Category: A

A minute protozoan organism consisting of a single cell, in which a nucleus is surrounded by protoplasm that changes its shape as the protozoon progresses or absorbs nourishment. Several varieties are found under different conditions within the human body. One variety, Entamoeba coli, is found in the large intestine of humans without any associated disease;…

A drug that inhibits the synthesis of adrenal corticosteroids. It is proving to be of value in the treatment of cancer of the breast in postmenopausal women. A chemical that interferes with the production of adrenocortical hormone. It has been used to decrease the hypersecretion of cortisol by adrenal tumors and to treat cancer of…

A drug used to treat hereditary angio-oedema — a serious anaphylactic reaction of the skin and respiratory tract resulting from a deficiency in the body’s immunological defence mechanisms. H2N(CH2)5COOH; a hemostatic drug. It is a specific antidote for an overdose of a fibrinolytic agent.  

Also called adrenoceptor-blocking agents or alpha blockers, these drugs stop the stimulation of alpha-adrenergic receptors at the nerve endings of the sympathetic nervous system by hormones with adrenaline-like characteristics. The drugs dilate the arteries, causing a fall in blood pressure, so they are used to treat hypertension and also benign enlargement of the prostate gland.…

The name for a disorder of sensation in which sensations are referred to the wrong part of the body.  

A drug used under specialist supervision for the rare hereditary disorder, Gaucher’s disease. A drug prepared from human placental tissue. It is used. in treating type 1 Gaucher’s disease.  

A drug which relaxes voluntary muscles. Given by injection during anaesthesia to relax a patient undergoing surgery, the drug may delay the restart of spontaneous breathing.  

A drug adjunct to surgery in the treatment of hydatid cysts caused by Taenia echinococcus, a small tapeworm. If surgery is not possible, albendazole can be used on its own. The drug is also used to treat strongylodiasis.  

The result of a combination of natural, largely genetically programmed changes occurring in all body systems. Diseases or injuries may influence these changes, which impair the body’s homeostatic mechanisms; environment and lifestyle also affect the ageing process.  

A condition in which the blood will not clot because fibrin is absent, so bleeding may occur. There are two forms: congenital and acquired. The latter may be due to advanced liver disease, or may occur as a complication of labour. Treatment consists of the intravenous injection of fibrinogen, and blood transfusion.