(n.) Any American marsupial of the genera Didelphys and Chironectes. The common species of the United States is Didelphys Virginiana.
Example Sentences:
(1) The anatomic and functional development of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) was studied in the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica.
(2) Circular muscle strips from the opossum esophageal body obtained 3-5 cm above the esophagogastric junction were suspended in organ baths for measurement of isometric tension.
(3) Besides the relative abundance and the high infection rate of the opossum (62.5% by direct methods), its natural association with T. dimidiata was likewise demonstrated.
(4) Two of three noninoculated pouch mates acquired infections during the study based on examinations of feces and tissue sections of all eight opossums.
(5) EFS and VIP both caused relaxation of the resting tone in the opossum-isolated IAS smooth muscle strips.
(6) These findings are discussed with respect to similarities and differences between marsupial and eutherian females and between male and female gray opossums in the hormonal control of sexually dimorphic behavior and morphology.
(7) In the newborn opossum lung, examination of the air chambers with the scanning electron microscope permits the observation of several type II pulmonary epithelial cells in a single field.
(8) We recorded lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and myoelectrical activity concurrently from the esophagus, LES, stomach, and proximal small intestine in unanesthetized opossums.
(9) The effects of intracellular pH on an inwardly rectifying K+ channel ("Kin channel") in opossum kidney (OK) cells were examined using the patch-clamp technique.
(10) Using the North American opossum, Didelphis virginiana, we have developed a new model for studying the effects of early fetal urinary obstruction on subsequent renal development.
(11) A study was designed to measure the Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgM and IgG antibody responses of opossums inoculated with tachyzoites of the temperature-sensitive mutant of T. gondii, ts-4, and to examine its persistence in the tissues.
(12) These results indicate that estrogen receptors are present in early development of the Monodelphis brain and may mark the beginning of a critical period for sexual differentiation of the opossum brain.
(13) The large liquor-contacting area in the pineal recess region, as well as the peculiar organization of its surface, suggest a complex interrelationship between the liquor and the pineal gland of the opossum.
(14) The findings suggested that a receptor resembling DA1-type peripheral receptor mediated the effects of dopamine on opossum oesophagus.
(15) Four young opossums seronegative for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies immediately after capture and 4 wk later were injected subcutaneously with 1.8 x 10(6) ts-4 tachyzoites; a fifth opossum (also seronegative) received an injection of saline only.
(16) The effects of ambient temperature and of sex on nest-building behavior were studied in a laboratory colony of gray short-tailed opossums, small, Brazilian marsupials.
(17) Opossums that ate the cowbirds had prepatent periods of 5 and 10 days and remained patent for at least 105 days.
(18) Volume regulatory responses of OK cells (a continuous epithelioid cell line from opossum kidney) are examined by electronic cell sizing and measurements of intracellular pH in cell suspensions.
(19) We studied the genesis of isolated LES relaxation in anesthetized opossums by observing the response of four components of the deglutition reflex (mylohyoid electrical activity, pharyngeal contraction, esophageal peristalsis, and LES relaxation) to pharyngeal tactile stimulation, electrical stimulation of superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) afferents or cervical vagal efferents, and to balloon distention of the esophageal body.
(20) In some opossums weak relaxations also occurred in the first few strips below the mucosal junction.
Yapock
Definition:
(n.) A South American aquatic opossum (Chironectes variegatus) found in Guiana and Brazil. Its hind feet are webbed, and its fore feet do not have an opposable thumb for climbing. Called also water opossum.