1.  In health care, the ability of a material or a tissue to absorb electromagnetic radiation.

2.  In chemistry, the negative logarithm of the transmittance of radiation through a substance or solution.

-Taber's

Energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=activation+energy

A class of organic compounds that are hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons

-Taber's

Belonging to that series or organic chemical compounds characterized by open chains of carbon atoms rather than by rings.

-Taber's

Alteration of a protein conformation resulting in alteration of function (e.g. non-competitive receptor inhibition).

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=allosteric+change

The basic building block of proteins (or polypeptides). Containing a basic amino (NH2) group, an acidic carboxyl (COOH) group and a side chain (R - of a number of different kinds) attached to an alpha carbon atom.

http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=amino+acid

Having polar and nonpolar regions within a single molecule.  This two part structure allows these chemicals to link, or to segregate, oils and water.  Examples are: phospholipids, bile salts, and detergents.

-Taber's

1.  Having an agreeable odor.

2.  Denoting an organic chemical compound in which the carbon atoms form closed rings (as in benzene)

-Taber's

The most common form of arteriosclerosis, marked by cholesterol-lipid-calcium deposits in the walls of arteries that may restrict blood flow

-Taber's

Increase in the rate of a chemical reaction resulting from products that are produced in the reaction acting as catalysts.

-Taber's

The chemistry of living things; the science of the chemical changes accompanying the vital functions of plants and animals.

-Taber's

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being permanently changed.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=catalyst

The sodium-rich, potassium-poor tissue fluid of the brain and spinal cord, which supplies nutrients and removes waste products; it is also a watery cushion that absorbs mechanical shock to the CNS

-Taber's

A property of some types of particles. There are two types of charges: positive and negative. Particles with like charges repel while particles with opposite charges attract.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=charge

an ester of cholesterol. The ester bond is formed between the carboxylate group of a fatty acid and the hydroxyl group of cholesterol. Cholesteryl Esters have a lower solubility in water than Cholesterol and are more hydrophobic. They are associated with atherosclerosis.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesteryl_ester

The area of pathology that typically analyzes bodily fluids

-Wikipedia

CoASH

Coenzyme A

A derivative of pantothenic acid, important as a carrier molecule for acetyl groups in many reactions including the Krebs cycle and the oxidation of fatty acids.

-Taber's

An enzyme activator; a diffusible, heat-stable substance of low molecular weight that, when combined with an inactive protein called apoenzyme, forms an active compound of a complete enzyme called a holoenzyme 

-Taber's

A formula used for large molecules, helps to show atoms in relation to each other without showing the bonds, e.g. CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3

-http://www.biochem.northwestern.edu/holmgren/Glossary/Definitions/Def-C/condensed_formula.html

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

A double-stranded copy of a single-standed RNA molecule, made by reverse transcriptase, an enzyme used by retroviruses such as HIV-1.

-Taber's

The removal of water from a chemical (e.g., by surface evaporation or by heating it to release water of crystallization).

-Taber's

1.  The determination of the density of a substance

2.  The determination of the amount of ionzing radiation to which a person has been exposed.

-Taber's

The tendency of the molecules of a substance to move from a region of high concentration to one of lower concentration.

-Taber's

In chemistry, esp. polymer chemistry, a combination of two identical molecule to form a single compound.

-Taber's

The movement of charged colloidal particles through the medium in which they are dispersed as a result of changes in electrical potential.

-Taber's

An organic catalyst produced by living cells but capable of acting outside cells or even in vitro (taking place in a test tube or the like)

-Taber's

Molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme_inhibitor

The specific atom or group of atoms that confers a particular chemical property on a biomolecule.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=functional+group

Globular proteins, or spheroproteins are one of the three main protein classes, comprising "globe"-like proteins that are more or less soluble in aqueous solutions (where they form colloidal solutions). This main characteristic helps distinguishing them from fibrous proteins (the other class), which are practically insoluble.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_protein

A polysaccharide, (C6H10O5), commonly called animal starch, which is the storage form of glucose in the liver and muscles.

-Taber's

A compound of fatty acids with a carbohydrate, containing nitrogen but not phosphoric acid.  It is found in the myelin sheath of nerves.

