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osteoporosis
osteoporosis , disorder in which the normal replenishment of old bone tissue is severely disrupted, resulting in weakened bones and increased risk of fracture; osteopenia results when bone-mass loss is significant but not as severe as in osteoporosis. Although osteoporosis can occur in anyone, it ...
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starvation
starvation condition in which deprivation of food has forced the body to feed on itself. Causes are famine, fasting, malnutrition, or abnormalities of the mucosal lining of the digestive system. Famines are often compounded by political strifes that restrict the distribution of aid and imports, as ...
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enteritis
enteritis , inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Acute enteritis is not usually serious except in infants and older people, in whom the accompanying diarrhea can cause dehydration through the loss of fluids. The condition known as regional enteritis (Crohn's disease) is a chronic disease that...
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acquired immune deficiency syndrome
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Fatal disease caused by a retrovirus, called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), that mainly attacks T-4 cells (which help the production of antibodies) and renders the body's immune system incapable of resisting infection. The first diagnosis was made in ...
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foot-and-mouth disease
foot-and-mouth disease highly contagious disease almost exclusive to cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. It is caused by a virus that was identified in 1897. Among its symptoms are fever, loss of appetite and weight, and blisters on the mucous membranes, especially those o...
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menopause
menopause or climacteric , transitional phase in a woman's life when the ovaries stop releasing eggs, ovarian production of estrogen and other hormones tapers off, and menstruation ceases. It results from declining ovarian function due to aging of the ovaries and is usually a gradual proce...
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distemper
distemper in veterinary medicine, highly contagious, catarrhal, often fatal disease of dogs. It also affects wolves, foxes, mink, raccoons, and ferrets. Distemper is caused by a filtrable virus that is airborne; it is also spread by infected utensils, brushes, and clothing. Symptoms are high fever,...
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obesity
obesity condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index. It has been estimated that 30% to 35%...
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chemical reaction
chemical reaction process by which one or more substances may be transformed into one or more new substances. Energy is released or is absorbed, but no loss in total molecular weight occurs. When, for example, water is decomposed, its molecules, each of which consists of one atom of oxygen and two ...
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penguin
penguin originally the common name for the now extinct great auk of the N Atlantic and now used (since the 19th cent.) for the unrelated, generally antarctic diving birds of the Southern Hemisphere. Penguins, which are related most closely to the albatrosses , are the most highly specialized of ...
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