| staphylo-opsonic index | The opsonic index calculated in relation to a staphylococcal infection, with a young culture of Staphylococcus aureus or the strain of staphylococcus from the patient being used in the test. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| opsonic | Relating to opsonins or to their utilization. (05 Mar 2000) |
| opsonic index | A value that indicates the relative content of opsonin in the blood of a person with an infectious disease, as evaluated in vitro in comparison with presumably normal blood; the opsonic index is calculated from the following equation: phagocytic index of normal serum ÷ phagocytic index of test serum = 1 ÷ x, where x represents the opsonic index. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tuberculo-opsonic index | The opsonic index calculated in relation to tuberculous infection, with an actively growing culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or the strain of tubercle bacillus from the patient being used in the test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acupuncture therapy | Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. Heat or moxibustion and acupressure may be used in conjunction. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adjuvant therapy | <oncology, pharmacology> Treatment that is added to increase the effectiveness of a primary treatment. In cancer, adjuvant treatment usually refers to chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or radiation therapy after surgery to increase the likelihood of killing all cancer cells. (14 May 1997) |
| alternative therapy | A term given to nonconventional therapy usually given by persons who do not have a medical qualification. (16 Dec 1997) |
| analytic therapy | Short term for psychoanalytic therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy | <pharmacology> A method for targeting a drug to a specific tissue, in which the targeting agent and the drug are administered separately. The drug is designed to be inactive (a prodrug) until it is converted by an enzyme, which is the targeting agent. The enzyme is coupled to an antibody that directs it to the tissue of interest. When the enzyme arrives at the tissue, the prodrug is activated only at that site, sparing other tissues from potentially toxic side effects. Acronym: ADEPT (14 Nov 1997) |
| anticoagulant therapy | The use of anticoagulant drugs to reduce or prevent intravascular or intracardiac clotting. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antisense therapy | Use of antisense DNA for the inhibition of translation of a specific gene product for therapeutic purposes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| art therapy | The use of art as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of neurological, mental, or behavioural disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| autoserum therapy | Therapy with serum obtained from the patient's own blood. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aversion therapy | <psychology> A form of behaviour therapy that pairs an unpleasant stimulus with undesirable behaviour(s) so that the patient learns to avoid the latter. See: aversive training. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aversive therapy | <psychology> A treatment that suppresses undesirable behaviour by simultaneously exposing the subject to unpleasant consequences. (12 Dec 1998) |