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Steno, Nicolaus

(Encyclopedia)Steno, Nicolaus nēls stānˈsən [key], 1638–86, Danish anatomist, geologist, and Roman Catholic prelate. He lived principally in Copenhagen, Paris, and Florence. He investigated the heart, brain, ...

acromegaly

(Encyclopedia)acromegaly ăkˌrōmĕgˈəlē [key], adult endocrine disorder resulting from hypersecretion of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Since the bones cannot increase in length after full gro...

Neruda, Pablo

(Encyclopedia)Neruda, Pablo päˈblō nāro͞oˈᵺä [key], 1904–73, Chilean poet, diplomat, and Communist leader. He changed his original name, Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, so that his railroad-work...

aldosterone

(Encyclopedia)aldosterone ălˌdōstĭrōnˈ [key], steroid secreted by the cortex of the adrenal gland. It is the most potent hormone regulating the body's electrolyte balance. Aldosterone acts directly on the kid...

amenorrhea

(Encyclopedia)amenorrhea āmĕnˌərēˈa, əmĕnˌ– [key], cessation of menstruation. Primary amenorrhea is a delay in or a failure to start menstruation; secondary amenorrhea is an unexpected stop to the menstr...

antidiuretic hormone

(Encyclopedia)antidiuretic hormone ănˌtēdīyo͞orĕtˈĭk [key], polypeptide hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland. Its principal action is to regulate the amount of water excreted by the kidneys. An...

Schally, Andrew V.

(Encyclopedia)Schally, Andrew V., 1926–, American endocrinologist, b. Wilno, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania), as Andrzej Viktor Schally, grad. McGill Univ. (Ph.D., 1957). He spent most of his career at Tulane Uni...

pseudocyesis

(Encyclopedia)pseudocyesis so͞oˌdōsīēˈsĭs [key], imaginary pregnancy in women usually resulting from a strong desire or need for motherhood. In the absence of conception, the menstrual periods nevertheless c...

parathyroid glands

(Encyclopedia)parathyroid glands pârˌəthīˈroid [key], four small endocrine bodies, located behind the thyroid gland, that govern calcium and phosphorus metabolism. These four masses of tissue (each about the s...

placenta

(Encyclopedia)placenta pləsĕnˈtə [key] or afterbirth, organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It is a unique characteristic of the higher (or placental) mammals. In humans it is a thick mass, about ...