Category: D

The volume of blood from which a drug is completely removed in one minute is known as clearance. Renal clearance of a drug is the amount of blood completely cleared of the drug by the kidney in one minute. The process of removing a substance from the body, often accomplished by excreting it through the…

The process of attachment of a drug to a receptor or plasma protein, fat, mucopolysaccharide or other tissue component. This process may be reversible or irreversible.  

Also known as ‘date rape’, this is an unpleasant phenomenon in which an intending rapist undermines his potential victim’s resistance by giving her a hypnotic drug. The British National Formulary warns that flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) tablets may be particularly subject to abuse, perhaps given to the unsuspecting victim in an alcoholic drink so the sedative effect…

Drugs must pass across cell membranes to reach their site of action. For example, drugs given by mouth must pass across the gut membrane to enter the bloodstream and then pass through the endothelium (lining cells) of vessel walls to reach the site of action in the tissues. This process is called absorption and may…

Another term for sickle-cell anaemia, which is characterized by the presence in the blood of red blood corpuscles that are sickle-like in shape. The anaemia is a severe one and afflicts people of African descent and to a lesser extent people of Mediterranean background.  

An antitumour drug used in the treatment of acute leukaemia, lymphoma, and various forms of sarcoma and cancer, including cancer of the bladder. A medication used to combat cancer, typically administered via an injection, frequently in conjunction with other cancer-fighting drugs. It’s employed in the therapy of numerous types of cancer, including those found in…

A scientific study in which two or more groups of patients receive a different drug, the same drug at a different dose, or a placebo, with neither the investigators assessing the outcome nor the people being treated knowing which of these they are receiving. The aim is to remove any hint of bias due to…

A drug used in the treatment of depression, particularly when the patient needs sedation.  

These are swellings on the dorsal roots of spinal nerves. They are situated in the inter-vertebral foramina and contain the cell bodies of sensory neurones.  

Every year in the UK, 250,000 people attend A&E after being bitten by a dog. Most attacks are unprovoked but they are more likely to occur when the dog is disturbed whilst feeding or caring for young, or if it is jealous. Bites should be well washed with water and, if necessary, the person taken…