Category: L

Drug or other substance that enhances milk production.  

Agent that reduces milk secretion (e.g., a drug given to suppress milk production in a woman who is not breast feeding). A drug that reduces the secretion of milk. Estrogenic drugs, such as chlorotrianisene and dienestrol, have this effect and are used to suppress milk production in mothers not breast feeding.  

Abnormality in which a deficiency in the amount of the enzyme lactase results in an inability to digest lactose (milk sugar). It is usually congenital, more common in people of Asian and African heritage, but may also result from gastrectomy, disease of the small intestine, or certain other disorders. A shortage of the enzyme lactase,…

Either of two oval-shaped dilated ends of the nasolacrimal duct that fill with tears secreted by the lacrimal glands. The upper section of the nasolacrimal duct that collects tears and other fluids. The upper dilated portion of the nasolacrimal duct situated in the groove of the lacrimal bone. The upper part is behind the internal…

Inflammation of the inner ear; it usually produces vertigo, loss of balance, and vomiting; also called otitis interna. Viral or bacterial infection of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, causing severe vertigo. An inflammation of the inner ear’s system of fluid-filled tubes and sacs called the labyrinth. The symptoms of labyrinthitis depend on the…

Discomfort and pain caused by contractions of the uterus. Uncomfortable, intermittent, rhythmic, girdling sensations associated with uterine contractions during childbearing. The frequency, duration, and intensity of the events increase, climaxing with the delivery of the fetus.  

Person (often the father) who assists a woman in labor by providing emotional support and encouragement to use breathing, concentration, and exercise techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes; also called monitrice.  

Oral parenteral antihypertensive that blocks receptors (alpha and beta) of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to a decrease in blood pressure. Although the drug is usually well tolerated, excessive hypotension can occur after intravenous administration. An antihypertensive drug. Labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate) is used to treat high blood pressure. It works by preventing nerve impulses from…

Defibrinated or oxalated horse blood, lysed by repeated freezing and thawing, added at 7 per cent to nutrient or sensitivity test agar to neutralize sulphonamide antagonizers.  

Selective agar medium for the isolation of staphylococci from contaminated material. Tellurite and lithium salts coupled with a very alkaline reaction discourage many bacteria; while mannitol is fermented by Staph, pyogenes to give black colonies other staphylococci are pale and small in size.