Pharmaceutical Glossary

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) - a government agency, which is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture and is responsible for ensuring the health and care of biotechnology agriculture.


Juvenile Diabetes - a medical condition in which inadequate insulin or none is secreted, characteristically developing when the individual is less than 30 years of age, and requiring insulin injections throughout the diabetic`s life. Also called `insulin-dependent` and `Type I` Diabetes.


Risk - a generic term that covers a number of measures about the probability of an outcome. It is normally used in connection with undesirable health outcomes such as disease or fatalities. It is very important to know the difference between absolute and relative risk.


Insulin Resistance - a medical condition in which the cells have an impaired biological response to insulin. Several people with type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes secrete enough insulin, but their biological processes do not react properly to the action of insulin. This might occur because the individual is overweight and has an abnormal number of fat cells, which do not respond well to insulin. In addition, as people get on in years, their body cells no longer have the same capacity to react efficiently to insulin.


Anemia - a medical condition that occurs when there is a reduced count or size of red blood cells or in which the quantity of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) these cells contain restricts the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and the tissue cells. The majority of anemias result from a lack of nutrients essential for normal erythrocyte synthesis, principally iron (a mineral essential to the formation of hemoglobin), vitamin B-12 (which plays an important role in energy metabolism), and folic acid (a B-complex vitamin). Other anemias are due to a variety of physical ailments, like hemorrhage, genetic abnormalities, chronic disease states or resulting from a side-effect of pharmaceutical prescriptions.


Amino Acids - small molecules that function as the foundations of proteins, 9 of which the body cannot produce and which, consequently, have to be obtained through food intake. Chemically, amino acids are composed of organic compounds containing an amino (nh2) and a carboxyl (cooh) group. Amino acids are classified as indispensable, non essential, and conditionally indispensable. When the body`s production is insufficient to satisfy its metabolic requirements, an amino acid is categorized as essential and has to come from a proportion of the diet. Amino acids belonging to this class include valine, tryptophan, threonine, phenylalanine, methionine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine; arginine may be included in this group. Non essential amino acids can be generated by the body in sufficient quantities, and are alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, and serine. Conditionally essential amino acids become essential under certain clinical conditions.


Layered Eating - a technique in weight management, in which foods that add bulk to the diet but contain few calories are consumed as the `first layer`, before high-calorie, low-volume foods are eaten. This is a common-sense procedure of satiating the appetite by ingesting certain foods and / or liquids before high-calorie foods are consumed.


Weight Loss Patch - sometimes called a diet patch, marketed as a product that claims to be an appetite suppressant, metabolism booster, and energy enhancer. Weight loss patches are getting to be increasingly popular recently, and numerous `diet patches` are to be found in the weight-loss market. Even so, different weight loss patches have different attributes (and effects). Such patches can be compared with contraceptive patches, in the sense that the active medicinal ingredients are introduced into the body via the skin. Patches being offered these days apparently give the body `all natural` active ingredients via the skin directly into the bloodstream. The wearer only has to firmly place the patch on an arm, and the body absorbs the ingredients through the skin over approximately 24 hours. This process is repeated for a number of weeks. It has been claimed that the wearer will drop as much as four pounds (just under two kilos) every week. A weight loss patch is a safe, natural way to curb those hunger pangs, while energizing the body`s metabolic processes.


Whole Grains - the whole seed of grain, including the bran (external husk), germ (containing concentrated nutrients) and endosperm (starchy section). The health advantage the body derives from whole grains includes the decreased chances of developing cardiovascular illness, which is due to the combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals (compounds that promote health by strengthening the human immune system and blood vessels) found in whole grain kernels.


Cross Training - incorporating different aerobic activities into one`s everyday exercise regimen to minimize the chance of chronic injuries and to add variety and interest. Three of the most common cross-training activities, which work out different groups of muscles, are running, swimming, and cycling.


Phytochemicals - chemical compounds found in edible fruits and vegetables which humans can consume on a daily basis in gram amounts and that exhibit a potential for modulating the human metabolism in a manner favorable for reducing risk of cancer. (Also refer to `Functional Foods`.)


Static Stretch - an easy stretch for the muscles that produces exactly as much tension as is needed to extend the muscle to its full length and is held steadily for several seconds (20 to 30), and does not involve any movement or bouncing.


Yoga - a system of exercises applied to the development of mind, body, and spirit. The several disciplines of yoga include postures (called `asanas`) to boost muscle tone and agility, breath-control exercises that calm and purify the body, and meditation to help the mind and body relax and manage stress better.


Lutein - a class of carotenoid (orange-red plant pigment) present in almost all green vegetables, which has a beneficial effect on the health and functioning of the eyes.


Biological Controls (Biocontrols) - an integrated pest management method, which includes the deployment of living organisms (animals, plants, or microorganisms) to reduce the extent of pest problems. This includes using beneficial or parasitical insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps to control pest populations that damage crops.


Atherosclerosis - a condition where too much cholesterol builds up in the blood and is deposited on the walls of the blood vessels.