| homeosis | Formation of a body part having characteristics normally found in a related or homologous part at another location in the body. Origin: homeo-+ G. -osis, condition (05 Mar 2000) |
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| homeostasis | <physiology> A tendency to stability in the normal body states (internal environment) of the organism. It is achieved by a system of control mechanisms activated by negative feedback, for example a high level of carbon dioxide in extracellular fluid triggers increased pulmonary ventilation, which in turn causes a decrease in carbon dioxide concentration. Origin: Gr. Stasis = stoppage (04 Nov 1997) |
| homeostatic | Relating to homeostasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeostatic equilibrium | See: homeostasis. Nitrogenous equilibrium, a condition in which the amount of nitrogen excreted from the body equals that taken in with the food; nutritive equilibrium so far as protein is concerned. Nutritive equilibrium, condition in which there is a perfect balance between intake and excretion of nutritive material, so that there is no increase or loss in weight. Synonym: physiologic equilibrium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeostatic lag | The interval in a homeostatic process between a change of the trait controlled and the appropriate response, due to afferent, efferent, and central components. The lag may be a pure random variable, e.g., the waiting time of an exponential process or the sum of several such processes taking any value greater than zero but with a mean considerably greater than zero; sometimes it may be deterministic or almost so and with a minimum sharply defined and greater than zero for anatomical reasons. For instance, the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide are controlled in the lungs but based on afferent information obtained from the carotid body that is already dated because of the circulation time of ten seconds or so between the two sites. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotherapeutic | Synonym: homeopathic. 2. Relating to homeotherapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotherapy | Homeotherapeutics Treatment or prevention of a disease using the principles of homeopathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotherm | <biology, zoology> An organism that maintains a constant internal body temperature. (09 Oct 1997) |
| homeothermal | Pertaining to, or having the essential characteristic of, homeotherms. Compare: poikilothermic, heterothermic. Synonym: haemathermal, haemathermous, haematothermal, homeothermal, homoiothermal, homothermal, warm-blooded. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeothermic | Pertaining to, or having the essential characteristic of, homeotherms. Compare: poikilothermic, heterothermic. Synonym: haemathermal, haemathermous, haematothermal, homeothermal, homoiothermal, homothermal, warm-blooded. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotic | Pertaining to or characterised by homeosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotic gene | <molecular biology> Gene, containing homeobox, the level of expression of which is set during embryongenesis in response to positional cues and which then directs the later formation of tissues and appendages appropriate to that part of the organism. Mutation of these genes leads to inappropriate expression of characteristics normally associated with another part of the organism (homeotic mutants. (18 Nov 1997) |
| homeotic genes | A group of genes that regulate the development of the body parts by defining the boundaries of the several regions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homeotic mutant | <molecular biology> A mutant in which one body part, organ or tissue, is transformed into another part normally associated with another segment. Examples are the antennapedia and bithorax mutants of Drosophila. (18 Nov 1997) |
| homeotic mutation | <embryology, genetics> A mutation that causes an organism to develop a homologous body part or structure in place of the part or structure that should normally be there (for example, developing a hand in place of a foot). (09 Oct 1997) |