UNSW Embryology

Glossary F

© Dr Mark Hill (2008)

Acknowledgements

F-factor

(forfertility factor) A kind of episome in bacteria that can replicate either autonomously or in integrated form; can move from one bacterium to another during conjugation.

F1

(Latin, filial = son) first filial generation or the initial progeny of a cross-breeding (hybrid). The genetic breeding out (recombination) is said to strengthen the progeny, hence "F1 hybrid vigour".

F2

(Latin, filial = son) second filial generation The progeny of the F1 generation.

factor V Leiden

mutation which is a heritable thrombophilia (increased tendency of blood to clot, impaired natural anticoagulant or fibrinolytic pathways) present in 5 - 8% of Caucasian populations.

falciform ligament

sheet of parietal peritoneum between the two principal lobes of the liver. The ligamentum teres, the remnant of umbilical vein, lies within its folds. (More? GIT Notes | Liver)

femur length

(FL) longest bone in the body, used in clinical ultrasound measurements and reflects the longitudinal growth of the fetus. (approximately 14 weeks 1.5 cm - term 7.8 cm) (More? Ultrasound Movies)

fenestra

(Latin, fenestra = window) small pore approximately 60–70 nm diameter in vascular bed endothelium (renal glomerular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine gland capillaries) allowing exchange between blood and tissues, plural - fenestrae.

fermentation

(Latin, fervere = to boil) The anaerobic extraction of energy from organic compounds. The "boiling", or bubbling, is easily seen in the release of carbon dioxide from aerobic yeast during brewing processes.

fertility rate

statisically refers to the total number of live births, regardless of age of mother, per 1,000 women of reproductive age, 15–44 years. (More? Statistics | Australian Statistics)

fertilization

The penetration of the egg by the sperm and the resulting combining of genetic material that develops into an embryo. The union of two haploid gametes to form a diploid cell or zygote. (More? Week 1 Notes | Fertilization)

fertilization promoting peptide

(FPP) also called Glu²TRH which is a small tripeptide (3 amino acid; _pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH₂) present in human seminal plasma which stimulates spermatozoa capacitation. Peptide is a structural analogue to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH; _pGlu-His-Pro-NH₂). (More? Spermatozoa Capacitation | Spermatozogenesis)

fetal death rate

statisically refers to the number of fetal deaths with a stated or presumed gestation of 20 weeks or more divided by the sum of live births plus fetal deaths, per 1,000 live births plus fetal deaths. Late fetal death rate shifts the stated or presumed gestational age to 28 weeks. (More? Statistics | Australian Statistics)

Fetal Origins Hypothesis

originally called Barker Hypothesis, which began as statistical analysis carried out by Barker in the UK, of low birth weight data (early 1900's) and proposes in utero influences cause permanent changes in embryo/fetus, low birth weight, predisposition to chronic disease in adult life. (More? Fetal Origins Hypothesis)

fetal period

in human development week 9 to 36 is the fetal stage (second and third trimester) and during this time organs formed in the embryonic period continue to develop and the fetus grows in size and weight. The first 8 weeks of development is considered the embryonic period and is divided into 23 Carnegie stages based upon developmental milestones. Note when searching an alternate spelling "foetal". (More? Fetal | Embryo Stages)

fetal macrosomia

clinical description for a fetus that is too large, condition increases steadily with advancing gestational age and defined by a variety of birthweights. In pregnant women anywhere between 2 - 15% have birth weights of greater than 4000 grams (4 Kg, 8 lb 13 oz). (More? Fetal Development | Birth)

fetus

In mammals, description of development following the embryonic period (see fetal period above).

FGR

acronym for Fetal Growth Restriction also known as Intrauterine Growth Retardation. (More? Intrauterine Growth Retardation)

fibrillin

connective tissue protein encoded in humans by (FBN1) gene which is associated with Marfan syndrome. (More? Musculoskeletal Abnormalities)

fibrinoid layer

(Nitabuch's layer) layer formed at maternal/fetal interface during placentation and is thought to act to prevent excessively deep conceptus implantation. Fibrin-type fibrinoid (maternal blood-clot product) and matrix-type fibrinoid (secreted by invasive extravillous trophoblast cells). (More? Placenta)

fibroadenomas

in relation to the breast, is a lump, both smooth and firm, made up of fibrous and glandular tissue. These are generally not cancerous and are more common in younger women and may become tender in the days before a period or grow bigger during pregnancy.

fibroid embolization

treatment method for uterine fibroids (non-cancerous tumor that can develop within the wall of the uterus) involving stopping or blocking the blood flow to the tumor.