-Taber's

A hairpin loop is an unpaired loop of messenger RNA (mRNA) that is created when an mRNA strand folds and forms base pairs with another section of the same strand. The resulting structure looks like a loop or a U-shape.

-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pleated+sheet

The large polypeptide chains of antibodies 

-Taber's

A coil or spiral.

-Taber's

The science concerned with blood and the blood-forming tissues.

-Taber's

The iron-containing pigment of red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues

-Taber's

Any one of a group of genetic diseases caused by or associated with the presence of one of several forms of abnormal hemoglobin in the blood.

-Taber's

A compound only containing hydrogen and carbon

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=hydrocarbon

"Water-Loving"

Substances that have an affinity for water often because of the formation of hydrogen bonds.

"Water fearing"

Does not dissolve easily in water, and are usually non-polar.  e.g. Oils and other long hydrocarbons

http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=Hydrophobic

IUPAC (Nomenclature)

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

An organization composed of experts from many countries whose charter is to standardize aspects of the basic science of chemistry, including nomenclature, structural formulae, and so forth.

-Taber's

Synonym for immune globulin, a solution containing antibodies to specific organisms obtained from donated human plasma

-Taber's

Innate or inherent, said of characteristics both structural and functional that are inherited or acquired during uterine development.

-Taber's

The chemistry of compounds not containing carbon

-Taber's

A temporary deficiency of blood flow to an organ or tissue.  The deficiency may be caused by diminished blood flow either through a regional artery or throughout the circulation

-Taber's

One of several forms in which as enzyme may exist.

-Taber's

Any two molecule with the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of molecular groups.

http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=isomers

One of a number of substances that increase in the blood as a result of faulty carbohydrate metabolism

-Taber's

Pertaining to or consisting of motion

-Taber's

If a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changing the conditions, the position of equilibrium moves to counteract the change.

-http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/equilibria/lechatelier.html

A steriod-like chemical found in flaxseed and related plants that may be beneficial in the management of hormone-sensitive illnesses.

-Taber's

the Lineweaver–Burk plot (or double reciprocal plot) is a graphical representation of the Lineweaver–Burk equation of enzyme kinetics.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineweaver–Burk_plot

The scientific study of microorganisms, that is of bacteria, fungi, intracellular parasites, protozoans, viruses, and some worms

-Taber's

A formula in which only the elements and number of atoms of each element are shown, e.g. C5H12

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=molecular+formula

Any molecule that can be bound to similar molecules to form a polymer.

-Taber's

A chronic disease of the central nervous system, in which there is destruction of myelin within several regions of the brain and spinal cord at different times.  This results in temporary, repetitive, or sustained disruptions in nerve impulse condition.

Symptoms:  muscular weakness, loss of coordination, numbness, visual disturbances, loss of control of bladder and bowel, and sexual functions.

-Tabers

the change in the optical rotation that occurs by epimerization (that is the change in the equilibrium between two epimers, when the corresponding stereo centers interconvert).

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutarotation

A tumor originating in cells of the hematopoietic portion of bone marrow.

-Taber's

Nicotinamide Adenine Dicucleotide

is an organic compound that owes its property as a base to the lone pair of electrons of a nitrogen atom. In biological sciences, nitrogenous bases are typically classified as the derivatives of two parent compounds, pyrimidine and purine. They are non-polar and due to their aromaticity, planar.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogenous_base

Nonesterified (Free) Fatty Acids

(FFA)

The form in which a fatty acid leaves the cell to be transported for use in another part of the body.

-Taber's

Any one of a group of high-molecular-weight chemicals that carry the genetic information crucial to replication of cells and the manufacturing of cellular proteins.  

They have a complex structure formed of sugars (pentoses), phosphoric acid, and nitrogen bases (purines and pyrimidines).  Most important are ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

-Taber's

ands of immunoglobulins that are seen when a patient's blood serum, gained from blood plasma, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is analyzed.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligoclonal_band

Consists of a few monomer units, in contrast to a polymer that, at least in principle, consists of unlimited monomers.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligomer

The branch of chemistry dealing with substanes that contain carbon compounds 

-Taber's

1.  The process of a substance combining with oxygen.

2.  The loss of electrons in an atom with an accompanying increase in positive valence

-Taber's

A compound containing two or more linked amino acids.

