RA

Noun: Abbreviation of Refractory Anaemia . One of the group of related bone marrow diseases under the heading of Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

 

RABBIT ALG

Noun: Antilymphocyte Globulin produced from rabbits.

 

RAEB

Noun: Abbreviation of Refractory Anaemia with Excess Blasts . One of the group of related bone marrow diseases under the heading of Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

 

RAEB - t

Noun: Abbreviation of Refractory Anaemia with Excess Blasts in Transformation . One of the group of related bone marrow diseases under the heading of Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

 

RARS

Noun: Abbreviation of Refractory Anaemia with Ringed Sideroblasts .

 

RBC

Noun: Abbreviation of Red Blood Cell.

 

RED BLOOD CELL

Noun: Red Blood cells ( Erythrocytes) are formed from the stem cells in the bone marrow by a process called erythropoiesis that takes about 5 days. Their normal life span is 120 days. About 3 million red blood cells are made by the stem cells every second to replace the 3 million that die every second. Their formation requires an adequate supply of nutrients, including iron, amino acids, and the vitamins B12 and folic acid. The rate at which RBCs are formed is influenced by a hormone called erythropoietin , which is produced by the kidneys. Red blood cells contain the iron-rich protein haemoglobin that carries oxygen to all tissues of the body. A shortage of red blood cells is known as anaemia. When a person is anaemic, they may feel dizzy, shortness of breath, and have headaches because they do not have enough oxygen circulating in their blood.

This is an image of some of the 25 trillion red blood cells in the average adult body. Also see White blood cell .

 

REFRACTORY

Adjective: Not yielding to, or resistant to treatment.

Latin - re = back +

Latin - frangere = to break

 

REFRACTORY ANAEMIA

Noun: A form of myelodysplasia often referred to as 'RA'. The fact that it is refractory indicates that it is resistant to treatment.

 

RENAL

Adjective: Having to do with or located near the Kidneys such as a renal vein or a renal illness.

Latin - renalis = kidney

 

RETICULOCYTE

Noun: A red blood cell that is not fully mature. It retains strands of nuclear material. Reticulocytes normally make up from 0.1 to 1 percent of the red blood cells in the body. See Haematopoiesis .

Latin - reticulum = net (taken from the net like appearance of the remaining nuclear material inside them) +

-cyte = a cell from Greek - kytos = anything hollow.

 

RH FACTOR

Noun: An antigen found in the red blood cells of most human beings and the higher mammals. Blood containing this substance is Rh positive and does not combine favorably with blood which is Rh negative and lacks this substance. The presence or absence of the Rh factor is governed by a dominant gene, which means that when Rh-positive and Rh-negative genes are paired, the resulting children are always Rh-positive.

From 'Rhesus monkey', which is a small yellowish-brown monkey with a short tail, found in India. It is often used in medical research. This blood factor was first found in the blood of the rhesus monkey.

 

RUTH MYLES UNIT (ST. GEORGE'S)

This Department of St. George's hospital in London, England, headed by Professor Ted Gordon-Smith and Doctor Judith Marsh, is a leading international centre for research on blood cell formation, bone marrow failure syndromes and bone marrow transplantation and is supported by multiple research grants including the Aplastic Anaemia Trust .

The largest topic of research in this Department is Aplastic Anaemia. The work carried out at the Ruth Myles Unit is shared with consultants throughout the UK.

St. George's hospital is right across from Tooting Broadway underground station. See St. George Hospital for map

The telephone # for the Ruth Myles unit is 0208 7255448

 

SEPTICAEMIA

Noun: Rapid multiplication of bacteria and the presence of bacterial toxins in the blood. It is a condition commonly known as blood poisoning. Septicaemia is always serious and a potentially life threatening condition.

Septicaemia usually arises through escape of bacteria from some infection somewhere in the body such as a urinary tract infection, intestinal infections or abscess. Septicaemia is more likely in people whose natural resistance to infection has been lowered by an immunodeficiency disorder or by immunosuppressive drugs allowing bacteria to multiply unchecked. One is at risk of Septicaemia if their neutrophil count less than 5 and even more at risk once they have had the ALG / ATG treatment. Cyclosporin is another immunosuppressive drug which puts one at greater risk as does the Cyclophosphamide used for the bone marrow transplant . If you fit into any of these categories, you must rigorously follow the Clean Diet and Hygiene rules and ensure you do not get any cuts. Once the bacteria has penetrated your skin, there really is no defence for it apart from another stay at the hospital and some period of time in isolation on antibiotics.

