Copy of `Dorland's Medical Dictionary`

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Dorland's Medical Dictionary
Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Dictionary
Date & country: 31/12/2010, USA
Words: 39128


blood type
blood group. the phenotype of an individual with respect to a blood group system.

blood urea nitrogen
(BUN) see urea nitrogen.

blood vessel
any of the vessels conveying the blood; an artery, arteriole, vein, venule, or capillary.

blood volume
the total quantity of blood in the body; the plasma volume added to the red cell volume. The regulation of blood volume in the circulatory system is done by intrinsic mechanisms for fluid exchange at the capillary membranes and by hormonal influences and nervous reflexes that affect the excretion of fluids by the kidneys. A rap...

blood-air barrier
alveolocapillary membrane.

blood-aqueous barrier
the physiologic mechanism that prevents exchange of materials between the chambers of the eye and the blood.

blood-brain barrier
(BBB) blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier the barrier that separates blood from brain tissue everywhere except in the hypothalamus. It is permeable to water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nonionic solutes such as glucose, alcohol, and general anesthetics; it is only slightly permeable to electrolytes and other io...

blood-gas barrier
alveolocapillary membrane.

blood-retinal barrier
a transport barrier for certain substances, between the retinal capillaries and retinal tissue, consisting of specialized tightly joined endothelial cells.

blood-testis barrier
a barrier separating the blood from the seminiferous tubules, consisting of special junctional complexes between adjacent Sertoli cells near the base of the seminiferous epithelium.

blood-urea clearance
urea clearance.

blood-vascular system
the blood vessels of the body; see circulatory system..

bloodstream
(blud´strēm) blood stream the blood flowing through the circulatory system in the living body. Also written blood stream.

Bloom syndrome
(blldbomacm) an autosomal recessive syndrome consisting of erythema and telangiectasia in a butterfly distribution on the face, photosensitivity, and well-proportioned dwarfism of prenatal onset. Immunoglobulins show abnormalities and there is a high incidence of malignancy, especially leukemia. Many patients are of Ash...

blooming
(blldbomacm´ing) in radiology, a change in size of the focal spot, usually an increase.

blot
(blot) to transfer ionic solutes, such as DNA, RNA, or proteins, onto a membrane, filter, treated paper, or other immobilizing matrix for analysis, often after first using electrophoresis to separate fragments of different size. the matrix containing the transferred material in such a process. ...

Blount disease
(blunt) tibia vara.

blow-out fracture
fracture of the orbital floor caused by a sudden increase of intraorbital pressure due to traumatic force; the orbital contents herniate into the maxillary sinus so that the inferior rectus or inferior oblique muscle may become incarcerated in the fracture site, producing diplopia on looking up.

blowing wound
open pneumothorax.

blowpipe
(blo´pīp) a tube through which a current of air or other gas is forced upon a flame to concentrate and intensify the heat.

BLS
basic life support.

blue baby
an infant born with cyanosis, a bluish color due to abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the circulating blood, usually due to one or more defect(s) of the heart or great vessels. See also congenital heart defect.

blue blindness
blue-yellow blindness popular names for imperfect perception of blue and yellow tints; see tritanopia and tetartanopia.

blue cataract
blue dot cataract a small, round developmental opacity that appears white, brown, or blue; it is common in the periphery of the cortex and occasionally moves into the axial zone of the lens; it rarely affects vision. Called also cerulean or punctate cataract. coronary cataract.

blue diaper syndrome
a defect of tryptophan absorption in which, because of intestinal bacterial action on the tryptophan, the urine contains abnormal indoles, giving it a blue color. It is similar to Hartnup disease and is thought to have autosomal recessive inheritance.

blue dome cyst
a benign, blue retention cyst of the breast; see also cystic disease of breast.

blue line
lead line. bismuth line.

blue nevus
a dark blue nodular lesion composed of closely grouped melanocytes and melanophages in the mid-dermis.

blue rubber bleb nevus
a rare, sometimes hereditary nevus characterized by multiple bluish cutaneous hemangiomas with soft raised centers, found on the skin surface, in the gastrointestinal tract, and sometimes on mucous membranes. It may be accompanied by pain, excessive sweating, or gastrointestinal bleeding.

blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome
a rare syndrome, sometimes autosomal dominant, of multiple blue rubber bleb nevi associated with hemangiomas of the gastrointestinal tract, which bleed readily and cause chronic iron deficiency anemia; most cases present in infancy or childhood, but some do not appear until later. Called also Bean syndrome.

blue toe syndrome
a blue color of the toes, sometimes bilateral, with skin necrosis and ischemic gangrene, resulting from arterial occlusion by emboli, thrombi, or injury.

blue-green bacteria
see Cyanobacteria.

blues
(blldbomacz) popular term for a state of sadness; see depression. maternity blues , postpartum blues popular terms for postpartum depression.

bluetongue virus
a virus of the genus Orbivirus, separable into at least 24 serotypes, that is the etiologic agent of bluetongue.

