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.

Search for glossary terms (regular expression allowed)
Term Definition
Basophil

Type of white blood cell (leukocyte), with coarse granules that stain blue when exposed to a basic dye. Basophils normally constitute 1% or less of the total white blood cell count but may increase or decrease in certain diseases.
Base

1) Substance that has a hydroxyl (OH) ion, tastes bitter, has a pH greater than 7 and, when combined with an acid, forms a salt; example of a base is ammonia
2) One of the building blocks of DNA and RNA
Bacterium

Plural: Bacteria
Unicellular microscopic organisms, some of which cause disease
Bacteremia

Presence of bacteria in the blood
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.