Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Dry mouth. Xerostomia can be associated with systemic diseases, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis; and it can be a side effect of medication and poor dental hygiene. Xerostomia results from inadequate function of the salivary glands, such as the parotid glands. Treatment involves adequate intake of water, use of artificial saliva, and good dental care.…

Abnormal dryness of the skin, mucous membranes, or conjunctiva (xerophthalmia). There are many causes of xerosis, and treatment depends on the particular cause.

Xeroderma pigmentosum is a genetic disease characterized by such extraordinary sensitivity to sunlight that it results in the development of skin cancer at a very early age. It is abbreviated as XP. Children with XP disease can only play outdoors safely after nightfall. XP is due to defective repair of damage done to DNA by ultraviolet (UV) light.…

Prefix indicating dryness, as in xeroderma (dry skin).

A surgical graft of tissue from one species to an unlike species (or genus or family). A graft from a baboon to a human is a xenograft. The prefix “xeno-” means foreign. It comes from the Greek word “xenos” meaning stranger, guest, or host. (Xeno- and xen- are variant forms of the same prefix.)

Foreign or other. As in: The origin of “xeno-” is from the Late Latin, from Greek, from “xenos” meaning stranger, guest, or host. Xeno- and xen- are variant forms of the same prefix.

Foreign or other. As in: The origin of “xen-” is from the Late Latin, from Greek, from “xenos” meaning stranger, guest, or host. Xen- and xeno- are variant forms of the same prefix.

Yellowing of the skin without yellowing of the eyes. In jaundice there is yellowing of both the skin and the whites of the eyes. Xanthosis is associated sometimes with malignancies.

A form of chromatopsia, a visual abnormality in which objects look as though they have been overpainted with an unnatural color. In xanthopsia, that color is yellow.

A substance found in caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline and encountered in tea, coffee, and the colas. Chemically, xanthine is a purine. There is a genetic disease of xanthine metabolism, xanthinuria, due to deficiency of an enzyme, xanthine dehydrogenase, needed to process xanthine in the body. Unchecked, xanthinuria can lead to kidney stone formation and urinary tract disease (due to xanthine stones) and to muscle disease (due to…