sedative
A sedative reduces central nervous system activity to calm anxiety, ease agitation, or promote sleep, with effects ranging from mild relaxation to deep sedation.
Read definitionSearch the glossary
A sedative reduces central nervous system activity to calm anxiety, ease agitation, or promote sleep, with effects ranging from mild relaxation to deep sedation.
Read definitionThe falling red cells are only a stand-in; what the test really tracks is a shift in the proteins dissolved around them.
Read definitionOne letter changed in a hemoglobin gene is enough to stiffen red cells into crescents that jam small vessels and break up early.
Read definitionOne label covers several different diseases, and which cell a tumor came from matters far more than the fact that it sits in skin.
Read definitionA sleep disorder that is marked by pauses in breathing of 10 seconds or more during sleep, and causes unrestful sleep.
Read definitionRemoval of sperm from a man's testis or epididymis by a doctor using a fine needle or other instrument.
Read definitionSquamous cells are flat, scale like cells that form the surface layer of skin and the lining of many internal passages.
Read definitionAbnormal cells are found in the cervical epithelium (the innermost lining of the cervix).
Read definitionAbnormal melanocytes (cells that make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color) are found in the epidermis (outer layer of the skin).
Read definitionStage I is divided into stage IA, stage IB, and stage IS, and is determined after a radical inguinal orchiectomy (surgery to remove the testicle) is done.
Read definitionA substance that is being studied in the treatment of brain tumors and other brain disorders, such as epilepsy and Parkinson disease.
Read definitionA drug used to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer.
Read definitionA monoclonal antibody being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer.
Read definitionTissue is a group of similar cells and their surrounding material organized together to carry out a shared function within the body.
Read definitionWhite patches on inflamed tonsils are widely read as proof of a bacterial cause, though viruses produce them just as readily.
Read definitionThe trachea is the airway connecting the larynx to the bronchi, held open by rings of cartilage that keep it from collapsing.
Read definitionAn opioid painkiller with a second action on brain chemistry, which accounts for both its usefulness and its unusual risks.
Read definitionTranquilizer is an older term for medications that calm anxiety or induce sedation, now mostly replaced clinically by more specific drug class names.
Read definitionStroke symptoms that clear on their own within minutes or hours, carrying far more weight as a warning than their brevity suggests.
Read definitionIn surgery, keeping a tissue, organ, or body part at body temperature after its blood suppy has been reduced or cut off.
Read definitionFor learning, not diagnosis. This glossary provides general educational information and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, contact local emergency services.