| HCF | [fetal] head-to-cervix force; heparin cofactor; hereditary capillary fragility; highest common facto... |
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| MCBM | muscle capillary basement membrane |
| NCM | nailfold capillary microscopy; nurse case manager |
| PACP | pulmonary alveolar-capillary permeability; pulmonary artery counterpulsation |
| PACWP | pulmonary arterial capillary wedge pressure |
| Coolidge tube | An X-ray tube, in which the cathode consists of a tungsten wire spiral surrounded by a focusing cup; the tungsten spiral is heated by an electric current; the quantity and quality of the X-rays so generated are regulated by varying the temperature of the cathode and the voltage between cathode and anode. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| Crookes-Hittorf tube | A simple evacuated tube containing a cathode, that emitted X-rays from the glass envelope when a current was passed through it; the type used by Roentgen to discover X-rays. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Haldane tube | A tube for securing human alveolar air samples; consisting of a narrow hosepipe with a mouthpiece from which a tube is attached for the withdrawal of expired air at the end of a sudden, maximal expiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| saemicanal of auditory tube | The inferior division of the musculotubal canal which forms the bony part of the auditory (eustachian) tube. Synonym: saemicanalis tubae auditivae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Sengstaken-Blakemore tube | A tube with three lumens, one for drainage of the stomach and two for inflation of attached gastric and oesophageal balloons; used for emergency treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pus tube | Distention of a fallopian tube with pus. Synonym: pus tube. Origin: pyo-+ G. Salpinx, trumpet (tube) (05 Mar 2000) |
| septum of auditory tube | A very thin horizontal plate of bone forming two saemicanals, the upper, smaller, for the tensor tympani muscle, the lower, larger for the auditory tube; its termination in the middle ear is the processus cochleariformis. Synonym: septum canalis musculotubarii, septum of musculotubal canal, septum tubae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| serosa of uterine tube | Serous coat of the uterine tube; the visceral peritoneum forming the outer surface of the uterine tubes. Synonym: tunica serosa tubae uterinae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| shock tube | <radiobiology> A gas-filled tube used in plasma physics to quickly ionize a gas. A capacitor bank charged to a high voltage is discharged into the gas at one tube end to ionize and heat the gas, producing a shock wave that may be studied as it travels down the tube. (09 Oct 1997) |
| sieve tube | The structure within the phloem of higher plants that is responsible for transporting organic material (sucrose, raffinose, amino acids, etc.) from the photosynthetic tissues (e.g. Leaves) to other parts of the plant. Made up of a column of cells (sieve elements) connected by sieve plates. (18 Nov 1997) |
| nasogastric tube | <equipment> A flexible plastic tube that is introduced through the nostril to the nasopharynx and advanced to the stomach. This may be performed for diagnostic purposes (looking for bleeding), decontamination (overdose) or therapeutics (removing gastrointestinal material in the face of an intestinal blockage). (27 Sep 1997) |
| nasotracheal tube | A tracheal tube inserted through the nasal passages. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nephrostomy tube | A tube placed in the renal collecting system for drainage, diagnostic tests, or removal of calculi. May be placed through a percutaneous route or during an open surgical procedure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| neural tube | <embryology> The progenitor of the central nervous system. See: neural plate, neurulation. (18 Nov 1997) |
| neural tube defect | <neurology, paediatrics> Abnormal development during embryonic life of the neural tube producing congenital malformations of the nervous system due to closure failure of the neural tube. The structure gives rise to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), and failure to close results in anencephaly (absence of the cranial vault and absence of most or all of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain) and spina bifida or meningomyelocele (open spina with exposure and protusion of the spinal cord). The risk of neuroal tube defects can be decreased by the mother taking folic acid during pregnancy. (04 Jul 1999) |