Category: B

  • Beta-lactamase-resistant antibiotics

    Antibiotics that are resistant to the action of beta lactamase. This property makes them effective against microbial organisms that produce beta lactamase.  

  • Beta lactamase resistance

    The ability of microorganisms that produce the enzyme beta-lactamase (penicillinase) to resist the action of certain types of antibiotics, including some but not all forms of penicillin.  

  • Betacism

    Speech in which other letters of the alphabet are inappropriately pronounced like the letter b.  

  • Beta-carboline alkaloids

    A group of neurologically active compounds similar in chemical structure to the amino acid L-tryptophan, the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine . They increase levels of serotonin in the central and peripheral nervous system and inhibit the action of monoamine oxidase.  

  • Beta-adrenergic agent

    A synthetic or natural drug that stimulates beta (sympathetic) receptors, e.g., epinephrine and norepinephrine.  

  • Best interest standard

    The ethical requirement that people who care for others will do so in good faith, placing their assessment of that person’s best interests above their own. The standard particularly applies to the care of incompetent or dependent people, e.g., infants or patients who are so ill that they cannot make decisions on their own.  

  • Best disease

    An autosomal-dominant form of macular dystrophy in which central, non-correctable, and progressive visual loss begins in childhood or adolescence and worsens in adulthood. The disease is characterized by degeneration of the pigment epithelium of the macula. Encounter a genetic disorder characterized by an abnormality in the macula, a crucial part of the light-sensitive retina located…

  • Bernstein test

    Test to reproduce the pain of heartburn. This is done by swallowing a dilute solution (0.1 N) hydrochloric acid. This is compared with a placebo infusion of normal saline into the esophagus. The latter does not cause heartburn.  

  • Bergmeister’s papilla

    A veil in front of the retina of the eye. It is made of a conical mass of glial remnants that are the developmental tissue of the eye that has not been reabsorbed.  

  • Berg balance test

    A physical performance evaluation of fourteen activities including; sit-to-stand, reaching, turning, and single leg stance. The activities are rated on a 0 to 4 scale. This test has been shown to be highly predictive of patient falls. Significance: Scores: less than 36 = 100% fall risk; less than or equal to 46 = 78% fall…