| joint loose bodies | Fibrous, bony, cartilaginous and osteocartilaginous fragments in a synovial joint. Major causes are osteochondritis dissecans, synovial chondromatosis, osteophytes, fractured articular surfaces and damaged menisci. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| loose | 1. Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book. "Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat." (Shak) 2. Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; with from or of. "Now I stand Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts ?" (Addison) 3. Not tight or close; as, a loose garment. 4. Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture. "With horse and chariots ranked in loose array." (Milton) 5. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning. "The comparison employed . . . Must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation." (Whewel) 6. Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right. "The loose morality which he had learned." (Sir W. Scott) 7. Unconnected; rambling. "Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages." (I. Watts) 8. Lax; not costive; having lax bowels. 9. Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman. "Loose ladies in delight." (Spenser) 10. Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle. at loose ends, not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed. Fast and loose. See Fast. To break loose. See Break. Loose pulley. <machinery> See Fast and loose pulleys, under Fast. To let loose, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty. Origin: OE. Loos, lous, laus, Icel. Lauss; akin to OD. Loos, D. Los, AS. Leas false, deceitful, G. Los, loose, Dan. & Sw. Los, Goth. Laus, and E. Lose. See Lose, and cf. Leasing falsehood. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| loose associations | A manifestation of a thought disorder whereby the patient's responses do not relate to the interviewer's questions or one paragraph, sentence, or phrase is not logically connected to those that occur before or after. (05 Mar 2000) |
| loose body | A solid tissue fragment lying free in a body cavity, especially in a joint or the peritoneal cavity; e.g., joint mice, melon-seed body, rice body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| loose cartilage | A loose piece of cartilage within a joint cavity, detached from the articular cartilage or from a meniscus. Synonym: loose cartilage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| loose skin | A group of connective tissue diseases in which skin hangs in loose pendulous folds. It is believed to be associated with decreased elastic tissue formation as well as an abnormality in elastin formation. Cutis laxa is usually a genetic disease, but acquired cases have been reported. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adynamic ileus simulating bowel obstruction | <radiology> Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstrction, pelvic surgery, urinary retention, pancreatitis, acute intermittent porphyria, ceroidosis, neonatal adynamic ileus (12 Dec 1998) |
| bowel | A general term that includes the small and large intestine. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bowel bypass | A surgical procedure consisting of the anastomosis of the proximal part of the jejunum to the distal portion of the ileum, so as to bypass the nutrient-absorptive segment of the small intestine, to treat morbid obesity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bowel bypass syndrome | <syndrome> Fever, chills, malaise, and inflammatory cutaneous papules and pustules on the extremities and upper trunk, sometimes with polyarthralgia, with recurrent symptoms following bowel bypass surgery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bowel disorders and fibre | High fibre diets help delay the progression of diverticulosis and, at least, reduce the bouts of diverticulitis. In many cases, it helps reduce the symptoms of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ). It is generally accepted that a diet high in fibre is protective, or at least reduces the incidence, of colon polyps and colon cancer. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bowel infections | An infection, viral or bacterial, of the intestines. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bowel movement | Defecation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bowel obstruction | A blockage of the bowel lumen prohibiting the passage of material. Common symptoms include constipation, abdominal swelling and abdominal pain. Treatment includes intravenous fluids, rest, nasogastric suction and surgery in select cases. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bowel perforation | Complete penetration of the intestinal wall resulting in the potential for bacterial contamination of the abdominal cavity (peritonitis). (27 Sep 1997) |