Across
- 1. The ultimate betrayal: when a gentle touch or a soft breeze is perceived as a sharp injury. (9 letters)
- 2. The ion whose excessive escape through CFTR channels drives the secretory watery disaster. (8 letters)
- 6. A shift in membrane potential making it more negative, typically reducing the chance of an action potential. (16 letters)
- 8. A powerful peptide agonist that triggers VSM contraction through pharmacomechanical coupling and RhoA/ROK signalling. (11 letters)
- 10. The active fire-starter in hot peppers that tricks ion floodgates into opening for a spicy "heat" perception. (9 letters)
- 12. The biological process that converts DNA into the blue-printed alarms needed for antiviral protein synthesis. (13 letters)
- 17. A conversation starter from enteric neurons that tells parietal cells to start the calcium-mediated acid flow. (13 letters)
- 19. Max Von Frey's 1895 theory—one wire, one sensation; dedicated VIP lines for every distinct stimulus. (11 letters)
- 20. Local gossips that protect the stomach by inhibiting acid through Gi protein agreements. (14 letters)
- 22. The most effective measurement tool in the lab; a quick, involuntary autonomic movement away from a hot pan. (6 letters)
- 25. The process by which activated sentinel cells release their soluble mediators into the fray or the bloodstream. (9 letters)
- 26. The body's "smoke detectors" that transduce chemical, thermal, or mechanical threats into a language the brain can hear. (11 letters)
- 28. The cell face pointing toward the lumen, where surface area amplifies when secretors get busy. (6 letters)
- 33. The neural equivalent of "never forget"; enduring changes in synaptic response that encode pain memories into the system. (3 letters)
- 34. The specific viral target Isaacs and Lindemann were studying when they first described these cytokines. (9 letters)
- 35. Pharma lab molecules that rudely inhibit the production of protective prostaglandins, risking a mucosal crater. (5 letters)
- 37. The branch of the system providing immediate, non-specific protection; it responds much faster than adaptive antibodies. (6 letters)
- 39. A severe secretory disaster characterized by massive diarrhea and a 75-year delay in discovering its toxin. (7 letters)
- 40. Antiviral "necessary evils" from 1957 that clear infections but leave you with all the classic flu-like aches. (11 letters)
- 43. The "favourite" excitatory amino acid; low levels mean poor focus, but high levels mean seizures and neural damage. (9 letters)
- 46. The enzyme P4 stimulates to produce nitric oxide, promoting blood vessel growth and dilation in the endometrium. (4 letters)
- 47. The kinase enzyme that phosphorylates the regulatory light chain to initiate the vascular squeeze. (4 letters)
- 48. GM1 is the specific surface receptor that uninvited toxin molecules bind to before riding lipid pathways inward. (11 letters)
- 52. A steroid from the adrenal gland that gossips with kidneys about salt and water reabsorption to regulate pressure. (11 letters)
- 53. The muscular tone-setters of blood vessel walls, balancing on a see-saw of constriction and dilation. (3 letters)
- 56. The yellow pigment accumulated by the ovarian command center, giving the "yellow body" its name. (6 letters)
- 58. The organs that release renin to kick off a cascade resulting in a potent vasoconstrictor peptide. (6 letters)
- 59. Max von Frey's 1896 kit of calibrated filaments used to find the exact threshold where skin sensation begins. (16 letters)
- 60. Glands that join the placenta and ovaries in the peripheral production of our mystery molecule for both sexes. (7 letters)
- 63. The biological struggle to maintain cell integrity against the cut and thrust of aggressive factors. (14 letters)
- 65. The comma-shaped, gram-negative, mobile bacterium that caused widespread panic across Upper Canada. (8 letters)
- 67. The "Grandmother of all steroid hormones," acting as the common parent to androgens, estrogens, and adrenal steroids. (12 letters)
- 69. A non-receptor tyrosine kinase that interacts with PR-B to mediate rapid actions, especially in tumor cell survival. (4 letters)
- 71. Aggressive HCl from the fundus that causes tissue damage when the protective barrier fails. (4 letters)
- 74. Formally defined in 2020 as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience where tissue damage might be real, or just a nasty potential. (4 letters)
- 77. The essential sugar in ORT that co-transports sodium and water back into the cells to save a life. (7 letters)
- 78. The "water-fearing" nature of steroids that allows them to diffuse across lipid membranes without a lobbyist. (11 letters)
- 80. The specialized fundus cells responsible for the H+, K+-ATPase-driven secretion of hydrochloric acid. (8 letters)
- 81. Melzack and Wall's 1965 security booth in the spinal cord; some signals pass, while others are turned away by bidirectional orders from the brain. (4 letters)
- 85. A type of sensitivity shift happening right at the "crime scene"—the free nerve endings outside the CNS. (10 letters)
- 86. The solute gradient that provides the driving force for water movement across the epithelial barrier. (13 letters)
