Glossary 355
biohazard sharps container a puncture-resis-
tant container used for disposing of waste-con-
taminated sharps, including needles, scalpels,
glass slides, and broken glassware
biopsy a small piece of tissue removed from the
body for examination
biotechnology technology using biological
processes, organisms, or systems to develop
products intended to improve the quality of
human life
bloodborne pathogens infectious microorgan-
isms in human blood that can cause disease
body cavities spaces in the body that contain
organs; the human body is divided into the
dorsal and ventral cavities
body mass index (BMI) weight in kilograms
divided by height in meters squared; a method
of determining caloric nutritional status
body mechanics term for the proper use of
body movements to prevent injury during
tasks that require lifting or moving
body planes imaginary planes, or fl at surfaces,
that divide the body into sections; include sag-
ittal, coronal, and transverse planes
body system a group of organs working
together to perform various functions and
maintain homeostasis
bone marrow soft, spongy, blood-forming tis-
sue found inside bones
C
caduceus an emblem of medicine in the United
States
cancer an abnormal growth of cells in the body
that multiply rapidly and invade normal tissue
capitalization the use of an uppercase letter for
the fi rst letter of a word, and lowercase for the
remaining letters; used for proper nouns
carcinoma cancerous tumor derived from epi-
thelial cells
career ladder term for the progression from
an entry-level position to higher levels of pay,
skill, and responsibility
carpal tunnel syndrome a painful, progressive
hand and arm condition caused by compres-
sion of a key nerve in the wrist; can be caused
when wrists are not supported during key-
board use
cell membrane the outer layer of a cell that
holds the cell together
Celsius temperature scale metric temperature
scale; defi nes the freezing point of water as 0°
and the boiling point of water as 100°
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) federal agency in the United States
responsible for protecting public health and
safety by promoting awareness, control, and
prevention of disease, injury, and disability
central nervous system (CNS) part of the
nervous system that includes the brain and the
spinal cord
certifi cation recognition given for completing a
course of study
chain of infection the visualization of the
sequence of events allowing infection to
invade the human body
chromosome threadlike structure found in the
nucleus of most living cells; carries genetic
information
civil law directives that pertain to disputes
between individuals, organizations, or a com-
bination of the two in which monetary com-
pensation is awarded; also known as tort law
cloning creation of an organism that is an exact
genetic copy of another; a clone has identical
DNA to its parent
cloud technology Internet-based technology
that stores programs and data on servers at
remote locations instead of your computer
combining form term that describes a word
root and a combining vowel used to form
medical terms