Bile acid
Bile acid: An acid made by the liver that works with bile to break down fats.
On a more technical level, bile acids are steroid carboxylic acids derived from cholesterol. The primary bile acids are cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. They are conjugated with glycine or taurine before they are secreted into the bile.
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Bile acid resin: Bile acid resins are substances that bind in the intestines with bile acids that contain cholesterol and are then eliminated in the stool. The major effect of bile acid resins is to lower LDL-cholesterol by about 10 to 20 percent. Small doses of resins can produce useful reductions in LDL-cholesterol. Bile acid […]
- Bile duct cancer
surgery (taking out the cancer or taking steps to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer), radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill the cancer cells); and chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells). The chances of recovery and the choice of treatment depend on the location of the cancer in the bile duct, the stage […]
- Bile sludge
Bile sludge: A mixture of microscopic particulate matter in bile that occurs when particles of material precipitate from bile. Bile is the fluid that is made by the liver. It is stored in the gallbladder until after a meal, when it passes out of the gallbladder and through the common bile duct into the intestine […]
- Bilharzia
Bilharzia: A schistosome, a trematode worm parasite. Three main species of these worms’Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni’cause disease in humans. Larval forms of the parasite live in freshwater snails. When the parasite is liberated from the snail, it burrows into the skin, transforms to the schistosomulum stage, and migrates to the urinary tract […]
- 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 cannot live in man cause swimmer’s itch.