Category: Bf-Bj

A water-soluble B-complex vitamin involved in carbon dioxide transfer and therefore essential to the metabolism of carbohydrate and fat. A balanced diet usually contains enough biotin. Foods with high biotin levels include nuts, cereals, green leafy vegetables and milk. Biotin deficiency, which is characterized by hair loss and a scaly red rash, can occur with prolonged intravenous feeding or the…

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 system to fight infection and disease or to protect the body from some of the side effects of treatment. Biotherapy (also called…

Terrorism using biologic agents that are harmful to humans. Biological diseases and the agents that might be used for terrorism have been listed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These agents include viruses, bacteria, rickettsiae (microorganisms that have traits common to both bacterial and viruses), fungi, and biological toxins. The biologica disease agents are…

The fusion of biology and technology, the application of biological techniques to product research and development. In particular, biotechnology involves the use by industry of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new bioprocessing techniques to produce large molecules useful in treating and preventing disease. Slang biotech.

A specific combination of work practices, safety equipment, and facilities which are designed to minimize the exposure of workers and the environment to infectious agents. The biosafety levels are: Level 1 — This level applies to agents that do not ordinarily cause human disease. Level 2 — This level is appropriate for agents that can…

The application of knowledge, techniques and equipment to prevent personal, laboratory and environmental exposure to potentially infectious agents or biohazards. Biosafety defines the containment conditions under which infectious agents can be safely manipulated. The objective of containment is to confine biohazards and to reduce the potential exposure of the laboratory worker, persons outside of the…

A biopsy in which the spot to be biopsied is located three-dimensionally, the information is entered into a computer, and the computer calculates the information and positions a needle to remove the biopsy sample.

Removal of a piece of skin for the purpose of diagnostic examination. Skin biopsy is most frequently done to diagnose skin growths, such as moles, or skin conditions, such as rashes. Different skin biopsy techniques are used in different situations. A shave biopsy takes a thin slice and can be used to remove superficial lesions. A punch biopsy…

Examination of the first lymph node (“gland”) that receives lymphatic drainage from a tumor to determine whether that node does or does not have tumor cells within it. Which lymph node is the sentinel node for a given tumor is determined by injecting around the tumor a tracer substance that will travel through the lymphatic system to the first…

A biopsy that is performed by using a punch, an instrument for cutting and removing a disk of tissue. For example, a punch biopsy of the skin may be done to make a diagnosis of skin cancer.