| rectus abdominis muscle | <anatomy> Muscle of ventral abdominal wall, flanking the linea alba, and characterised by tendinous intersections separating its length into multiple bellies; origin, crest and symphysis of the pubis; insertion, xiphoid process and fifth to seventh costal cartilages; action, flexes lumbar vertebral column, draws thorax downward toward pubis; nerve supply, thoracoabdominal nerves. Synonym: musculus rectus abdominis, rectus muscle of abdomen. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| rectus muscle of abdomen | <anatomy> Muscle of ventral abdominal wall, flanking the linea alba, and characterised by tendinous intersections separating its length into multiple bellies; origin, crest and symphysis of the pubis; insertion, xiphoid process and fifth to seventh costal cartilages; action, flexes lumbar vertebral column, draws thorax downward toward pubis; nerve supply, thoracoabdominal nerves. Synonym: musculus rectus abdominis, rectus muscle of abdomen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rectus muscle of thigh | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, anterior inferior spine of ilium and upper margin of acetabulum; insertion, via common tendon of quadriceps femoris into patella, and via patellar ligament to tibial tuberosity. Synonym: musculus rectus femoris, rectus muscle of thigh. (05 Mar 2000) |
| red muscle | Slow-twitch muscle in which small dark "red" muscle fibres predominate; myoglobin is abundant and great numbers of mitochondria occur, characterised by slow, sustained (tonic) contraction. Contrast with white muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Casser's perforated muscle | <anatomy> Relating to the coracoid process of the scapula and the arm. <muscle> Origin, coracoid process of scapula; insertion, middle of medial border of humerus; action, adducts and flexes the arm; resists downward dislocation of shoulder joint; nerve supply, musculocutaneous. See: coracobrachial bursa. Synonym: musculus coracobrachialis, Casser's perforated muscle, coracobrachial muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vestigial muscle | <anatomy> An imperfect structure in man corresponding to a functioning muscle in the lower animals. (05 Mar 2000) |
| catch muscle | See: adductor muscle. (18 Nov 1997) |
| visceral muscle | <anatomy, pathology, physiology> Muscle tissue in vertebrates made up from long tapering cells that may be anything from 20-500m long. Smooth muscle is generally involuntary and differs from striated muscle in the much higher actin/myosin ratio, the absence of conspicuous sarcomeres and the ability to contract to a much smaller fraction of its resting length. Smooth muscle cells are found particularly in blood vessel walls, surrounding the intestine (particularly the gizzard in birds) and in the uterus. The contractile system and its control resemble those of motile tissue cells (e.g. Fibroblasts, leucocytes) and antibodies against smooth muscle myosin will cross react with myosin from tissue cells, whereas antibodies against skeletal muscle myosin will not. See: dense bodies. (18 Nov 1997) |
| medial great muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, medial lip of linea aspera; insertion, tibial tuberosity by way of common tendon of quadriceps femoris and ligamentum patellae; action, extends leg; nerve supply, femoral. Synonym: musculus vastus medialis, medial great muscle, medial vastus muscle, musculus vastus internus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| medial vastus muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, medial lip of linea aspera; insertion, tibial tuberosity by way of common tendon of quadriceps femoris and ligamentum patellae; action, extends leg; nerve supply, femoral. Synonym: musculus vastus medialis, medial great muscle, medial vastus muscle, musculus vastus internus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pectineal muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, crest of pubis; insertion, pectineal line of femur; action, adducts thigh and assists in flexion; nerve supply, obturator and femoral. Synonym: musculus pectineus, pectineal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pectorodorsalis muscle | <anatomy> An anomalous muscle or tendinus slip that passes across the axilla from the pectoralis major to insert with the latissimus dorsi onto the humerus. Though to be a vestige of the panniculus carnosus muscle of lower mammals. Synonym: axillary arch muscle, axillary arch, pectorodorsal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pectorodorsal muscle | <anatomy> An anomalous muscle or tendinus slip that passes across the axilla from the pectoralis major to insert with the latissimus dorsi onto the humerus. Though to be a vestige of the panniculus carnosus muscle of lower mammals. Synonym: axillary arch muscle, axillary arch, pectorodorsal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vocal muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, depression between the two laminae of thyroid cartilage; insertion, portions of vocal process of arytenoid; action, shortens and relaxes vocal cords; nerve supply, recurrent laryngeal; a number of the deeper and finer fibres of the thyroaryteroid muscle attached directly to the outer side of the true vocal cord. Synonym: musculus vocalis, musculus thyroarytenoideus internus, vocal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central core disease of muscle | <neurology> One of the conditions that produces floppy baby syndrome. It causes hypotonia (floppiness) in the newborn baby, slowly progressive muscle weakness, and muscle cramps after exercise. Muscle biopsy shows a key diagnostic finding (absent mitochondria in the centre of many type I muscle fibres). The disease is inherited as a dominant trait. The CCD gene is on chromosome 19 (and involves ryanodine receptor-1). Inheritance: autosomal dominant. (12 Dec 1998) |