| slab-off lens | A spectacle lens with a base-up prism below; used in unequal myopia to equalise image displacement when reading. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| nuclear run off assay | <investigation, procedure> Technique for determining which genes are being actively transcribed at a given moment in an experiment by extracting nuclear material and allowing transcription to continue, then analysing the resulting RNAs. (18 Nov 1997) |
| off | 1. On the farther side; most distant; on the side of an animal or a team farthest from the driver when he is on foot; in the United States, the right side; as, the off horse or ox in a team, in distinction from the nigh or near horse or ox; the off leg. 2. Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or affairs, or is absent from his post, and, hence, a time when affairs are not urgent; as, he took an off day for fishing: an off year in politics. "In the off season." Off side. The right hand side in driving; the farther side. See Gee. In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as: 1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off. 2. Denoting the action of removing or separating; separation; as, to take off the hat or cloak; to cut off, to pare off, to clip off, to peel off, to tear off, to march off, to fly off, and the like. 3. Denoting a leaving, abandonment, departure, abatement, interruption, or remission; as, the fever goes off; the pain goes off; the game is off; all bets are off. 4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away; as, to look off. 5. Denoting opposition or negation. "The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on." (Bp. Sanderson) From off, off from; off. "A live coal..taken with the tongs from off the altar." . Off and on. Not constantly; not regularly; now and then; occasionally. To divide and practice a regiment or company in the several formations, preparatory to marching to the general parade for field exercises. To be well off, to be in good condition. To be ill off, To be badly off, to be in poor condition. Origin: OE. Of, orig. The same word as R. Of, prep, AS. Of, adv. & prep. 194. See Of. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| off-label | Use of a drug for a disease or condition other than the indication for which it was approved by the FDA. For example: many doctors prescribe paromomycin (humatin) for cryptosporidiosis, although it is not approved for treating this disease. (09 Oct 1997) |
| off-label use | In the United States, the regulations of the Food and drug administration (FDA) permit physicians to prescribe approved medications for other than their intended indications. This practice is known as off-label use. (12 Dec 1998) |
| off-road motor vehicles | Motorised, recreational vehicles used on non-public roads. They include all-terrain vehicles, dirt-bikes, minibikes, motorbikes, trailbikes, and snowmobiles. Excludes motorcycles, which are considered public road vehicles. (12 Dec 1998) |
| on-off phenomenon | A state in the treatment of Parkinson's disease by l-dopa, in which there is a rapid fluctuation of akinetic (off) and choreoathetotic (on) movements. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ordered on-random off mechanism | A scheme for substrate binding and product release for multisubstrate enzymes; for a two-substrate two-product enzyme with this mechanism, the individuals have to bind to the enzyme in a distinct order; however, once the products are formed they may dissociate from the enzyme in either order. It has been suggested that pyruvate kinase has such a mechanism. The random on-ordered off mechanism is simply the reverse of this mechanism. (05 Mar 2000) |