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
Bacteremia

Presence of bacteria in the blood

Bacterium

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

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

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

1. Mild, non-cancerous, and/or not spreading (compare Malignant), as of a disease or growth, esp. a benign tumor.
2. Associated with disease or condition that has mild or minimal consequences for the patient.

Beta Blockers

Beta Blockers

A group of drugs that blocks the effect of adrenaline, slows the heart rate, and decreases the strength of the heart's contractions and thereby lowers blood pressure and relieves symptoms of angina and arrhythmias

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


A small raised area of the outer layer of the skin filled with a watery liquid