| syndrome, martin-bell | Better known as the fragile X syndrome, the most common heritable form of mental retardation. Fragile x syndrome is due to mutation (changes) at the fragile x site and so perforce is x-linked (carried on the x chromosome). Although it is usually more severe in males than females, the syndrome is due to a dynamic mutation (a trinucleotide repeat) that can change in length and hence in severity from generation to generation, from person to person, and even within a given person. The fragile x syndrome is known as the martin-bell syndrome in honor of their discovery of it in 1943. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| external respiratory nerve of Bell | <anatomy, nerve> Arises from the fifth, sixth, and seventh cervical nerves (roots of brachial plexus), descends the neck behind the brachial plexus, and is distributed to the serratus anterior muscle; it is somewhat unusual in that it courses on the superficial aspect of the muscle is supplies; its paralysis results in "winged scapula". Synonym: nervus thoracicus longus, Bell's respiratory nerve, external respiratory nerve of Bell, posterior thoracic nerve. (05 Mar 2000) |