| LH and RH agonist | <pharmacology> Particular medications that act as potent inhibitors of gonadotrophin (testosterone) secretion. They act to inhibit the production of testosterone through a feedback mechanism on the pituitary gland. LH and RH agonists are useful in the treatment of prostate cancer. (14 Oct 1997) |
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| agonist | 1. <anatomy> A prime mover. 2. <pharmacology> A drug that has affinity for and stimulates physiologic activity at cell receptors normally stimulated by naturally occurring substances, thus triggering a biochemical response. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| calcium channel agonist | <pharmacology> Agents that increase calcium influx into calcium channels of excitable tissues. This causes vasoconstriction in vascular smooth muscle and/or cardiac muscle cells as well as stimulation of insulin release from pancreatic islets. Therefore, tissue-selective calcium agonists have the potential to combat cardiac failure and endocrinological disorders. They have been used primarily in experimental studies in cell and tissue culture. (12 Dec 1998) |
| receptor agonist | A substance that mimics a specificneurotransmitter, is able to attach to that neurotransmitter's receptor and thereby produces the same action that theneurotransmitter usually produces. Drugs are often designed as receptor agonists to treat a variety of diseases and disorders whenthe original chemical substance is missing or depleted. (22 May 1997) |
| mixed opioid agonist-antagonist | <pharmacology> A compound that has an affinity for two or more types of opioid receptors and blocks opioid effects on one receptor type while producing opioid effects on a second receptor type. (13 Nov 1997) |
| muscarinic agonist | Drugs that bind to and activate muscarinic cholinergic receptors (receptors, muscarinic). Muscarinic agonists are most commonly used when it is desirable to increase smooth muscle tone, especially in the GI tract, urinary bladder and the eye. They may also be used to reduce heart rate. (12 Dec 1998) |
| histamine agonist | Drugs that bind to and activate histamine receptors. Although they have been suggested for a variety of clinical applications histamine agonists have so far been more widely used in research than therapeutically. (12 Dec 1998) |
| opioid agonist | <pharmacology> Any morphine-like compound that produces bodily effects including pain relief, sedation, constipation and respiratory depression. (16 Dec 1997) |
| opioid partial agonist | <pharmacology> A compound that has an affinity for and stimulates physiologic activity at the same cell receptors as opioid agonists but that produces only a partial (i.e., submaximal) bodily response. (16 Dec 1997) |
| abstracting and indexing | Shortening or summarizing of documents; assigning of descriptors for referencing documents. (12 Dec 1998) |
| academies and institutes | Organizations representing specialised fields which are accepted as authoritative; may be non-governmental, university or an independent research organization, e.g., national academy of sciences, brookings institution, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| accounts payable and receivable | Short-term debt obligations and assets occurring in the regular course of operational transactions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| aged, 80 and over | A person 80 years of age and older. (12 Dec 1998) |
| algae and fungi | Algae represent a group of spore-propagating plants, unicellular or undifferentiated into root, stem, and leaf. They include seaweed and many unicellular fresh water plants, most of which contain chlorophyll. They account for about 90% of the earth's photosynthetic activity. Fungi are eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that live as saprobes or parasites and include mushrooms, yeasts, smuts, molds, etc. They lack chlorophyll. (12 Dec 1998) |
| alkyl and aryl transferases | <enzyme> A somewhat heterogeneous class of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of alkyl or related groups (excluding methyl groups). Registry number: EC 2.5 (12 Dec 1998) |
| allergy and immunology | A medical specialty concerned with the hypersensitivity of the individual to foreign substances and protection from the resultant infection or disorder. (12 Dec 1998) |