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mondofacto - Online Medical Dictionary Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Dictionary Date & country: 26/01/2008, UK Words: 116197

blood albumin
Synonym for serum albumin ... <protein> The serum level of the low molecular protein albumin. Albumin, produced by the liver, plays an important role in maintaining plasma oncotic pressure. Normal serum albumin should be 3.5-5.0 grams per decilitre. Low serum albumin can be found in cases of liver disease and malnutrition. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood bactericidal activity
Native bactericidal property of blood due to normally occurring antibacterial substances such as beta lysin, leukin, etc. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood bank
A place, usually a separate part or division of a hospital laboratory or a separtate free-standing facility, in which blood is collected from donors, typed, separated into several components, stored, and/or prepared for transfusion to recipients. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood banks
Centres for collecting, characterizing and storing human blood. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood blister
<dermatology> A collection of blood within a skin blister that results from minor skin trauma such as a pinch or crushing injury. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood calculus
An angiolith or concretion of coagulated blood. ... Synonym: hemic calculus. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood capillary
A vessel whose wall consists of endothelium and its basement membrane; its diameter, when the capillary is open, is about 8 um; with the electron microscope, fenestrated capillary's and continuous capillary's are distinguished. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood cast
A cast usually formed in renal tubules, but may occur in bronchioles; consists of inspissated material that includes various elements of blood (i.e., erythrocytes, leukocytes, fibrin, and so on), resulting from bleeding into the glomerulus or tubule, or into the alveolus or bronchiole. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood catecholamine
<investigation> The measurement of noradrenaline and adrenaline in the blood. Often these same catecholamines can be measured in the urine. ... Elevations may be seen in pheochromocytoma or neuroblastoma. Normal blood levels of adrenaline should be: 20 ng/ml and normal blood levels of noradrenaline should be 60 ng/ml. ... (05 Jan 1998) ...

blood cell
<haematology> There are three main types of cell in the blood stream. ... The red cell, which carries oxygen, the white cell, which fights infections and the platelet, which helps prevent bleeding. The correct balance between each cell type must be maintained for the body to remain healthy. ... (13 Nov 1997) ...

blood cell count
A count of the number of leukocytes and erythrocytes per unit volume in a sample of venous blood. A complete blood count (cbc) also includes measurement of the haemoglobin, haematocrit, and erythrocyte indices. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood circulation
The course of the blood from the heart through the arteries, capillaries, and veins back again to the heart. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood circulation time
Determination of the shortest time interval between the injection of a substance in the vein and its arrival at some distant site in sufficient concentration to produce a recognizable end result. It represents approximately the inverse of the average velocity of blood flow between two points. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood clot
<haematology> The conversion of blood from a liquid form to solid through the process of coagulation. ... A thrombus is a clot which forms inside of a blood vessel. If that clot moves inside the vessel it is referred to as an embolus (embolism). The presence of atherosclerotic plaque lining blood vessel walls is a significant stimulus for clot …

blood clotting factor
<haematology> Any of a number of different protein factors which, when acting together, can form a blood clot shortly after platelets have broken at the site of the wound. ... The factors have Roman numeral names, like VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XIII. Defects in the genes which code for any of these factors result in genetic diseases like haemo …

blood coagulation
The sequential process by which the multiple coagulation factors of the blood interact, ultimately resulting in the formation of an insoluble fibrin clot; it may be divided into three stages: stage 1, the formation of intrinsic and extrinsic prothrombin converting principle; stage 2, the formation of thrombin; stage 3, the formation of stable fibri …

blood coagulation factor inhibitors
Substances, usually endogenous, that act as inhibitors of blood coagulation. They may affect one or multiple enzymes throughout the process. As a group, they also inhibit enzymes involved in processes other than blood coagulation, such as those from the complement system, fibrinolytic enzyme system, blood cells, and bacteria. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood coagulation factors
Endogenous substances, usually proteins, that participate in the blood coagulation process. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood coagulation tests
Laboratory tests for evaluating the individual's clotting mechanism. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood component removal
Any procedure in which blood is withdrawn from a donor, a portion is separated and retained and the remainder is returned to the donor. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood component transfusion
The transfer of blood components such as erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, and plasma from a donor to a recipient or back to the donor. This process differs from the procedures undertaken in plasmapheresis and types of cytapheresis (plateletpheresis and leukapheresis) where, following the removal of plasma or the specific cell components, the re …

