Key Terms
- absorption
- the taking in of broken-down substances into the cells
- Bitot’s spots
- oval or triangular patches on the conjunctiva of built-up keratin
- chyme
- gastric juices and digested food particles
- digestion
- the process by which the body breaks down what is ingested into absorbable substances
- icterus
- another word for jaundice, a yellowish pigmentation of the skin
- ingestion
- the taking in of substances into the body through swallowing or transdermal absorption
- koilonychia
- soft nails with a concave indentation, making them appear “scooped out”
- mastication
- digestion of food using mostly mechanical and some chemical processes
- metabolism
- the chemical processes in the body that convert absorbed substances to energy
- xanthelasmas
- yellow plaques on or near the eyelids
- xanthomas
- localized lipid deposits
- xeroderma
- dry skin
- xerosis
- extreme dryness of skin or tissue; in corneal xerosis, the cornea may appear hazy