| controlled clinical trial | A clinical trial involving one or more test treatments, at least one control treatment, specified outcome measures for evaluating the studied intervention, and a bias-free method for assigning patients to the test treatment. The treatment may be drugs, devices, or procedures studied for diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic effectiveness. Control measures include placebos, active medicine, no-treatment, dosage forms and regimens, historical comparisons, etc. When randomization using mathematical techniques, such as the use of a random numbers table, is employed to assign patients to test or control treatments, the trial is characterised as a randomised controlled trial. However, trials employing treatment allocation methods such as coin flips, odd-even numbers, patient social security numbers, days of the week, medical record numbers, or other such pseudo- or quasi-random processes are simply designated as controlled clinical trials. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| controlled clinical trials | Clinical trials involving one or more test treatments, at least one control treatment, specified outcome measures for evaluating the studied intervention, and a bias-free method for assigning patients to the test treatment. The treatment may be drugs, devices, or procedures studied for diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic effectiveness. Control measures include placebos, active medicines, no-treatment, dosage forms and regimens, historical comparisons, etc. When randomization using mathematical techniques, such as the use of a random numbers table, is employed to assign patients to test or control treatments, the trials are characterised as randomised controlled trials. However, trials employing treatment allocation methods such as coin flips, odd-even numbers, patient social security numbers, days of the week, medical record numbers, or other such pseudo- or quasi-random processes, are simply designated as controlled clinical trials. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cytogenetics, clinical | The application of cytogenetics to clinical medicine. For example, clinical cytogenetic studies might be done to determine whether a child with possible Down syndrome has an extra chromosome 21. (12 Dec 1998) |
| prospective, randomised, double-blind clinical trial | <statistics> A clinical trial in which the method for analysing data has been specified in the protocol before the study has begun (prospective), the patients have been randomly assigned to receive either the study drug or alternative treatment, and in which neither the patient nor the physician conducting the study know which treatment is being given to the patient. (13 Nov 1997) |
| psychology, clinical | The branch of psychology concerned with psychological methods of recognizing and treating behaviour disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| human clinical trial | <pharmacology> Controlled clinical studies in human volunteers to test the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical candidates. There are usually three distinct phases of human clinical testing: Phases I, II, and III. Phase I trials are safety studies of volunteers, usually healthy controls. Phase II trials are studies to confirm safety and study optimum dose and initial efficacy. Phase III trials are studies to prove safety and efficacy in a specific patient population. (14 Nov 1997) |
| decision support systems, clinical | Computer-based information systems used to integrate clinical and patient information and provide support for decision-making in patient care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| disease, clinical | A disease with clinical signs and symptoms that can be recognised. As distinct from a subclinical illness without recognizable clinical manifestations. Diabetes, for example, can be subclinical in a person before emerging as a clinical disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| in clinical parlance | The term often refers to the posterior funiculus of the spinal cord. (05 Mar 2000) |
| epidemiology, clinical | Epidemiology focused specifically upon patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| American Cancer Society | <address, organisation> American Cancer Society, National Headquarters, 1599 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Tel: 00 1 404 320-3333 (05 Feb 1998) |
| bladder cancer | The most common warning sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. The diagnosis of bladder cancer is supported by findings in the medical history and examination, blood, urine, and X-ray tests, and confirmed with a biopsy (usually during a cystoscope exam). Treatment of bladder cancer depends on the growth, size, and location of the tumour. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bladder cancer risks | Smoking is a major risk factor. Cigarette smokers develop bladder cancer 2-3 times more often than do nonsmokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of bladder cancer, lung cancer, several other types of cancer, and a number of other diseases as well. Workers in some occupations are at higher risk of developing bladder cancer because of exposure to carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) in the workplace. These workers include people in the rubber, chemical, and leather industries, as well as hairstylists, machinists, metal workers, printers, painters, textile workers, and truck drivers. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bone cancer | <oncology> A general term to imply malignant tumour growth in bone. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bovine cancer eye | A malignant squamous cell carcinoma of cattle, especially the Hereford breed, that originates in the conjunctival mucous membranes or the surrounding skin; it occurs principally in range cattle having unpigmented skin around the eye and living in regions of intense sunlight. (05 Mar 2000) |