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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with B
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Bias
Bias: In a clinical trial, bias refers to effects that a conclusion that may be incorrect as, for example, when a researcher or patient knows what treatment is being given. To avoid bias, a blinded study may be done.more detail info...
Bicornuate
Bicornuate: Having two horns or horn-shaped branches. The uterus (normally unicornuate) can sometimes be bicornuate (with two branches, eg, one at about 10:30 and the other at about 1:30).more detail info...
Bicuspid
Bicuspid: Having two flaps or cusps. The heart valve that is called the bicuspid valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle. Although the aortic valve in the heart normally is tricuspid (with three cusps), it may sometimes be bimore detail info...
Bicuspid aortic valve
Bicuspid aortic valve: Whereas the normal aortic valve in the heart has three flaps (cusps) that open and close, a bicupid valve has only two. There may be no symptoms in childhood, but in time the valve may become stenotic (narrowed), making itmore detail info...
Bicuspid valve
Bicuspid valve: One of the four valves of the heart, this valve is situated between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It permits blood to flow one way only, from the left atrium into the left ventricle This valve is more commonly called tmore detail info...
Biermer's anemia
Biermer's anemia: A blood disorder caused by a lack of vitamin B12. Patients who have this disorder do not produce the substance in the stomach that allows the body to absorb vitamin B12. This substance is called intrinsic factor (IF). Biermer'smore detail info...
Bifid
Bifid: Cleft (split) in two. See, for example, bifid uvula.more detail info...
Bifid uvula
Bifid uvula: The uvula, the little V-shaped fleshy mass hanging from the back of the soft palate, is cleft or split. Cleft uvula is a common minor anomaly occurring in about 1% of whites and 10% of Native Americans. Persons with a cleft uvula should nomore detail info...
Big toe sign
Big toe sign: An important neurologic examination based upon what the big toe (and other toes) do when the sole of the foot is stimulated. If the big toe goes up, that may mean trouble. The big toe response, also called the Babinski reflex, is obtainmore detail info...
Bile
Bile: A yellow-green fluid made by the liver. Bile is stored in the gallbladder. It passes through the common bile duct into the duodenum, where it helps digest fat.more detail info...
Bilharzia
Bilharzia: Disease caused by worms that parasitize people. Also called schistosomiasis.. Three main species of these trematode worms (flukes)--Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni—cause disease in humans. Larval forms of the parasmore detail info...
Bilharziasis
Bilharziasis: a parasite infection by a trematode worm acquired from infested water. Also known as schistosomiasis. Species which live in man can produce liver, bladder, and gastrointestinal problems. Species of the schistosomiasis parasite which cannomore detail info...
Bilirubin
Bilirubin: A yellow-orange compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.more detail info...
Biologic evolution
Biologic evolution: Biologic evolution was contrasted with cultural evolution in 1968 by A.G. Motulsky who pointed out that biologic evolution is mediated by genes, shows a slow rate of change, employs random variation (mutations) and selection as agenmore detail info...
Biological response modifiers
Biological response modifiers (BRMs): Substances that stimulate the body's response to infection and disease. The body naturally produces small amounts of these substances. Scientists can produce some of them in the laboratory in large amounts for umore detail info...
Biological therapy
Biological therapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune (defense) system to fight infection and disease. Biological therapy is thus any form of treatment that uses the body's natural abilities that constitute the immune systemore detail info...
Biomarker
Biomarker: A biochemical feature or facet that can be used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment.more detail info...
Biopsy
Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for cancer cells. The physical exam, imaging, endoscopy, and lab tests can show that something abnormal is present, but a biopsy is the only sure way to know wmore detail info...
Biopsy, endometrial
Biopsy, endometrial: A procedure for sampling the lining of the uterus (the endometrium). Endometrial biopsy is done to learn the cause of abnormal uterine bleeding (most often), determine the cause of infertility, test for uterine infections, and evemore detail info...
Biopsy, sentinel-lymph-node
Biopsy, sentinel-lymph-node: Examination of the first lymph node ("gland") that receives lymphatic drainage from a tumor to learn whether that node does or does not have tumor cells within it. Which lymph node is the sentinel node for a given tumor ismore detail info...