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hemoglobin
hemoglobin , respiratory protein found in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) of all vertebrates and some invertebrates. A hemoglobin molecule is composed of a protein group, known as globin, and four heme groups, each associated with an iron atom.
In the lungs, each iron atom combines reversi...
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sickle cell disease
sickle cell disease or sickle cell anemia, inherited disorder of the blood in which the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin pigment in erythrocytes (red blood cells) is abnormal. This "hemoglobin-S" crystallizes in small capillaries, where the concentration of oxygen in the blood is low (but suffi...
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anemia
anemia , condition in which the concentration of hemoglobin in the circulating blood is below normal. Such a condition is caused by a deficient number of erythrocytes (red blood cells), an abnormally low level of hemoglobin in the individual cells, or both these conditions simultaneously. Regardless...
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Max Ferdinand Perutz
Max Ferdinand Perutz 1914-2002, British molecular biologist, b. Vienna. One of the pioneers in the field of molecular biology , Perutz studied chemistry at the Univ. of Vienna (1932-36) and then at Cambridge (Ph.D. 1940), where he began a lifelong association with Cavendish Laboratory. There he st...
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blood count
blood count method for determining the number of red (erythrocytes) and white (leukocytes) blood cells in a certain volume of blood. This test can be used as a preliminary step in diagnosing some diseases. Leukemia, for instance, causes an increase in the white blood cell count, while a decrease in...
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pigmentation
pigmentation name for the coloring matter found in certain plant and animal cells and for the color produced thereby. Pigmentation occurs in nearly all living organisms. Almost all plants synthesize their own pigments; animals either derive pigments from plant foods or synthesize them themselves.
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chelating agents
chelating agents . Certain organic compounds are capable of forming coordinate bonds (see chemical bond ) with metals through two or more atoms of the organic compound; such organic compounds are called chelating agents. The compound formed by a chelating agent and a metal is called a chelate. A ch...
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cyanosis
cyanosis , bluish coloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and nailbeds, resulting from a lack of oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood. It is a symptom of many disorders, including various pulmonary and heart diseases and many congenital heart defects (see blue baby ). Cyanosis that is caused by slo...
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glycine
glycine , organic compound, one of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins. Glycine is the only one of these amino acids that is not optically active, i.e., it does not have d - and l -stereoisomers. It is structurally the simplest of the α-amino acids, having merely a hyd...
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hemolysis
hemolysis , destruction of red blood cells in the bloodstream. Although new red blood cells, or erythrocytes, are continuously created and old ones destroyed, an excessive rate of destruction sometimes occurs. The dead cells, in sufficiently large numbers, overwhelm the organ that destroys them, the...
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