Category: B

Balo disease, also known as concentric sclerosis, is a childhood neurological disorder characterized by brain demyelination. Rapid and progressive loss of the fatty covering around nerve fibers in the brain results in various neurological symptoms depending on the brain areas affected. The damage to the brain consists of irregular patches in a series of widening…

This is a rare, hereditary disorder characterized by premature fusion of the sutures between the skull bones (craniosynostosis) and various malformations of the bones in the forearm, hand, and fingers.  

The dietary goals of bodybuilders are often different from those of endurance or team athletes. For example, the key goal for a bodybuilder is typically to enhance the development of lean body mass and to prevent the accumulation of excess body fat for the purpose of aesthetics rather than athletic performance. While many of the…

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a method for determining body composition. The determination of body fat is performed by passing a harmless electrical current through the body. The conductance is detected as the resistance of the body mass to the electrical current. The resistance is greatest in fat tissue, which has only 14 to 22%…

Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) has been available as a dietary supplement for several years. HMB is produced during the metabolism of leucine, but is not considered an essential nutrient itself. Initial research suggested that in untrained subjects who initiated a 3-week resistance training program, daily supplementation of 1.5 and 3.0 daily grams of HMB exhibited enhanced strength…

An antidepressant drug. Also used as a nicotine replacement.  

Amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 lb of water 1°F. A unit of heat equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1° Fahrenheit. 1 British thermal unit = 1055 joules. The amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1…

Highly vascularized adipose tissue with mitochondria-rich adipocytes.  

A dopamine receptor agonist that is a semisynthetic ergot alkaloid. It is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It is also an inhibitor of prolactin release and growth hormone release. An ergot derivative that suppresses secretion of prolactin. It has been used to treat patients with hyperprolactinemia (e.g., in those with pituitary adenomas); to…

A group of amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) metabolized by muscle tissue rather than the liver. Branched-chain amino acids are those amino acids with a branch in their hydrocarbon side-chain. These amino acids include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAA are often described separately from other amino acids not only because of their similarities in structure,…