| 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) |
|---|---|
| vasoactive | Exerting an effect upon the calibre of blood vessels. (18 Nov 1997) |
| vasoactive amine | A substance, such as histamine or serotonin, that contains amino groups and is pharmacologically characterised by its action on the blood vessels (altering vascular caliber or permeability). (05 Mar 2000) |
| vasoactive intestinal contractor | Mouse homologue of endothelin 2. (18 Nov 1997) |
| vasoactive intestinal peptide | <gastroenterology, protein> Peptide of 28 amino acids, originally isolated from porcine intestine, but later found in the central nervous system where it acts as a neuropeptide and is released by specific interneurons. May also affect behaviour of cells of the immune system. Acronym: VIP (05 Jan 1998) |
| vasoactive intestinal polypeptide | A polypeptide hormone secreted most commonly by non-beta islet cell tumours of the pancreas, producing copious watery diarrhoea and faecal electrolyte loss, particularly hypokalaemia; VIP increases the rates of glycogenolysis; stimulates pancreatic bicarbonate secretion. Synonym: vasoactive intestinal peptide. (05 Mar 2000) |
| receptors, vasoactive intestinal peptide | Cell surface proteins that bind vasoactive intestinal peptide (vip) with high affinity and trigger intracellular changes which influence the behaviour of cells. (12 Dec 1998) |
| 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) |