Category: Ua-Ur
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Ulcerative colitis
A bowel disease that is characterized by inflammation with ulcer formation in the lining of colon (large intestine). Its cause is unknown. The end of the colon (the rectum) is generally involved. When limited to the rectum, the disease is called ulcerative proctitis. The inflammation may extend to varying degrees into the upper parts of the colon. When the…
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Ulceration
The process or fact of being eroded away, as by an ulcer.
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Ulcer
A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various causes, depending on their location. Ulcers on the skin are usually due to irritation, as in the case of bedsores, and may become inflamed and/or infected as they grow. Ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract were once attributed to stress, but most are now believed to be due…
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UL
1. Upper lid (of the eye). 2. Upper limit. No evidence was found for chronic excess intakes of potassium in apparently health individuals and therefore no UL was established for potassium.
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UDP-glucuronosyltransferase
A liver enzyme essential to the disposal of bilirubin (the chemical that results from the normal breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells). An abnormality of this enzyme (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase) results in a condition called Gilbert’s disease in which there are mild elevations of bilirubin pigment in the blood. The elevated bilirubin pigment can sometimes cause mild yellowing (jaundice) of the…
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UBT
Urea breath test.
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Ubiquitous
Present everywhere. The small protein called ubiquitin was so-named because it is present in all types of cells and its amino acid sequence is identical in all creatures from insects to humans.
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Ubiquitination
The “kiss of death” process for a protein. In ubiquitination, a protein is inactivated by attaching ubiquitin to it. Ubiquitin is a small molecule. It acts as a tag that signals the protein-transport machinery to ferry the protein to the proteasome for degradation.
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Ubiquinone
A compound needed for the proper functioning of an enzyme, a protein that speeds up the rate at which chemical reactions take place in the body. Coenzyme Q10 is used to produce energy to fuel cell growth and maintenance. Coenzyme Q10 is thought to improve the function of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” that produce energy in cells. Coenzyme Q10 is…
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Ubidecarenone
A compound needed for the proper functioning of an enzyme, a protein that speeds up the rate at which chemical reactions take place in the body. Coenzyme Q10 is used to produce energy to fuel cell growth and maintenance. Coenzyme Q10 is thought to improve the function of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” that produce energy in cells. Coenzyme Q10 is…