| surface-active agent | Agents that modify interfacial tension of water; usually substances that have one lipophilic and one hydrophilic group in the molecule; includes soaps, detergents, emulsifiers, dispersing and wetting agents, and several groups of antiseptics. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| surface active compound | <biochemistry> Usually, in biological systems, means a detergent like molecule that is amphipathic and that will bind to the plasma membrane or to a surface with which cells come in contact, altering its properties from hydrophobic to hydrophilic or vice versa. (18 Nov 1997) |
| immunity, active | Resistance to a disease agent resulting from the production of specific antibodies by the host, either after exposure to the disease or after vaccination. (12 Dec 1998) |
| immunotherapy, active | Active immunization where vaccine is administered for therapeutic or preventive purposes. This can include administration of immunopotentiating agents such as bcg vaccine and corynebacterium parvum as well as biological response modifiers such as interferons, interleukins, and colony-stimulating factors in order to directly stimulate the immune system. (12 Dec 1998) |
| optically active | <chemistry> A material which can rotate plane-polarized light. (09 Jan 1998) |
| tensio active | Having an effect on surface tension. (18 Nov 1997) |
| amino- | <prefix> Prefix denoting a compound containing the radical, -NH2. Origin: an(monia) + in(e) + -o- (05 Mar 2000) |
| amino acids | Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-nh2) and a carboxyl (-cooh) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerised to form proteins. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino acids, branched-chain | Amino acids which have a branched carbon chain. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino acids, cyclic | A class of amino acids characterised by a closed ring structure. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino acids, peptides, and proteins | Amino acids and chains of amino acids connected by peptide linkages. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino acyl-tRNA ligases | <enzyme> Any of the group of ligases that catalyses the ATP-driven formation of a bond between an amino acid and a trna, activating the amino acids as a step in protein synthesis. Individual enzymes are highly specific for one amino acid and for any trna corresponding to that amino acid. Registry number: EC 6.1.1. (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino alcohols | Compounds possessing both a hydroxyl (-oh) and an amino group (-nh2). (12 Dec 1998) |
| amino group | <biochemistry> An -NH2 group. Organic compounds which have this group are called amines. (09 Oct 1997) |
| amino sugar | <biochemistry> Monosaccharide in which an OH group is replaced with an amino group, often acetylated. Common examples are D galactosamine, D glucosamine, neuraminic acid, muramic acid. Amino sugars are important constituents of bacterial cell walls, some antibiotics, blood group substances, milk oligosaccharides and chitin. (18 Nov 1997) |