| agent, anti-infective | Something capable of acting against infection, by inhibiting the spread of an infectious agent or by killing the infectious agent outright. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| Agent Orange | An herbicide and defoliant, consisting of (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid, (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid, and dioxin, that was widely used in the Vietnam War; it has been shown to possess residual post-exposure carcinogenic and teratogenic properties in humans. (05 Mar 2000) |
| agent, tocolytic | A medication that can inhibit labour, slow down or halt the contractions of the uterus. Tocolytic agents are widely used today to treat premature labour and permit pregnancy to procede and so let the foetus gain in size and maturity before being born. (12 Dec 1998) |
| alkylating agent | <oncology, pharmacology> A reagent that places an alkyl group, for example propyl in place of a nucleophilic group in a molecule. Alkylating reagents include a number of cytotoxic drugs some of which react fairly specifically with N7 of the purine ring and lead to depurination of DNA, for example the agent ethyl ethanesulphonic acid and thus to mutagenesis. The drugs interaction with DNAand prevents the division of the cells. Examples of drugs include: busulphan, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, melphalan. (29 Sep 1997) |
| antianxiety agent | A functional category of drugs useful in the treatment of anxiety and able to reduce anxiety at doses which do not cause excessive sedation (e.g., diazepam). Synonym: anxiolytic, minor tranquilliser. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antidiabetic agent | A substance that helps a person with diabetes control the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood so that the body works as it should. See: insulin. (09 Oct 1997) |
| antifibrinolytic agent | Agents that prevent fibrinolysis or lysis of a blood clot or thrombus. Several endogenous antiplasmins are known. The drugs are used to control massive haemorrhage and in other coagulation disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antifoam agent | A chemical that reduces the surface tension of foams that form on thesurface of broths in fermentors because of aeration or agitation. Stearyldecanol, octal decanol, vegetable oils, silicones, sulphonates, andpolypropylene glycol are typically used, though they can cause problems inrefining the broth later on. (09 Oct 1997) |
| anti-inflammatory agent | Agents that counteract or suppress the inflammatory process. An antirheumatic agent or inflammation mediator, both endogenous and exogenous substances used to counteract the inflammatory process or alleviate or prevent rheumatic diseases, and the compounds that mediate the inflammation process. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anti-inflammatory agent, non-steroidal | Anti-inflammatory agents that are not steroids. In addition to anti-inflammatory actions, they have analgesic, antipyretic, and platelet-inhibitory actions. They are used primarily in the treatment of chronic arthritic conditions and certain soft tissue disorders associated with pain and inflammation. They act by blocking the synthesis of prostaglandins by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, which converts arachidonic acid to cyclic endoperoxides, precursors of prostaglandins. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis accounts for their analgesic, antipyretic, and platelet-inhibitory actions; other mechanisms may contribute to their anti-inflammatory effects. Certain nsaids also may inhibit lipoxygenase enzymes or phospholipase c or may modulate T-cell function. (ama drug evaluations annual, 1994, p 1814-5) (12 Dec 1998) |
| anti-inflammatory agent, steroidal | Steroidal agents capable of suppressing or counteracting the inflammatory process by acting on body mechanisms, without directly antagonizing the causative agents. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anti-inflammatory agent, topical | Anti-inflammatory agent that are applied to the skin and whose pharmacological effect only occurs at the area of application. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antinematodal agent | Substances used in the treatment or control of nematode infestations. They are used also in veterinary practice. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antineoplastic agent | Agents inhibiting or preventing the growth of neoplasms, checking the maturation and proliferation of malignant cells. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antineoplastic agent, alkylating | A class of drugs that differs from other alkylating agents used clinically in that they are monofunctional and thus unable to cross-link cellular macromolecules. Among their common properties are a requirement for metabolic activation to intermediates with antitumour efficacy and the presence in their chemical structures of n-methyl groups, that after metabolism, can covalently modify cellular DNA. The precise mechanisms by which each of these drugs acts to kill tumour cells are not completely understood. (12 Dec 1998) |