blood corpuscle
Synonym for blood cell ... <haematology> There are three main types of cell in the blood stream. ... The red cell, which carries oxygen, the white cell, which fights infections and the platelet, which helps prevent bleeding. The correct balance between each cell type must be maintained for the body to remain healthy. ... (13 Nov 1997) ...

blood count
Synonym for Full Blood Count ... <haematology, investigation> The determination of the proper number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are present in the patients blood. ... Acronym: FBC ... (16 Dec 1997) ...

blood crisis
The appearance of a large number of nucleated red blood cells in the peripheral blood, accompanied by reticulocytosis and occurring in 'exhausted' bone marrow in pernicious anaemia and in haemolytic icterus, a suddenly appearing leukocytosis, indicating a change for the better in the course of a grave blood disease. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood crystals
Synonym for haematoidin ... <haematology> A substance which appears to be identical to the red-orange bile pigment bilirubin, but which is produced from haemoglobin in tissues rather than within the liver and usually when oxygen tension is low. ... (09 Oct 1997) ...

blood culture
<investigation, microbiology> A test which involves the incubation of a blood specimen overnight to determine if bacteria are present. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood cyst
Synonym for haemorrhagic cyst ... A cyst containing blood or resulting from the encapsulation of a haematoma. ... Synonym: blood cyst, haematocele, haematocyst, sanguineous cyst. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood disk
Synonym for platelet ... <haematology> A discoid cell (3m diameter) found in large numbers in blood, important for blood coagulation and for haemostasis by repairing breaches (small breaks) in the walls of blood vessels. ... Platelet _ granules contain lysosomal enzymes, dense granules contain ADP (a potent platelet aggregating factor) and sero …

blood dust
Synonym for haemoconia ... Small refractive particles in the circulating blood, probably lipid material associated with fragmented stroma from red blood cells. ... Synonym: blood dust, blood motes, dust corpuscles. ... Origin: haemo-+ G. Konis, dust ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood dyscrasia
<haematology> A general term which is used to describe any abnormality in the blood or bone marrow's cellular components, such as low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count or low platelet count. ... Medications known to cause thrombocytopenia or leukopenia as a side effect include: pyrimethamine, chloramphenicol, levamisole, sulpham …

blood flow velocity
A value equal to the total volume flow divided by the cross-sectional area of the vascular bed. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood gas analysis
<investigation> A test which analyses arterial blood for oxygen, carbon dioxide and bicarbonate content in addition to blood pH. Used to test the effectiveness of respiration. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood gases
A clinical expression for the determination of the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood glucose
The main sugar that the body makes from the three elements of food--proteins, fats, and carbohydrates--but mostly from carbohydrates. Glucose is the major source of energy for living cells and is carried to each cell through the bloodstream. However, the cells cannot use glucose without the help of insulin. ... (09 Oct 1997) ...

blood glucose meter
A machine that helps test how much glucose (sugar) is in the blood. A specially coated strip containing a fresh sample of blood is inserted in a machine, when then calculates the correct level of glucose in the blood sample and shows the result in a digital display. Some meters have a memory that can store results from multiple tests. ... (09 Oct 19 …

blood glucose monitoring
A way of testing how much glucose (sugar) is in the blood. A drop of blood, usually taken from the fingertip, is placed on the end of a specially coated strip, called a testing strip. The strip has a chemical on it that makes it change colour according to how much glucose is in the blood. A person can tell if the level of glucose is low, high, or n …

blood glucose self-monitoring
Self evaluation of whole blood glucose levels outside the clinical laboratory. A digital or battery-operated reflectance meter may be used. It has wide application in controlling unstable insulin-dependent diabetes. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood group
<haematology> An inherited feature on the surface of the red blood cell. A series of related blood groups make up a blood group system such as the ABO system or the Rh system. ... Erythrocytic allotypes (or phenotypes) defined by one or more cellular antigenic structural groupings under the control of allelic genes. Blood groups, especially fo …

