Human Anatomy

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• QHow does body shape affect health?

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  A Baptist Health South Florida answered

  Studies have found that apple-shaped bodies, with high visceral fat concentration in the belly, are at higher risk for developing heart disease compared with people with “pear-shaped” bodies in which more fat is concentrated in the hips or lower—regardless of overall body weight or body mass index (BMI).

  One study concluded that maintaining a waist size of 34 inches or less in women and 40 inches or less in men greatly reduces the chances of developing these conditions.

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• QWhat is a fistula?

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  A Society of Interventional Radiology answered

  A fistula is an communication that connects internal structures with the body’s surface. This can be surgically created but usually it is an abnormal formation that requires treatment.
• QWhat are characteristics of the apple body type?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  Apples have a tendency to put on belly fat, may have round faces, have humps on their upper backs, and may have thin legs. Traditional methods of weight loss like cutting calories and aggressive exercise routines do not work for this body type, according to nutrition specialist Dr. Jeffrey Morrison.
  
  Why? A low-calorie diet and too much exercise translate as starvation and stress to this body type, which can increase the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. Increased amounts of cortisol can slow metabolism and is known to contribute to belly fat and an increased waist size. Cortisol also floods the body with sugar. When your body does not use it for energy, it gets stored as fat. Belly fat is especially dangerous because it surrounds so many of your vital organs.
  
  Apples may also suffer a lot of inflammation or pain, particularly in the joints, back, or neck. They are also at greater risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer.
• QWhat are mucous membranes?

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  A RealAge answered

  Mucous membranes are moist tissues that contain mucous glands. These membranes line and protect many body parts including the nose, eyelids, mouth, lungs, vagina, urinary tract and digestive tract. The mucous glands within the membranes release a thick fluid called mucus, which helps to keep the membranes moist. The mucus also helps trap bacteria and other disease-causing pathogens and prevent them from infecting the body.
• QWhat is the mesothelium?

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  A Reston Hospital Center answered

  The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.
  
  The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.
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  This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute.
• QWhat is basal body temperature?

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  A Dr. Deborah Raines, MSN , Nursing, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  Basal body temperature is the temperature of the body under conditions of absolute rest. It is the lowest temperature attained by the body when at complete rest, which is usually during sleep.

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• QHow does humidity affect the body?

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  A National Athletic Trainers' Association answered

  When we sweat, true cooling comes from the evaporation of that sweat. Humidity impairs the body’s ability to evaporate sweat. Thus, humidity reduces the body’s ability to give off heat and cool itself.
  (This answer provided for NATA by the Marist College Athletic Training Education Program.)
• QWhat are the differences between the apple and pear shaped bodies?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  "Apple" and "pear" are terms used to describe body types when more of the fat is stored in the midsection (apple shape) or more of the fat is stored in the hips and thighs (pear shape). Although anyone can fall into either category, it is more likely for men to be “apples” and women to be “pears.” 
  
  While there are health concerns with being overweight in general, the apple shape leads to higher risk. This is likely due to the fact that there is an excess amount of fat surrounding many of the major organs.

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• QWhat are characteristics of the pear body type?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  Pears are plagued by what many of you may know as “junk in the trunk.” Pears carry most of their weight on their lower hips, thighs, and butt, and perhaps most frustrating of all, a stubborn pooch of tummy fat. While it may take longer to accumulate this kind of fat, it’s also much harder to get rid of. Why? This kind of fat is influenced by estrogen, according to nutrition specialist Dr. Jeffrey Morrison. And estrogen makes fat. When a woman gets pregnant, estrogen spikes (which is why many women keep the weight on long after the baby is born). When a woman has a heavy period, estrogen spikes -- making more fat. The good news is that this kind of fat is not as dangerous as belly fat, but it may be more unsightly, as it can become that cheesy, cellulite-type fat that is every woman’s nightmare. And while an apple cannot become a pear, with excessive weight gain, a pear may wind up transforming into an apple.
  
  Pears are at a higher risk for osteoporosis. During menopause, pears make much weaker estrogen, which is not strong enough to keep calcium in the bones. Other health issues for this type are cellulite, varicose veins, and joint problems.
• QWhat is the theory of the four humors?

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  A Discovery Health answered

  The ancient Greeks used the term 'humors' to describe a liquid or semiliquid substance in the body. Hippocrates, of ancient Greece, believed in the theory of four 'humors' -- yellow bile, black bile, phlegm and blood.
  
  The theory holds that good health results when the four humors are in balance. Any imbalance, however, results in an illness or a personality problem.

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