| 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) |
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| 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) |
| red blood cell count | A normal value is 4.6-6.2 million RBC's per cubic millimetre of blood. This number can increase in cases of dehydration (fluid loss) or severe lung disease. Interestingly, red blood cell counts are much higher in those who live at high altitude, because of the increased demand for oxygen carrying capacity. (27 Sep 1997) |
| red blood cell indices | Laboratory measurements of red blood cell volume, size and haemoglobin concentration. These values are used to point to the specific cause for anaemia (iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, etc.) (27 Sep 1997) |
| red cell adherence phenomenon | A phenomenon manifested by the adherence of antigen-antibody-complement complex to "indicator cells" (microorganisms, platelets, leukocytes, or erythrocytes), the reaction being sensitive and specific for the antigen and antibody in the complex. Synonym: erythrocyte adherence phenomenon, immune adherence phenomenon, red cell adherence phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| red cell adherence test | The diagnostic application of the immune adhesion phenomenon. Synonym: erythrocyte adherence test, immune adhesion test, red cell adherence test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| red-cell aplasia, pure | Suppression of erythropoiesis with little or no abnormality of leukocyte or platelet production. (12 Dec 1998) |
| red 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) |
| Reed-Sternberg cell | <haematology, pathology> A type of cell that appears in patients with Hodgkin's disease. The number of these cells increases as the disease advances. (12 May 1997) |
| viable cell count | Number of cells in a given area or volume that are thriving. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mature cell leukaemia | Chronic granulocytic leukaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Mauthner's cell | <marine biology> A large neuron of the spinal cord with its cell body located in the metencephalon of fish and amphibia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| caterpillar cell | A large mononuclear cell found in connective tissue of the heart wall in inflammatory conditions, especially in the Aschoff body. The ovoid nucleus contains a central chromatin mass appearing as a wavy bar in longitudinal section. Synonym: Anitschkow cell, Anitschkow myocyte, caterpillar cell. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gitter cell | A lipid-laden microglial phagocyte commonly seen at the edge of healing brain infarcts, a result of cellular phagocytosis of lipid from necrotic or degenerating brain cells. Synonym: compound granule cell. Origin: Ger. Gitterzelle, fr. Gitter, lattice, wire-net (05 Mar 2000) |
| M cell | <cell biology> An autonomous self replicating unit (in principle) that may constitute an organism (in the case of unicellular organisms) or be a sub unit of multicellular organisms in which individual cells may be more or less specialised differentiated) for particular functions. The individual units from which tissues of the body are formed. All living organisms are composed of one or more cells. (26 Mar 1998) |