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Geotriinae Mordaciinae Petromyzontinae A lamprey is a jawless fish with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth, with which most species bore into the flesh of other fishes to suck their blood. In zoology, lampreys are not considered to be true fish because of their vastly different morphology and physiology. Lamprey - Physical description. Lampreys live mostly in coastal and fresh waters, although at least one species, Geotria australis, probably travels significant dis ...

Including:

• Lamprey - Physical description
• Lamprey - Taxonomy
• Lamprey - Relation to humans

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The immune system is the system of specialised cells and organs that protect an organism from outside biological influences. (Though in a broad sense, almost every organ has a protective function - for example, the tight seal of the skin or the acidic environment of the stomach.) When the immune system is functioning properly, it protects the body against bacteria and viral infections, destroying cancer cells and foreign substances. If the immune system weakens, its ability to defend the body also weakens, allowing pathogens, includin ...

Including:

• Immune system - Structure
• Immune system - Innate immune system
• Immune system - Adaptive immune system
• Immune system - Intersections between systems
• Immune system - Disorders of the human immune system
• Immune system - Other factors that affect immune response
• Immune system - Pharmacology

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The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste. The GI tract differs substantially from animal to animal. For instance, some animals have multi-chambered stomachs. Gastrointestinal tract - Basic anatomy. Gastrointestinal tract - The gut. < ...

Including:

• Gastrointestinal tract - Basic anatomy
• Gastrointestinal tract - The gut
• Gastrointestinal tract - Related organs
• Gastrointestinal tract - Physiology
• Gastrointestinal tract - Digestion and excretion
• Gastrointestinal tract - Specialization of organs
• Gastrointestinal tract - Immune function
• Gastrointestinal tract - Uses of gut

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Breastfeeding is the process of a woman feeding an infant or young child with milk produced from her breasts, usually directly from the nipples. Babies have a sucking urge that usually enables them to take in the milk, provided there is a good latch, a detached phrenulum, and a milk supply. Breast milk has been shown to be best for feeding a child if the mother does not have any transmissible infections. Nevertheless, some mothers do not breastfeed their children, either for personal or medical reasons. Some diseases, such as H ...

Including:

• Breastfeeding - Beginning lactation
• Breastfeeding - The let-down reflex
• Breastfeeding - Benefits
• Breastfeeding - Benefits for the infant
• Breastfeeding - Benefits for the mother
• Breastfeeding - Bonding
• Breastfeeding - Recommendations and research
• Breastfeeding - Difficulties with breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding - Breast refusal
• Breastfeeding - Medical conditions of the infant
• Breastfeeding - Medical conditions of the mother
• Breastfeeding - When breastfeeding can be harmful to the infant
• Breastfeeding - Health and diet
• Breastfeeding - Feeding options and requirements
• Breastfeeding - Expression
• Breastfeeding - Infant formula
• Breastfeeding - Tandem extended and shared breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding method
• Breastfeeding - Feeding and positioning
• Breastfeeding - Breast and nipple pain
• Breastfeeding - Weaning
• Breastfeeding - History of breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding - Developing alternatives
• Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding in Japan
• Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding in Canada
• Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding in Cuba
• Breastfeeding - Publicity promotion and law
• Breastfeeding - Recent global uptake
• Breastfeeding - Lactation without pregnancy

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Asthma is a disease of the human respiratory system in which the airways narrow, often in response to a “trigger” such as exposure to an allergen, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress. This narrowing causes symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which are the hallmarks of asthma. Between episodes, most patients feel fine. The disorder is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the airways develop increased responsiveness to various stimuli, characterized by bronchial hyper-respon ...

Including:

• Asthma - History
• Asthma - Signs and symptoms
• Asthma - Diagnosis
• Asthma - Differential diagnosis
• Asthma - Pathophysiology
• Asthma - Bronchoconstriction
• Asthma - Bronchial inflammation
• Asthma - The immune response
• Asthma - Pathogenesis
• Asthma - Treatment
• Asthma - Relief medication
• Asthma - Prevention medication
• Asthma - Long-acting β₂-agonists
• Asthma - Emergency treatment
• Asthma - Alternative medicine
• Asthma - Prognosis
• Asthma - Epidemiology
• Asthma - US Socioeconomic Factors
• Asthma - Asthma and athletics

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Influenza (or as it is commonly known, the flu or the grippe) is a contagious disease of the upper airways and the lungs, caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family. It rapidly spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, imposing considerable economic burden, in the form of health care costs and lost productivity. Three influenza pandemics in the 20th century, each following a major genetic ...

