Download Endocrine System Vocabulary Acromegaly Adrenal Glands

Endocrine System Vocabulary
1. Acromegaly
14. Negative Feedback Mechanisms
2. Adrenal Glands
15. Oxytocin
3. Cushing’s Disease or Syndrome
16. Pancreas
4. Diabetes Mellitus
17. Parathyroid Gland
5. Epinephrine
18. Pineal Gland
6. Goiters
19. Pituitary Gland
7. Hormone Binding
20. Prostaglandins
8. Hormones
21. Steroids
9. Humoral Stimulas
22. Target Organ or Cells
10. Hypoglycemic
23. Thymus Gland
11. Insulin
24. Thyroid Gland
12. Islets of Langerhans
25. Tropic Hormones
13. Menopause
Endocrine System Vocabulary KEY
1. Adrenal Glands: paired almond shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys & are
often referred to as suprarenal glands due to their location. They are broken down
into 2 parts: the inner adrenal medulla that is part of the sympathetic nervous
system secreting epinephrine & norepinephrine (important to the fight or flight
response) & the outer adrenal cortex that makes over 2 dozen steroid hormones
called corticosteroids.
2. Acromegaly: Hypersecretion of growth hormone in adulthood leads to this disease.
3. Addison’s Disease:
this disease.
a hyposecretion of all the adrenal cortex hormones leads to
4. Cushing’s Disease or Syndrome: due to hyper-secretions of the adrenal cortex with
tumor formation in the middle cortical area. It causes a “moon face” & the
appearance of a “buffalo hump” of fat on the upper back. It also causes high blood
pressure, hyperglycemia which could lead to diabetes, weakening of the bones &
severe depression of the immune system.
5. Cretinism: hyposecretion of thyroxine in childhood leads to this disease.
6. Cushing’s Disease: a disease where you get buffalo hump, water retention, high
blood pressure, & a moon face.
7. Diabettes Insipidus: a hyposecretion of antidiuretic hormone leads to this disease.
8. Diabetes Mellitus: is due to hypo-activity of insulin. When insulin activity is absent
or deficient, blood sugar levels remain high after a meal because glucose is unable
to be absorbed into most tissue cells. This leads to hyperglycemia (too much
glucose in the blood & not enough insulin), glycosuria(glucose lost in urine output),
polyuria(a huge urine output), thirst, hunger, emaciation(excessive leanness),
weakness, acidosis(an accumulation of acid w/in the body), & sometimes leading to
dypsnea, lipemia(an excess of lipids in the blood), ketonuria(an excess of ketone
bodies in the urine), & finally coma.
9. Epinephrine: also called adrenaline is a hormone secreted my the adrenal medulla
important to the fight or flight response.
10.Goiters: is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that results from a lack of iodine in
the diet. Causes a knot to appear in the anterior neck. This condition is uncommon
in the US due to iodized sat but it is still a problem in other parts of the world.
11.Gonads: female gonads are the ovaries that produce 2 major steroidal hormones
estrogen & progesterone & the male gonads are the testes that produce the
steroidal hormone testerone.
12.Hormone Binding: enzymes are activated or inactivated; plasma membrane
permeability changes, proteins are synthesized in the cell; & mitosis is stimulated.
13.Hormones: chemical messengers released into the blood by endocrine glands that
affect specific cells or organs.
14.Hypoglycemic: not enough glucose in the blood which requires the release of
glucagons{to bring the blood glucose levels up}secreted by alpha cells.
15.Hypothalamus: the gland referred to as the neuroendocrine gland. Regulates
anterior pituitary hormone release. Produces antidiuretic hormone, releasing
hormones, inhibiting hormones, & oxytocin.
16.Insulin: a hormone secreted by beta cells in the pancreas that decrease blood
glucose levels (typical in hyperglycemic people).
17.Islets of Langerhans: minute clusters of cells that produce pancreas hormones that
contain 2 major types of hormone producing cells 1) alpha cells (glucagons
synthesizing) & 2) beta cells (insulin producing). They also produce other peptides
in small amounts, including somatostatin (secreted by the delta cells) that inhibit
insulin & glucagons release.
18.Menopause: during late middle age the efficiency of the ovaries begins to decline
causing the “change of life” where a woman’s reproductive organs begin to atrophy
& the ability to bear children ends.
19.Negative Feedback Mechanisms the chief means of regulating blood hormonal
levels; In such a system, hormone secretion is triggered by some internal or
external stimulus, after which rising hormone levels inhibit further hormone release.
The net effect is to decrease the original stimulus or reduce its effects, slowing the
activity or shutting it off entirely.
20.Oxytocin:
21.Pancreas: Located partially behind the stomach in the abdomen it is a soft,
triangular mixed gland made of both endocrine & exocrine gland cells. It produces
an enzyme-rich juices (pancreatic juices) which are ducted into the small intestine
to aid in digestion. {pancreatic juices are an exocrine product}. It also produces
glucagons which increases blood glucose levels & insulin which lowers blood
glucose levels.
22.Parathyroid Gland: a tiny, yellow-brown glands embedded in the posterior aspect of
the thyroid gland. There are usually 4 –8 of these glands that secretes parathyroid
hormone (PTH) that increases blood calcium levels.
23.Pineal Gland: tiny, pine-cone shaped gland in the brain that secretes melatonin & is
important to sexual maturation & regulates the biological clock.
24.Pituitary Gland: a pea-sized master gland found in the sella turcia of the brain. It
has 2 major lobes: 1) posterior lobe or neurohypophysis which is made mostly of
neurolglia & releases neurohormones made from the hypothalamus & 2) the anterior
lobe or adenohypophysis which is made of glandular tissue & releases a number of
hormones.
25.Prostaglandins: a third type of chemical classification of local hormones that are
made from highly active lipids found in nearly all cell membranes. They respond &
stimulation smooth muscles of arterioles or uterus; increase HCl & pepsin secretion
by stomach; cause platelet aggregation; cause constriction of bronchioles, increase
inflammation & pain; induce fever.
26.Second Messenger: virtually all of the protein or amino acid based hormones exert
their effects through 2nd messengers which is generated by a hormone binding to
plasma membrane receptors. cyclic AMP (cAMP), which also mediates the effects
of certain neurotransmitters, is the best understood second messenger:
27.Steroids: can enter the nucleus, diffuse through the plasma membranes of target
cells, activate genes to transcribe mRNA for protein synthesis & bind to receptor
proteins in the nucleus. They are also lipid soluble.
28.Target Organ or Cells: specific cells or organs that a given hormone influences
29.Tetany:
indicates a malfunction of the parathyroid glands.
30.Thymus Gland: found deep to the sternum that produces a family of peptide
hormones including thymopoietin & thymosin which are important for normal
development of the immune response.
31. Thyroid Gland: the butterfly-shaped gland in the anterior throat, overlying the
larynx that is the largest endocrine gland in the body. It secretes 2 active iodinecontaining hormones thyroxine (T4) & triiodothyronine (T3) that are important in
increasing the rate of cellular metabolism.
32. Tropic Hormones: Stimulate other endocrine glands.