| OCA | oculocutaneous albinism; olivopontocerebellar atrophy; oral contraceptive agent |
|---|---|
| PAM | pancreatic acinar mass; penicillin aluminum monostearate; peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygen... |
| papova | papilloma-polyoma-vacuolating agent [virus] |
| PPA | palpation, percussion, auscultation; pepsin A; phenylpropanolamine; phenylpyruvic acid; Pittsburgh p... |
| PTFA | prothrombin time fixing agent |
| narcotic analgesic agent | <pharmacology> Medications that relieve pain but have addictive potential if used regularly. Examples include: meperidine, morphine, propoxyphene, codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, nalbuphine, butorphanol and heroin. (27 Sep 1997) |
|---|---|
| neuroleptic agent | Any of a family of drugs producing sedation and tranquilization (e.g., chlorpromazine, haloperidol). See: antipsychotic agent. Synonym: neuroleptic. (05 Mar 2000) |
| neuromuscular blocking agent | A group of drugs that prevent motor nerve endings from exciting skeletal muscle. They act either by competing for the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, (like D-tubocurarine, mivacurium and pancuronium), or by first stimulating the postjunctional muscle membrane and subsequently desensitizing the muscle endplates to the acetylcholine (like succinylcholine or decamethonium); used in surgery to produce paralysis and facilitate manipulation of muscles. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nondepolarising neuromuscular blocking agent | A compound that paralyzes skeletal muscle primarily by inhibiting transmission of nerve impulses at the neuromuscular junction rather than by affecting the membrane potention of motor endplate or muscle fibres. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Norwalk agent | A strain of epidemic gastroenteritis virus that appears to be related to the calciviruses. Origin: Norwalk, Ohio, where first implicated in disease (05 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |
| delta agent | A rare form of viral transfusion hepatitis. A defective viral agent that occurs only in association with hepatitis B infection. The delta agent may also increase the severity of hepatitis B infection. Complications include chronic persistent hepatitis and fulminant hepatitis. A test known as anti-delta agent antibody is positive and used to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is the same as for hepatitis B. (27 Sep 1997) |
| sympathetic agent | An agent that evokes responses similar to those produced by adrenergic nerve activity (e.g., epinephrine, ephedrine, isoproterenol). Synonym: adrenergic amine, adrenomimetic amine, sympathetic amine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunosuppressive agent | <immunology, pharmacology> Any chemotherapeutic agent which also has the effect of suppressing the immune system. most often these agents will reduce the absolute number of white blood cells in the bloodstream. (27 Sep 1997) |
| inotropic agent | Drugs that increase the force of contraction of cardiac muscle; examples include digitalis glycosides, amrinone, and epinephrine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| oxidizing agent | <chemistry> A reactant that accepts electrons from another reactant. The oxidizing agent is the species getting reduced. (09 Jan 1998) |
| Eaton agent | A small atypical form of bacteria, intermediate in size between typical bacteria and viruses. Thought to play a significant role in pneumonia and bronchitis. Mycoplasmal respiratory infections are common in children and young adults. Common symptoms include malaise, fever, chills and a dry hacking cough. (27 Sep 1997) |
| Eaton agent pneumonia | An acute systemic disease with involvement of the lungs, caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae and marked by high fever, cough, relatively few physical signs, and scattered densities on X-rays; usually associated with development of cold agglutinins and antibodies to the bacteria. Synonym: atypical pneumonia, Eaton agent pneumonia, mycoplasmal pneumonia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thrombolytic agent | Medications that dissolve blot clots (for example streptokinase, tissue plasminogen activator or TPA and urokinase). (27 Sep 1997) |
| tocolytic agent | 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 permit the foetus to gain in size and maturity before being born. (12 Dec 1998) |