| joints of hand | These joints include the radiocarpal or wrist joint; intercarpal, carpometacarpal, intermetacarpal; metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints. Synonym: articulationes manus, articulations of hand. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| fibrous digital sheaths of hand | Fibrous sheaths of the digits of the hand, the tubular fibrous layers that enclose the synovial sheaths and the superficial and deep flexor tendons and the tendon of the flexor pollicis longus in their passage along their respective digits; they are composed of annular and cruciform parts. Synonym: vaginae fibrosae digitorum manus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| flat hand | Loss of normal arches of the hand. Synonym: flat hand. (05 Mar 2000) |
| flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle of hand | Origin, hamulus of hamate bone; insertion, medial side of proximal phalanx of little finger; action, flexes proximal phalanx of little finger; nerve supply, ulnar. Synonym: musculus flexor digiti minimi brevis manus, short flexor muscle of little finger. (05 Mar 2000) |
| free-hand knife | A manually operated knife or blade usually used to take split-thickness skin grafts; e.g., Blair-Brown knife, Humby knife, Theirsh knife. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lumbrical muscle of hand | Four intrinsic muscles of the hand; origin, the two lateral: from the radial side of the tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus going to the index and middle fingers; the two medial: from the adjacent sides of the second and third, and third and fourth tendons; insertion, radial side of extensor tendon on dorsum of each of the four fingers; action, flexes metacarpophalangeal joint and extends the proximal and distal interphalangeal joint; nerve supply, the two radial muscles by the median, the two ulnar muscles by the ulnar. Synonym: musculus lumbricalis manus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute system of units | A system based on absolute units accepted as being fundamental (length, mass, time) and from which other units (force, energy or work, power) are derived; such system's in common use are the foot-pound-second, centimeter-gram-second, and meter-kilogram-second system's. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absorbent system | <anatomy> The tissues and organs (including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus and lymph nodes) that produce and store cells that fight infection and the network of vessels that carry lymph. (12 May 1997) |
| alimentary system | The organs that are responsible for getting food into and out of the body and for making use of food to keep the body healthy. These include the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, colon, and rectum. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anterolateral system | A composite bundle of fibres, located in the ventrolateral part of the lateral funiculus, containing spinothalamic, spinohypothalamic, spinoreticular, and spinomesencephalic (spinotectal, spinal to periaqueductal grey, etc.) fibres; occupies the combined areas of the spinal white matter historically divided into anterior and lateral spinothalamic tracts; located in white matter ventral to the denticulate ligament, hence the anatomical basis for the anterolateral cordotomy; concerned with the transmission of nociceptive and thermal information and with crude (nondiscriminative) touch. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anti-allergic and respiratory system agents | A collective term for drugs used to treat allergic reactions as well as those drugs that produce an effect on the respiratory system. (12 Dec 1998) |
| arch-loop-whorl system | See: Galton's system of classification of fingerprints. (05 Mar 2000) |
| association system | Groups or tracts of nerve fibres interconnecting different regions of one and the same major subdivision of the central nervous system, such as the various areas of the cerebral cortex or the various segments of the spinal cord. (05 Mar 2000) |
| autonomic nervous system | <anatomy> Neurons that are not under conscious control, comprising two antagonistic components, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system regulates key functions including the activity of the cardiac (heart) muscle, smooth muscles (e.g., of the gut), and glands. The autonomic nervous system has two divisions: 1. The sympathetic nervous system that accelerates the heart rate, constricts blood vessels, and raises blood pressure. 2. The parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles. (03 Jul 1999) |
| autonomic nervous system diseases | Diseases that have their major effects on the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system may be seriously affected in many other disorders including other peripheral nervous system diseases, infectious diseases (e.g., tetanus, diphtheria), immunologic diseases (e.g., acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), and systemic disorders (e.g., diabetic neuropathy, amyloid neuropathy, thyroid diseases). Disorders of central autonomic control also contribute substantially to a wide variety of problems (e.g., eating disorders, panic disorder, water-electrolyte imbalance, cardiovascular diseases). (12 Dec 1998) |