| brief | 1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words. "Bear this sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the lord marshal." (Shak) "And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief." (Shak) 2. An epitome. "Each woman is a brief of womankind." (Overbury) 3. An abridgment or concise statement of a client's case, made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law. This word is applied also to a statement of the heads or points of a law argument. "It was not without some reference to it that I perused many a brief." (Sir J. Stephen) In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in the United States, counsel generally make up their own briefs. 4. A writ; a breve. See Breve. 5. A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to any judge ordinary, commanding and authorising that judge to call a jury to inquire into the case, and upon their verdict to pronounce sentence. 6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorising a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose. Apostolical brief, a letter of the pope written on fine parchment in modern characters, subscribed by the secretary of briefs, dated "a die Nativitatis," i. E, "from the day of the Nativity," and sealed with the ring of the fisherman. It differs from a bull, in its parchment, written character, date, and seal. See Bull. Brief of title, an abstract or abridgment of all the deeds and other papers constituting the chain of title to any real estate. In brief, in a few words; in short; briefly. "Open the matter in brief." See: Brief, and cf. Breve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| brief psychiatric rating scale | A scale comprising 18 symptom constructs chosen to represent relatively independent dimensions of manifest psychopathology. The initial intended use was to provide more efficient assessment of treatment response in clinical psychopharmacology research; however, the scale was readily adapted to other uses. (12 Dec 1998) |
| brief psychotherapy | Any form of psychotherapy or counseling designed to produce emotional or behavioural therapeutic change within a minimal amount of time (generally not more than 20 sessions). Brief therapy is usually active and directive; it is more clearly indicated when there are clearly defined symptoms or problems, and where the goals are limited and specific. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brief reactive psychosis | <psychiatry> A brief display of psychotic behaviour that lasts for at least several hours, but not more than one week. Typically these reactions are brought on by periods of increased stress (for example death of a loved one). Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disordered thinking, impaired speech and bizarre dress. (27 Sep 1997) |
| psychotherapy, brief | Any form of psychotherapy designed to produce therapeutic change within a minimal amount of time, generally not more than 20 sessions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| legal brief | A detailed statement of the points of a client's case in a trial at law, giving the legal arguments, main content of a case, supporting statements, evidence, prior decisions, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acorn-tipped catheter | A catheter used in ureteropyelography to occlude the ureteral orifice and prevent backflow from the ureter during and following the injection of an opaque medium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| angiography catheter | A thin-walled tube suitable for percutaneous puncture and powered injection of contrast media for radiography; catheter diameter is measured on the French scale. (05 Mar 2000) |
| balloon catheter | A catheter used in arterial embolectomy or to float into the pulmonary artery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| balloon-tip catheter | A tube with a balloon at its tip that can be inflated or deflated without removal after installation; the balloon may be inflated to facilitate passage of the tube through a blood vessel (propelled by the bloodstream) or to occlude the vessel in which the tube alone would allow free flow; such catheter's are used to enter the pulmonary artery to facilitate haemodynamic measurements or to enter arteries and then remove them while inflated to withdraw clots (embolectomy catheter). See: Swan-Ganz catheter. Synonym: Fogarty catheter. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bicoudate catheter | Catheter bicoude, an elbowed catheter with a double bend. Origin: bi + Fr. Coude, bent (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bozeman-Fritsch catheter | A slightly curved double-channel uterine catheter with several openings at the tip. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Braasch catheter | A bulb-tipped catheter used for dilation and calibration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brush catheter | A ureteral catheter with a finely bristled brush tip that is endoscopically passed into the ureter or renal pelvis and by gentle to-and-fro movement brushes cells from the surface of suspected tumours. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cardiac catheter | <cardiology> A catheter that can be passed into the heart through a vein or artery, to withdraw samples of blood, measure pressures within the heart's chambers or great vessels, and inject contrast media. It is used mainly in the diagnosis and evaluation of congenital, rheumatic, and coronary artery lesions and to evaluate systolic and diastolic cardiac function. Synonym: cardiac catheter. (05 Mar 2000) |