Including:

• Influenza - Types
• Influenza - Genetics
• Influenza - History
• Influenza - Known epidemics and pandemics - overview
• Influenza - Symptoms
• Influenza - Variability
• Influenza - Flu season
• Influenza - Prevention
• Influenza - Treatment
• Influenza - Avian influenza
• Influenza - Sources

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Milk most often means the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to digest more diverse foods. It is also processed into dairy products such as cream, butter, yoghurt, ice-cream, gelato, cheese, casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk, and many other food-additive and industrial products. It can also be used to mean: The white juice and the processed meat of the coconut in, more or less, liqu ...

Including:

• Milk - Composition and nutrition
• Milk - Cow's milk
• Milk - Commercial processing of milk
• Milk - Distribution
• Milk - Varieties and brands
• Milk - Other milk animals
• Milk - Curdling

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. MS can cause a variety of symptoms, including changes in sensation, visual problems, muscle weakness, depression, and difficulties with coordination and speech. Although many patients lead full and rewarding lives, MS can cause impaired mobility and disability in the more severe cases. Multiple sclerosis affects neurons, the cells of the brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and perception and allow the brain to co ...

Including:

• Multiple sclerosis - Signs and symptoms
• Multiple sclerosis - Diagnosis
• Multiple sclerosis - Disease course and clinical subtypes
• Multiple sclerosis - Factors triggering a relapse
• Multiple sclerosis - Pathophysiology
• Multiple sclerosis - How multiple sclerosis causes damage
• Multiple sclerosis - Why multiple sclerosis occurs
• Multiple sclerosis - Treatment
• Multiple sclerosis - Management of acute attacks
• Multiple sclerosis - Management of relapsing-remitting MS
• Multiple sclerosis - Management of progressive MS
• Multiple sclerosis - Management of demyelination without a diagnosis of MS
• Multiple sclerosis - Management of the effects of MS
• Multiple sclerosis - Therapies under investigation
• Multiple sclerosis - Side effects of medications for relapsing-remitting MS
• Multiple sclerosis - Prognosis
• Multiple sclerosis - Epidemiology
• Multiple sclerosis - History
• Multiple sclerosis - Multiple sclerosis in film and television

Read more here: » Multiple sclerosis: Encyclopedia - Multiple sclerosis

This is about the disease typhoid fever. See typhus for an unrelated disease with a similar name. Typhoid fever is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Very common worldwide, it is transmitted by food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person. Typhoid fever - Symptoms. After infection, symptoms include: a high fever from 103° to 104°F (39° to 40°C) that rises slowly chills slow pulse rate (bradycardia) weakness

Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. It is one of the four major tissue types, the other three being epithelium, connective tissue and nervous tissue. Muscle contraction is used to move parts of the body, as well as to move substances within the body. Muscle - Types. There are three general types of muscle: Cardiac muscle is a specialized kind of muscle found only within the heart. It cannot get tired and is "involuntary". Skeletal muscle or "voluntary muscle" is anchored by tendons ...

Including:

• Muscle - Types
• Muscle - Anatomy
• Muscle - Physiology
• Muscle - Nervous control
• Muscle - Efferent leg
• Muscle - Afferent leg
• Muscle - Role in health and disease
• Muscle - Exercise
• Muscle - Disease
• Muscle - The strongest human muscle
• Muscle - Efficiency
• Muscle - Muscle evolution

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The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on September 18, 2001 (after the September 11, 2001 attacks). Letters containing anthrax bacteria were mailed to several news media offices and two US Senators, killing five people. The crime remains unsolved. 2001 anthrax attacks - Overview. The first set of anthrax letters had a Trenton, New Jersey postmark dated September 18, 2001, exactly one week after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Five letters are belie ...

Including:

• 2001 anthrax attacks - Overview
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Investigation
• 2001 anthrax attacks - A person of interest
• 2001 anthrax attacks - The anthrax
• 2001 anthrax attacks - The Princeton mailbox
• 2001 anthrax attacks - The return address
• 2001 anthrax attacks - The notes
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Journalists and amateur investigators on the 2001 anthrax attacks
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Barbara Hatch Rosenberg
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Don Foster
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Ed Lake
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Richard M. Smith
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Gary Matsumoto
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Ross E. Getman
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Robert Pate
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Kenneth J. Dillon
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Aftermath
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Contamination and cleanup
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Political effects
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Health
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Timeline of the 2001 anthrax attacks
• 2001 anthrax attacks - The attacks
• 2001 anthrax attacks - Related events

Read more here: » 2001 anthrax attacks: Encyclopedia - 2001 anthrax attacks

Yersinia pestis bacterium, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is the infectious agent of bubonic plague, and can also cause pneumonic plague and septicemic plague. All forms have been responsible for enormous mortality in many fearsome epidemics throughout the history of mankind (without treatment, patients with the bubonic form die, and almost 100% with the pneumonic form), such as the Great Plague and the Black Death, the latter of which accounted for the death of approximately 25% of the European population. The role of Y. Pestis in the Black Death is today highly debated amongst historians, as scie ...

