| PU | palindromic unit; passed urine; pepsin unit; peptic ulcer; pregnancy urine; 6-propyluracil; prostati... |
|---|---|
| RTU | real-time ultrasonography; relative time unit; renal transplantation unit |
| SCU | self-care unit; special care unit |
| SDU | standard deviation unit; step-down unit |
| SICU | spinal intensive care unit; surgical intensive care unit |
Q blood group system
| USP unit | A unit as defined and adopted by the United States Pharmacopeia. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| Fishman-Lerner unit | A unit of serum acid phosphatase activity based upon measurement of the amount of phenol released from a phenylphosphate substrate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Florey unit | <microbiology> The minimum amount of penicillin which will prevent the growth of Staphylococcus aureus over an area 26 mm in diameter in a standard culture medium; 1 unit equals 0.6 ug of crystalline sodium salt of penicillin. Synonym: Florey unit. (05 Mar 2000) |
| focus-forming unit | A measurement of the concentration of live virus in a given amount of fluid. This is measured by spreading a known amount of the fluid over a layer of cultured cells which are infected by the virus, then counting the number of areas in the culture which look infected. (09 Oct 1997) |
| laminar air flow unit | An air-filtering system used at some transplant facilities to remove particulate matter and fungi from the air. (16 Dec 1997) |
| lung unit | A respiratory bronchiole together with the alveolar ducts and sacs and pulmonary alveoli into which the respiratory bronchiole leads, considered by some to include the terminal bronchiole and its subdivisions, and called a pulmonary acinus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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-air barrier | The barrier between capillary blood and alveolar air comprising the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium with their adherent basement membranes and epithelial cell cytoplasm. Gaseous exchange occurs across this membrane. (12 Dec 1998) |
| 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-aqueous barrier | The anatomical mechanism that prevents exchange of materials between the chambers of the eye and the blood. The tight junctions of the nonpigmented epithelium of the ciliary body, the junctions of the iris tissues, and iris blood vessels constitute the blood-aqueous barrier. Lipid-soluble substances such as oxygen and carbon dioxide penetrate the barrier at a high rate. Sodium, larger water-soluble ions, proteins, and other large and medium-sized molecules are restricted. (12 Dec 1998) |