Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «B»:
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Bag of waters
Bag of waters: Popular name for the amniotic sac together with the amniotic fluid within it. The amniotic sac is formed by the amnion within the uterus and encloses the fetus. This sac bursts normally during the birthing process, releasing the amniotic fluid. Also known as the amniotic sac....
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Bag, air
Bag, air: A bag that fills with air, designed for frontal impact crashes, the kind of crashes which account for more than half of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths. Air bags are designed to limit head and chest injuries. But they only supplement safety belts, they do not replace them.
During pr...
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Baker cyst
Baker cyst: A swelling in the space behind the
knee (the popliteal space) composed of a membrane-lined sac filled
with synovial fluid
that has escaped from the joint. Baker cyst is named after the British surgeon
William Morrant Baker
(1839-1896). Also called a synovial cyst of the popliteal
spac...
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Baker's yeast
Baker's yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae....
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Balance
Balance: A biological system that enables us to know where our bodies are in the environment and to maintain a desired position. Normal balance depends on information from the inner ear, other senses (such as sight and touch) and muscle movement.
Our sense of balance is specifically regulated by a c...
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Balance, acid-base
Balance, acid-base: Acid-base balance refers to the mechanisms the body uses to keep its fluids close to neutral pH (that is, neither basic nor acidic) so that the body can function normally....
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Balance, sense of
Balance, sense of: Our sense of balance is regulated by a complex interaction of the following parts of the nervous system:
The inner ears (also called the labyrinth) monitor the directions of motion, such as turning or forward-backward, side-to-side, and up-and-down motions.
The eyes observe wher...
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Balanitis
Balanitis: Inflammation of the rounded head (the glans) of
the penis.
Inflammation of the foreskin is called posthitis. In the
uncircumcised male, balanitis and posthitis generally occur together
as balanoposthitis: inflammation of both the glans and foreskin.
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Balanitis, circinate
Balanitis, circinate: A form of skin inflammation around the penis in males with Reiter's syndrome. The skin around the shaft and tip (glans) penis can become inflamed and scale. This inflammation around the penis can be helped by cortisone creams (such as TOPICORT).
Reiter's syndrome is a systemic...
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Balanoposthitis
Balanoposthitis: In the uncircumcised male, balanitis (inflammation of the glans, the rounded head of the penis) and posthitis (inflammation of the foreskin) usually occur together as balanoposthitis: inflammation of both the glans and foreskin.
Circumcision prevents balanoposthitis. Without a fores...
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Balantidiasis
Balantidiasis: The disease caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Balantidium....
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Balantidium
Balantidium: A genus of protozoa with cilia that includes Balantidium coli (B. coli). B. coli is the largest protozoan and the only ciliate parasite to infect humans. The disease that B. coli causes is called balantidiasis. Clinical features, when present, include persistent diarrhea, occasionally d...
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Baldness
Baldness: Medically known as alopecia. There are
many types of baldness, each with a different cause. Baldness may be localized
to the front and top of the head, as in the very common type of male-pattern
baldness; baldness may be patchy, a condition called alopecia areata; or it may involve the ...
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Baldness, patchy
Baldness, patchy: Patchy baldness. Also referred to as
alopecia areata. Alopecia means baldness and areata means occurring
in patches.
This process typically begins with patchy hair loss on the scalp
and sometimes progresses to complete baldness and even loss of body
hair. The hair loss tends ...
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Ball-and-socket joint
Ball-and-socket joint: A ball-and-socket joint is one in
which the round end of a bone fits into the cavity of another bone.
The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint....
