| blood crystals | <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) |
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| 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 | A cyst containing blood or resulting from the encapsulation of a haematoma. Synonym: blood cyst, haematocele, haematocyst, sanguineous cyst. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blood disk | <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 serotonin (a vasoactive amine). They also release platelet-derived growth factor which presumably contributes to later repair processes by stimulating fibroblast proliferation. Synonym: thrombocytes. (09 Oct 1997) |
| blood dust | 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, sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim, sulphapyridine, sulphasalazine, antihistamines, appetite suppressants, anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, decongestants and antihistamines, benzodiazepines, chloroquine, clozapine, dapsone, glutethimide, hydroxychloroquine, isoniazid, meprobamate and aspirin, methazolamide, perphenazine and amitriptyline, phenacemide, pimozide, rifampin, thioxanthenes, trimethobenzamide, trimethoprim and trimetaphan. (27 Sep 1997) |
| 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 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 1997) |
| 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 normal in one of two ways. The first is by comparing the colour on the end of the strip to a colour chart that is printed on the side of the test strip container. The second is by inserting the strip into a small machine, called a meter, which reads the strip and shows the level of blood glucose in a digital window display. Blood testing is more accurate than urine testing in monitoring blood glucose levels because it shows what the current level of glucose is, rather than what the level was an hour or so previously. (09 Oct 1997) |
| 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 for man, are identified by agglutinins supported by specific human or animal antisera and by lectins extracted from certain plants. See: blood group antigen. (25 Jun 1999) |
| 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 transfusion. In most cases the antigenic determinant resides in the carbohydrate chains of membrane glycoproteins or glycolipids. See: Rhesus, Duffy, Kell, Lewis and MN. (25 Jun 1999) |
| 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) |