(More? Human Menstrual Cycle | Genital System - Female Uterus | Urogenital Notes | Medline Plus)

fimbriae

(Latin, fimbria = a fringe) finger-like projections at the ovarian end of uterine tube. At ovulation they sit over the ovary to aid egg movement into the uterine tube. (More? Week 1 Notes)

Finasteride

chemical used to prevent male pattern baldness and enlargement of prostate glands. An anti-androgen (blocks synthesis of dihydrotestosterone) and therefore a potential endocrine disruptor, exposed pregnant women can impact on male fetus genetial development. (More? Endocrine Abnormalities)

fistula

abnormal communication between 2 structures (organs, vessels, cavities) that do not normally connect. (More? Head Abnormalities)

FL

acronym for Femur Length, longest bone in the body, used in clinical ultrasound measurements and reflects growth of the fetus. (More? Ultrasound Movies)

flagella

FLASH

acronym for FLICE-associated huge protein, a cytoplasmic component of the apoptosis signaling pathway which also translocates to nuclear Cajal bodies.

foetal

often considered the British spelling, US spelling is actually more correct, "fetus" correctly derives from the Latin fetus see alternate spelling fetal period above.

Fog2

acronym for Friend of Gata 2, a transcription factor required for diaphragm and lung development.

folic acid

(Latin, folium = leaf) (= Folate, Pteroylglutamic acid) a water soluble vitamin, found in many fruits (particularly oranges, berries and bananas), leafy green vegetables, cereals and legumes, which can prevent neural tube defects. (More? Abnormal Development - Folic Acid and Neural Tube Defects | Neural System - Abnormal Development)

follicle

(Latin, folliculus = little bag, dim. of Latin follis) the functional unit within the ovary that includes the developing oocyte (egg) and the surrounding layers of cells that support that oocyte. (More? Week 1 - Oogenesis | Human Menstrual Cycle)

follicle atresia

degeneration of the developing ovarian follicle, which can occur at any stage of follicular development. Many developing follicles undergo this process in each menstrual cycle. (More? Week 1 - Oogenesis | Human Menstrual Cycle)

folliculin

(FLCN) a tumor-suppressor protein with unknown functions (see PNAS). Germ line mutations in the gene lead to Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome, characterized by benign tumors of the hair follicle, lung cysts, and renal neoplasia. (More? OMIM folliculin | Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome | PNAS Baba M, Hong SB, Sharma N, Warren MB, Nickerson ML, Iwamatsu A, Esposito D, Gillette WK, Hopkins RF 3rd, Hartley JL, Furihata M, Oishi S, Zhen W, Burke TR Jr, Linehan WM, Schmidt LS, Zbar B. Folliculin encoded by the BHD gene interacts with a binding protein, FNIP1, and AMPK, and is involved in AMPK and mTOR signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 6)

follicular fluid

the fluid found in the antrum of a secondary follicle. Secreted by cells in the wall of the follicle. This fluid is released along with the oocyte at ovulation. (More? Week 1 - Oogenesis | Human Menstrual Cycle)

fontanel

fibrous region between flat bones of developing skull. (More? Musculoskeletal Development - Skull Development)

four dimensional ultrasound

(4D) term used to describe the collection of three dimensional (3D) ultrasound images over time. (More? Ultrasound Movies)

Forkhead Box F1

(Foxf1) a member of the forkhead gene family, a group of transcription factors originally identified in drosophila and have a role in development of the gall bladder and other tissues. The'forkhead' domain is a conserved 100 amino acid sequence. (More? GIT Notes - Gall bladder | OMIM FORKHEAD BOX F1; FOXF1)

Fraser syndrome

(cryptophthalmos-syndactyly syndrome) an autosomal recessive congenital malformation syndrome characterized by cryptophthalmos, syndactyly, and urogenital defects (bicornuate uterus, imperforate anus, anal stenosis or renal malformations). (More? Eye Abnormalities | Limb Abnormalities | Urogenital Abnormalities | Urogenital Notes | OMIM - Fraser syndrome)

fusiform

(Latin, fusus = spindle-shaped) widest near the middle and tapering in toward both ends, (back in the days of smoking) often described as "cigar-shaped". For example, used to describe the shape of the early developing stomach or the shape of smooth muscle cells. (More? GIT Notes)

Alphabetical Links

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External Resources

Comments

Use this page to access brief definitions of specific alphabetically listed embryology terms. Additional information can be accessed from links listed at the end of each definition. Glossary from the UNSW Embryology program compiled and written by Dr Mark Hill. Reference Material used in preparing Glossary List: Texts listed on page 1 Reading of each notes section, Department of Anatomy Publications, WWW resources from NCBI, AMA (USA), Office of Rare Diseases (USA), PubMed Medline Dictionaries, MSDS, Merck Manual home edn., NHMRC (Australia). These notes are for Educational Purposes Only. Please email Dr Mark Hill if you wish to make a comment about this current project.

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