Category: Ae-Ag

A medication that can inhibit labor, slow down or halt the contractions of the uterus. Tocolytic agents are widely used today to treat premature labor and permit pregnancy to proceed so the fetus can gain in size and maturity before birth.

An agent that kills viruses or suppresses their replication and, hence, inhibits their capability to multiply and reproduce. For example, amantadine (Symmetrel) is a synthetic (man-made) drug that inhibits the multiplication of the influenza A virus and was once used to prevent the flu. Safer medicines such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) can be used to prevent the flu shortly after exposure or to reduce…

An agent that destroys protozoa or inhibits their growth and ability to reproduce. A few of the protozoa of medical importance include Plasmodium (the cause of malaria); Entamoeba histolytica (the cause of amebiasis, amebic dysentery) and Trichomonas vaginalis (a cause of vaginal infection); and Pneumocystis carinii (a common cause of pneumonia [PCP] in immunodeficient persons). Some antiprotozoal drugs include the antimalarials Aralen (chloroquine), Daraprim (pyrimethamine), Lariam (mefloquine)…

A general term for drugs, chemicals, or other substances that either kill or slow the growth of microbes. Among the antimicrobial agents are antibacterial drugs, antiviral agents, antifungal agents, and antiparasitic drugs.

As the name suggests, a drug aimed at reducing high blood pressure (hypertension).

A drug used to treat fungal infections. Examples of antifungal drugs include miconazole (MONISTAT) and clotrimazole (LOTRIMIN, MYCELEX).

A drug used to treat bacterial infections. The original definition of an antibiotic was a substance produced by one microorganism that selectively inhibits the growth of another microorganism. However, wholly synthetic antibiotics (usually chemically related to natural antibiotics) have since been produced that accomplish comparable tasks. In 1926, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, a substance produced by fungi…

An agent that is capable of acting against infection, either by inhibiting the spread of an infectious agent or by killing the infectious agent outright.

An herbicide and defoliant containing 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and trace amounts of dioxin. Agent Orange was used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is a carcinogen and teratogen (cause cancer and birth defects). The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in the US has found “sufficient evidence” of an association between exposure to Agent…

Failure of formation of all or part of the sacrum (the lowest section of the spine). Currarino syndrome is a condition characterized by the combination of: Partial absence of the sacrum (the lowest portion of spine), Anorectal (anal and rectal) abnormalities, and An abnormal mass in front of the sacrum (due to a meningocoele or teratoma). The…