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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
In looking up this word, I found a series of words that
seem interesting enough to justify posting all of them:
Alutaceous
Al"u*ta"ceous (#), a. [L. alutacius, fr. aluta soft leather.]
1. Leathery.
2. Of a pale brown color; leather-yellow. Brande.
Alutation
Al`u*ta"tion (#), n. [See Alutaceous.] The tanning or dressing of leather. [Obs.] Blount.
Alveary
Al"ve*a*ry (#), n.; pl. Alvearies (#). [L. alvearium, alveare, beehive, fr. alveus a hollow vessel, beehive, from alvus belly, beehive.]
1. A beehive, or something resembling a beehive. Barret.
2. (Anat.) The hollow of the external ear. Quincy.
Alveated
Al"ve*a`ted (#), a. [L. alveatus hollowed out.] Formed or vaulted like a beehive.
Alveolar
Al"ve*o*lar (?; 277), a. [L. alveolus a small hollow or cavity: cf. F. alvéolaire.] (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, alveoli or little cells, sacs, or sockets. Alveolar processes, the processes of the maxillary bones, containing the sockets of the teeth.
Alveolary
Al"ve*o*la*ry (#), a. Alveolar. [R.]
Alveolate
Al"ve*o*late (#), a. [L. alveolatus, fr. alveolus.] (Bot.) Deeply pitted, like a honeycomb.
Alveole
Al"ve*ole (#), n. Same as Alveolus.
Alveoliform
Al*ve"o*li*form (#), a. [L. alvelous + -form.] Having the form of alveoli, or little sockets, cells, or cavities.
Alveolus
Al*ve"o*lus (#), n.; pl. Alveoli (#). [L., a small hollow or cavity, dim. of alveus: cf. F. alvéole. See Alveary.]
1. A cell in a honeycomb.
2. (Zoöl.) A small cavity in a coral, shell, or fossil
3. (Anat.) A small depression, sac, or vesicle, as the socket of a tooth, the air cells of the lungs, the ultimate saccules of glands, etc.
Alveus
Al"ve*us (#), n.; pl. Alvei (#). [L.] The channel of a river. Weate.
Alvine
Al"vine (#), a. [L. alvus belly: cf. F. alvin.] Of, from, in, or pertaining to, the belly or the intestines; as, alvine discharges; alvine concretions
For instance: Does the name "Alvin" mean a guy has a big
belly?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
With regard to the alveoli of the lungs, I remembered hearing them compared to a bunch of grapes, and was a bit
surprised not to hear that description in the above definitions. But when I searched for "bunch of grapes alveolus" Look what I got!
Both the anatomy and the mechanics of inflation of the alveoli, as presented in most textbooks of physiology, have been misunderstood and misrepresented. The typical representation of the acinus as a "bunch of grapes" bears no resemblance to its real anatomy; the alveoli are not independent little balloons. Because of the prevalence of this misconception, Laplace’s law, as it applies to spheres, has been invoked as a mechanical model for the forces of alveolar inflation and as an explanation for the necessity of pulmonary surfactant in the alveolus. Alveoli are prismatic or polygonal in shape, i.e., their walls are flat, and Laplace law considerations in their inflation apply only to the very small curved region in the fluid where these walls intersect. Alveoli do not readily collapse into one another because they are suspended in a matrix of connective tissue "cables" and share common, often perforated walls, so there can be no pressure differential across them. Surfactant has important functions along planar surfaces of the alveolar wall and in mitigating the forces that tend to close the small airways. Laplace’s law as it applies to cylinders is an important feature of the mechanics of airway collapse, but the law as it applies to spheres is not relevant to the individual alveolus.
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