arginine vasopressin

DEFINITION:

Vasopressin containing arginine, as that from most mammals, including man.

modulation

DEFINITION:

1. The act of tempering or toning down.
2. In cytology, the normal capacity of cell adaptability to its environment.
3. Embryologic induction in a specific region.

renal

DEFINITION:

Pertaining to the kidney.

sodium

DEFINITION:

A silver white soft waxy ductile element of the alkali metal group that occurs abundantly in nature in combined form and is very active chemically.

hormones

DEFINITION:

In the singular: A product of living cells that circulates in body fluids and produces a specific effect on the activity of cells remote from its point of origin; especially: one exerting a stimulatory effect on a cellular activity.

hypophysiotropic hormones - Hormones produced by the hypothalamus, usually releasing hormones (see below), which maintain the endocrine functions of cells of the adenohypophysis.

neurohormone - A hormone secreted by a specialized neuron into the bloodstream, the cerebrospinal fluid, or the intercellular spaces of the nervous system.

releasing hormones - Hormones elaborated in one structure that cause the release of hormones from another structure, such as those from the hypothalamus that act on the adenohypophysis. The term is applied to substances of established chemical identity, whereas substances of unknown chemical structure are called releasing factors .

parathyroid hormone

DEFINITION:

A polypeptide hormone (84 amino acid residues) secreted by the parathyroid glands. It promotes release of calcium from bone to extracellular fluid by activating osteoclasts and inhibiting osteoblasts, indirectly promotes increased intestinal absorption of calcium, promotes renal tubular reabsorption of calcium and increased renal excretion of phosphates, and is a major regulator of bone metabolism. Secretion of parathyroid hormone increases when the level of calcium in the extracellular fluid is low. Its action is opposed by that of calcitonin. Called also parathormone and parathyrin .

renal

DEFINITION:

Pertaining to the kidney.

calcium

DEFINITION:

A silvery yellow metal, the basic element of lime. Symbol, Ca; atomic number, 20; atomic weight, 40.08. It is found in nearly all organized tissues, being the most abundant mineral in the body. In combination with phosphorus it forms calcium phosphate, the dense, hard material of the teeth and bones. It is an essential dietary element, a constant blood calcium level being essential for the maintenance of the normal heartbeat, and for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles. It also plays a role in multiple phases of blood coagulation and in many enzymatic processes.

novel

DEFINITION:

Of a new kind, or different from anything seen or known before.

coordinate

DEFINITION:

1. One of a set of numbers that locate a point in space.

2. Equal in rank or order.

3. Joining words or word groups of the same rank.

4. To make or become coordinate.

5. To work or act together harmoniously.

extracellular

DEFINITION:

Outside a cell or cells.

cellular

DEFINITION:

Pertaining to, or made up of, cells.

organ

DEFINITION:

A somewhat independent part of the body that performs a special function or functions.

effector organ - An organ that produces an effect, e.g., contraction or secretion, in response to nerve stimulation.

organs

DEFINITION:

See definition under "organ."

endocrine

DEFINITION:

1. Secreting internally; applied to organs and structures that release their products into the blood or lymph, and to substances (hormones) that exert specific effects on other organs.

2. Pertaining to internal secretions; hormonal.

tissues

DEFINITION:

See definitions under "tissue."

express

DEFINITION:

1. To exhibit a physical or emotional state, as in the face.

2. To squeeze or evacuate by pressure.

3. To cause genetic information to flow from gene to protein.

4. To undergo a process by which the effects of a gene are manifested.

5. To manifest a heritable trait in an individual carrying the gene or genes that determine it.

nephron

DEFINITION:

The anatomical and functional unit of the kidney, consisting of the renal corpuscle, the proximal convoluted tubule, the descending and ascending limbs of Henle's loop, the distal convoluted tubule, and the collecting tubule.

kidney

DEFINITION:

One of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in man are bean-shaped organs about 4-1/2 inches long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into a main cavity whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder.

gastrointestinal tract

DEFINITION:

The stomach and intestines in continuity.

regulatory

DEFINITION:

Exerting a controlling influence.