| uropygial gland | A compound alveolar gland of birds located on the dorsum of the tail or pygostyle; the secretion of this gland (fatty acids and wax) exits from a papilla on the dorsal surface at the base of the tail feathers; the bird applies the substance to its feathers by means of the bill when preening. The uropygial gland is lacking in some species but its waterproofing ability is essential to water birds. Synonym: glandula uropygius, oil glands, preen gland. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| lacrimal gland | The gland that secretes tears; it consists of 6 to 12 separate compound tubuloalveolar serous glands, located in the upper lateral part of the orbit, and is partially divided into a smaller palpebral part and a larger orbital part by the aponeurosis of the levator palpebrae muscle. Synonym: glandula lacrimalis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lacrimal gland enlargement | <radiology> Epithelial tumours (50%), benign adenoma (25%), carcinoma (25%); adenocystic carcinoma most common, lymphoid lesions (50%), lymphoma, benign lymphoid hyperplasia, pseudotumour, Sjogren syndrome, Mikulicz's, dermoid, metastasis (12 Dec 1998) |
| lactiferous gland | <anatomy> Milk producing gland of female mammals. An adapted sweat gland, it is made up of milk producing alveolar cells, surrounded by contractile myoepithelial cells, together with considerable numbers of fat cells. Milk production is hormonally controlled. (18 Nov 1997) |
| follicles of thyroid gland | <physiology> The small spherical vesicular components of the thyroid gland lined with epithelium and containing colloid in varying amounts. The colloid serves for storage of the thyroid hormone precursor, thyroglobulin. Synonym: follicles of thyroid gland. Origin: L. A small sac, dim. Of follis, bellows (05 Mar 2000) |
| follicular gland | <anatomy> A gland consisting of follicles. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fossa of lacrimal gland | A hollow in the orbital plate of the frontal bone, formed by the overhanging margin and zygomatic process, lodging the lacrimal gland. Synonym: fossa glandulae lacrimalis, fossa of lacrimal gland. (05 Mar 2000) |
| levator muscle of thyroid gland | A fasciculus occasionally passing from the thyrohyoid muscle to the isthmus of the thyroid gland. Synonym: musculus levator glandulae thyroideae, elevator muscle of thyroid gland, Soemmerring's muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lobes of mammary gland | The 15 to 20 separate portions of the mammary gland that radiate from the central area deep to the nipple like wheel spokes and comprise the body of the mammary gland; each is drained by a single lactiferous duct. Synonym: lobi glandulae mammariae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lobes of thyroid gland | The two major divisions of the gland lying on the right and left side of the trachea and connected by the isthmus. A smaller pyramidal lobe is frequently present as an upward extension from the isthmus. Synonym: lobi glandulae thyroideae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lobules of mammary gland | Subdivisions of the lobes of the mammary gland. Synonym: lobuli glandulae mammariae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lobules of thyroid gland | The subdivisions of the lobes, consisting of incompletely separated, irregular groups of thyroid follicles (20 to 40 in number) bound together by delicate connective tissue. Synonym: lobuli glandulae thyroideae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Luschka's gland | Former name for corpus coccygeum. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lymph gland | <anatomy> Small bean-shaped organ made up of a loose meshwork of reticular tissue in which are enmeshed large numbers of lymphocytes, macrophages and accessory cells located along the lymphatic system. Recirculating lymphocytes leave the blood through the specialised high endothelial venules of the lymph node and pass through the node before being returned to the blood through the lymphatic system. Because the lymph nodes act as drainage points for tissue fluids, they are also regions in which foreign antigens present in the tissue fluid are most likely to begin to elicit an immune response. Nodes filter out bacteria or cancer cells that may travel through the lymphatic system. Synonym: lymph glands. (14 Oct 1997) |