What's the difference between contraction and contracture?

Contraction


Definition:

  • (n.) The act or process of contracting, shortening, or shrinking; the state of being contracted; as, contraction of the heart, of the pupil of the eye, or of a tendion; the contraction produced by cold.
  • (n.) The process of shortening an operation.
  • (n.) The act of incurring or becoming subject to, as liabilities, obligation, debts, etc.; the process of becoming subject to; as, the contraction of a disease.
  • (n.) Something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; -- as, plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc.
  • (n.) The shortening of a word, or of two words, by the omission of a letter or letters, or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one; as, ne'er for never; can't for can not; don't for do not; it's for it is.
  • (n.) A marriage contract.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) During the performance of propulsive waves of the oesophagus the implanted vagus nerve caused clonic to tetanic contractions of the sternohyoid muscle, thus proving the oesophagomotor genesis of the reinnervating nerve fibres.
  • (2) But RWE admitted it had often only been able to retain customers with expired contracts by offering them new deals with more favourable conditions.
  • (3) Thus adrenaline, via pre- and post-junctional adrenoceptors, may contribute to enhanced vascular smooth muscle contraction, which most likely is sensitized by the elevated intracellular calcium concentration.
  • (4) Further, the maximal increase in force of contraction was measured using papillary muscle strips from some of these patients.
  • (5) When subjects centered themselves actively, or additionally, contracted trunk flexor or extensor muscles to predetermined levels of activity, no increase in trunk positioning accuracy was found.
  • (6) Twitch-tetanus ratios were calculated and found not to be related to unit contraction time.6.
  • (7) Selective removal of endothelium had no effect on BK-induced contraction or the action of the antagonists.
  • (8) The increased muscular strength in due to a rise of calcaemia, improved muscle contraction and probably also due to the mentioned nutritional factors.
  • (9) However, there was not a relationship between the contraction curve of the gallbladder and the bile flow into the duodenum.
  • (10) In in vitro preparations GABA (10(-7) - 10(-3) M) elicited a dose-dependent relaxation; a decrease in the spontaneous contractions was sometimes observed.
  • (11) There was no correlation between disturbed gastric clearance, impaired gall bladder contraction, and prolonged colonic transit time in the patients with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy nor was there a correlation between any disturbed motor function and age or duration of diabetes.
  • (12) Noradrenaline decreased the phasic contraction amplitude of the circular muscle and exerted a stimulant effect on the tone which suggested an existence of two alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes.
  • (13) It may, however, be useful to compare local wall dynamics in the more isometrically-contracting basal segment with those in the middle portion which brings about most of the emptying of the ventricle.
  • (14) Upon depletion of ATP in contraction, the P2 intensity reverted to the original rigor level, accompanied by development of rigor tension.
  • (15) L-NAME abolished B contractions in a dose-dependent fashion.
  • (16) The power spectrum of the EMG was analyzed during isometric contractions of the shoulder muscles.
  • (17) A23187 had only a transient effect on KCl-contracted coronary arteries.
  • (18) When caffeine evokes a contraction, and only then, crayfish muscle fibers become refractory to a second challenge with caffeine for up to 20 min in the standard saline (5 mM K(o)).
  • (19) Dopamine at concentrations over 10(-5)M induced contractions of tracheal muscle strips and repeated exposures resulted in desensitization (tachyphylaxis) of the muscle.
  • (20) In the present study we examined cholecystokinin release and gallbladder contraction after oral administration of a commercial fatty meal (Sorbitract; Dagra, Diemen, The Netherlands) using ultrasonography in eight normal subjects and eight gallstone patients before and after 1 and 4 weeks of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (10 mg kg-1.day-1).

Contracture


Definition:

  • (n.) A state of permanent rigidity or contraction of the muscles, generally of the flexor muscles.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The repriming of K-contractures was more affected by changes in [Ca]0 in normal soleus than in normal extensor digitorum longus and this difference was unaffected by dystrophy.
  • (2) The prognosis was adversely affected by obesity, preoperative flexion contracture of 30 degrees or more, wound-healing problems, wound infection, and postoperative manipulation under general anesthesia.
  • (3) Five cases of bilateral abduction contracture of the shoulder in adults including the first case of bilateral abduction contractures of shoulder and hip plus bilateral flexion contracture of elbow and extension contracture of a knee are reported.
  • (4) However, it had no significant effect on grip strength, digital contractures, respiratory function or visceral involvement.
  • (5) Of four normal tissues assessed, two (hair follicles and tissues responsible for development of leg contractures) showed no change in radioresponse after treatment with indomethacin, one (hematopoietic tissue) exhibited radioprotection, and one (jejunum) exhibited slight radiosensitization (enhancement factor, 1.12).
  • (6) The amplitude was 15-70% as large as the tonic component of the K-contracture induced by 40 mM K. Theophylline (10 mM), 0.1 mM papaverine and 1 microM isoprenaline nearly abolished, and 1 mM cAMP partly depressed the tonic contraction of K-contracture, whereas the tonic contraction induced by the test solution was unaffected.
  • (7) The calcium channel blocker (cadmium and nifedipine) greatly blocked the effects of adrenaline on the peak and total tension of K+ contractures.
  • (8) Preincubation of normal rat soleus muscles in vitro with homogenates prepared from mixed leg muscles which had been denervated 4 days previously resulted in an increase in the contracture response to acetylcholine.
  • (9) This may partly be explained by a slight increase of flexion contractures of the hips during treatment.
  • (10) Under potassium contracture the length of the thick filaments of both fibre types was shortened by 25-30% of the rest-length, the diameter of the slow fibres increased to 180-185 A, the diameter of the intermediate fibres to 200-220 A.
  • (11) Previously unidentified forms of suxamethonium-induced contractures have been investigated in chronically denervated rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle at 20 degrees C. Contractures were assigned to groups 1-6 on the basis of the peak tension (Tp1) during 0-10 min exposure to the drug (3.0 x 10(-5) M), (7.0 x 10(-6) M), and (3.5 x 10(-6) M) and the subsequent retention, increase, or decrease in tension (Tp2), during the further 10 min.
  • (12) Both indomethacin and mefenamic acid prevented expression of the withdrawal contracture on naloxone challenge.
  • (13) If left untreated, compartment syndrome can lead to the loss of neuromuscular function, contractures, myoglobinuric renal failure, and amputation.
  • (14) Shocks of these intensities also produced a transient postshock contracture.
  • (15) The combination of congenital hypotonia, contractures, 'dystrophic' muscle biopsy changes and diffuse subcortical hypodensity on computed-tomographic scans seems unique and specific for CMD and of differential diagnostic significance.
  • (16) Bleeding into the anterior muscles and into the volar aspect of the wrist, on the other hand, was complicated by contracture, neuropathy, or both in six cases.
  • (17) A report is given on a small-for-date male infant showing the following symptoms: bilateral aplasia of humerus, radius, and ulna, shortened femora, bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate, stigmata of dysmorphism, and notably; simple helix formation of the ear, simian crease, clinodactylia, bilateral clubfoot deformity, hypospadia, thrombocytopenia, micrognathia, and contractures in the knee joints.
  • (18) Ouabain produced only contracture without positive inotropy.
  • (19) Fetal malformations in this group were limited from modest to moderate contractures of the front limbs, which resolved by 8-10 weeks post partum.
  • (20) In vitro contracture tests used currently for malignant hyperthermia (MH) do not possess absolute specificity.