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.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Bacteremia | Presence of bacteria in the blood |
Bacterium | Plural: Bacteria |
Base | |
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. |
Benign | |
Beta Blockers | Beta Blockers |
Beta Cells | Specialized cells in the pancreas that produce and secrete insulin |
Bile | Thick, yellow-green-brown fluid made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the upper part of the digestive tract (duodenum), where it dissolves fats, preparing them for further digestion. |
Biliary | Pertaining to bile or the ducts of the liver and gall blader |
Biomarker | A substance produced by the body, often detectable in body fluids such as blood or urine, that indicates a specific process, condition or disease |
Biopsy | Removal of a small amount of tissue and/or fluid; the specimen is usually obtained by cutting or by suction through a needle. |
Bite cells | Abnormally-shaped red blood cells with one or more semicircular portions removed from the cell margin, appearing as though the cells have had "bite" or "bites." The "bites" result from the removal of hemoglobin with an altered structure (denatured) by special cells (macrophages) in the spleen. G6PD deficiency is a common disorder that leads to the formation of bite cells, which can be seen in a stained blood smear. |
Blast | Immature or primitive cell; precursor cell |
Blepharoplast | A basal body especially of a flagellated cell. |
Blister | Also known as: Vesicle
|