blood group antigen
<haematology, immunology> The set of cell surface antigens found chiefly, but not solely, on blood cells. ... More than fifteen different blood group systems are recognised in humans. There may be naturally occurring antibodies without immunisation, especially in the case of the ABO system and matching blood groups is important for safe transf …

blood group incompatibility
A mismatch between donor and recipient blood. Antibodies present in the recipient's serum are directed against antigens in the donor product. Such a mismatch may result in a transfusion reaction in which, for example, donor blood is haemolyzed. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood group substance
Blood group-specific substances A and B, solution of complexes of polysaccharides and amino acids that reduces the titre of anti-A and anti-B isoagglutinins in serum from group O persons; used to render group O blood reasonably safe for transfusion into persons of group A, B, or AB, but does not affect any incompatibility that results from various …

blood grouping
The classification of blood samples by means of laboratory tests of their agglutination reactions with respect to one or more blood groups. In general, a suspension of erythrocytes to be tested is exposed to a known specific antiserum; agglutination of the erythrocytes indicates that they possess the antigen for which the antiserum is specific. Cer …

blood grouping and crossmatching
Testing erythrocytes to determine presence or absence of blood-group antigens, testing of serum to determine the presence or absence of antibodies to these antigens, and selecting biocompatible blood by crossmatching samples from the donor against samples from the recipient. Crossmatching is performed prior to transfusion. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood haemopathies
Synonym for myeloproliferative disorders ... A group of disease states which primarily involve the bone marrow and the production blood cells. ... Examples include polycythaemia vera, leukaemia, myelofibrosis and primary thrombocytopenia. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood island
An aggregation of splanchnic mesodermal cells on the embryonic yolk sac, with the potentiality of forming vascular endothelium and primitive blood cells. ... Synonym: blood islet. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood islet
Synonym for blood island ... An aggregation of splanchnic mesodermal cells on the embryonic yolk sac, with the potentiality of forming vascular endothelium and primitive blood cells. ... Synonym: blood islet. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood loss, surgical
Loss of blood during surgery. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood lymph
Lymph exuded from the blood vessels and not derived from the fluid in the tissue spaces. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood mole
Synonym for fleshy mole ... A uterine mass occurring after foetal death and consisting of blood clots, foetal membranes, and placenta. ... Synonym: blood mole, carneous mole. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood money
1. Money paid to the next of kin of a person who has been killed by another. ... 2. Money obtained as the price, or at the cost, of another's life; said of a reward for supporting a capital charge, of money obtained for betraying a fugitive or for committing murder, or of money obtained from the sale of that which will destroy the purchaser. ... Sour …

blood motes
Synonym for haemoconia ... Small refractive particles in the circulating blood, probably lipid material associated with fragmented stroma from red blood cells. ... Synonym: blood dust, blood motes, dust corpuscles. ... Origin: haemo-+ G. Konis, dust ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood patch, epidural
The injection of autologous blood into the epidural space either as a prophylactic treatment immediately following an epidural puncture or for treatment of headache as a result of an epidural puncture. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood pH
PH of arterial blood; normal is 7.4 (normal range 7.36-7.44). ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood physiology
Observable characteristics of blood activities and functions, such as blood groups, coagulation processes, etc. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood plasma
Synonym for plasma ... <haematology> Acellular fluid in which blood cells are suspended. Serum obtained by defibrinating plasma (plasma derived serum) lacks platelet released factors and is less suitable to support the growth of cells in culture. ... (13 Oct 1997) ...

