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l-dopa

(Encyclopedia)l-dopa ĕl-dōˈpə [key], drug used to alleviate some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, particularly trembling, rigidity, and slow movements; the drug is also called levodopa. Parkinson's disea...

Leeuwenhoek, Antony van

(Encyclopedia)Leeuwenhoek, Antony van änˈtōnē vän lāˈvənho͞okˌ [key], 1632–1723, Dutch student of natural history and maker of microscopes, b. Delft. His use of lenses in examining cloth as a draper's a...

kwashiorkor

(Encyclopedia)kwashiorkor kwăshˌēôrˈkôr [key], protein deficiency disorder of children. It is prevalent in overpopulated parts of the world where the diet consists mainly of starchy vegetables, particularly i...

Phoronida

(Encyclopedia)Phoronida fərŏnˈədə [key], small phylum of slender, wormlike marine tube-dwellers, typically found in temperate, shallow seas. About 10 species are known. Although the body is free in the tube, t...

Valentino, Rudolph

(Encyclopedia)Valentino, Rudolph văləntēˈnō [key], 1895–1926, American film actor, b. Italy as Rodolfo Guglielmi. He emigrated to the United States in 1913 and, after a brief career as a dancer and bit playe...

vampire

(Encyclopedia)vampire, in folklore, animated corpse that sucks the blood of humans. Belief in vampires has existed from the earliest times and has given rise to an amalgam of legends and superstitions. They were mo...

uremia

(Encyclopedia)uremia yo͝orēˈmēə [key], condition resulting from advanced stages of kidney failure in which urea and other nitrogen-containing wastes are found in the blood. Uremia can be caused by NSAIDs (nons...

toxic shock syndrome

(Encyclopedia)toxic shock syndrome (TSS). acute, sometimes fatal, disease characterized by high fever, nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, blotchy rash, and sudden drop in blood pressure. It is caused by Staphylococcus aur...

Puig, Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Puig, Manuel mänwĕlˈ pwēg [key], 1932–90, Argentine novelist. He is considered one of Latin America's most creative writers, and his writing reflects the myths and realities of contemporary Arge...

Bergström, Sune Karl

(Encyclopedia)Bergström, Sune Karl so͞oˈnə, bĕrˈyəström [key], 1916–2004, Swedish biochemist, grad. Karolinska Institute (Ph.D., M.D., 1944). With his former pupil B. I. Samuelsson and John R. Vane, he wa...