Acute : Having a short and relatively severe course.
Adenosine : A ribonucleotide which consists of the nitrogenous base adenine linked to the sugar ribose.
Adenosine Triphosphatase (ATP) : A nucleotide present in all living cells which serves as an energy source for many metabolic processes and is required for ribonucleic acid synthesis.
Albumin : A class of simple, water-soluble proteins that can be coagulated by heat and are found in egg white, blood serum, milk, and many other animal and plant tissues.
Anemia : A condition in which there is reduced oxygen delivery to the tissues due to a reduction in the oxygen-carrying capacity of circulating red cells. It may result from increased destruction of red cells, excessive blood loss, or decreased production of red cells.
Anti-inflammatory : Reduction in the inflammatory response.
Antigen : A substance that is recognized by the body as being foreign, and as such, can trigger an immune response. In blood, antigens are usually, but not exclusively, found on the blood cell surface.
Bovine : Of, or pertaining to, a cow.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) : An infectious degenerative brain disease occurring in cattle. Also called mad cow disease.
Cancer : Any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division.
Centrifuge : An apparatus consisting essentially of a compartment spun about a central axis to separate contained materials of different specific gravities, or to separate colloidal particles suspended in a liquid.
Chickenpox : An acute contagious disease, primarily of children, that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and characterized by skin eruptions, slight fever, and malaise. Also called varicella.
Christmas disease : A type of hemophilia that is caused by a deficiency of factor IX.
Clotting factors : Any of various plasma components involved in the clotting of blood, including fibrinogen, prothrombin, thromboplastin, and calcium ion.
Coagulation : To cause transformation of (a liquid or solid, for example) into or as if into a soft, semisolid, or solid mass.
Commensals : Of, relating to, or characterized by a symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited while the other is unaffected.
Cryoprecipitated Antihemophilic Factor (AHF) : Concentrated form of fibrinogen, one of the clotting proteins.
Embolus : A mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body, that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel.
Emulsion : A suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix.
Erythropoietic : Pertaining to or characterised by erythropoiesis.
Erythropoiesis : Process of production of erythrocytes in the marrow in adult mammals. A pluripotent stem cell (CFU) produces, by a series of divisions, committed stem cells (BFU Es) that give rise to CFU Es, cells that will divide only a few more times to produce mature erythrocytes. Each stem cell product can give rise to 211 mature red cells.
Factor VIII : The clotting factor protein absent or decreased in patients with Hemophilia A. Also called anti-hemophilic factor.
Factor IX : A protein produced naturally in the body that helps the blood form clots to stop bleeding. Injections of factor IX are used to treat hemophilia B, which is sometimes called Christmas disease. Without sufficient amounts of factor IX, the body will fail to form necessary clots, and internal bleeding may occur and do damage to muscles and joints.
Fibrin : An elastic, insoluble, whitish protein produced by the action of thrombin on fibrinogen and forming an interlacing fibrous network in the coagulation of blood.
Fibrinogen : A protein in the blood plasma that is essential for the coagulation of blood and is converted to fibrin by the action of thrombin in the presence of ionized calcium.
Glutathione (GSH) : The tripeptide, glutamylcysteinylglycine, which contains an unusual peptide linkage between the carboxyl group of the glutamate side chain and the amine group of cysteine.
Hematocrit : A test measuring the percent of red cells in a sample of whole blood, used to test for anemia.
Hematoma : A localized swelling filled with blood resulting from a break in a blood vessel.
Hemoglobin : A protein in red blood cells containing iron. It is essential for carrying oxygen, gives the red color to healthy blood, and is used to test for anemia. Blood donors must meet an established level of hemoglobin before they can donate blood.
Hemophilia : A hereditary bleeding disorder, in which blood does not clot normally. People with the disorder bleed for longer periods of time, which is of greatest concern when bleeding occurs internally: in the joints, tissues, muscles, and especially the vital organs, such as the brain. Many hemophiliacs rely on regular transfusions of the clotting factor in plasma.
Hemorrhage : Excessive discharge of blood from the blood vessels; profuse bleeding.
Hepatitis : An inflammation of the liver.
