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Idiopathic: of
unknown cause.
Immunity: The state of being resistant to injury, particularly by
poisons, foreign proteins and invading pathogens.
Immunology: The branch of science that deals with the responses of the
body when challenged by antigens.
Impaired
glucose tolerance:
a
metabolic state between normal glucose regulation and overt diabetes.
Generally, blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but lower than those
accepted as diagnostic for diabetes.
Infection: Invasion
and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues, which may be
in apparent or characterized by cellular injury.
Insoluble:
not
dissolvable. With respect to bioavailability, certain substances form
insoluble complexes that cannot be dissolved in digestive secretions, and
therefore cannot be absorbed by the digestive tract.
Insulin:
a peptide
hormone secreted by the b-cells of the pancreas required for normal glucose
metabolism.
Insulin
resistance:
diminished responsiveness to insulin.
Intracellular fluid (ICF):
the
volume of fluid inside cells.
Intron: A region of
DNA that does not code for the synthesis of a protein.
In vitro:
literally
"in glass" referring to a test or research done in the test tube, outside a
living organism.
In vivo:
"inside a
living organism". An in vivo assay evaluates a biological process occurring
inside the body.
Ion:
an atom
or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a
result of having lost or gained one or more electrons.
Ion
channel:
a
protein, embedded in a cell membrane that serves as a crossing point for the
regulated transfer of an ion or a group of ions across the membrane.
Isomers:
compounds
that have the same numbers and kinds of atoms but that differ in the way the
atoms are arranged.
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