| blood | <haematology> Considered a circulating tissue composed of a fluid portion (plasma) with suspended formed elements (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). Arterial blood is the means by which oxygen and nutrients are transported to tissues, venous blood is the means by which carbon dioxide and metabolic by-products are transported for excretion. (05 Jan 1998) |
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| blood agar | <cell culture> An agar-based medium which hasbeen enriched with sterilised, defibinated blood (sheep, rabbit or horse). It is used for primary plating andsubculturing, especially to determine bacterial haemolysis. (09 Oct 1997) |
| blood 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) |
| ABO blood group | <haematology> The major human blood type system which describes the oligosaccharide glycoprotein antigens found on the surface of human blood cells. According to the type of antigen present, a person may be assigned a blood type of A, B, AB or O. A second type of antigen, the Rh factor, renders a positive or negative blood type. The ABO blood group system is important because it determines who can donate blood to or accept blood from whom. Type A or AB blood will cause an immune reaction in people with type B blood and type B and AB blood will cause a reaction in people with type A blood. Conversely, type O blood has no A or B antigens, so people with type O blood are universal donors. And since AB blood already produces both antigens, people who are type AB can accept any of the other blood types without suffering an immune reaction. (04 Jul 1999) |
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| Almen's test for blood | Glacial acetic acid, gum guaiac solution, and hydrogen peroxide are added to an aqueous suspension of the suspected stain; if occult blood or blood pigment is present, a blue colour develops. Synonym: guaiac test, Schonbein's test, van Deen's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arterial blood | Blood that is oxygenated in the lungs, found in the left chambers of the heart and in the arteries, and relatively bright red. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arterial blood gas | 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. Acronym: ABG (17 Oct 1997) |
| Bordet-Gengou potato blood agar | Glycerine-potato agar with 25% of blood, used for the isolation of Bordetella pertussis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| buffer value of the blood | The ability of the blood to compensate for additions of acid or alkali without disturbance of the pH. (05 Mar 2000) |
| carbon dioxide blood level | A measure of the bicarbonate level in the blood based on a venipuncture specimen. The serum carbon dioxide is one of the normally reported values in the electrolytes profile. Lower levels of carbon dioxide indicate an acidosis. The normal level is 20 to 29 mEq/L. Lower than normal levels can indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, lactic acidosis, alcoholic ketoacidosis, kidney disease, renal failure, diarrhoea, Addison's disease, ethylene glycol poisoning or methanol poisoning. Greater than normal levels can be seen with excessive vomiting, hyperaldosteronism and Cushing's syndrome. (27 Sep 1997) |
| cardiac blood pool imaging | This noninvasive test uses radioactive tracers to delineate the hearts chambers and major vessels. It may be used to detect a heart attack, heart muscle function and coronary artery disease. The patient receives a radioactive tracer by injection (into a vein) and then the heart is imaged using a gamma camera. The heart is imaged before and after exercise. This test may be used to detect and evaluate atrial septal defect, dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, Lyme disease (secondary), mitral stenosis and superior vena cava syndrome. (27 Sep 1997) |
| MacNeal's tetrachrome blood stain | <technique> A stain for blood smears comprised of a mixture of methylene blue, azure A, methylene violet, and eosin Y. (05 Mar 2000) |
| packed human blood cells | Whole blood from which plasma has been removed; may be prepared any time during the dating period of the whole blood from which it is derived, but not later than six days after the blood has been drawn if separation of plasma and cell's is achieved by centrifugation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| packed red blood cell | <haematology> Red blood cells collected from one individual that are packed into a small volume for transfusion into a patient. (16 Dec 1997) |
| gated blood pool imaging | Radionuclide ventriculography where scintigraphic data is acquired during repeated cardiac cycles at specific times in the cycle, using an electrocardiographic synchroniser or gating device. Analysis of right ventricular function is difficult with this technique; that is best evaluated by first-pass ventriculography (ventriculography, first-pass). (12 Dec 1998) |
| venous blood | Blood which has passed through the capillaries of various tissues, except the lungs, and is found in the veins, the right chambers of the heart, and the pulmonary arteries; it is usually dark red as a result of a lower content of oxygen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| red blood cell | <haematology> Cell specialised for oxygen transport, having a high concentration of haemoglobin in the cytoplasm (and little else). Biconcave, anucleate discs, 7nm diameter in mammals, nucleus contracted and chromatin condensed in other vertebrates. Acronym: RBC (18 Nov 1997) |
| red blood cell cast | A urinary cast composed of a matrix containing red cells in various stages of degeneration and visibility, characteristic of glomerular disease or renal parenchymal bleeding. Synonym: red cell cast. (05 Mar 2000) |