menisc-, menisco-

The point at which two bones meet between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin): The knee joint is a modified hinge or junction that is capable of slight rotation in a bent position.

Each of these wedge-shaped crescents of knee joints have shock absorbers that resist impacts when running, jumping, etc.

Violent rotational movements of the thighs or legs while the knee joints are flexed; as in, football, soccer, skiing, or other sports, can severely damage the menisci or cartilage disks when they are squeezed between the bones of the knee joints.

Thickened crescent-shaped cartilage pads in the outer portions of the joints formed by the femurs (thigh bones) and the tibias (shin bones): Each lateral meniscus of the knee acts as a smooth surface for its coupling to move properly.

The lateral menisci of the knees are toward the outer sides of the knee couplings and they serve to evenly load the surfaces during the body's weight-bearing, and also aid in providing fluids for the lubrications of the contacting points.

Compact, semicircular shaped cartilage (tough elastic tissue) cushions in the inner portions of the junctions formed by the thigh bones and the shin bones: The medial menisci of the knees are located in the inner sides of the knee connecters.

The medial menisci of the knees provide outer curves for conjoining links to move on, serve to evenly load the structures during walking, and aid in disbursing fluids to the joints for lubrication of those skeletal parts.

Pertaining to, or having the form of a knee injury: Bill, the young football athlete, had meniscal knee damage that prevented him from playing for over a month.

For more detailed information, go to this link about meniscal-knee damage.

A surgical procedure during which the whole or a part of a cartilage disk is removed from a joint: Meniscectomy is almost always performed on a knee, or the knees.

A meniscectomy is performed when a meniscus, or connective tissue, has been badly damaged, usually as a result of an injury which causes the knee, or knees, to lock or to give way repeatedly.

Removing the damaged part of the structural component with a meniscectomy can cure the symptoms of the injury; however, it can also increase the likelihood of premature osteoarthritis; so, the operation is avoided whenever it is possible.

An inflammation of any interarticular (joint) cartilage: Specifically, meniscitis is the swollen, red, and painful areas of the semilunar (crescent-shaped) cartilages of the knee bone structure resulting from an infection, irritation, or injury of the menisci.

A sickle-shaped erythrocyte (a non-nucleated and agranular mature cell of vertebrate blood whose oxygen-carrying pigment, hemoglobin, is responsible for the red color of fresh blood): Meniscocytes are abnormal red blood cells that have elongated, crescent-like shapes resulting from the presence of abnormal hemoglobins (blood substances that contain oxygen).

Sickle cell anemia: This meniscocytosis is a disease which is characterized by severe joint pain, thrombosis (coagulated blood or blood clots), and fever with chronic anemia (too few red blood cells) that results in lethargy (unusual lack of energy) and weakness.

Of or pertaining to the cartilage disk that acts as a cushion of the knee linkage and the femur (bone of the leg between the pelvis and the knee): The meniscofemoral disk is a crescent-shaped disk of cartilaginous tissue found where the knee hinge and the upper thighbone connect.

Like or similar to a crescent-shaped fibrous cartilage between the bones at certain closures; especially, at the knees: There are a number of meniscoid disks that are located in several connections in the body; including, the knee joints, wrist joints, and jaw joints.

A pain or an infection of the cartilaginous tissues found in body junctions: Meniscopathy may indicate a treatment of a disease or an abnormality of a meniscus which consists of ligaments that reduce friction during bodily joint movements.

A surgical procedure anchoring the medial flat disc-shaped ligament back to its former attachment: Meniscopexy is the surgical repositioning of a displaced disk which stabilizes and supports the inner aspects of the knee connections that may be injured in sprains which are the tearing or stretching of the ligaments that hold the bone ends together in joints.

A surgical procedure that replaces the medial meniscus back into its former position: Dr. Albert used meniscorrhaphy to repair Marven's injured knee.

A crescent-shaped strong elastic tissue located in several joints in the body: The menisci are the cartilage disks that act as cushions between the ends of bones that meet in skeletal connections; such as, in the knees and other linkages of the body.

The main function of the meniscus is to reduce frictions when the connecters are moving.

Each of the knee hinges has two menisci; the wrist links and temporomandibular junctions (jaw links) have a meniscus for each closure.

A meniscus is an anatomic feature; for example, the medial meniscus of the knee is a crescent-shaped cartilage pad between the two linking connecters formed by the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shin bone)."

The meniscus acts as a smooth surface for the hinges to move on and the medial meniscus is toward the inner (medial) side of the knee connection.

The menisci are often used to refer to one of the semilunar fibrocartilaginous disks in the various intersections of the body.

The word meniscus comes from Greek and refers to a "crescent-shaped structure" and so, today a meniscus is something that is shaped like a crescent moon.

For a tiny insect, a pond's still surface can present a challenging waterscape.

• To move from water to land, a water-walking creature may have to scale a steep, slippery slope—the curved edge where water meets leaf, rock, or floating object.
• The curvature of a liquid's surface at a boundary is a consequence of the liquid's surface tension.
• The sloped surface marking the border between wet and dry is called the meniscus.
• Very small insects typically can't climb these frictionless mountains using their normal rowing motions or running gaits.
• If they try to walk up, they slide back down.
• Instead, these insects have to rely on a novel form of propulsion that doesn't require moving their legs back and forth.
• As this water treader approaches a meniscus, its front and rear legs deform the water's surface to help it move up the slope.
• Two species of water strider, for example, have retractable claws on their front and hind legs that allow them to pull up on the water to create tiny peaks.
• At the same time, the central pair of legs presses down on the water to form dimples in the surface.
• Because the insects are small, these peaks and dimples create sufficient force to pull the insects up the slope.
• In effect, the insect creates tiny menisci with its front and rear legs.
• Because menisci are attracted to other menisci, the net effect is to pull the insect up the slope at the water's edge.
• These creatures can reach speeds as high as thirty body lengths per second.
• In technical terms, the insects take advantage of lateral capillary forces that exist between small floating objects.
• The force of attraction between body and meniscus "wall" depends on the body's buoyancy and on its distance from the wall.
• Because the insect's front legs are closer to the wall than its rear legs are, the net effect is to propel the insect forward and upward.
• The larva of the waterlily leaf beetle uses an alternative strategy to scale a slippery meniscus.
• A poor swimmer, this creature simply arches its back, creating a meniscus at each end. The insect then gets pulled up the slope to a leaf.
• In meniscus climbing, the researchers note, instead of moving its legs back and forth, an insect deforms the liquid's surface, converting muscular strain to the surface energy that powers its ascent.
• In the realm of fluid dynamics, few researchers have previously tackled situations that involve surface tension as an important component.
• The new results and related research may have important applications not only for understanding biolocomotion but also potentially in nanotechnology.