| SAT | saliva alcohol test; satellite; serum antitrypsin; single-agent chemotherapy; slide agglutination te... |
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| T90 | time required for 90% mortality in a population of microorganisms exposed to a toxic agent |
| VA | vacuum aspiration; valproic acid; vasodilator agent; ventricular aneurysm; ventricular arrhythmia; v... |
| VIA | virus inactivating agent; virus infection-associated antigen |
| VLA | very late activation [antigen or protein]; virus-like agent |
| Pittsburgh pneumonia agent | A species that causes Pittsburgh pneumonia, a variant of Legionnaires' disease. Accounts for approximately 60% of Legionella pneumonias other than those caused by Legionella pneumophila. Synonym: Pittsburgh pneumonia agent. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| contrast agent | A substance that is introduced into or around a structure and, because of the difference in absorption of X-rays by the contrast medium and the surrounding tissues, allows radiographic visualisation of the structure. (18 Nov 1997) |
| sclerosing agent | A compound which acts by irritation of the veinous intimal epithelium; used in the treatment of varicose veins. (05 Mar 2000) |
| high osmolar contrast agent | Ionic water-soluble iodinated contrast media. Synonym: high osmolar contrast medium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| psychotropic agent | A chemical compound that influences the human psyche. (05 Mar 2000) |
| slow channel-blocking agent | calcium channel-blocking 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) |