| arab world | A historical and cultural entity dispersed across a wide geographical area under the administrative, intellectual, social, and cultural domination of the arab empire. The arab world, under the impetus of islam, by the eighth century a.d., extended from arabia in the middle east to all of northern africa, southern spain, sardinia, and sicily. Close contact was maintained with greek and jewish culture. While the principal service of the arabs to medicine was the preservation of greek culture, the arabs themselves were the originators of algebra, chemistry, geology, and many of the refinements of civilization. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| camelids, new world | Ruminant mammals of south america. They are related to camels. (12 Dec 1998) |
| greek world | A historical and cultural entity dispersed across a wide geographical area under the influence of greek civilization, culture, and science. The greek empire extended from the greek mainland and the aegean islands from the 16th century b.c., to the indus valley in the 4th century under alexander the great, and to southern italy and sicily. Greek medicine began with homeric and aesculapian medicine and continued unbroken to hippocrates (480-355 b.c.). The classic period of greek medicine was 460-136 b.c. And the graeco-roman period, 156 b.c.-576 a.d. (12 Dec 1998) |
| roman world | A historical and cultural entity dispersed across a wide geographical area under the political domination and influence of ancient rome, bringing to the conquered people the roman civilization and culture from 753 b.c. To the beginning of the imperial rule under augustus in 27 b.c. The early city built on seven hills grew to conquer sicily, sardinia, carthage, gaul, spain, britain, greece, asia minor, etc., and extended ultimately from mesopotamia to the atlantic. Roman medicine was almost entirely in greek hands, but rome, with its superior water system, remains a model of sanitation and hygiene. (12 Dec 1998) |
| western world | A historical and cultural entity dispersed across the wide geographical area of europe, as opposed to the east, asia, and africa. The term was used by scholars through the late medieval period. Thereafter, with the impact of colonialism and the transmission of cultures, western world was sometimes expanded to include the americas. (dr. James h. Cassedy, nlm history of medicine division) (12 Dec 1998) |
| world | 1. The earth and the surrounding heavens; the creation; the system of created things; existent creation; the universe. "The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen." (Rom. 1. 20) "With desire to know, What nearer might concern him, how this world Of heaven and earth conspicuous first began." (Milton) 2. Any planet or heavenly body, especially when considered as inhabited, and as the scene of interests analogous with human interests; as, a plurality of worlds. "Lord of the worlds above." "Amongst innumerable stars, that shone Star distant, but high-hand seemed other worlds." (Milton) "There may be other worlds, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their almighty Sovereign." (W. B. Sprague) 3. The earth and its inhabitants, with their concerns; the sum of human affairs and interests. "That forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe." (Milton) 4. In a more restricted sense, that part of the earth and its concerns which is known to any one, or contemplated by any one; a division of the globe, or of its inhabitants; human affairs as seen from a certain position, or from a given point of view; also, state of existence; scene of life and action; as, the Old World; the new World; the religious world; the Catholic world; the upper world; the future world; the heathen world. "One of the greatest in the Christian world Shall be my surety." (Shak) "Murmuring that now they must be put to make war beyond the world's end for so they counted Britain." (Milton) 5. The customs, practices, and interests of men; general affairs of life; human society; public affairs and occupations; as, a knowledge of the world. "Happy is she that from the world retires." (Waller) "If knowledge of the world makes man perfidious, May Juba ever live in ignorance." (Addison) 6. Individual experience of, or concern with, life; course of life; sum of the affairs which affect the individual; as, to begin the world with no property; to lose all, and begin the world anew. 7. The inhabitants of the earth; the human race; people in general; the public; mankind. "Since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it." (Shak) "Tell me, wench, how will the world repute me For undertaking so unstaid a journey?" (Shak) 8. The earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven; concerns of this life as distinguished from those of the life to come; the present existence and its interests; hence, secular affairs; engrossment or absorption in the affairs of this life; worldly corruption; the ungodly or wicked part of mankind. "I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." (John xvii. 9) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John II. 15, 16) 9. As an emblem of immensity, a great multitude or quantity; a large number. "A world of men." . "A world of blossoms for the bee." "Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company." (Shak) "A world of woes dispatched in little space." (Dryden) All . . . In the world, all that exists; all that is possible; as, all the precaution in the world would not save him. A world to see, a wonder to see; something admirable or surprising to see. "O, you are novices; 't is a world to see How tame, when men and women are alone, A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew." (Shak) For all the world. Precisely; exactly. For any consideration. Seven wonders of the world. To go to the world, to be married. "Thus goes every one to the world but I . .; I may sit in a corner and cry heighho for a husband!" . World's end, the end, or most distant part, of the world; the remotest regions. World without end, eternally; forever; everlastingly; as if in a state of existence having no end. "Throughout all ages, world without end." (Eph. Iii. 21) Origin: OE. World, werld, weorld, weoreld, AS. Weorold, worold; akin to OS. Werold, D. Wereld, OHG. Weralt, worolt, werolt, werlt, G. Welt, Icel. Verold, Sw. Verld, Dan. Verden; properly, the age of man, lifetime, humanity; AS. Wer a man + a word akin to E. Old; cf. AS. Yld lifetime, age, ylde men, humanity. Cf. Werewolf, Old. