| excitatory junction potential | Discrete partial depolarisation of smooth muscle produced by stimulation of excitatory nerves; similar to small end-plate potentials. They summate with repeated stimuli. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| excitatory postsynaptic potential | The change in potential which is produced in the membrane of the next neuron when an impulse which has an excitatory influence arrives at the synapse; it is a local change in the direction of depolarisation; summation of these potential's can lead to discharge of an impulse by the neuron. (05 Mar 2000) |
| junction potential | <physiology> Potential difference at the boundary between dissimilar solutions, arises from differences in diffusion constants between ions. (18 Nov 1997) |
| years of potential life lost | Measure of the relative impact of various diseases and lethal forces on society, computed by estimating the years that people would have lived if they had not died prematurely from injury, cancer, heart disease, etc. (05 Mar 2000) |
| zeta potential | <chemistry> The electrostatic potential of a molecule or particle, for example cell measured at the plane of hydrodynamic slippage outside the surface of the molecule or cell. Usually measured by electrophoretic mobility. Related to the surface potential and a measure of the electrostatic forces of repulsion the particle or molecule is likely to meet when encountering another of the same sign of charge. See: cell electrophoresis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| zoonotic potential | The potential for infections of subhuman animals to be transmissible to humans. (05 Mar 2000) |
| low malignant potential tumour | A neoplasm of the ovary, usually arising in young women, composed of complex epithelial hyperplasia without stromas invasion; may recur if incompletely removed surgically, but is clinically less aggressive than carcinoma. Synonym: low malignant potential tumour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Abbe test plate | <equipment> A long, wedge-shaped coverslip about 0.20 mm thick at one end and 0.10 to 0.12 mm at the other end coated chemically with a silver film on which are ruled horizontal lines. at each variation in thickness of 0.01 mm there are vertical lines. By means of oblique illumination and by focusing on different portions of the plate, it is possible to determine the optimum coverslip thickness for any objective and also, for microscopes with drawtubes, the tube length for best objective performance. The approximate freedom from spherical and chromatic aberrations can also be estimated. Small isolated bits of silver near the edges of the lines form good objects for the star test (05 Aug 1998) |
| alar plate of neural tube | The dorsal division of the lateral walls of the neural tube in the embryo; it gives rise to neurons relaying afferent impulses to higher centres; in the adult such neurons compose the sensory nuclei of the spinal cord and brainstem. Synonym: lamina alaris, alar plate of neural tube, dorsolateral plate of neural tube, lamina dorsalis, wing plate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anal plate | The anal portion of the cloacal plate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axial plate | The primitive streak of an embryo. (05 Mar 2000) |
| basal plate of neural tube | The ventral division of the lateral walls of the neural tube in the embryo; it contains neuroblasts giving rise to somatic and visceral motor neurons. Synonym: lamina basalis, basal plate of neural tube, lamina ventralis, ventral plate of neural tube. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bone plate | A metal bar with perforations for the insertion of screws; used to immobilise fractured segments. (05 Mar 2000) |
| buttress plate | A metal plate used to support the internal fixation of a fracture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cardiogenic plate | The thickened layer of splanchnic mesoderm from which the cardiopericardial primordia of very young embryos are derived. (05 Mar 2000) |