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Asterixis is associated with various encephalopathies due especially to faulty metabolism. The term derives from the Greek a, not and stÄrixis, fixed position. Asterixis is the inability to maintain posture due to a metabolic encephalopathy.This can be elicited on physical exam by having the patient extend their arms and bend their hands back. Asterixis is seen most often in drowsy or stuporous patients with metabolic encephalopathies, especially in decompensated cirrhosis or acute liver failure. 2  It is also seen in some patients with kidney failure and azotemia, and in carbon dioxide toxicity.
An asterism is a Pattern of stars that are not part of the constellation. Their speed is different from the constellation. Their position drifts and will individually be varying in position in the sky.t's a group of stars within the Ursa Major constellation. Another asterism is the Pleiades, which is a small cluster of stars found in Taurus. Edit: And to be precise, a constellation actually refers to an area of the sky and not the pattern of stars.