| hemic and immune systems | The organs involved in the production and functions of the blood and the cellular and molecular components providing defense against foreign organisms or substances. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| second messenger systems | Systems in which an intracellular signal is generated in response to an intercellular primary messenger such as a hormone or neurotransmitter. They are intermediate signals in cellular processes such as metabolism, secretion, contraction, phototransduction, and cell growth. Examples of second messenger systems are the adenyl cyclase-cyclic AMP system, the phosphatidylinositol diphosphate-inositol triphosphate system, and the cyclic GMP system. (12 Dec 1998) |
| hospital communication systems | The transmission of messages to staff and patients within a hospital. (12 Dec 1998) |
| hospital distribution systems | Systems for delivering hospital supplies, food, laundry, etc., to patient care areas. (12 Dec 1998) |
| neurosecretory systems | A system of neurons that has the specialised function to produce and secrete hormones, and that constitutes, in whole or in part, an endocrine organ or system. (12 Dec 1998) |
| decision support systems, clinical | Computer-based information systems used to integrate clinical and patient information and provide support for decision-making in patient care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| systems analysis | The analysis of an activity, procedure, method, technique, or business to determine what must be accomplished and how the necessary operations may best be accomplished. (12 Dec 1998) |
| systems integration | The procedures involved in combining separately developed modules, components, or subsystems so that they work together as a complete system. (12 Dec 1998) |
| systems theory | Principles, models, and laws that apply to complex interrelationships and interdependencies of sets of linked components which form a functioning whole, a system. Any system may be composed of components which are systems in their own right (sub-systems), such as several organs within an individual organism. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug delivery systems | Systems of administering drugs through controlled delivery so that an optimum amount reaches the target site. Drug delivery systems encompass the carrier, route, and target. (12 Dec 1998) |
| insulin infusion systems | Portable or implantable devices for infusion of insulin. Includes open-loop systems which may be patient-operated or controlled by a pre-set program and are designed for constant delivery of small quantities of insulin, increased during food ingestion, and closed-loop systems which deliver quantities of insulin automatically based on an electronic glucose sensor. (12 Dec 1998) |
| online systems | Systems where the input data enter the computer directly from the point of origin (usually a terminal or workstation) and/or in which output data are transmitted directly to that terminal point of origin. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ecological systems, closed | Systems that provide for the maintenance of life in an isolated living chamber through reutilization of the material available, in particular, by means of a cycle wherein exhaled carbon dioxide, urine, and other waste matter are converted chemically or by photosynthesis into oxygen, water, and food. (12 Dec 1998) |
| emergency medical service communication systems | The use of communication systems, such as telecommunication, to transmit emergency information to appropriate providers of health services. (12 Dec 1998) |
| expert systems | Computer programs based on knowledge developed from consultation with experts on a problem, and the processing and/or formalizing of this knowledge using these programs in such a manner that the problems may be solved. (12 Dec 1998) |