Bloody show
Bloody show: Literally, the appearance of blood, a classic sign of impending labor. The bloody show ‘consists of blood-tinged mucus created by extrusion and passage of the mucous plug that filled the cervical canal during pregnancy.
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- Bloody sputum
Bloody sputum: Coughed up blood or bloody mucus. Bloody sputum can be caused by infection in the lungs and airways, such as acute bronchitis or pneumonia, or cancer. Whenever bloody sputum is present and cannot be attributed to a curable infectious condition, a complete lung evaluation is warranted, including bronchoscopy, to be certain cancer is […]
- Blot, Northern
Blot, Northern: A technique in molecular biology, used mainly to separate and identify pieces of RNA. Called a Northern blot only because it is similar to a Southern blot (which is named after its inventor, the British biologist M.E. Southern). There is also a Western blot.
- Blot, Southern
Blot, Southern: A test commonly used in molecular biology and genetics, the purpose of the test being to check for a match between DNA molecules. In the Southern blot technique, DNA fragments are separated by a method called agarose gel electrophoresis, transferred (blotted) onto membrane filters, and hybridized with complementary radiolabeled probes. The aim is […]
- Blot, Western
Blot, Western: A technique in molecular biology that is used to separate and identify proteins. It is called a Western blot merely because it is similar to a Southern blot, which was named after its inventor, the British biologist M.E. Southern. For example, the Western blot assay method is commonly used to diagnose Lyme disease.
- Blue baby
Blue baby: A baby who is cyanotic (blue), due usually to a heart malformation that prevents the baby’s blood from being fully oxygenated. The bluish color reflects the deoxygenated state of the blood. (Oxygenated blood is red.) Sometimes the term “blue baby” is also applied to a child who is cyanotic due to failure by […]