| NOS | network operating system; nitric oxide synthetase; non-organ-specific; not on staff; not otherwise s... |
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| OAR | organ at risk |
| OC | obstetrical conjugate; occlusocervical; office call; on call; only child; optic chiasma; oral contra... |
| OPO | Organ Procurement Organization |
| OS | left eye [Lat. oculus sinister]; occipitosacral; occupational safety; office surgery; Omenn syndrome... |
| blood cell count | A count of the number of leukocytes and erythrocytes per unit volume in a sample of venous blood. A complete blood count (cbc) also includes measurement of the haemoglobin, haematocrit, and erythrocyte indices. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier | A barrier located at the tight junctions which surround and connect the cuboidal epithelial cells on the surface of the choroid plexus; capillaries and connective tissue stroma of the choroid do not represent a barrier to protein tracers or dyes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blood circulation | The course of the blood from the heart through the arteries, capillaries, and veins back again to the heart. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blood circulation time | Determination of the shortest time interval between the injection of a substance in the vein and its arrival at some distant site in sufficient concentration to produce a recognizable end result. It represents approximately the inverse of the average velocity of blood flow between two points. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood clot | <haematology> The conversion of blood from a liquid form to solid through the process of coagulation. A thrombus is a clot which forms inside of a blood vessel. If that clot moves inside the vessel it is referred to as an embolus (embolism). The presence of atherosclerotic plaque lining blood vessel walls is a significant stimulus for clot formation. (27 Sep 1997) |
| blood clotting factor | <haematology> Any of a number of different protein factors which, when acting together, can form a blood clot shortly after platelets have broken at the site of the wound. The factors have Roman numeral names, like VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XIII. Defects in the genes which code for any of these factors result in genetic diseases like haemophilia, which results from a defect in the gene for factor VIII or IX. (09 Oct 1997) |
| 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) |
| 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) |