blood plasma fractions
Portions of the blood plasma as separated by electrophoresis or other technique. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood plastid
Any basic, morphologic unit in the biologic composition of blood, e.g., an erythrocyte. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood platelets
Non-nucleated disk-shaped cells formed in the megakaryocyte and found in the blood of all mammals. They are mainly involved in blood coagulation. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood poisoning
See: septicaemia, pyaemia. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood pool imaging
Nuclear medicine study using a radionuclide that is confined to the vascular compartment. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood porphyrin level
A test which is used to measure red blood cell porphyrin levels. Porphyrins are pigments found in both animal and plant life. ... This test is useful in evaluating any number of porphyrin disorders (involving the various porphyrins) of red blood cells. ... Increased levels of coproporphyrins can indicate congenital erythropoietic porphyria or siderob …

blood pressure
<cardiology, physiology> The force that the circulating blood exerts on the walls of the arteries. ... This measurement is divided into systolic (pressure during contraction of the heart) and diastolic (pressure during relaxation phase). ... Blood pressure varies with age and sex of the individual. A rough rule of thumb for normal systolic pres …

blood pressure determination
Techniques for measuring blood pressure. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood pressure monitors
Devices for continuously measuring and displaying the arterial blood pressure. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood pressure, high
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. High blood pressure is also called the silent killer. Chronically high blood pressure can cause blood vessel changes in the back of the eye (retina), thickening of the heart muscle, kidney failure, and brain damage. No specific cause for high bloo …

blood products
Biopharmaceutical products purified from human blood, such as the blood clotting factor VIII used to treat haemophiliacs. (Recombinant factor VIII is also on the market.) The term also refers to biopharmaceuticals that act on blood or the cells that make blood. These products are often produced by the cells themselves, but in such tiny amounts that …

blood protein electrophoresis
Electrophoresis applied to blood proteins. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood proteins
The hundreds of different proteins present in blood plasma, including carrier proteins (such as serum albumin, transferrin, and haptoglobins), fibrinogen and other blood coagulation factors, complement components, immunoglobulins, enzyme inhibitors, precursors of substances such as the angiotensins and bradykinin, and many other types of proteins.< …

blood puzzles
Foreign bodies or deformed blood cells that may be misinterpreted as infectious agents (e.g., bacteria, fungi) in stained films as a result of similarities in morphology and staining properties. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood relationship
Synonym for consanguinity ... A relationship that share a common bloodline, descent from a common ancestor. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood relative
A relative of a person sharing some of the sources from which genes are derived. These will include many of the genes that operate in the blood and its constituents but no special importance attaches to the blood as a vehicle of inheritance. Spouses are not ordinarily blood relatives and when they are, the marriage is consanguineous and carries a h …

blood sedimentation
Measurement of rate of settling of erythrocytes in anticoagulated blood. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood smear
A sample of blood is applied to a microscope slide and then studied under the microscope. Red blood cell appearance and differential is analysed. ... Red blood size, shape and colour are commented on. Conditions such as hereditary spherocytosis, haemolytic anaemia, sickle cell anaemia, TTP, DIC, thalassaemia, pernicious anaemia, myelodysplasia, G6PD …

blood spavin
A distention of the veins in the vicinity of the tarsus in a horse, due to pressure from the swelling of bog spavin impeding the return flow of blood. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood specimen collection
The taking of a blood sample to determine its character as a whole, to identify levels of its component cells, chemicals, gases, or other constituents, to perform pathological examination, etc. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood spots
Haemorrhagic graafian follicles seen in ovaries of mice, caused by injection of urine of pregnant women; a positive result in the now obsolete Aschheim-Zondek test for pregnancy. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood stains
Antigenic characteristics and DNA fingerprint patterns identified from blood stains. Their primary value is in criminal cases. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood substitute
Any material (e.g., human plasma, serum albumin, or a solution of such substances as dextran) used for transfusion in haemorrhage and shock. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood substitutes
Substances that can carry oxygen to and carbon dioxide away from the tissues when introduced into the blood stream. They are used to replace haemoglobin in severe haemorrhage and also to perfuse isolated organs. The best known are perfluorocarbon emulsions and various haemoglobin solutions. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood sugar, high
Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) can be found in a number of conditions. The hyperglycaemia leads to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine. (Diabetes mellitus means sweet urine. ) ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood sugar, low
The sugar here is glucose. Low blood glucose constitutes hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia is only significant when it is associated with symptoms. It has many causes including drugs, liver disease, surgical absence of the stomach, pre-diabetes, and rare tumours that release excess insulin. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood transfusion
The process of infusing blood products into a patient to raise the individuals concentration of red blood cells. Blood is typed (A, B, O or AB) and crossmatched (mixed together to see if its compatible) prior to transfusion. ... (27 Sep 1997) ...

