| self-discovery | In psychoanalysis, the freeing of the repressed ego in a person raised to be submissive to those around him. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| nature | 1. The existing system of things; the world of matter, or of matter and mind; the creation; the universe. "But looks through nature up to nature's God." (Pope) "Nature has caprices which art can not imitate." (Macaulay) 2. The personified sum and order of causes and effects; the powers which produce existing phenomena, whether in the total or in detail; the agencies which carry on the processes of creation or of being; often conceived of as a single and separate entity, embodying the total of all finite agencies and forces as disconnected from a creating or ordering intelligence. "I oft admire How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit Such disproportions." (Milton) 3. The established or regular course of things; usual order of events; connection of cause and effect. 4. Conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artifical, or forced, or remote from actual experience. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." (Shak) 5. The sum of qualities and attributes which make a person or thing what it is, as distinct from others; native character; inherent or essential qualities or attributes; peculiar constitution or quality of being. "Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem, Their nature also to thy nature join, And be thyself man among men on earth." (Milton) 6. Hence: Kind, sort; character; quality. "A dispute of this nature caused mischief." (Dryden) 7. Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life. "My days of nature." "Oppressed nature sleeps." (Shak) 8. Natural affection or reverence. "Have we not seen The murdering son ascend his parent's bed, Through violated nature foce his way?" (Pope) 9. Constitution or quality of mind or character. "A born devil, on whose nature Nurture can never stick." (Shak) "That reverence which is due to a superior nature." (Addison) Good nature, Ill nature. See under Good and Ill. In a state of nature. Naked as when born; nude. In a condition of sin; unregenerate. Untamed; uncvilized. Nature printng, a process of printing from metallic or other plates which have received an impression, as by heavy pressure, of an object such as a leaf, lace, or the like. Nature worship, the worship of the personified powers of nature. To pay the debt of nature, to die. Origin: F, fr. L. Natura, fr. Natus born, produced, p.p. Of nasci to be born. See Nation. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| nature-nurture issue | A controversy concerning the relative importance of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) in various aspects of individual development, such as intelligence, personality, or mental illness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| discovery | 1. The action of discovering; exposure to view; laying open; showing; as, the discovery of a plot. 2. A making known; revelation; disclosure; as, a bankrupt is bound to make a full discovery of his assets. "In the clear discoveries of the next [world]" (South) 3. Finding out or ascertaining something previously unknown or unrecognised; as, Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood. "A brilliant career of discovery and conquest." (Prescott) "We speak of the "invention" of printing, the discovery of America." (Trench) 4. That which is discovered; a thing found out, or for the first time ascertained or recognised; as, the properties of the magnet were an important discovery. 5. Exploration; examination. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| drug-drug interaction | The effects that occur when two or more drugs are used together. Such effects include changes of absorption in the digestive tract, changes in rate of the drugs' breakdown in the liver, new or enhanced side effects and changes in the drugs' activity. (09 Oct 1997) |
| abnormalities, drug-induced | Congenital abnormalities caused by medicinal substances or drugs of abuse given to or taken by the mother, or to which she is inadvertently exposed during the manufacture of such substances. The concept excludes abnormalities resulting from exposure to non-medicinal chemicals in the environment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| activity, drug | A measure of the physiological response a drug produces in the body. A less active drug produces less response (and visa versa). (12 Dec 1998) |
| addictive drug | Any drug that creates a certain degree of euphoria and has a strong potential for addiction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adverse drug reaction reporting systems | Systems developed for collecting reports from government agencies, manufacturers, hospitals, physicians, and other sources on adverse drug reactions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| akathisia, drug-induced | Motor restlessness with sensations of quivering and an urge to move about constantly resulting from the use of certain drugs, such as neuroleptic drugs, which affect the extrapyramidal region of the brain. This differs from dyskinesia, drug-induced in that long-term antipsychotic drug exposure is significantly correlated with the increased prevalence of akathisia while there is no such correlation with dyskinesia. The primary observable distinction between tardive akathisia and dyskinesia appears to be in the repetitive, stereotypy of the dyskinesic movements (lip smacking, for example), while akathisia is associated with anxiety, restlessness, and agitation (psychomotor agitation). (12 Dec 1998) |
| antineoplastic drug | A drug that stops or slows the maturation and spread of tumour cells (benign or malignant). (09 Oct 1997) |
| maintenance drug therapy | In chemotherapy, systematic dosage at a level that maintains protection against exacerbation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rational drug design | <pharmacology> Modeling the molecular structure of the target of a drug, for example, an antigen, and then designing a drug that will attack it. (17 Dec 1997) |
| receptors, drug | Proteins that bind specific drugs with high affinity and trigger intracellular changes influencing the behaviour of cells. Drug receptors are generally thought to be receptors for some endogenous substance not otherwise specified. (12 Dec 1998) |
| recreational drug | A controlled substance taken for non-medical purposes. Street drugs comprise various amphetamines, anaesthetics, barbiturates, opiates, and psychoactive drugs, and many are derived from natural sources (e.g., the plants Papaver somniferum, Cannibis sativa, Amanita pantherina, Lophophora williamsii). Slang names include acid (lysergic acid diethylamide), angel dust (phencyclidine), coke (cocaine), downers (barbiturates), grass (marijuana), hash (concentrated tetrahydrocannibinol), magic mushrooms (psilocybin), mescaline (peyote), speed (amphetamines). During the 1980s, a new class of "designer drugs" arose, mostly analogs of psychoactive substances intended to escape regulation under the Controlled Substances Act. Also, crack cocaine, a potent, smokable form of cocaine, emerged as a major public health problem. In the U.S. Illicit use of drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin historically has occurred in cycles. Synonym: recreational drug. (05 Mar 2000) |