| AACIA | American Association for Clinical Immunology and Allergy |
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| ACAAI | American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology |
| AI | accidental injury; accidentally incurred; adiposity index; aggregation index; allergy and immunology... |
| A&I | allergy and immunology |
| Al | allantoic; allergic, allergy; aluminum |
dough
| delayed allergy | A type IV allergic reaction; so called because in a sensitised subject the reaction becomes evident hours after contact with the allergen (antigen), reaches its peak after 36 to 48 hours, then recedes slowly. Associated with cell-mediated responses. See: delayed reaction. Compare: immediate allergy. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| desensitization, allergy | 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 shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug allergy | Sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to a drug or other chemical. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immediate allergy | A type I allergic reaction; so called because in a sensitised subject the reaction becomes evident usually within minutes after contact with the allergen (antigen), reaches its peak within an hour or so, then rapidly recedes. See: immediate reaction, anaphylaxis. Compare: delayed allergy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunotherapy, allergy | 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, yellow jackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| insulin allergy | When a person's body has an allergic or bad reaction to taking insulin made from pork or beef or from bacteria, or because the insulin is not exactly the same as human insulin or because it has impurities. The allergy can be of two forms. Sometimes an area of skin becomes red and itchy around the place where the insulin is injected. This is called a local allergy. In another form, a person's whole body can have a bad reaction. This is called a systemic allergy. The person can have hives or red patches all over the body or may feel changes in the heart rate and in the rate of breathing. A doctor may treat this allergy by prescribing purified insulins or by desensitisation. See: desensitisation. (09 Oct 1997) |
| test, skin, for allergy | A 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) |
| latent allergy | Allergy that causes no signs or symptoms but can be revealed by means of certain immunologic tests with specific allergens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| action current | An electrical current induced in muscle fibres when they are effectively stimulated; normally it is followed by contraction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alternating current | Electrical current which alternates direction periodically. (For instance, household electric current is AC alternating at 60 oscillations/sec (60 Hertz) in the United States, and 50 Hertz in many other countries.) Acronym: AC (09 Oct 1997) |
| anodal current | A current produced in tissues under the anode when the circuit is closed. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ascending current | The direction of current flow in a nerve when the anode is placed peripheral to the cathode, in contrast to descending current; the convention used is that current flows from positive to negative. Synonym: centripetal current. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axial current | The central rapidly moving portion of the bloodstream in an artery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bootstrap current | <radiobiology> Currents driven in toroidal devices by neo-classical diffusion. They may amount to a substantial fraction of the net current in a tokamak reactor, thus lengthening the pulse time or decreasing the power needed for current drive. (09 Oct 1997) |
| calcium current | Inflow of calcium ions through specific calcium channels. Critically important in release of transmitter substance from presynaptic terminals. (18 Nov 1997) |