Blumberg sign
(blum´bәrg) pain on abrupt release of steady pressure (rebound tenderness) over the site of a suspected abdominal lesion, seen in peritonitis.

Blumenthal lesion
a proliferative vascular lesion seen in the smaller arteries in diabetes mellitus.

blunt dissection
separation of tissues along natural lines of cleavage, by means of a blunt instrument or finger.

blunted affect
severe reduction in the intensity of affect; a common symptom of schizophrenic disorders.

blur
(blәr) lack of sharpness in an x-ray image, usually due to patient motion.

blush
(blush) sudden, brief erythema of the face and neck, resulting from vascular dilatation due to emotion or heat.

BMA
British Medical Association.

BMI
body mass index.

BMR
basal metabolic rate.

BMT
bone marrow transplantation.

Boas point
Boas sign a point to the left of the twelfth thoracic vertebra that becomes tender upon pressure in patients with gastric ulcer.

Bobath method
(bo´baht) a neurophysiological rehabilitation approach based on a hierarchical nervous system; the principles focus on the inhibition of abnormal tone by using reflex inhibiting patterns and on the promotion of basic movement patterns that occur in an automatic fashion, such as equilibrium, righting reflexes, and ...

Bochdalek hernia
a congenital diaphragmatic hernia in a posterolateral location, with intestine and other abdominal organs protruding into the thorax; it is due to failure of closure of the pleuroperitoneal hiatus.

Bock-Greissinger foot
a prosthetic foot that allows ankle motion.

Bodal test
test of color perception by the use of colored blocks.

body
(bod´e) trunk (def. 1). the largest and most important part of any organ. any mass or collection of material.

body dysmorphic disorder
a somatoform disorder in which a normal-appearing person is either preoccupied with an imagined defect in appearance or is overly concerned about a very slight physical anomaly. See also body image. Called also dysmorphophobia.

body fluids
the fluids within the body, composed of water, electrolytes, and nonelectrolytes. The volume and distribution of body fluids vary with age, sex, and amount of adipose tissue. Throughout life there is a slow decline in the volume of body fluids; obesity decreases the relative amount of water in the body. It has two compone...

body image
the total concept, including conscious and unconscious feelings, thoughts, and perceptions, that a person has of his or her own body as an object in space independent and apart from other objects. The body image develops during infancy and childhood from exploration of the body surface and orifices, from development of ph...

body mass index
(BMI) the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters, a measure of body fat that gives an indication of nutritional status.

body of Luys syndrome
hemiballismus.

body of Retzius
a protoplasmic mass containing pigment granules at the lower end of a hair cell of the organum spirale.

body of sternum
the second or main part of the sternum, bounded by the manubrium above and the xiphoid process below. Called also gladiolus and corpus sterni.

body section radiography
tomography.

body temperature
the temperature of the body of a human or animal; it represents a balance between the heat produced by the body and the heat it loses. Though heat production and heat loss vary with circumstances, the body regulates them, keeping a remarkably constant temperature. An abnormal rise in body temperature is called fever and a...

body temperature method
a type of natural family planning in which measurements of the woman's body temperature are taken to determine when to abstain from sexual intercourse during the menstrual cycle. See contraception.

body type
a constellation of traits related to body build.

bodywork
(bod´e-wәrk″) a general term for therapeutic methods that center on the body for the promotion of physical health and emotional and spiritual well-being, comprising a wide variety of techniques, including massage, various systems of touch and manipulation, relaxation techniques, and practices designed to aff...

Boeck disease
(bәrk) sarcoidosis.

Boerhaave syndrome
(boor´hah-vē) spontaneous rupture of the esophagus.

Bohr effect
decreased affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen caused by an increase of carbon dioxide; the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve is displaced to the right because of higher partial pressure of carbon dioxide and lower pH. See also Haldane effect.

boil
(boil) a painful nodule in the skin caused by circumscribed inflammation of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, enclosing a central pus-filled core. Boils occur most often on the neck and buttocks, although they may develop wherever friction, irritation, or a scratch or break in the skin allows bacteria from the s...

boiling point
the temperature at which a liquid will boil; at sea level the boiling point of water is 100°C (212°F).

Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
a hemorrhagic fever occurring in rural areas of tropical northeastern Bolivia, caused by the Machupo virus, whose natural reservoir is the mouse Calomys callosus; humans become infected by direct contact with mice or their excreta. The clinical manifestations and epidemiology are almost identical to those of Argentine hemorrhag...