Hepatitis C (HCV) : A virus that causes hepatitis. All blood donations are tested for the hepatitis C virus. Blood from donors who test positive for HCV antibodies is destroyed.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) : The virus responsible for AIDS. All blood donations are tested for HIV, and those that test positive are destroyed. Donors with confirmed positive results are permanently disqualified.
Hypoxia : Deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues.
Immunoglobulin (IVIG) : Any of a group of large glycoproteins that are secreted by plasma cells that function as antibodies in the immune response by binding with specific antigens. There are five classes of immunoglobulins: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM.
In vitro : In an artificial environment outside the living organism: an egg fertilized in vitro; in vitro fertilization.
In vivo : Within a living organism: metabolic studies conducted in vivo; in vivo techniques.
Investigational New Drug (IND) : Refers to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) program by which a pharmaceutical company obtains permission to ship an experimental drug across state lines (usually to clinical investigators) before a marketing application for the drug has been approved. The FDA reviews the IND for safety to assure that research subjects will not be subjected to unreasonable risk. The application has three main sub-sections: Animal Pharmacology and Toxicology Studies; Manufacturing Information; and Clinical Protocols and Investigator Information.
Ischemia : A decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels.
Leukemia : Any of various acute or chronic neoplastic diseases of the bone marrow in which unrestrained proliferation of white blood cells occurs, usually accompanied by anemia, impaired blood clotting, and enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.
Leukocyte : A general term for white blood cells, including granulocyte, lymphocyte, and monocyte. Among the functions of the leukocyte is the engulfment of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Nephrotoxic : Poisonous to the kidney.
Oxidative stress : A condition of increased oxidant production in animal cells characterized by the release of free radicals and resulting in cellular degeneration.
Perfluorocarbon (PFC) : A powerful greenhouse gas emitted during the production of aluminum.
Plasma : The liquid portion of the blood. It contains coagulation factors and is used to treat patients who develop bleeding problems during major surgery or massive trauma. Because some of the factors lose effectiveness quickly, plasma must be frozen in order to preserve its functions.
Platelets (thrombocytes) : Cellular fragments whose primary function is to prevent bleeding. They play a part in the body’s clotting mechanism.
Pro-inflammatory : Tending to cause inflammation.
Pro-oxidant : Compounds or agents capable of generating toxic oxygen species.
Rabies : An acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of most warm-blooded animals, especially wolves, cats, and dogs, which attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted by the bite of infected animals.
Red blood cells (erythrocytes) : Blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body and give blood its red color. They are transfused to people who fail to produce their own, or have severe bleeding or a low blood count.
Rh/Rhesus factor : A specific protein on the surface of red blood cells. The Rh factor can be "+" (present) or "–" (absent) and is usually indicated after the major blood group A, B, AB, or O. Approximately 85% of people are Rh-positive.
Rheumatoid arthritis : A chronic disease marked by stiffness and inflammation of the joints, weakness, loss of mobility, and deformity.
Sickle cell disease : A chronic, usually fatal anemia marked by sickle-shaped red blood cells, occurring almost exclusively in Black people of Africa or of African descent, and characterized by episodic pain in the joints, fever, leg ulcers, and jaundice. The disease occurs in individuals who are homozygous for a mutant hemoglobin gene.
Stroke : A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, diminution or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain.
Stroma : The spongy protoplasmic framework of some cells (as a red blood cell).
Tetanus : An acute, often fatal disease characterized by spasmodic contraction of voluntary muscles, especially those of the neck and jaw, and caused by the toxin of the bacillus Clostridium tetani, which typically infects the body through a deep wound.
Thrombus : A fibrinous clot formed in a blood vessel or in a chamber of the heart.
Vasoactive : Causing constriction or dilation of blood vessels.
Vasoconstriction : Constriction of a blood vessel, as by a nerve or drug.
Vasodilatory : Relating to, inducing, or initiating vasodilation.
White blood cells (leukocytes) : Any of various blood cells that have a nucleus and cytoplasm, separate into a thin white layer when whole blood is centrifuged, and help protect the body from infection and disease. White blood cells include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes.
Whole blood : The blood in veins and arteries. Blood is made up of several elements, each of which performs a special function in the body. The transfusable parts of whole blood are red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets.