meaning water, stems from the Greek word hydros. A similar component, hidr/o, stemming from the Greek word hidros, means sweat. The formation of sweat is termed hidropoiesis.
Mycosis refers to any condition caused by a fungus. The term was coined using the combining form myc/o.
The combining form onych/o refers to the fingernail or toenail. Recall that -malacia is a suffix meaning softening. An abnormal softening of the nails is therefore called onychomalacia. Onychomycosis refers to a fungus or fungal infection (condition) of the nails.
Several combining forms refer to body fat. The term lipid is from the combining form lip/o. Liposuction therefore refers to the procedure for suctioning fat from body tissues. The adjective adipose, meaning fatty, is from the combining form adip/o. Adipose tissue is found below the dermis in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. A third combining form, steat/o, also refers to fat. Steatitis refers to an inflammation of fat.
The combining form leuk/o means white. It is used to form the term for a partial or total absence of pigment in the skin, known as leukoderma.
The combining form erythr/o means red. Erythema therefore refers to skin that is red. Erythroderma is another term referring to red skin.
The meaning of the combining form purpur/o is easy to remember, because it sounds like the color purple. Purpuric lesions are purple because they result from hemorrhages, or the bursting forth of blood into the skin.
The combining form xanth/o refers to the color yellow. A xanthoma is a yellow skin tumor.
Xeroderma is a term meaning dry skin. The combining form for dry is xer/o. Xerosis is a condition of pathologically dry skin.
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AIDS = acquired immunodeficiency syndrome BCC = basal cell carcinoma Bx = biopsy C&S = culture and sensitivity FS = frozen section HIV = human immunodeficiency virus HSV-1 = herpes simplex virus type 1 HSV-2 = herpes simplex virus type 2 I&D = incision and drainage SCC = squamous cell carcinoma SLE = systemic lupus erythematosus
SYMPTOMATIC TERMS (PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LESIONS) ecchymosis = bruise; a black and blue mark; a large purpura (chymo = juice) nevus = a congenital malformation on the skin that can be epidermal or vascular; also called a mole verruca = an epidermal tumor caused by a papilloma virus, also called a wart
GENERAL SYMPTOMATIC TERMS erythema = redness of skin pruritis = severe itching suppuration = production of purulent matter (pus) urticaria = hives; an eruption of wheals on the skin accompanied by itching (urtica = stinging nettle) xeroderma = dry skin
DIAGNOSTIC TERMS burn = injury to body tissue caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, or gases 1st-degree burn = a burn involving only the epidermis; characterized by erythema (redness) and hyperesthesia (excessive sensation) 2nd-degree burn = a burn involving the epidermis and the dermis; characterized by erythema, hyperesthesia, and vesications (blisters) 3rd-degree burn = a burn involving all layers of the skin; characterized by the destruction of the epidermis and dermis, with da…
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND PROCEDURES / OPERATIVE TERMS biopsy (Bx) = removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic pathologic examination curettage = cleaning; scraping a wound using a spoon-like cutting instrument called a curette; used for debridement electrocautery = use of an instrument heated by electric current (cautery) to coagulate bleeding areas by burning the tissue (e.g., to sear a blood vessel) incision and drainage (I&D) = incision and drainage of an infected skin lesion (e.g., an…
Recall that the prefix de- means from, down or not. When dead tissue is removed from a wound or burn site, this is called debridement. This is often done with a cutting instrument called a curette, and the technique is thus called curettage.
The use of an electrically heated instrument to coagulate a bleeding area by burning the tissue is called electrosurgery.
An infected lesion, such as an abscess, may undergo the surgical procedure called incision and drainage (I&D).
A skin graft is used to replace skin at a burn or injury site by transferring it from another site. If the graft is transferred from elsewhere on the same person, this is called an autograft (auto = self ). A homograft is a graft transferred to one human from another human (homo = same). This is also called an allograft. A heterograft, in contrast, is transferred from a different species (hetero means different). The synonym for heterograft is xenograft (xeno = strange).
THERAPEUTIC TERMS chemotherapy = treatment of malignancies, infections, and other diseases with chemical agents that destroy selected cells or impair their ability to reproduce anesthetic = a drug that temporarily blocks transmission of nerve conduction to produce a loss of sensations (e.g., pain) antibiotic = a drug that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms antifungal = a drug that kills or prevents the growth of fungi antihistamine = a drug that blocks the effects of histamine in th…
Several different types of therapy are used to treat tumors and other skin lesions. The use of chemical agents as a treatment is called chemotherapy.
An anesthetic agent (using the suffix -tic, which means pertaining to) produces a loss of sensation so that the person undergoing a procedure does not feel pain.
Recall that tinea is a group of skin diseases caused by a fungus. A drug that kills or prevents the growth of such infections is called an antifungal, using the prefix anti-, which means against or opposed to.
A different sort of drug kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria. A drug of this class is known as an antibiotic.
Histamine is a body substance that is released in excess during an allergic reaction. A drug that blocks the effects of this substance is called an antihistamine. This type of drug is used to combat allergic reactions (e.g., hives or hay fever).
Many drug classifications are named according to what they work against, using the prefix anti-, meaning against or opposed to. The term for itching is pruritus, and a drug that relieves itching is called an antipruritic. Sepsis is an infection by microorganisms; a drug that inhibits the growth of such microorganisms is called an antiseptic. Similarly, a drug that reduces inflammation is called an antiinflammatory.