Including:

• Yersinia pestis - History
• Yersinia pestis - Pathogenicity and immunity
• Yersinia pestis - Genome
• Yersinia pestis - Susceptibility
• Yersinia pestis - Related topics

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West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae, found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, and domestic rabbits. The main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Photographs from a high resolution electron microscope published in the journal Science reveal the virus as spherical with a slightly bumpy surface but no projecting protein arms. It has no similarities ...

Including:

• West Nile virus - Symptoms
• West Nile virus - History
• West Nile virus - Geographic distribution
• West Nile virus - Recent outbreaks
• West Nile virus - Surveillance methods
• West Nile virus - Experimental treatment

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In medicine, vasculitis (plural: vasculitides) is a group of diseases featuring inflammation of the wall of blood vessels. Its main causes are autoimmune disorders and (occasionally) infections. Treatment depends on the cause. While most vasculitides are rare diseases, they generally affect several organ systems and can cause severe disability. Vasculitis - Diagnosis. The types of vasculitis are distinguished by the type of blood vessel affected (aorta, large arteries, arterioles, capillaries and vei ...

Including:

• Vasculitis - Diagnosis
• Vasculitis - Treatment
• Vasculitis - Causes and types
• Vasculitis - Source

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see text Cytomegalovirus (CMV), is a genus of Herpes viruses; in humans the species is known as Human herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5). It belongs to the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily of Herpesviridae. The name means "cell very big virus". CMV especially attacks salivary glands and may also be devastating or even fatal to fetuses. CMV infection can also be life threatening for patients who are immunocompromised (e.g. patients with HIV or organ transplant recipients). CMV viruses are found in many ma ...

Including:

• Cytomegalovirus - Species
• Cytomegalovirus - General information
• Cytomegalovirus - Characteristics of the virus
• Cytomegalovirus - Transmission and prevention
• Cytomegalovirus - Specific situations
• Cytomegalovirus - Pregnancy
• Cytomegalovirus - Childcare
• Cytomegalovirus - Immunocompromised patients
• Cytomegalovirus - Diagnosis of infection
• Cytomegalovirus - Serologic testing
• Cytomegalovirus - Relevance to blood donors
• Cytomegalovirus - Treatment
• Cytomegalovirus - Support group

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Dairy cattle, generally of the species Bos taurus, are domesticated animals bred to produce large quantities of milk. Dairy cattle - Terminology. A young dairy animal is known as a calf. A female calf which has not given birth to a calf and is less than thirty months old is called a heifer. When more than seven months pregnant with its first calf, a female heifer is known as a springer. After calving, or when more than thirty months old, a female dairy animal is known as a cow. A male d ...

Including:

• Dairy cattle - Terminology
• Dairy cattle - Modern times
• Dairy cattle - Dairy Farms
• Dairy cattle - Life of dairy cattle
• Dairy cattle - Breeds of dairy cattle

Read more here: » Dairy cattle: Encyclopedia - Dairy cattle

Cell-mediated immunity is an immune response that does not involve antibodies but rather involves the activation of macrophages and natural killer cells, the production of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and the release of various cytokines in response to an antigen. Cellular immunity protects the body by: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that are able to lyse body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, an ...

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Sterilization is a surgical technique leaving a male or female unable to procreate. It is a method of birth control. A vasectomy in males. The vasa deferentia, the tubes which connect the testicles to the prostate, are cut and closed. This prevents sperm produced in the testicles to be in the ejaculated semen fluid (which is mostly produced in the prostate and the seminal vesicles). A tubal ligation in females. The Fallopian tubes, which allow the sperm to fertilize the ovum and would carry the fert ...

Including:

• Sterilization surgical procedure - Vasectomy
• Sterilization surgical procedure - Safety and effectiveness
• Sterilization surgical procedure - Reversal
• Sterilization surgical procedure - Sterilization of animals

Read more here: » Sterilization surgical procedure: Encyclopedia - Sterilization surgical procedure

"Venom" is a general term for the poisons used by several groups of animal species, for the purpose of defense and hunting prey. Most widely known are snakes, some species of which inject venom into their prey through hollow fangs, spiders, which also inject venom through "fangs", scorpions, and stinging insects, which inject venom with a sting (which is in fact a modified egg-laying device - the ovipositor). Venom is also found in some fishes like the stonefish and scorpionfish, and eve ...

Including:

• Venom poison - Snake venom

Read more here: » Venom poison: Encyclopedia - Venom poison

Colostrum (also known as beestings or first milk) is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the first two weeks after giving birth. Human and bovine colostrum is thick and yellowish. In humans, it has high concentrations of nutrients and immunities, but it is small in quantity. Colostrum is high in carbohydrates, protein and antibodies, and low in fat, which human newborns may find difficult to digest. Newborns have very small digestive systems, and colostrum delivers its nutrie ...

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