Editing Uvula (section)

{{Short description|Fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the palate}}
{{other uses|Uvula of cerebellum|Uvula of urinary bladder}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Uvula
| Latin       = uvula palatina
| Image       = File:LuettePalatineUvula.svg
| Caption     = Mouth of a child showing the uvula and swollen tonsils
| Width       = 
| Precursor   = 
| System      = 
| Location    = [[Human mouth]]
| Artery      = 
| Pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|juː|v|j|ʊ|l|ə|audio=en-au-uvula.ogg}}
| Vein        = 
| Nerve       = 
| Lymph       = 
}}
The '''uvula''' ({{plural form}}: '''uvulas''' or '''uvulae'''), also known as the '''palatine uvula''' or '''staphyle''', is a conic projection from the back edge of the middle of the [[soft palate]], composed of [[connective tissue]] containing a number of [[alveolar gland|racemose glands]], and some muscular fibers.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.emedicine.com/asp/dictionary.asp?exact=Y&keyword=palatine+uvula| title=eMedicine Definition| access-date=2008-05-03| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216000915/http://www.emedicine.com/asp/dictionary.asp?exact=Y| archive-date=2008-02-16| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Ten Cate's Oral Histology, Nanci, Elsevier, 2007, page 321</ref> It also contains many [[serous gland]]s, which produce thin saliva.<ref name="Nadig">{{cite journal|last1=Back|first1=GW|last2=Nadig|first2=S|last3=Uppal|first3=S|last4=Coatesworth|first4=AP|title=Why do we have a uvula?: literature review and a new theory.|journal=Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences|date=December 2004|volume=29|issue=6|pages=689–93|pmid=15533161|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2273.2004.00886.x}}</ref> It is only found in [[human]]s.<ref name="UvulaOrigin">{{cite journal |vauthors=Finkelstein Y, Meshorer A, Talmi Y, Zohar Y, Brenner J, Gal R | title = The riddle of the uvula. | journal = Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg | volume = 107 | issue = 3 | pages = 444–50 | year = 1992 | pmid = 1408233 | doi = 10.1177/019459989210700318| s2cid = 25135787 }}</ref>