A person with septicaemia develops high fever, chills, rapid breathing, headache, and, in many cases, clouding of consciousness. Skin rashes or jaundice may occur.

Once the diagnosis of septicaemia is confirmed, the infective bacteria will be identified from a blood sample and antibiotic drugs will be given intravenously by infusion or injection. Provided the infection is recognised and treated promply before the development of complications, most patients make a full recovery.

 

SERUM

Noun: The clear, pale-yellow liquid of the blood that separates from the clot when blood coagulates . Also any watery liquid in animals. Lymph is a serum.

Latin - serum = liquid

 

SERUM SICKNESS

Noun: A short-lived illness that may develop about 10 days after injection with a product injected into a person which has come from an animal origin, such as anti-lymphocyte globulin which is horse or rabbit based. There may be an itchy rash, joint pain, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes . In severe cases, a state similar to shock, with low blood pressure, develops. Symptoms usually clear up within a few days, provided, in the case of a drug, that its use is stopped. A corticosteroid drug like Prednisolone may be given to handle the symptoms.

 

SIDEROBLAST

Noun: An immature red blood cell (an erythroblast ) cell that carries iron.In persons with MDS , there are may be too many sideroblasts which then do not lose their nucleus and mature into a regular red blood cell.

Greek - síderos = iron +

Greek - blastós = sprout

 

SPECIFIC

Noun: In medical terms, a specific is a cure for some particular disease. A specific remedy. If they know the type of bacteria you have as an infection, the doctors will give you a specific to handle it.

Latin - species = sort, kind +

Latin - facere = to make

 

SPLEEN

Noun: A large gland like organ coloured a reddish purple and situated at the left and under the stomach in man. It stores blood and acts as a blood reservoir to boost up the blood volume if the need arises. It breaks down and disposes of damaged or worn out red cells and sets free their haemoglobin which is passed to the liver. It protects against infection by removing micro-organisms from the blood. There are a number of diseases which will cause the spleen to enlarge so this will be checked for by your doctor.

Greek - splenós = spleen

 

SPLENOMEGALY

Noun: An enlargement of the spleen.

 

Greek - splenós = spleen +

Greek - mégas = big

 

STAB CELL

Noun: Also called a stab, a band, a band cell and a band form. A stab is a young neutrophil which has an elongated nucleus that has not yet become lobed (having a rounded projecting part) as in a mature neutrophil. The picture on the left is a mature neutrophil with 3 lobes. The right picture is of an immature neutrophil (a stab or band cell) in which the nucleus is smoother and more continuous.

Possibly Swedish - stabbe = stump or stub

 

STEATOCYTES

Noun: A fat cell. See picture of Bone Marrow

 

Greek - stéatos = fat +

-cyte = a cell from Greek - kytos = anything hollow

 

STEM CELL

Noun: An embryonic or primitive cell that gives rise to specialised cells. The stem cells that exist within the bone marrow produce about 95% of the various blood cells. Stem cells in the bone marrow produce about 3 million red blood cells and 120,000 white cells every second. Stem cells are also found in the circulating blood where they perform other functions. In a healthy human being, the number of each type of stem cell and their offspring is contained within very narrow limits. Certain proteins, such as interleukins and colony-stimulating factors, (see G-CSF ), play a key role in determining whether a stem cell will replicate itself, produce offspring that evolve into mature blood cells, do both or do neither at any given time. If this regulatory mechanism breaks down, too many or too few stem cells will be present in the bone marrow. See also diagram at Haematopoiesis .

STEROID

Noun: One of a group of hormones chemically related to cholesterol. They include oestrogen, which controls female sexual development, androgen , which produces male characteristics and builds up muscular protein tissue, progesterone, which plays an important part in the regulation of the menstrual cycle and in pregnancy, and the corticosteroids , which are responsible for chemically making use of the carbohydrates and fats we eat, controlling inflammation, and salt and water regulation. Steroids may be naturally occurring or they may be synthesised.

Greek - stereós = solid, stiff +

Greek - oeides = in the form of

 

ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL

Noun: St. George's Hospital which has the Ruth Myles Unit headed by Professor Ted Gordon-Smith. It specialises in researching and handling Aplastic Anaemia .

This is a map of how to get to the area of St. George's Hospital by car.

 

STROMAL CELLS

Noun: Cells that form the connective tissue, nerves and vessels that form the frame like support of an organ. The bone marrow cells which make up the home for the stem cells and all their offspring are stromal cells.

Latin - strôma = a spread to lie or sit on (like a blanket)