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Ulcerative colitis: A disease that
causes long-term inflammation of the lining of the colon.
Ultrasonography: A test in which sound
waves (called ultrasound) are bounced off tissues and the echoes are converted
into a picture (sonogram).
Ultrasound: A test that bounces sound waves off tissues and internal
organs and changes the echoes into pictures (sonograms). Tissues of different
densities reflect sound waves differently.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation (ul-tra-VYE-o-let
ray-dee-AY-shun): Invisible rays that are part of the energy that comes
from the sun. UV radiation can burn the skin and cause melanoma and other
types of skin cancer. UV radiation that reaches the earth's surface is made
up of two types of rays, called UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays are more likely
than UVA rays to cause sunburn, but UVA rays pass further into the skin.
Scientists have long thought that UVB radiation can cause melanoma and other
types of skin cancer. They now think that UVA radiation also may add to
skin damage that can lead to cancer. For this reason, skin specialists recommend
that people use sunscreens that block or absorb both kinds of UV radiation.
Upper GI series: A series of x-rays
of the upper digestive system that are taken after a person drinks a barium
solution, which outlines the digestive organs on the x-rays.
Ureter (yoo-REE-ter): The tube that
carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.
Urethra (yoo-REE-thra): The tube that
empties urine from the bladder.
Urinalysis: A test that determines
the content of the urine.
Urinary tract (YUR-in-air-ee):
The organs of the body that produce and discharge urine. These include the
kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Urine (YUR-in): Fluid containing water
and waste products. Urine is made by the kidneys, stored in the bladder,
and leaves the body through the urethra.
Urologist (yoo-RAHL-o-jist): A doctor
who specializes in diseases of the urinary organs in females and the urinary
and sex organs in males.
Urostomy (yoo-RAHS-toe-mee): An operation
to create an opening from inside the body to the outside, making a new way
to pass urine.
Uterus (YOO-ter-us): The small, hollow,
pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which an unborn
child develops. Also called the womb.
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