- 90. The essential lipid precursor stored in droplets as a rapid-access repository for ramped-up steroidogenesis. (11 letters)
- 93. A chemical fashion statement featuring multiple carbon double bonds, common in the pigments of the CL. (7 letters)
- 95. The spiral-shaped "bug" in "drugs for bugs," now recognized as a primary cause of chronic gastritis. (12 letters)
- 96. Rapid-action membrane receptors that mediate physiological effects within mere minutes rather than genomic hours. (4 letters)
- 98. Histamine's preferred second messenger for turning on the proton pumps in the gut. (4 letters)
- 99. Specifically the ISG variety; these are the actual effectors that block viral replication at every stage. (4 letters)
- 100. The family of pigments, including lutein, that give the corpus luteum its distinct hue. (11 letters)
- 101. The stomach's inflamed inner lining; when it's broken, surgeons and endoscopes get busy. (6 letters)
- 102. A heterotrimeric protein janitor that allows relaxation by dephosphorylating myosin heads when calcium levels drop. (4 letters)
- 106. Non-neuronal "synaptic janitors" like astrocytes that decide to adapt to chronic signals, usually by making the neural excitement worse. (5 letters)
- 107. The "thin" filament that provides the scaffold for phosphorylated motor proteins to pull against during a contraction. (5 letters)
- 110. A process of PKC-mediated tuning where the pain system decides to turn the volume up and keep it there. (13 letters)
- 111. A direction-dependent physical property, often contrasted with isotropic systems in complex tissues. (11 letters)
- 112. The cellular relay from the ubiquitous receptor to the nucleus, typically riding the JAK-STAT highway. (12 letters)
- 114. Molecular grappling hooks used by bacteria to anchor themselves firmly to the gastric epithelium. (8 letters)
- 115. A peptidergic product of alternative RNA splicing, released from the nociceptor to broadcast the alarm during the pain surge. (4 letters)
- 116. Glial janitors responsible for mopping up glutamate; in chronic pain, their immature replacements just can't keep the floor clean. (10 letters)
- 117. The "yellow body" endocrine gland that provides the high P4 levels necessary to keep an early embryo safe. (2 letters)
- 118. A lack of regulatory enzymes like USP18, leading to uncontrolled signalling and severe interferonopathy disorders. (10 letters)
- 119. The catecholamine messenger from sympathetic nerves that dictates adrenergic tone to the vascular smooth muscle. (14 letters)
- 120. The systemic bouncer responsible for recognizing molecular fashion statements as "self" or "non-self." (6 letters)
Down
- 1. A potent neurosteroid and P4 breakdown product that acts as a positive allosteric modulator for GABA-A. (15 letters)
- 3. The primary female command centers where 3beta-HSD ramps up P4 production during the luteal phase. (7 letters)
- 4. An ECL cell resident that acts on H2 receptors, using cAMP to dial up the fundic acid production. (9 letters)
- 5. The ISG objective: stopping viral entry, synth, and egress to ensure the host survives the invasion. (7 letters)
- 7. The "thick" motor protein whose head is far more excited by phosphorylation than dopamine is by minds. (6 letters)
- 9. A reactive oxygen species that rudely interferes with NO, inhibiting the message of vascular relaxation. (10 letters)
- 11. P4 blocks these channels in smooth muscle cells to decrease vasoconstriction and help the uterine lining relax. (7 letters)
- 13. The cellular "eyes" (like TLRs or NLRs) that sense the presence of uninvited molecular patterns. (4 letters)
- 14. What happens when fast cation influx makes a cell's interior more positive, driving rapid muscle contraction. (14 letters)
- 15. Essential keto functional groups required for stable binding in the receptor's ligand-binding pocket. (3 letters)
- 16. The brain's resident immune sentinels that get involved in the long-term drama of persistent neural signalling. (9 letters)
- 18. Robert Koch considered its effects negligible, but it's where the secretor really sets up its watery colony. (9 letters)
- 21. A normal process of taking in water and nutrients that is rudely inhibited by the cholera toxin. (10 letters)
- 23. A "mixing" of progestin and luteosteron that eventually gave our mystery molecule its name. (5 letters)
- 24. The gossiping cellular networks of the CNS, constantly changing their sensitivity to enduringly encode memories of your worst experiences. (7 letters)
- 27. A root-based steroid source, like sarsaparilla, that was essential for early chemical degradation research. (5 letters)
- 29. A sulphenamide intermediate often discussed in the "gut wars" phase of acid control. (12 letters)
- 30. Small protein messengers acting as autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine soluble mediators to coordinate the body's defense. (9 letters)
- 31. A hormonal aggressor that stimulates acid both directly and by triggering its histamine neighbor. (7 letters)
- 32. The molecule that follows salts into the lumen via osmosis, leading to rapid, systemic dehydration. (5 letters)
