Word	Definition
Alzheimers Disease	A disease marked by the loss of cognitive ability, generally over a period of 10 to 15 years, and associated with the development of abnormal tissues and protein deposits in the cerebral cortex.
Angioplasty	The surgical repair of a blood vessel, either by inserting a balloon-tipped catheter to unblock it, or by reconstructing or replacing part of the vessel.
Arthritic Disease	Disease dealing with the inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness, and resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes. It occurs in various forms, such as bacterial arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Atom	A unit of matter, the smallest unit of an element, having all the characteristics of that element and consisting of a dense, central, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a system of electrons. The entire structure has an approximate diameter of 10-8 centimeter and characteristically remains undivided in chemical reactions except for limited removal, transfer, or exchange of certain electrons.
Biocompatability	The property of being biologically compatible by not producing a toxic, injurious, or immunological response in living tissue
Cementing Agent	A substance that hardens to act as an adhesive
Ceramics	Any of various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing a nonmetallic mineral, such as clay, at a high temperature.
Corrosion	a state of deterioration in metals caused by oxidation or chemical action 2: erosion by chemical action
Crystallographic	The science of crystal structure and phenomena
DNA	A nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell and is capable of self-replication and synthesis of RNA. DNA consists of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. The sequence of nucleotides determines individual hereditary characteristics.
Failure	The inability of a system or system component to perform a required function within specified limits.
Fracture	The characteristic manner in which a mineral breaks.
Gene Therapy	The treatment of certain disorders, especially those caused by genetic anomalies or deficiencies, by introducing specific engineered genes into a patient's cells.
In Vitro	In an artificial environment outside the living organism
Longitudinal Force	A force of or relating to longitude or length
Mechanical Properties	Properties interpreting and explaining the phenomena of the universe by referring to causally determined material forces; mechanistic
Metal	Any of a category of electropositive elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wires. Typical metals form salts with nonmetals, basic oxides with oxygen, and alloys with one another
Metallic Bonding	The chemical bond characteristic of metals, in which mobile valence electrons are shared among atoms in a usually stable crystalline structure.
Molecules	The smallest particle of a substance that retains the chemical and physical properties of the substance and is composed of two or more atoms; a group of like or different atoms held together by chemical forces.
Nanotechnology	The science and technology of building electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules.
Osteoarthritis	A form of arthritis, occurring mainly in older persons, that is characterized by chronic degeneration of the cartilage of the joints.
Osteolysis	Dissolution or degeneration of bone tissue through disease
Polyethylene	A polymerized ethylene resin, used especially for containers, kitchenware, and tubing, or in the form of films and sheets for packaging
Polymers	Any of numerous natural and synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule
Prosthetic	An artificial device used to replace a missing body part, such as a limb, tooth, eye, or heart valve
Shape Memory Alloys	A material of or pertaining to the ability to reshape itself to a memorized state after deformation by the use of applying a certain environment
Shear Force	A strain, or change of shape, of an elastic body, consisting of an extension in one direction, an equal compression in a perpendicular direction, with an unchanged magnitude in the third direction.
Stent	A device used to support a bodily orifice or cavity during skin grafting or to immobilize a skin graft following placement
Stiffness	The physical property of being inflexible and hard to bend
Stress	An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body
Stress-Strain Curve	A graphical representation relating stress and strain applied to a material
Substrate	The material on which another material is coated or fabricated
Tensile Strength	The resistance of a material to a force tending to tear it apart, measured as the maximum tension the material can withstand without tearing
Young's Modulus	The measure of the elastic force of any substance, expressed by the ratio of a stress on a given unit of the substance to the accompanying distortion, or strain