Sclerosis
Encyclopedia
Sclerosis or sclerotization (also spelled sclerosus in the names of a few disorders) is a hardening of tissue and other anatomical features; it may refer to:
- in medicine, Sclerosis (medicine)Sclerosis (medicine)In medicine, sclerosis refers to the stiffening of a structure, usually caused by a replacement of the normal organ-specific tissue with connective tissue.Types include:...
- in zoology, a process which hardens animal exoskeletonExoskeletonAn exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
s by adding proteins such as resilinResilinResilin is an elastomeric protein found in many insects. The protein was first discovered by Torkel Weis-Fogh in the locust wing-hinge. As of 2005 it is the most efficient elastic protein known . The elastic efficiency of the resilin isolated from locust tendon has been reported to be 97 %...
and sometimes mineral salts such as calcium carbonateCalcium carbonateCalcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,... - in botany, a process which hardens plant tissue by adding fibers and sclereids, resulting in sclerenchyma
- Cyberbrain Sclerosis, a fictional disease introduced in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone ComplexGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complexis an anime television series produced by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with original character design by Hajime Shimomura and a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno...
. The disease is characterized by hardening of the brain tissues precipitated by the cyberization process. - In economics, see: EurosclerosisEurosclerosisEurosclerosis is a term coined in the 1970s and the early 1980s to describe both a political period and an economic pattern in Europe, alluding to the medical term sclerosis...