Basic Medical Terminology - J-K Quiz

Answer: yellow

Jaune is French for yellow, which gives us the medical term jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and/or the whites of the eyes. Jaundice indicates an excess of the pigment bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is created in the body by the breakdown of haemoglobin in old red blood cells.

Answer: the middle section of small intestine

This word part is derived from the Latin word "ieiunum", which means empty. The jejenum is the middle segment of the small intestine. The name reflects the fact that, upon autopsy, ancient physicians noted that this particular segment of the small intestine was always empty. An example of usage is jejunectomy, the surgical excision (removal) of part or all of the jejunum.

Answer: beside, near, close to

Juxta- is a prefix taken from the Latin "iuxta", meaning beside, very near, close to. Perhaps the most well-known example is juxtaposition, meaning the placement of objects or body parts side by side or end to end. Other examples include juxta-articular (pertaining to a location near a joint) and juxta-spinal (near the spinal column).

Answer: a unit of work or energy

The joule (J) is the metric unit of work or energy, named after the English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889). There are 195 countries in the world and all of them use the metric system of measurement except Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States.

However, in areas like science and medicine, both metric and imperial measures are used in varying degrees. A joule is defined as equal to the work done by a force of one newton over a distance of one metre. An example of its usage is in procedures such as defibrillation, where joules represent the amount of energy applied to a patient's heart by administering a controlled electric shock in order to restore normal heart rhythm.

Answer: hump

The word parts kyph- and kyph/o come from the Greek "kyphos", meaning bent or bowed. The medical condition of kyphosis, for example, refers to the excessive outward curvature of the spine which causes a "hunchback" condition. It is sometimes referred to as "dowager's hump" because it is commonly seen in postmenopausal women.

There are three basic types of curvature of the spine - as well as kyphosis, there is lordosis (an excessive inward curvature of the lower back, also known as swayback) and scoliosis (lateral (sideways) curvature resulting in a C- or S-shaped curve when viewed from the back). Sometimes a patient may suffer from more than one type of curvature of the spine, resulting in medical conditions such as kyphoscoliosis and kypholordosis.

Answer: cell nucleus

Kary- and kary/o are word parts that pertain to the cell nucleus. Possibly the most well-known example is the word karotype, which refers to a particular individual's complete set of chromosomes, in terms of their number and appearance. When creating a karyotype, a picture is constructed of the chromosomes arranged in pairs in numerical order, ending with the sex chromosomes. Cells that have a nucleus are called karyocytes (not all cells have a nucleus). Kary- and kary/o are derived from the Greek "karyon", meaning nut or kernel.

Answer: x-ray of the urinary system

KUB stands for kidney, ureters and bladder, which are the main components of the urinary system. A KUB x-ray is mainly employed in order to determine (a) the condition of these organs with respect to their size, shape, and location, (b) the possibility of malformation, (c) any possible cause of abdominal pain, and/or (d) the presence (or absence) of stones.

Answer: indicating 1,000

In the metric system, the prefix kilo- (k) indicates a thousand. For example, 1 kilogram (kg) is 1,000 grams. Other common units of measurement include the kilojoule (kJ), kilolitre (kL), and kilohertz (kHz). Kilo- is derived from the Greek word "khilioi", meaning a thousand.

Interestingly, the Latin "mille" also means a thousand but in the metric system the prefix milli- indicates one-thousandth (i.e. a fraction). So one thousand grams is a kilogram while one-thousandth of a gram is a milligram. The same pattern holds true for other units of measurement beginning with kilo- and milli-.

Answer: movement

The Greek word "kinesis", meaning motion, gives us a number of word parts that indicate movement, such as the suffixes -kinesis and -kinesia, the prefixes kin- and kine-, and the combining form kinesi/o. Some examples of usage include kinaesthesia (the sense that enables the brain to be constantly aware of the movement of body parts) and dyskinesia (impairment of the ability to make voluntary movements).

Answer: to steal

The Greek word "kleptein", to steal, gives us the word parts klept- and klept/o. (The suffix -mania indicates a state of "madness"). Kleptomania is the name of the psychiatric condition characterised by a compulsion to steal, while kleptomaniac describes the sufferer. Kleptolagnia is the medical term used to indicate sexual excitement or gratification produced by stealing.