Glossary

BioScience.com.pk try the best to avoid the use of medical terms that could make it more difficult to understand the information on this website. Still, there are a number of terms that can’t be avoided and that are useful to know because they are so often used by the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals with whom you might speak. The list below includes the terms used on BioScience.com.pk for which we have provided definitions.

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Term Definition
Autoimmunity

Misdirected immunity with production of antibodies that act against the tissues of one's own body
Auer Rods

Also known as: Auer Bodies

unique, pink or red rod-shaped inclusions that are seen in very immature granulocytes ('blasts') in people with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (i.e., acute myeloid leukemia; AML)
Auer Bodies

Also known as: Auer Rods

unique, pink or red rod-shaped inclusions that are seen in very immature granulocytes ('blasts') in people with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (i.e., acute myeloid leukemia; AML)
Atrial Fibrillation

Condition characterized by an irregular, often rapid, heart rhythm
Atherosclerosis

Common disorder of the arteries in which deposits consisting mostly of cholesterol and lipids form on the inner arterial wall. As a result, the vessels become nonelastic and narrowed, leading to decreased blood flow. One of the most important examples is coronary artery disease.
Asymptomatic

Without symptoms.
Assay

Procedure used to detect or measure a substance or reaction; test
Aspiration

Use of suction to take liquids, gases, or cells from a body cavity or area, as in aspiration biopsy
Ascites

Fluid buildup in the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity
Arrhythmia

Changes in the rhythm of heartbeats or in the strength of heart contractions
Apoprotein

General term for a protein without its characteristic prosthetic group, which may be a metal or a small organic compound; for example, the protein apotransferrin combines with iron to form transferrin, and protein apoceruloplasmin combines with copper to form the enzyme ceruloplasmin.
Apnea

Short pauses or cessations in breathing
Apheresis

Process of removing a specific component from blood, such as platelets or white blood cells, and returning the remaining components to the donor; allows for more of one particular component to be collected than could be separated from a unit of whole blood
Antihistamine

A class of drugs that is used to treat allergies, hypersensitivity reactions, and the symptoms of colds. These drugs work by reducing the effects of histamine, a naturally-occurring substance that is released in response to inflammation and allergies.
Antigen Testing

Also known as: Quantity Testing


Quantity testing measures how much of a particular substance or analyte is present. This type of testing can measure amounts of coagulation factors, hormones, enzymes, and many other substances. It does not, however, evaluate how well the substance is working or performing its role in the body.