Xero Health Dictionary

This is a blinding eye disease, almost exclusively of infants and young children, which results from vitamin A deficiency, associated with protein-calorie-malnutrition. Xerophthalmia literally means ‘dryness’ of the conjunctiva.... xerophthalmia

Dryness of the mouth due to lack of SALIVA. Its most extreme form occurs following radiotherapy of the mouth, and in the condition known as Sjögren’s syndrome. No satisfactory substitute for natural saliva has been found though some ?nd a methyl-cellulose substitute gives partial relief, as may a glycerin mouthwash.... xerostomia

The term means dry skin. Normal skin may become dry when exposed to very low ambient humidity and is then vulnerable to irritation by soaps, detergents and other chemicals which cause ‘chapping’. Dryness of the skin may also be a feature of skin disease, especially atopic eczema (see ATOPY; DERMATITIS). Genetically determined xeroderma is called ICHTHYOSIS.... xeroderma

A rare disease in which DNA repair mechanisms fail, rendering the skin especially vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet light (see ULTRAVIOLET RAYS (UVR)). Extreme photosensitivity begins in infancy; later, marked freckling occurs and premature CARCINOGENESIS in the skin usually leads to early death. There may also be neurological complications.... xeroderma pigmentosum

Abnormal dryness, especially of the eye.... xerosis

A plant that is adapted to, and needs, dry desert climate or is particularly hardy in periodic droughts.... xerophyte

n. a type of X-ray imaging in which a picture of the body is recorded on paper rather than on film. A plate of selenium, which rests on a thin layer of aluminium oxide, is charged uniformly by passing it in front of a scorotron. As X-ray photons impinge on this, charges diffuse out in proportion to the energy content of the X-ray. An imprint is formed by the charge distribution on the plate, which attracts toner particles and is transferred to reusable paper plates. Unlike conventional X-ray imaging, xeroradiography does not require photographic developers. The technique does, however, require more radiation exposure. It was widely used in mammography prior to the advent of digital mammography.... xeroradiography