Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Glossary
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L
Lamina: A thin plate, sheet, or layer of specialized proteins and carbohydrates that act as an anchor for cell attachment
Lavage: Washing with salt water (saline solution) of a hollow organ
LCM: A powerful method for procuring pure cells from specific microscopic regions of tissue sections
Leukocyte: Any of the white or colorless nucleated cells occurring in blood and areas of Inflammation
Ligands: Molecule, as an antibody, hormone, or drug that binds to its specific receptor to initiate changes in the metablism of cells
Lumen: The inner open space of a tubular organ (i.e. blood vessel)
Lung Capacity: Amount of air in the lung, six liters of air in normal adults
Lymphocytes: Type of white blood cell with two categories, T cell and B cell which orchestrate an immune response
M
Macrophages: White blood cells with the capacity to ingest and kill invading microbes and to mop up after tissue injury
Mast cell: A granule-containing cell found in tissue that amplifies inflammation particularly in allergic diseases
Matrix: A situation or surrounding substance within which something develops or is contained
Mesenchymal: Embryonic connective tissue develops from the mesoderm (germ layer) of an embryo
Microarray: The collection of microsopic DNA spots attached to a solid surface forming an array for the purpose of monitoring expression levels for thousands of genes simultaneously
Microbicide: An agent that kills microbes
Monocyte: A large phagocyte white blood cell which, when it enters tissue, develops into a macrophage
Mucopurulent: Containing mucus and pus
Murine: Mice
Myo-: Muscle
N
Necrosis: The pathologic death of living tissue in a plant or animal
Neoplasm: Poorly or unregulated growth of tissue that leads to tumor formation, both benign and malignant
Neutrophilia: An excess of neutrophils, the chief white blood cell, in the circulation related to inflammation
NHLBI: National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute, a part of National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH: National Institutes of Health, part of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NSIP: Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia
O
Opacities: Areas of increased tissue density on lung imaging that are due to collection of fluid or cells in the airspaces or interstitium
Osteopontin: Protein implicated in the regulation of wound repair and new tissue formation
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