blood transfusion reaction
This refers to an immune response against transfused blood cells. Antigens, on the surface of red blood cells, are recognised as foreign proteins and can stimulate sensitised lymphocytes to produce antibodies to the red blood cell antigens. This triggers a complex immunological reaction that results in the destruction of the transfused red blood ce …

blood transfusion, autologous
Reinfusion of blood or blood products derived from the patient's own circulation. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood transfusion, intrauterine
Transfusion of rh-negative blood into the peritoneal cavity of an unborn infant in the treatment of foetal erythroblastosis (erythroblastosis, foetal) in utero. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood tumour
Term sometimes used to denote an aneurysm, haemorrhagic cyst, or haematoma. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood type
The specific reaction pattern of erythrocytes of an individual to the antisera of one blood group; e.g., the ABO blood group consists of four major blood types: O, A, B, and AB. This classification depends on the presence or absence of two major antigens: A or B. Type O occurs when neither is present and type AB when both are present. The blood typ …

blood urea nitrogen
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is a metabolic by product (in the liver) from the breakdown of blood, muscle and protein. Blood urea nitrogen can be measured from a simple venipuncture specimen. Abnormal elevation in the blood urea nitrogen can indicate renal disease, dehydration, congestive heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, starvation, shock or …

blood vessel
<anatomy> All the vessels lined with endothelium through which blood circulates. ... (18 Nov 1997) ...

blood vessel prosthesis
Prosthesis, constructed of either synthetic or biological material, which is used for the repair of injured or diseased blood vessels. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood vessels
Any of the tubular vessels conveying the blood (arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins). ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood viscosity
The internal resistance of the blood to shear forces. The in vitro measure of whole blood viscosity is of limited clinical utility because it bears little relationship to the actual viscosity within the circulation, but an increase in the viscosity of circulating blood can contribute to morbidity in patients suffering from disorders such as sickle …

blood volume
Volume of circulating blood. It is the sum of the plasma volume and erythrocyte volume. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood volume determination
Method for determining the circulating blood volume by introducing a known quantity of foreign substance into the blood and determining its concentration some minutes later when thorough mixing has occurred. From these two values the blood volume can be calculated by dividing the quantity of injected material by its concentration in the blood at th …

blood volume nomogram
A nomogram used to predict blood volume on the basis of the individual's weight and height. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...

blood-air barrier
The barrier between capillary blood and alveolar air comprising the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium with their adherent basement membranes and epithelial cell cytoplasm. Gaseous exchange occurs across this membrane. ... (12 Dec 1998) ...

blood-aqueous barrier
The anatomical mechanism that prevents exchange of materials between the chambers of the eye and the blood. The tight junctions of the nonpigmented epithelium of the ciliary body, the junctions of the iris tissues, and iris blood vessels constitute the blood-aqueous barrier. Lipid-soluble substances such as oxygen and carbon dioxide penetrate the b …

blood-borne pathogens
Infectious organisms in the blood, of which the predominant medical interest is their contamination of blood-soiled linens, towels, gowns, bandages, other items from individuals in risk categories, needles and other sharp objects, and medical and dental waste, all of which health workers are exposed to. This concept is differentiated from the clini …

blood-brain barrier
<pharmacology, physiology> A protective barrier formed by the blood vessels and glia of the brain. It prevents some substances in the blood from entering brain tissue. ... The blood vessels of the brain (and the retina) are much more impermeable to large molecules (like antibodies) than blood vessels elsewhere in the body. This has important i …

blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier
A barrier located at the tight junctions which surround and connect the cuboidal epithelial cells on the surface of the choroid plexus; capillaries and connective tissue stroma of the choroid do not represent a barrier to protein tracers or dyes. ... (05 Mar 2000) ...