- 36. An essential ion lost through malabsorption, following chloride out into the intestinal space. (6 letters)
- 38. Enterochromaffin-like neighbors that release histamine to keep the parietal cells excited. (3 letters)
- 41. The autonomic branch that sends norepinephrine to finish the conversation with the blood vessel walls. (11 letters)
- 42. The inhibitory "red light" in the CNS; it even counts its excitatory rival, glutamate, as its chemical parent. (4 letters)
- 44. Receptors that behave like GPCR cousins but prefer microbial fashion statements on the cell surface or in endosomes. (4 letters)
- 45. The physiological state VSM enters when nitric oxide whispers and the see-saw tilts toward dilation. (10 letters)
- 49. The hollow intestinal space where salts and water accumulate during the height of the secretory struggle. (5 letters)
- 50. The bicarbonate-rich environment the stomach surface tries to maintain, much to the delight of V. cholerae. (8 letters)
- 51. The active movement of ions into the lumen; cholera toxin co-opts cellular biology to hyper-activate this process. (9 letters)
- 54. A phosphorylating enzyme like JAK1; it acts as a catalytic switch to propagate the immune signal inward. (6 letters)
- 55. The process by which lipophilic substances build up in your genomic Lego blocks over time. (15 letters)
- 57. Visible breaks or lesions in the gastric mucosa; the end result of losing the "gut wars." (6 letters)
- 61. The cellular HQ where phosphorylated STAT molecules arrive to turn on the transcriptional alarm. (7 letters)
- 62. An aggressive digestive enzyme that teams up with acid to tilt the gastric balance toward a crater. (6 letters)
- 64. A common clinical drug that blocks the proton pump, putting an end to the reflux struggle. (10 letters)
- 66. The energy currency converted to cAMP when adenylyl cyclase joins the gastric conversation. (3 letters)
- 68. A system of circulating hormones, like aldosterone, that help govern the muscular tone of your resistance arteries. (9 letters)
- 70. Transcription factors that, upon activation, translocate to the nucleus to initiate the production of antiviral proteins. (4 letters)
- 71. An "old friend" and endogenous ligand; sometimes it's a partial agonist, but it's a full agonist when the receptor population is high. (10 letters)
- 72. A widening of blood vessels politely agreed to when nitric oxide whispers through guanylate cyclase. (12 letters)
- 73. A protective physical barrier; the stomach's way of ensuring it doesn't digest its own tissues. (5 letters)
- 75. Plato's 4th-century BCE vibe check; it's not just the touch that hurts, but the total magnitude crossing a set boundary. (9 letters)
- 76. A dangerous state of "volume shock" caused by losing blood or secretory fluids at a massive rate. (11 letters)
- 79. A vital steroid "for gestation" with non-genomic minutes and genomic hours of biological action. (12 letters)
- 82. A clinical state where the VSM see-saw is permanently tilted toward constriction, often by overproduced Ang II. (12 letters)
- 83. The wave-like muscular contractions of the gut that keep the "morbid matter" moving through the lumen. (11 letters)
- 84. Molecular "fashion statements" of invaders, like viral RNA or bacterial flagellin, recognized as uninvited guests. (5 letters)
- 87. A chloride channel that remains constitutively open when cAMP levels are overproduced in the intestinal epithelium. (4 letters)
- 88. The spinal cord's greeting room where primary afferent neurons drop off their heavy neural baggage for relay neurons to carry upward. (6 letters)
- 89. The equation used to calculate direction-dependent ion flow based on concentration gradients and electrical charge. (6 letters)
- 91. When a standard "ouch" becomes an unbearable "OW," thanks to an over-responsive and sensitized nervous system. (12 letters)
- 92. A narrowing of the vascular path, increasing resistance and dropping flow while Ang II looks on. (16 letters)
- 94. Biological catalysts like USP18 that act as the essential "off switch" to terminate potent immune signalling. (7 letters)
- 95. The "water-loving" nature that steroid hormones definitely lack, unlike their peptide cousins. (11 letters)
- 97. A temporary organ that joins the liver and ovaries as a major peripheral site for P4 production. (8 letters)
- 101. A substance like allopregnanolone or PdG formed by the enzymatic breakdown of our mystery molecule. (10 letters)
- 103. A specific sensory modality integrated by TRPV1; think the sting of a chili pepper rather than just a high thermometer reading. (4 letters)
- 104. The invited guest that enters through L-type channels to trigger the sliding filament model of muscular squeeze. (7 letters)
- 105. Protein disulfide isomerase; the cellular helper that assists in unfolding the toxin once it breaches the cytosol. (3 letters)
- 108. External threats inhaled in a daily dose of 100,000 fungal spores or found by the billion in a teaspoon of soil. (8 letters)
- 109. The primary barrier cells; bacterial adhesins must stick to them to colonize the gut. (10 letters)
- 113. Oral Rehydration Therapy; the simple clinical solution for replacing a massive loss of blood-volume fluid. (3 letters)