G-CSF -
Noun: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. It is given to enhance recovery of the blood production function in individuals who are suffering from a low level of neutrophils in the blood. However, there is also concern that if used for a prolonged period of time, they may stimulate the proliferation of more malignant cells in the aplastic marrow.

GENTAMICIN -
Noun: Gentamicin is a type of antibiotic. The injectable form is usually reserved for treatment, in hospital, of serious or complicated infections. These include lung, urinary tract, bone, joint, and wound infections and illnesses like Septicaemia . Gentamicin given by injection can have serious adverse effects on the ears, which may lead to damage to the balance mechanism and deafness, and on the kidneys. Courses of treatment are therefore limited to seven days when possible. Blood levels of Gentamicin will be taken daily to ensure levels are not going too high but not so low as to be ineffective. Report any dizziness, loss of balance, impaired hearing or changes in the urine immediately.

GLOBULIN -
Noun: a protein component of blood. It is part of the clear, almost colourless liquid part of the blood, in which the blood cells float.

Latin - globulus = globe (as in anything rounded like a globe)

GM-CSF -
Noun: Granulocyte - macrophage colony-stimulating factor. See G-CSF for more information. GM - CSF is used to accelerate recovery of white blood cell counts and reduce the incidence of infection after a bone marrow transplant.

GOSH -
Noun: Great Ormand Street Hospital. A children's hospital.

GRAFT FACILITATING CELLS -
Noun: Information from the the Institute for Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Louisville states that they use a procedure to reduce the incidence of both acute and chronic GVHD by a process of depleting the T lymphocytes in the donor's bone marrow prior to transplantation. This process requires total body irradiation. However, they found that removing these cells reduced the chances of the donor's bone marrow grafting in the patient. The investigators who designed this study discovered that the process to remove the mature immune cells from the donor marrow also removed other cells that are vital to the success of the transplant called graft Facilitating Cells. The process now leaves behind the graft Facilitating cells. So far this is a Clinical trial only.

GRAFT VERSUS HOST DISEASE -
Noun: See Acute Graft Versus Host Disease .

GRAM POSITIVE/NEGATIVE BACTERIA -
Noun: Bacteria are categorised into Gram Positive and Gram Negative. The bacteria is first stained with a violet dye and then treated with Gram's iodine solution and then washed with alcohol. Gram-positive bacteria retain the violet dye; Gram-negative bacteria species lose it. Some antibiotics are more effective at handling Gram-positive bacteria and some antibiotics are more effective on Gram-negative bacteria.

Hans C. J. Gram, 1853 - 1938, a Danish bacteriologist, who discovered it.

GRANULOCYTES -
Noun: Any one of several types of white blood cells whose interior liquid contains granules that contain enzymes that are capable of killing micro-organisms and breaking down debris that is ingested by them. They include the Neutrophil , the Eosinophil and Basophil cells. The Neutrophil is the most abundant and important of these three immune cells making up 50 to 70% of the total white cell count. Neutrophils are phagocytic , meaning they gobble up any foreign bacteria they come across. If you have AA or MDS , when you have your blood tests done, the number of neutrophils is a main area they will be looking at.

Adjective: Granulocytic

Here is an actual picture of all three types of granulocytes in amongst some red blood cells. Top right is an Eosinophil. Middle is a Neutrophil. Bottom right is a Basophil

Latin - granulum = granule +

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

GVHD -
Graft-versus-host disease

GVL -
Graft-versus-leukaemia. The GVHD reaction also has positive aspects. If the patient has leukaemia or some other cancers, while the new white blood cells produced by the implanted stem cells attacks the patient, the new stem cells will often also attack the patients cancer cells that still may be present after the transplant. This was first documented in Acute leukaemia, and this phenomenon has been called Graft-versus-leukaemia effect.

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