Category: H

An infestation of the small intestine with the parasitic fluke Heterophyes beterophyes. Man becomes infected on eating raw or salted fish that contains the larval stage of the fluke. The presence of adult flukes may provoke symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea; if the eggs reach the brain, spinal cord, and heart (via the bloodstream)…

A genus of small parasitic flukes occurring in Egypt and the Far East. Adult flukes of the species H. heterophyes live in the small intestine of man and other fish-eating animals; in man the flukes can produce serious symptoms. The fluke has two intermediate hosts, a snail and a mullet fish. A genus of flukes…

A barbiturate administered by mouth to treat insomnia. A common side-effect is drowsiness, and prolonged use can lead to dependence.  

A condition in which brain function is impaired by the presence of toxic substances, absorbed from the colon, which are normally removed or detoxified by the liver. It occurs when the liver is severely damaged (as in cirrhosis) or bypassed. Symptoms include drowsiness, confusion, difficulty in performing tasks (e.g. writing), and coma. Treatment consists of…

The SI unit of inductance, equal to the inductance of a closed circuit with a magnetic flux of 1 weber per ampere of current.  

An iron-containing pigment present in the organisms that cause malaria.  

The cell from which all classes of blood cells are derived. It cannot be identified microscopically, although some workers believe that it is identical in appearance with a lymphocyte. It can be demonstrated by tissue culture of the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow, as well as in certain other sites.  

A genus of Gram-negative aerobic nonmotile parasitic rod-like bacteria frequently found in the respiratory tract. They can grow only in the presence of certain factors in the blood and/or certain coenzymes: they are cultured on fresh blood agar. Most species are pathogenic: H. aegyptius causes conjunctivitis, and H. ducreyi soft sore (chancroid). H. influenzae is…

An instrument for determining the concentration of hemoglobin in a sample of blood, which is a measure of its oxygen-carrying power. A device for determining the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.  

A type of cell, found in the bone marrow, that was thought by early microscopists to be the ultimate precursor from which all blood cells were derived. An undifferentiated stem cell found in mesenchymal tissues that may give rise to any type of blood cell.