| NINCDS/ADRDA | National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Rel... |
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| USAMRIID | United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases |
| IBV | infectious bronchitis vaccine; infectious bronchitis virus |
| IPV | inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine or virus; infectious pustular vaginitis; infectious pustular vulvo... |
| NIADDK | National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases |
| national centre for health statistics | A centre in the public health service which is primarily concerned with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of health statistics on vital events and health activities to reflect the health status of people, health needs, and health resources. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| national environmental policy act | A federal law enacted in 1969 that requires all federal agencies to consider and analyse the environmental impacts of any proposed action. NEPA requires an environmental impact statement for major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the environment. NEPA requires federal agencies to inform and involve the public in the agency's decision making process and to consider the environmental impacts of the agency's decision. (05 Dec 1998) |
| National Formulary | An official compendium formerly issued by the American Pharmaceutical Association but now published by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention for the purpose of providing standards and specifications which can be used to evaluate the quality of pharmaceuticals and therapeutic agents. (05 Mar 2000) |
| national health planning information centre | A centre in the health resources administration division of planning methods and technology which provides access to current information on health planning and resources development. (12 Dec 1998) |
| national health programs | Components of a national health care system which administer specific services, e.g., national health insurance. (12 Dec 1998) |
| national institute of mental health | A component of the national institutes of health concerned with research, overall planning, promoting, and administering mental health programs and research. (12 Dec 1998) |
| National Institutes of Health | <organisation> A nonregulatory U.S. Federal agency which has oversight of research activities that the agency funds. (09 Oct 1997) |
| national library of medicine | An agency of the national institutes of health concerned with overall planning, promoting, and administering programs pertaining to various aspects of documentation and library services in the field of medicine. (12 Dec 1998) |
| national practitioner data bank | A databank established by the health care quality improvement act of 1986 authorizing the department of health and human services to collect and release information on the professional competence and conduct of physicians, dentists, nurses, and other health care practitioners. The data include adverse actions on physicians' malpractice, licensure, hospital privileges, concealing of pertinent information, and the like. (12 Dec 1998) |
| National Science Foundation | <organisation> A nonregulatory U.S. Federal agency which has oversight of biotechnology research activities that the agency funds. (09 Oct 1997) |
| los alamos national laboratory | <radiobiology> Major DOE research facility, located in Los Alamos, new Mexico, about an hour west of Santa Fe. Former home of a frozen-deuterium-fibre Z-pinch device, which was dismantled. Home to an active theory division, including the Numerical Tokamak Grand Challenge (being performed on the CM-5 massively-parallel supercomputer). Also home to former alternative-concepts experimental devices like Scyllac, FRX-A, FRX-B, FRX-C/LSM, ZT40, and the aborted CPRF which was killed in 1991 when it was almost complete (budget cuts). Currently there are some small in-house experiments, including one on electrostatic confinement as a possible fusion device, and/or a compact neutron source. They also do theory and experimental collaboration with other labs worldwide. (09 Oct 1997) |
| allergy | 1. <immunology> A state of hypersensitivity induced by exposure to a particular antigen (allergen) resulting in harmful immunologic reactions on subsequent exposures, the term is usually used to refer to hypersensitivity to an environmental antigen (atopic allergy or contact dermatitis) or to drug allergy. The original meaning, now obsolete, included all states of altered immunologic reactivity, immunity as well as hypersensitivity. Gell and Coombs used the term allergic reaction to mean any harmful immunologic reaction causing tissue injury. 2. <study> The medical specialty dealing with diagnosis and treatment of allergic disorders. (18 Nov 1997) |
| allergy desensitization | Stimulation of the immune system with gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic, the aim being to modify or stop the allergy war (by reducing the strength of the IgE and its effect on the mast cells). This form of treatment is very effective for allergies to pollen, mites, cats, and especially stinging insects (e.g., bees, hornets, yellowjackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and injections ( shots ) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| allergy shots | See Allergy desensitization. (12 Dec 1998) |
| allergy skin test | Test done on the skin to identify the allergy substance (allergen) triggering the allergic reaction. A small amount of the suspected allergy substance is placed on the skin. The skin is then gently scratched through the small drop with a special sterile needle. If the skin reddens and, more importantly, swells, then allergy to that substance is probable. (12 Dec 1998) |