Heterophyes
A minute parasite that lives in the small intestine of humans, cats, dogs and other mammals who acquire it by eating raw or uncooked contaminated fish. Heterophyes is one of the smallest trematodes (parasitic flatworms) infecting humans. The main symptoms are diarrhea and abdominal pain. The lining of the small intestine may break down, permitting the parasite’s eggs to enter the bloodstream and be carried to other organs, especially to the heart, liver, and brain, where they can cause serious disease, The diagnosis is based on the microscopic identification of eggs in the stool. Praziquantel (Biltricide) is the drug of choice.
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- Heteroplasia
The replacement of normal tissue of the body by abnormal tissue or by malpositioned normal tissue, a tissue growing in the wrong place. Progressive osseous heteroplasia is a disorder in which bone develops in areas where bone is normally absent. There is heteroplasia of bone.
- Heteroploid
A different chromosome number than the normal number of chromosomes. Abnormal numbers of chromosomes are associated with a number of disorders. For example, Down syndrome is the result of having three instead of two chromosome 21s.
- Heterosexual
A person sexually attracted to persons of the opposite sex. Or a person who has sexual relations with the opposite sex. Colloquially known as “straight.” The term “heterosexual” can also be an adjective.
- Heterosexuality
Sexuality directed toward someone of the opposite sex.
- Heterotaxy
The abnormal placement of organs due to failure to establish the normal left-right patterning during embryonic development. The morbidity (disease) and mortality (death) from heterotaxy are caused by congenital defects, especially congenital heart disease. Mutations in the zinc finger transcription factor ZIC3 cause an X-linked form of heterotaxy and have also been identified in patients […]