M– Z of Blood

Organelle - A specialized part of a cell having some specific function.

Phagocyte - Any cell that ingests and destroys foreign particles.

Phagocytosis - The ingestion of a smaller cell or a fragment.

Plasma - The liquid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from the suspended elements.

Platelets - Small non-nucleated (having no nucleus) cells which form the first plug to stop bleeding.

Red Blood Cells - One of the cells of the blood, which, in mammals, are non-nucleated discs, concave on both sides, containing hemoglobin and carrying oxygen to the cells and tissues and carbon dioxide back to the respiratory organs.

Spleen - A highly vascular, glandular, ductless organ, situated in humans on the left under the diaphragm. The spleen serves in the formation of mature lymphocytes, in the destruction of worn-out red cells, and as a reservoir for blood.

Stem Cells - Cells that upon division replace their own numbers and give rise to cells that differentiate further into one or more specialized types, such as various B cells and T lymphocytes.

Transfusion - The direct transferring of blood, plasma, or the like into a blood vessel.

Veins - Branching vessels or tubes carrying blood from various parts of the body to the heart. The exception to this rule is the Pulmonary vein which carries blood away from the heart to the lungs.

Vessel - A tube or duct such as an artery or vein, which contains or conveys blood or some other body fluid.

Virus - A tiny object that is composed of RNA or DNA and is surrounded by a protein cap or capsid.

White Blood Cells - Any of various nearly colorless cells of the immune system that circulate mainly in the blood and lymph.