-Taber's

A diglyceride containing phosphorus, such as lecithin.  The lipid portion of cell membranes is primarily phospholipids.

-Taber's

A regular element of second structure in proteins, in which two or more extended strands of the polypeptide chain lie side by side (running either parallel or antiparallel), held together by a regular array of hydrogen bonds between backbone NH and C=O groups, to form a ridged planar surface. The amino-acid side chains alternately face to opposite sides of the sheet.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=%28beta%29-pleated+sheet

Hydrophilic, or "water-loving"; describing molecules  or groups that are soluble in water. These molecules would be composed of elements having polar covalent bonds that do not cancel each other out

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=polar+molecule

A natural or synthetic substance formed by a combination of two or more molecules (and up to millions of the same substance)

-Taber's

First in time or order

-Taber's

A small proteinaceous infectious particle that is believed to be responsible for central nervous system diseases in humans and other animals.

-Taber's

Anything that is made; also, the resulting compound after the reaction of two chemical substances

-Taber's

One of a class of complex nitrogenous compounds that are synthesized by all living organisms and yield amino acids when hydrolyzed.

-Taber's

A type of nitrogen base; the purine bases in DNA and RNA are adenine and guanine.

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=purines

Ribonucleic Acid

A single-stranded nucleic acid similar to DNA but having ribose sugar rather pyrmidine than deoxyribose sugar and uracil rather than thymine as one of the bases. 

-http://www.everythingbio.com/glos/definition.php?word=RNA

A chemical or substance taking part in a chemical reaction

-Taber's

A structure in the cell membrane or within a cell that combines with a drug, hormone, chemical mediator, or an infectious agent to alter an aspect of the functioning of the cell

-Taber's

1.  Restoration to a normal position, as a fractured bone, dislocatd joint, or a hernia.

2.  In chemistry, a type of reaction in which a substance gains electrons and positive valence is decreased.

-Taber's

Holding all that can be absorbed, received, or combined as a solution in which no more of a substance can be dissolved.

-Taber's

Fatty acid in which the carbon atoms are linked to other carbon atoms by single bonds

-Taber's

Molecules that relay signals from receptors on the cell surface to target molecules inside the cell, in the cytoplasm or nucleus. They relay the signals of hormones like epinephrine (adrenalin), growth factors, and others, and cause some kind of change in the activity of the cell. They greatly amplify the strength of the signal.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_messenger_system

1.  Next to follow; second in order.

2.  Produced by a primary cause.

-Taber's

a substituent is an atom or group of atoms substituted in place of a hydrogen atom on the parent chain of a hydrocarbon.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_chain

The capacity of being dissolved.

-Taber's

Steric hindrance or steric resistance occurs when the size of groups within a molecule prevents chemical reactions that are observed in related smaller molecules. Although steric hindrance is sometimes a problem, it can also be a very useful tool, and is often exploited by chemists to change the reactivity pattern of a molecule by stopping unwanted side-reactions (steric protection)

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steric_effects

A formula of a compound that shows the relationship of the atoms in a molecule.  The atoms are shown joined by valence bonds (e.g., H-O-H).

-Taber's

1.  An underlying layer or foundation.

2.  A base, as of a pigment.

3.  The substance acted upon, as by an enzyme.

-Taber's

Third in order or stage.

-Taber's

of a chemical reaction is a particular configuration along the reaction coordinate. It is defined as the state corresponding to the highest energy along this reaction coordinate. At this point, assuming a perfectly irreversible reaction, colliding reactant molecules will always go on to form products

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_state

Any combinations of glycerol with three of five different fatty acids.

-Taber's

1.  Capable of dissolving or absorbing to a greater degree.

2.  Not combined to the greatest possible extent.

-Taber's

An organic acid in which some of the carbon atoms are linked to other carbon atoms are linked to other carbon atoms by double bonds, thus containing less than the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms (e.g., unsaturated oleic and linoleic acids as compared with the saturated stearic acid).

-Taber's

An accessory but vital nutrient that serves as a coenzyme of cofactor in an essential metabolic process.  Small quantities of the substance assist biological reactions such as oxidation and reduction or the synthesis of nucleic acid, hemoglobin, clotting factors, or collagen.

-Taber's

A protein that becomes an enzyme.  It exist in an inactive form antecedent to the active enzyme.

-Taber's