Glossary
I
- Immune system
- Network of cells and organs that protects the body from outside invaders.
- Immunization
- The process by which a normally vulnerable host can be made resistant to an infectious disease, usually by administration of a vaccine.
- Inbreeding
- The mating of closely related individuals.
- Infarction
- Tissue death as a result of ischaemia.
- Infection
- The process in which the body is invaded by microorganisms, which then multiply within the tissues.
- Inferior vena cava
- The lower branch of the vena cava, the large vein that returns deoxygenated blood from the trunk and legs to the right side of the heart.
- Inflammation
- Cellular and chemical reaction that occurs in body tissues in response to injury or irritation from a physical, chemical, or biologic agent.
- Informed consent
- A process by which a subject voluntarily confirms his or her willingness to participate in a particular trial, after having been informed of all aspects of the trial that are relevant to the subject's decision to participate. Informed consent is documented by means of a written, signed and dated informed consent form.
- Inhale
- Breathe in.
- Inoculation
- The introduction of cells into a specific environment in order to start a culture.
