| AW | able to work; above waist; abrupt withdrawal; alcohol withdrawal; alveolar wall; anterior wall; atom... |
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| AWBM | alveolar wall basement membrane |
| BA | Bachelor of Arts; backache; bacterial agglutination; basilar artery; basion; benzyladenine; best amp... |
| BALF | broncho-alveolar lavage fluid |
| BALT | broncho-alveolar lavage fluid; bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue |
| bone lengthening | Increase in the longest dimension of a bone to correct anatomical deficiencies, congenital, traumatic, or as a result of disease. The lengthening is not restricted to long bones. The usual surgical methods are internal fixation and distraction. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| bone malalignment | Displacement of bones out of line in relation to joints. It may be congenital or traumatic in origin. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone marrow | <haematology> The soft, spongy tissue found in the centre of most large bones that produces the cellular components of blood: white cells, red cells and platelets (haemopoiesis). It is also the most radiation sensitive tissue of the body. (12 May 1997) |
| bone marrow aspirate | <procedure> A small volume of bone marrow removed under local or general anaesthetic from either the hip bone (pelvis) or breast bone (sternum). The cells in the sample can then be examined under the microscope to identify any abnormality in the developing blood cells. (13 Nov 1997) |
| bone marrow aspiration | <procedure> Procedure used to remove a sample of bone marrow, usually from the rear hip bone, for examination under the microscope. (16 Dec 1997) |
| bone marrow biopsy | <procedure> A test involving the insertion of a thin needle into the breastbone or more commonly, the hip, in order to aspirate a sample of the marrow. A small piece of cortical bone may also be obtained for biopsy. Anaemia of unknown cause is often investigated using this test. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bone marrow biopsy and aspiration | <procedure> A procedure in which a needle is inserted into the centre of a bone, usually the hip, to remove a small amount of bone marrow for microscopic examination. (09 Oct 1997) |
| bone marrow cells | The fat cells (adipocytes), large nucleated cells or myelocytes, and giant cells called megakaryocytes, filling the meshes making up the bone marrow, a meshwork of connective tissue containing branching fibres. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone marrow dose | The cumulative dose to the blood-forming organ from therapeutic or nuclear fallout irradiation; the presumed leukemogenic dose. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bone marrow embolism | Obstruction of a vessel by bone marrow, usually following fracture of a bone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bone marrow examination | Removal of bone marrow and evaluation of its histologic picture. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone marrow harvesting | <procedure> A medical procedure which involves collecting healthy bone marrow which willbe stored and used in a future bone marrow transplant. (09 Oct 1997) |
| bone marrow neoplasms | Neoplasms located in the bone marrow. They are differentiated from neoplasms composed of bone marrow cells, such as myeloma. most bone marrow neoplasms are metastatic. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone marrow purging | Techniques for the removal of subpopulations of cells (usually residual tumour cells) from the bone marrow ex vivo before it is infused. The purging is achieved by a variety of agents including pharmacologic agents, biophysical agents (laser photoirradiation or radioisotopes) and immunologic agents. Bone marrow purging is used in both autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone marrow suppression | <oncology, pharmacology> A side effect of many anticancer and antiviral drugs, including AZT. Bone marrow suppression leads to a decrease in white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Such reductions in turn result in anaemia, bacterial infections and spontaneous or excess bleeding. (09 Oct 1997) |