General Medical Terms

A methyl group is a one-carbon chemical unit that, added to or removed from DNA or proteins, can switch nearby gene activity on or off.

MGUS is a generally symptomless blood finding that carries a modest, ongoing risk of eventually progressing to multiple myeloma or a related condition.

A tiny deposit of calcium in the breast that cannot be felt but can be detected on a mammogram.

Bacteria and other organisms that live inside the intestines.

A microgram is a metric unit of mass equal to one millionth of a gram, commonly used to measure very small medication doses.

Small numbers of cancer cells that have spread from the primary tumor to other parts of the body and are too few to be picked up in a screening or diagnostic test.

A concentration of 1/1,000,000 (one millionth) molecular weight per liter (mol/L).

Unlike macronutrients such as protein and fat, micronutrients are needed only in small amounts yet remain essential for normal body function.

MicroRNA is the full name behind the abbreviation miRNA, a short RNA molecule that silences messenger RNAs rather than coding for a protein itself.

A short sequence of DNA, usually 1 to 4 basepairs (a unit of DNA), that is repeated together in a row along the DNA molecule.

A change that occurs in the DNA of certain cells (such as tumor cells) in which the number of repeats of microsatellites (short, repeated sequences of DNA) is different than the number of repeats…

Its opposite is gross, meaning visible without help, and the pair marks the boundary between what an eye and a lens can each detect.

A very tiny, hollow, round particle made from glass, ceramic, plastic, or other materials.

A technique used to help determine the stage (extent) of melanoma and certain squamous cell cancers.

A thin tube in the breast that carries milk from the breast lobules to the nipple.

One thousandth of a gram, the unit most drug doses are written in and the one most often confused with a microgram.

A measure of volume in the metric system.

Medical findings from skin lesions to blood vessel measurements are commonly sized in millimeters, a metric unit equal to one thousandth of a meter.

The amount of a substance equal to a thousandth of a mole (a measure of the amount of a substance).

A form of exercise that combines body movement with mental focus and controlled breathing to improve strength, balance, flexibility, and overall health.