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Glossary
A
Acetaminophen
A crystalline compound
C8H9NO2that is a hydroxy derivative of acetanilide and is used in
chemical synthesis and in medicine instead of aspirin to relieve
pain and fever
Achlorhydria
Absence of hydrochloric acid from the gastric juice
Anabolic steroid
A synthetic derivative of testosterone that promotes tissue
building and nitrogen-retaining processes
Anemia
A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells,
in hemoglobin, or in total volume
Antihistamine
An agent that tends to block or counteract the physiological action
of histamine, a compound in your body that produces an allergic
effect to an allergen
Arteriosclerotic vascular disease
A chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening
of the arterial walls with resulting loss of elasticity
B
Bone mineral density
A measure of the mineral density (calcium content and other
bone materials) of bones; the higher your mineral content the denser
your bones are; in osteoporosis, the bone mineral content is low
and bones are more likely to break
Bone marrow
A highly cellular hematopoietic connective tissue filling the medullary
cavities and spongy epiphyses of bones that becomes predominantly
fatty with age–especially in the long bones. The bone marrow
is responsible for making red blood cells, white blood cells, and
platelets. It has been shown that androgens stimulate protein synthesis
in the bone marrow
C
Calcium
A silver-white bivalent metallic element that is an alkaline
earth metal, occurs only in combination, and is an essential constituent
of most plants and animals
Carcinoma
A malignant tumor of epithelial origin; cancer is the term given
to malignant tumors
Chronic illness
A long-term medical condition. The U.S. National Center
for Health Statistics defines a chronic condition as one with a
duration of three months or longer
Colitis
Also called ulcerative colitis. A chronic inflammatory
disease of the colon that is of unknown cause and is characterized
by diarrhea with discharge of mucus and blood, cramping abdominal
pain, and inflammation and edema of the mucous membrane with patches
of ulceration
Constipation
Abnormally delayed or infrequent passage of dry hardened feces
Corticosteroids
Any of various adrenal-cortex steroids (as corticosterone, cortisone,
and aldosterone) that are divided on the basis of their major biological
activity into glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids
Crohn’s disease
Chronic ileitis (inflammation of the ileum, the last part of the
large intestine) that typically involves the distal portion of the
ileum, often spreads to the colon, and is characterized by diarrhea,
cramping, and loss of appetite and weight with local abscesses and
scarring
D
Decongestant
an agent that relieves congestion (as of
mucous membranes)
Dementia
A usually progressive condition (as Alzheimer's disease) marked
by the development of multiple cognitive deficits (as memory impairment,
aphasia, and inability to plan and initiate complex behavior)
Dexchlorpheniramine
An antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergic conditions,
e.g., sneezing, itching, runny nose, or watery eyes associated with
hay fever
E
Endometriosis
The presence and growth of functioning endometrial tissue in places
other than the uterus that often results in severe pain and infertility
Erythropoietin
A chemical in your body that can increase the production of new
red blood cells
F
Ferritin
A crystalline iron-containing protein that functions in the storage
of iron and is found especially in the liver and spleen
Flu
Any of several diseases caused by bacteria or viruses and
marked especially by respiratory or intestinal symptoms
Folic acid
A crystalline vitamin C19H19N2O6of the B complex that is required for normal production of
red blood cells, that is used especially in the treatment
of nutritional anemias, and that occurs especially in green
leafy vegetables, liver, kidneys, dried beans, and mushrooms
—called also folacin, folate, Lactobacillus
casei factor, pteroylglutamic acid, vitamin
Bc, vitamin M
G
H
Heme iron
The form of iron found in animal sources,
which is highly available for absorption. Good sources of heme iron
include clams, liver, beef, and shrimp
Hemoglobin
An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries
oxygen to the cells from the lungs and carries carbon dioxide away
from the cells and to the lungs
Hepatic Dysfunction
A dysfunction of, relating to, affecting, or associated with the
liver
Homocysteine
An amino acid C4H9NO2S
that is produced in animal metabolism by the demethylation
of methionine and forms a complex with serine that breaks
up to produce cysteine and homoserine and that appears to
be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
and osteoporitic hip fracture when occurring at high levels
in the blood
Hypercalcemia
The presence of an excess of calcium in the blood
Hyperhomocysteinemia
The presence of an excess of homocysteine, a chemical found in the
blood, that is an established independent risk factor for a wide
range of cardiovascular diseases in both men and women, including
coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke
Hypervitaminosis
An abnormal state resulting from excessive intake of one or more
vitamins
I
Inflammatory bowel disease
Either of two inflammatory diseases of the bowel: Crohn’s
disease and ulcerative colitis
Iron Deficiency
A reduction of total iron body stores that can result in anemia
and altered function of many vital cells in the body
J
K
L
M
Macrocyctic anemia
An anemia (reduction of the number of red blood cells)
characterized by red blood cells that are larger than normal. Two
common causes include vitamin B12 deficiency or deficiency of folic
acid
Magnesium
A silver-white light malleable ductile
metallic element that occurs abundantly in nature (as in bones and
seeds and in the form of chlorophyll in the green parts of plants)
and is used in metallurgical and chemical processes, in photography,
in signaling, and in the manufacture of pyrotechnics because of
the intense white light it produces on burning, and in construction
especially in the form of light alloys
Menopause
The natural cessation of menstruation occurring usually between
the ages of 45 and 55 with a mean in Western cultures of approximately
51 (2): the physiological period in the life of a woman in which
such cessation and the accompanying regression of ovarian function
occurs —called also climacteric
Microcyctic anemia
Anemia (reduction of the number of red blood
cells) characterized by red blood cells that are smaller than normal.
