| drug screening | Preclinical testing of drugs in experimental animals or in vitro for their biological and toxic effects and potential clinical applications. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| drug screening assays, antitumour | Methods of investigating the effectiveness of anticancer cytotoxic drugs and biologic inhibitors. These include in vitro cell-kill models and cytostatic dye exclusion tests as well as in vivo measurement of tumour growth parameters in laboratory animals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug side effect | An often undesirable effect that occurs in association with the use of a particular medication. Examples of common drug side effects include: nausea, vomiting, sedation, dizziness, headache and weakness. Drug side effects that occur in 1% or more, of patients taking a particular medication are considered to be causally related to the use of that medication. (27 Sep 1997) |
| drug tetanus | Tonic spasms caused by strychnine or other tetanic. Synonym: toxic tetanus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| drug therapy, combination | Drug therapy with two or more drugs given separately for a combined effect. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug therapy, computer-assisted | Adjunctive computer programs in providing drug treatment to patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug, 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 permit the foetus to gain in size and maturity before being born. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug tolerance | Progressive diminution of the susceptibility of a human or animal to the effects of a drug, resulting from its continued administration. It should be differentiated from drug resistance wherein a human, animal, disease, or tissue fails to respond to the intended effectiveness of a chemical or drug. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug toxicity | The systemic effects of a drug that are related to the overall level of the medication in the bloodstream. Drug toxicity may occur with overdosage of a medication, accumulation of the drug in the body over time or the inability of the patients body to eliminate the drug. (27 Sep 1997) |
| drug utilization | The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug utilization review | Formal programs for assessing drug prescription against some standard. Drug utilization review may consider clinical appropriateness, cost effectiveness, and, in some cases, outcomes. Review is usually retrospective, but some analysis may be done before drugs are dispensed (as in computer systems which advise physicians when prescriptions are entered). Drug utilization review is mandated for medicaid programs beginning in 1993. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug withdrawal | A clinical syndrome of psychological, and, sometimes physical factors that result from the sustained use of a particular drug when the drug is abruptly withdrawn. Symptoms are variable but may include anxiety, nervousness, irritability, sweating, nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing and seizures. (27 Sep 1997) |
| dyskinesia, drug-induced | Abnormal movements induced as an adverse reaction of drug therapy. One particular movement disorder is the "on-off" effect. Tardive dyskinesia differs from akathisia, drug-induced in the repetitive nature of the movements rather than being associated with anxiety, restlessness, and agitation found in akathisia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| instillation, drug | The administration of therapeutic agents drop by drop, as eye drops, ear drops, or nose drops. It is also administered into a body space or cavity through a catheter. It differs from irrigation in that the irrigate is removed within minutes, but the instillate is left in place. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orphan drug | A pharmaceutical that has been abandoned or neglected during its development because it is seen as having only a limited potential for profit. Often a drug which only has a limited target population or which treats a rare disease, thus limiting its financial potential. (09 Oct 1997) |