What's the difference between distend and relax?

Distend


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To extend in some one direction; to lengthen out; to stretch.
  • (v. t.) To stretch out or extend in all directions; to dilate; to enlarge, as by elasticity of parts; to inflate so as to produce tension; to cause to swell; as, to distend a bladder, the stomach, etc.
  • (v. i.) To become expanded or inflated; to swell.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The combination of an over-distended uterus caused by a multiple-fetus pregnancy with therapeutic bed-rest may cause mechanical ileus.
  • (2) The epididymis appeared distended but without any visible sperms.
  • (3) In a noncontracting in vitro preparation of combined right and left atria we demonstrated by electron microscopy that, at 37 degrees C, transition from zero pressure to a physiological distending pressure of 5.1 mm Hg rapidly rendered atrial endocardial endothelium permeable to the macromolecular probes horseradish peroxidase (HRP; M(r), approximately 40,000) and wheat germ agglutinin-HRP (M(r), approximately 70,000); each probe was introduced at the atrial cavitary endocardial surface.
  • (4) However, separation of the capsule from the bony glenoid can be detected if a joint effusion is present to adequately distend the joint.
  • (5) The surgical treatment was ligation of the distended vein immediately distal to the fistula in the hand, and fistula function was preserved.
  • (6) Eight 'normal' gallbladders and six distended gallbladders from patients with carcinomatous obstruction of the common bile duct were examined.
  • (7) Immediately after the perforation, the patient entered into vascular collapse and respiratory distress, with a distended abdomen.
  • (8) As the mosquito ingests blood, sensory information from the distending abdomen reaches the mid gut via the nerve cord, brain and stomatogastric system.
  • (9) Chains of low-amplitude contractions (repeated small deviations from base line) were detected before parturition was induced, and these were more common at distended parts of the uterus.
  • (10) The rate of acquisition increased as a function of the distending pressure.
  • (11) Contracted and distended bladders incubated in 0.01 M sodium bicarbonate were compared to identical preparations experimentally incubated in 5 mM thioglycolic acid.
  • (12) Amplitude, duration and magnitude (as measured by planimetry) of anal relaxation elicited by rectal distensions were related to rectal distending volume (P less than 0.001).
  • (13) The periosteal fibroblasts of OI35 contained grossly distended rough endoplasmic reticulum consistent with the 53% reduction in collagen secretion by cultured dermal fibroblasts.
  • (14) Many virus particles were observed within distended cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum 22 h p.i., and matrices of viroplasm were found close to developing virus particles.
  • (15) In orbital surgery, distended and thinned extraocular muscles were precisely localized and preserved anatomically and functionally.
  • (16) An enlarged cervical lymph node contained many abnormal plasma cells, which were distended with immunoglobulin; this material appeared to be released into lymph spaces when the cells burst.
  • (17) Among 52 unit discharges observed, 36 (69.2%) showed that electro-acupuncturing "Zusanli" point abolished the inhibitory reaction induced by distending stomach.
  • (18) (n = 18) in the presence of a distended bladder and 7.0 cm.
  • (19) The pathogenesis involves the release of kinins, the triggering of neurogen reflex mechanisms by distending the jejunum, the massive flow of fluid in jejunal lumen, the loss of the reservoir function of the stomach, and, possibly, the pathologic release of gastrointestinal hormones.
  • (20) A controlled study is in progress to delineate the optimum distending airway pressures at specific inspired oxygen concentrations in order to reduce the incidence of alveolar rupture to a minimum.

Relax


Definition:

  • (n.) To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid, tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews.
  • (n.) To make less severe or rigorous; to abate the stringency of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, earnestness, or effort; as, to relax discipline; to relax one's attention or endeavors.
  • (n.) Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind.
  • (n.) To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an aperient relaxes the bowels.
  • (v. i.) To become lax, weak, or loose; as, to let one's grasp relax.
  • (v. i.) To abate in severity; to become less rigorous.
  • (v. i.) To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend; as, to relax in study.
  • (n.) Relaxation.
  • (a.) Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The vascular endothelium is capable of regulating tissue perfusion by the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor to modulate vasomotor tone of the resistance vasculature.
  • (2) Arteries treated with atrial natriuretic peptide showed no alterations in relaxation or cGMP content after incubation with pertussis toxin.
  • (3) For dental procedures requiring tracheal intubation, one could perhaps use non-depolarizing muscle relaxants, like pancuronium, with reversal at the end of the procedure.
  • (4) In in vitro preparations GABA (10(-7) - 10(-3) M) elicited a dose-dependent relaxation; a decrease in the spontaneous contractions was sometimes observed.
  • (5) Anaesthesia was achieved by a mixture of oxygen, nitrous oxide and fluothane without use of muscle relaxants.
  • (6) A more accurate fit of T1 data using a modified Lipari and Szabo approach indicates that internal fast motions dominate the T1 relaxation in glycogen.
  • (7) Endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine and endothelium-independent relaxations to nitric oxide were observed in rings from both strains during contraction with endothelin.
  • (8) Relaxation situations are marked by relaxation, usually after a meal.
  • (9) The rabbits were either breathing spontaneously or were ventilated by a phrenic nerve-controlled servorespirator without the use of muscle relaxants.
  • (10) For each RG patient, two sex, age, and initial diastolic blood pressure (DBP) matched controls were found, obtaining thus a control group (CG) consisting of 70 hypertensive patients who were not participating in any relaxation program.
  • (11) Under the condition in which ryanodine (10-100 microM) treatment was found to cause the SR to be nonfunctional, pinacidil relaxation DRC remained unaltered, suggesting a lack of a stimulatory effect of pinacidil on SR Ca++ accumulation.
  • (12) which suggest that ~60-90% of the cross-bridges attached in rigor are attached in relaxed fibers at an ionic strength of 20 mM and ~2-10% of this number of cross-bridges are attached in a relaxed fiber at an ionic strength of 170 mM.
  • (13) Trimazosin at the dose used and under the conditions of study did not reverse the peripheral pressor effect of angiotensin II or B-HT920 but at higher concentrations, unlike prazosin, it relaxed the K+ contracted thoracic aorta.
  • (14) The relaxations in response to a nonreceptor-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilator, A23187, and an endothelium-independent vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside, were not different between normal and diabetic aortas.
  • (15) Nitric oxide (NO) is a major component of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) the synthesis of which from L-arginine can be inhibited by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA).
  • (16) Binding to HSA occurs primarily with the imidazolidine and thiazolidine groups of levamisole as it has been demonstrated by selective changes in the relaxation times and the chemical shifts of the protons attached to the carbon atoms.
  • (17) We conclude that gastric adaptive relaxation remains abnormal in patients with postvagotomy diarrhoea but not in those who are asymptomatic or who have other symptoms.
  • (18) Nitric oxide (NO) induced tetrodotoxin-resistant NANC relaxation, similar to that induced by electrical stimulation or acetylcholine (ACh).
  • (19) Treatment of bacterial cells with inhibitors of gyrase at high concentration leads to relaxation of DNA supercoils, presumably through interference with the supercoiling activity of gyrase.
  • (20) The kinetics of extracellular neutral proteinase synthesis by an isogenic stringent (IS58) and a relaxed (IS56) strain of B. subtilis were compared.