Bolivian hemorrhagic fever virus
Machupo virus.

bolometer
(bo-lom´ә-tәr) an instrument for measuring the force of the heartbeat. an instrument for measuring minute degrees of radiant heat.

bolster suture
a suture the ends of which are tied over a tiny roll of gauze or a piece of rubber tubing, in order to lessen the pressure on the skin.

Bolton point
a craniometric landmark located at the top of the convex curvature of the retrocondylar fossa, posterior to the condyle and between it and the basal surface of the occipital bone. Called also point Bo.

bolus
(bo´lәs) a rounded mass of food or pharmaceutical preparation ready to be swallowed, or such a mass passing through the gastrointestinal tract. a concentrated mass of pharmaceutical preparation (such as an opaque contrast medium) that is given intravenously or swallowed. a mass of scatt...

bombesin
(bom´bә-sin) a tetradecapeptide neurotransmitter and hormone found in the brain and intestine; it is also found increased in cultures of small cell carcinoma of the lung.

bond
(bond) the linkage between atoms or radicals of a chemical compound, or the symbol representing this linkage and indicating the number and attachment of the valencies of an atom in constitutional formulas, represented by a pair of dots or a line between atoms, such as H—O—H, H—CtbondC—H or ...

bonding
(bond´ing) joining together securely with an adhesive substance. development of a close emotional tie to a mate or to a newborn; it is thought that optimal bonding of the parents to a newborn requires a period of close contact in the first few hours after birth. dental bonding ...

bone
(bōn) the hard, rigid type of connective tissue that makes up most of the skeleton of a vertebrate and is composed chiefly of calcium salts. any distinct piece of the skeleton of the body of a vertebrate. There are 206 separate bones in the human body; they are bound together by ligaments at the joints and ...

bone atrophy
resorption of bone evident both in external form and in internal density; see also osteoporosis.

bone cell
a type of nucleated cell found in the lacunae of bone; called also osteocyte.

bone conduction
conduction of sound waves to the inner ear through the bones of the skull.

bone conduction tests
tests of bone conduction in the ear; see tuning fork tests.

bone flap
craniotomy involving elevation of a section of the skull.

bone graft
bone transplanted from one site to another.

bone lacuna
a small cavity within the bone matrix, containing an osteocyte, and from which slender canaliculi radiate and penetrate the adjacent lamellae to anastomose with the canaliculi of neighboring lacunae, thus forming a system of cavities interconnected by minute canals.

bone marrow failure
failure of the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow; see also bone marrow suppression.

bone marrow transplantation
the intravenous infusion of bone marrow; the marrow may be autologous (from a previously harvested and stored self-donation) or allogeneic (from a living related donor or a living unrelated donor). Used to treat malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and selected solid tumors, as well as nonmalignant conditions such as apl...

bone morphogenetic protein
(BMP) any of a group of related proteins involved in induction of bone and cartilage formation and important in embryonic patterning and early skeleton formation. They are metal-containing enzymes with several highly conserved regions and are members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily of pr...

bongkrek poisoning
poisoning from bongkrek, an Indonesian dish prepared by means of molds from copra press cake. When the fermentation process is faulty, severe poisoning occurs, with vomiting, profuse perspiration, muscle cramps, and coma. Called also tempeh poisoning.

Bonine
(bo´nēn) trademark for preparations of meclizine, an antinauseant.

Bonnet sign
pain on thigh adduction in sciatica.

Bonnet-Dechaume-Blanc syndrome
(bo-na´ dә-shōm´ blah´) Wyburn-Mason syndrome.

bony ankylosis
union of the bones of a joint by loss of articular cartilage, resulting in complete immobility.

bony impaction
a dental impaction in which the blockage consists of both bone and soft tissue.

bony labyrinth
the bony part of the inner ear; called also osseous labyrinth. See illustration at membranous labyrinth.

bony tissue
osseous tissue.

book retinoscopy
dynamic retinoscopy in which the patient focuses on reading a book; commonly used with children.

Boophilus
(bo-of´ĭ-lәs) a genus of hard-bodied ticks that transmit babesiosis.

booster dose
an amount of immunogen (vaccine, toxoid, or other antigen preparation), usually smaller than the original amount, injected at an appropriate interval after primary immunization to sustain the immune response to that immunogen.

booster phenomenon
(bldbomacs´ter) on a tuberculin test, an initial false negative result due to a decreased amnestic response that becomes positive on subsequent testing.

boot
(bldbomact) an encasement for the foot; a protective casing or sheath. Gibney boot an adhesive tape support used in treatment of sprains and other painful conditions of the ankle, the tape being applied in a basket-weave fashion with strips placed alternately under the sole of th...