Category: A
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Anticholinergic (drug)
Drug or agent that inhibits the action of the neurotransmitter chemical acetylcholine, blocking parasympathetic nerve impulses, with consequent reduction of smooth-muscle contractions and various bodily secretions. A cholinergic blocking agent including atropine, nicotine, which prevents acetylcholine from stimulating the receptor. Medications that retard or block the activity of acetylcholine within the central nervous system (cns)…
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Angiography
Use of x-rays to show an image, on developed film or video monitor, of the blood vessels. A diagnostic procedure through which the chambers and blood vessels of the heart are examined. An x-ray examination of blood vessels after injection with an opaque dye so that show up clearly on the film. The process of…
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Amniotic fluid
Fluid inside the amniotic sac, the membranous enclosure within the uterus in which the fetus is suspended. A transparent albuminous liquid made by the amnion and the fetus; surrounds and protects the fetus during pregnancy. The fluid secreted by the amnion which immerses the fetus in the uterus prior to birth, amniotic sac. The fluid…
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Adjuvant analgesic
Any drug whose primary purpose is not generally used or prescribed for pain but can also serve as an analgesic for some pain conditions.
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Abrade
To chafe; to roughen or remove by friction. To wear away by mechanical action. To rub off, as a skin or covering layer, deliberately or accidentally. The act of wearing away the skin’s surface through rubbing, often resulting in a minor wound known as an abrasion, occurs when skin is scraped against a rough surface.…
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Amniocentesis
A procedure in which a sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus is removed from the mother’s uterus for testing. The withdrawing of a sample of amniotic fluid, culturing the cells shed by the fetus, and examining them for biological and chromosomal defects. A procedure which involves taking a test sample of the…
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Albinism
A condition characterized by a lack of pigment in the hair, eyes, and skin. The absence of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes of animals. A condition in which a person lacks the pigment melanin and so has pink skin and eyes and white hair. It is hereditary and cannot be treated. A congenital…
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Asthi Dhatu
One of the seven dhatus or bodily tissues, specifically, the bone tissue that supports the body, giving protection, shape, and longevity. Bone tissue, giving support to the body.
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Artava dhatu
The female reproductive tissue, one of the seven dhatus or bodily tissues.
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Anupana
Substance (such as milk, water, ghee, etc.) that serves as a medium for taking herbs.