mindmap root((ENDO)) endocrine 1、 A hormone.
2、 Any of several glands （such as the thyroid） that pour their secretions directly into the blood or lymph.
🌱Since the endocrines are so vital to human life, affecting such things as cell growth and blood sugar, the chemicals known as endocrine disrupters can be destructive and even deadly. 🌳The body's glands remove specific substances from the blood and alter them for rerelease into the blood or removal. Glands such as those that produce saliva and sweat secrete their products through tiny ducts or tubes on or near the body's surface. The glands without ducts, called the endocrine glands, instead secrete their products into the bloodstream; the endo- root indicates that the secretions are internal rather than on the surface. The endocrine system includes such glands as the pituitary （which controls growth, regulates the other endocrines, and performs many other tasks）, the thyroid （another growth gland that also influences metabolism）, the adrenals （which secrete adrenaline and steroids）, the hypothalamus （which influences sleep and weight regulation）, and the ovaries （which produce eggs）. Endocrine problems are treated by endocrinologists. endodontic Relating to a branch of dentistry that deals with the pulp of the teeth.
🌱Her dentist told her the problem was endodontic and that she should see a specialist soon to prevent loss of the tooth. 🌳Endodontists, as you might expect from the endo- root, deal with the interior of the tooth. The tooth's enamel, on the outside, covers a thick layer called the dentin; this in turn surrounds the innermost part, called the pulp, a mass of soft tissue through which nerves and blood vessels run. When a tooth has been badly damaged by decay or cracking, producing a risk of dangerous infection of the pulp, a "root canal" procedure is performed by an endodontist. Try to avoid ever getting to know an endodontist; brush your teeth twice daily, floss before bedtime, and never let a cavity go unfilled for long. endogenous Developing or originating within a cell, organ, body, or system.
🌱Vitamin D can be obtained from food and supplements, but it's also an endogenous vitamin, produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. 🌳When biologists need to make a distinction between things that are produced within a cell or organ and things that affect it from the outside, they use the terms endogenous and exogenous. It used to be thought, for instance, that mutations in cells always resulted from exogenous causes, until it was discovered that substances in the body, including those called oxidants, could cause them endogenously as well. "Circadian rhythms"—the regular cycles, roughly 24 hours in length, that plants, animals, and humans rely on to regulate their days—are endogenously generated and don't actually depend on the sun for their timing. endorphin Any of a group of proteins in the brain that are able to relieve pain.
🌱On the final stretch of her daily five-mile run, she could usually count on the endorphins kicking in, giving her that beautiful "runner's high." 🌳The word endorphin was coined, back when the substances were discovered in the 1970s, by joining pieces of endogenous and morphine, morphine being a narcotic that closely resembles the endorphins and relieves pain in a similar way. Studies suggest that the pain-relieving practice called acupuncture （See acupuncture）works by releasing endorphins. Endorphins also seem to play an important role in pregnancy. Though much remains to be learned about the endorphins, the general public seems ready to give them credit for any all-natural high.