The most common cause is iron deficiency
Myocardial Infarction
A heart attack
N
Nephrosis
A term for non-inflammatory disease of the kidneys, also called
nephropathy
Nitrogen balance
The relationship between the nitrogen taken into the body, usually
as food, and the amount of nitrogen excreted from the body in urine
and feces. A negative nitrogen balance means that parts of the body,
such as muscles, are breaking down faster than they are replaced.
Anabolic steroids are associated with improved nitrogen balance,
provided there is adequate intake of calories and protein
O
Osteoporosis
A condition that affects especially older women and is characterized
by decrease in bone mass with decreased density and enlargement
of bone spaces producing porosity and brittleness
P
Pernicious anemia
A severe hyperchromic
anemia marked by a progressive decrease in number and increase
in size and hemoglobin content of the red blood cells and
by pallor, weakness, and gastrointestinal and nervous disturbances
and associated with reduced ability to absorb vitamin B12 due to the absence of intrinsic factor—also called addisonian
anemia
Placebo
An inactive substance (pill, liquid, etc.), which is administered
as if it were a therapy or drug, but which has no therapeutic value.
Placebos are used in clinical trials to assess the real action of
a drug administered identically, through comparison and avoiding
any psychic factors
Pseudoephedrine
A crystalline alkaloid C10H15NO
that is isomeric with ephedrine and is administered chiefly
in the form of its hydrochloride C10H15
NO·HCl
or sulfate (C10H15NO)2·H2SO4especially to relieve nasal congestion factors
Q
R
Red blood cells: Red blood cells, or erythrocytes
Are the most common type of cells in the
blood and are the body’s principal means of delivering oxygen
from the lungs to the tissues via the blood
S
Sarcoidosis
Chronic disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the formation
of nodules resembling true tubercles especially in the lymph nodes,
lungs, bones, and skin
Sinusitis
Inflammation of the sinus of the paranasal sinuses. The source of
the inflammation could be bacterial, fungal, viral, allergic or
autoimmune in origin
T
Testosterone
The most potent, naturally occurring androgen formed by the testes,
ovary, and adrenal cortex, also referred to as the male sex hormone
U
Uterine fibroid
A benign tumor especially of the uterine wall that consists of fibrous
and muscular tissue
V
Vitamin B6
Pyridoxine or a closely related
compound found widely in combined form and considered essential
to vertebrate nutrition
Vitamin B12
A complex cobalt-containing compound C63H88CoN14O14P that occurs especially in liver, is essential to normal blood
formation, neural function, and growth, and is used especially
in treating pernicious and related anemias and in animal feed
as a growth factor —called also cyanocobalamin or hydroxycobalamin
Vitamin D
Any or all of several fat-soluble
vitamins chemically related to steroids, essential for normal
bone and tooth structure, and found especially in fish-liver
oils, egg yolk, and milk or produced by activation (as by
ultraviolet irradiation) of sterols
Vitamin E
Any of several fat-soluble vitamins
that are chemically tocopherols or tocotrienols, are essential
in the nutrition of various vertebrates in which their absence
is associated with infertility, degenerative changes in muscle,
or vascular abnormalities, are found especially in wheat germ,
vegetable oils, egg yolk, and green leafy vegetables or are
made synthetically, and are used chiefly in animal feeds and
as antioxidants
W
X
Y
Z
Source: http://www.medlineplus.gov/
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