Medical Dictionary
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An alphabetical listing of General terms and items. |
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A form of the animo acid cysteine that is available as a nutritional supplement. NAC is used to prevent liver damage due to acetaminophen overdose.
See n-acetyl-cysteine.
Inexperienced. Often used to describe an individual who has never taken a certain drug, or to an undifferentiated immune system cell.
See opiate.
Plural, Latin naris = nostril.
Latin = nostril, plural - nares.
Adjective, Latin nasus = nose; hence, pertaining to the nose.
Adjective, Latin natus = born; hence, relating to birth.
A large biomedical research organization that is part of the U.S. Public Health Service. The NIH includes several institutes, centers, and divisions. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conduct research on viral hepatitis.
A type of white blood cell that attacks and kills tumor cells and cells infected with microorganisms.
A system of natural healing based on the philosophy that the body has the ability to cure itself.
Stomach distress characterized by an aversion to food and an urge to vomit.
Adjective, Latin navicula = a little ship (cf. naval); hence, the tarsal bone which is concave posteriorly, resembling a boat.
See new drug application.
A device that takes a liquid form of medicine and converts it into a mist to be breathed in (see Asthma).
Tissue inflammation and death.
Cell or tissue death.
Greek prefix - neos = new.
Therapy with anticancer drugs or radiation given before surgery in order to shrink a tumor (see Breast Cancer).
Adjective, Greek neos = new, and Latin natos = born; hence, new-born.
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A newborn, especially within the first days or weeks after birth.
Greek neos = new, and Latin pallium = cloak; hence, the cerebral cortex which developed more recently than the archipallium or olfactory cortex.
A tumor or growth; tissue that develops abnormally or cells that proliferate more rapidly than normal. A benign neoplasm (e.g., a wart) is localized and does not spread to other tissues; a malignant neoplasm (cancer) can spread to other parts of the body.
See kidney stone.
The property of being poisonous or harmful to the kidneys.
Latin nervus = tendon; later reserved for a peripheral bundle of fibres which conduct impulses from or to the central nervous system.
See granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.
Adjective, Greek neuron = nerve.
Nerve pain.
Greek neuron = nerve, and gloia = glue; hence, the connective tissue of the central nervous system; adjective - neuroglial.
Biochemical substances made by tissue in the body's nervous system that can change the function or structure, or direct the activity of tissues or organs; e.g. neurotransmitters.
Or posterior lobe of hypophysis - Greek hypo = down, and physis = growth; hence, the posterior part of the hypophysis evaginated downwards from the diencephalon, and its stalk.
Greek neuron = nerve, and lemma = peel or rind; hence, the covering layer of a nerve.
Relating to the body's nervous system, which oversees and controls all body functions.
Greek = nerve; refers to the nerve cell body, with its axon and dendrites; adjective - neuronal.
Nerve damage or disease.
Biochemical substances that stimulate or inhibit nerve impulses in the brain that relay information about external stimuli and sensations, such as pain.
An abnormally low number of neutrophils, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection.
The most common type of immune system white blood cell. Neutrophils are phagocytes that engulf and destroy invading organisms such as bacteria and fungi.
An application made by a drug manufacturer to the FDA to request marketing approval for a new drug.
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See vitamin B.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. See National Institutes of Health.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. See National Institutes of Health.
Latin niger = black, dark.
See National Institutes of Health.
Non-specific lymphocytes like killer T cells that attack and kill cancer and infected cells. They are natural killers because they do not need to recognize a specific antigen in order to attack and kill.
See natural killer cell.
See non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.
Regularly needing to urinate more than twice during the night (see Urinary Incontinence).
Latin nodus = knot.
Diminutive of Latin nodus = knot, hence, a little knot.
See hepatitis C.
Cancer of lymphoid tissues.
An antiviral drug that suppresses viral replication by interfering with the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme.
An antiviral drug that suppresses viral replication by interfering with the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme.
A device or procedure that does not require puncturing the skin.
A chemical formerly used as a spermicide and microbicide. Recent studies have shown that nonoxynol-9 causes tissue damage and may increase the risk of STD transmission.
Person who does not show improvement while undergoing treatment. In HCV, a nonresponder does not achieve normal ALT levels or an undetectable viral load.
A drug (e.g., aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen) that relieves pain and reduces inflammation by blocking the body's production of prostaglandins.
A neurotransmitter that constricts blood vessels and plays a role in the regulation of anxiety, mood, and responses to stress. Sometimes called noradrenaline (see Anxiety, Depression, Hypertension).
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Latin = pattern or rule, or aspect; adjective, normal - according to rule.
An indentation in the margin of a structure. Etymology uncertain.
Greek notos = back, and chorde = cord; hence, the primitive axial skeleton around which the vertebrae develop, parts persisting in the nuclei pulposi.
See nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.
See nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
Noncortisone, non-addictive (non-narcotic) drug that reduces pain and inflammation and is therefore used in the treatment of pain and arthritis.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, used to treat inflammation, fever, and pain. NSAIDs do not treat the inflammation of asthmatic airways. People with aspirin-sensitive asthma suffer flare-ups of symptoms after taking most NSAIDs (see Asthma).
French nuque = nape or back of the neck; adjective - nuchal.
See nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.
A drug that mimics a nucleoside, one of the building blocks of genetic material (DNA or RNA). NRTIs suppress viral replication by interfering with the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme, causing premature termination of new chains of genetic material.
A drug that mimics a nucleoside, one of the building blocks of genetic material (DNA or RNA). NRTIs suppress viral replication by interfering with the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme, causing premature termination of new chains of genetic material.
A genetic building block.
The central controlling structure within a living cell that contains the genetic codes (in chromosomes) for maintaining life systems of the cell and for issuing commands for cell growth and reproduction.
An agent that promotes proper growth and metabolism.
The process by which living organisms digest and metabolize food to use for maintenance and growth of tissues.
Greek = drowsiness, to nod, hence, involuntary, rapid, rhythmic eye movements.
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