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| New World leishmaniasis | A grave disease caused by Leishmania braziliensis braziliensis, endemic in southern Mexico and Central and South America, except for the equatorial region of Chile; the organism does not invade the viscera, and the disease is limited to the skin and mucous membranes, the lesions resembling the sores of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. Mexicana or L. Tropica; the chancrous sores heal after a time, but some months or years later, fungating and eroding forms of ulceration may appear on the tongue and buccal or nasal mucosa; many variants of the disease exist, marked by differences in distribution, vector, epidemiology, and pathology, which suggest that it may in fact be caused by a number of closely related aetiological agents. See: espundia. Synonym: American leishmaniasis, leishmaniasis americana, nasopharyngeal leishmaniasis, New World leishmaniasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Old World leishmaniasis | Infection with promastigotes (leptomonads) of Leishmania tropica and of leishmaniasis major inoculated into the skin by the bite of an infected sandfly, Phlebotomus (commonly P. Papatasi); it is endemic in parts of Asia Minor, northern Africa, and India, and is known by innumerable names, each indicating its locality (e.g., Aleppo, Baghdad, Delhi, or Jericho boil; Aden ulcer; Biskra button); the ulcer begins as a papule that enlarges to a nodule and then breaks down into an ulcer. Two distinctive clinical and epidemiological diseases are recognised, the more common and widespread zoonotic rural disease with a moist acute form, caused by L. Major, with reservoir rodent hosts; and an urban, anthroponotic, dry, chronic form of leishmaniasis caused by leishmaniasis tropica, without a reservoir host, and now largely controlled. See: zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Synonym: juccuya, Old World leishmaniasis, tropical sore. (05 Mar 2000) |
| AIDS | <immunology, syndrome> An epidemic disease caused by an infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1, HIV-2), a retrovirus that causes immune system failure and debilitation and is often accompanied by infections such as tuberculosis. AIDS is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. Acronym: AIDS (10 May 1997) |
| aids-associated nephropathy | Renal syndrome in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients characterised by nephrotic syndrome, severe proteinuria, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis with distinctive tubular and interstitial changes, enlarged kidneys, and peculiar tubuloreticular structures. The syndrome is distinct from heroin-associated nephropathy as well as other forms of kidney disease seen in HIV-infected patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| AIDS-defining illness | <immunology> One of a list of serious illnesses that occurs in HIV-positive individuals and is reason for an AIDS diagnosis according to the CDC's definition of AIDS. Among these conditions are PCP, MAC, AIDS dementia complex, AIDS wasting syndrome, invasive cervical cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma and CMV retinitis. (09 Oct 1997) |
| AIDS dementia | <immunology> A frequent cerebral condition in people with AIDS that results in the loss of cognitive capacity, affecting the ability to function in a social or occupational setting. Its cause has not been determined exactly, but may result from HIV infection of cells in the brain or an inflammatory reaction to such infection. (09 Oct 1997) |
| AIDS dementia complex | <immunology> A frequent cerebral condition in people with AIDS that results in the loss of cognitive capacity, affecting the ability to function in a social or occupational setting. Its cause has not been determined exactly, but may result from HIV infection of cells in the brain or an inflammatory reaction to such infection. (09 Oct 1997) |
| aids-related complex | A prodromal phase of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Laboratory criteria separating aids-related complex (arc) from aids include elevated or hyperactive B-cell humoral immune responses, compared to depressed or normal antibody reactivity in aids; follicular or mixed hyperplasia in arc lymph nodes, leading to lymphocyte degeneration and depletion more typical of aids; evolving succession of histopathological lesions such as localization of kaposi's sarcoma, signaling the transition to the full-blown aids. (12 Dec 1998) |
| aids-related opportunistic infections | Opportunistic infections found in patients who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The most common include pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, kaposi's sarcoma, cryptosporidiosis, herpes simplex, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and infections with mycobacterium avium complex, microsporidium, and cytomegalovirus. (12 Dec 1998) |