| BB | bad breath; bed bath; beta blockade, beta blocker; BioBreeding [rat]; blanket bath; blood bank; bloo... |
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| BBB | blood-brain barrier; blood buffer base; bundle-branch block |
| BC | Bachelor of Surgery [Lat. Baccal-aureus Chirurgiae]; back care; bactericidal concentration; basal ce... |
| BLS | bare lymphocyte syndrome; basic life support; blind loop syndrome; blood and lymphatic system; blood... |
| BLT | bleeding time; blood-clot lysis time; blood test |
| blood coagulation | The sequential process by which the multiple coagulation factors of the blood interact, ultimately resulting in the formation of an insoluble fibrin clot; it may be divided into three stages: stage 1, the formation of intrinsic and extrinsic prothrombin converting principle; stage 2, the formation of thrombin; stage 3, the formation of stable fibrin polymers. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| blood coagulation factor inhibitors | Substances, usually endogenous, that act as inhibitors of blood coagulation. They may affect one or multiple enzymes throughout the process. As a group, they also inhibit enzymes involved in processes other than blood coagulation, such as those from the complement system, fibrinolytic enzyme system, blood cells, and bacteria. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood coagulation factors | Endogenous substances, usually proteins, that participate in the blood coagulation process. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood coagulation tests | Laboratory tests for evaluating the individual's clotting mechanism. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood component removal | Any procedure in which blood is withdrawn from a donor, a portion is separated and retained and the remainder is returned to the donor. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood component transfusion | The transfer of blood components such as erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, and plasma from a donor to a recipient or back to the donor. This process differs from the procedures undertaken in plasmapheresis and types of cytapheresis (plateletpheresis and leukapheresis) where, following the removal of plasma or the specific cell components, the remainder is transfused back to the donor. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood corpuscle | <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 count | <haematology, investigation> The determination of the proper number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are present in the patients blood. Acronym: FBC (16 Dec 1997) |
| blood crisis | The appearance of a large number of nucleated red blood cells in the peripheral blood, accompanied by reticulocytosis and occurring in "exhausted" bone marrow in pernicious anaemia and in haemolytic icterus, a suddenly appearing leukocytosis, indicating a change for the better in the course of a grave blood disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |
| 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) |