Pha Health Dictionary

Inflammation of the mucous membrane and underlying part of the pharynx... pharyngitis

An o?cial publication dealing with the recognised drugs and giving their doses, preparations, sources, and tests. Most countries have a pharmacopoeia of their own. That for Great Britain and Ireland is prepared by the British Pharmacopoeia Commission under the direction of the Medicines Commission. Many hospitals and medical schools have a small pharmacopoeia of their own, giving the prescriptions most commonly dispensed in that particular hospital or school. The British National Formulary is a compact authoritative volume for those concerned with the prescribing or dispensing of medicines.... pharmacopoeia

1 The art or practice of preparing and preserving drugs, and of compounding and dispensing medicines according to the prescriptions of medical practitioners. 2 A place where drugs are dispensed.... pharmacy

The branch of science that deals with the discovery and development of drugs. Those working in it (pharmacologists, doctors, scientists and laboratory technicians) determine the chemical structure and composition of drugs and how these act in the body. They assess the use of drugs in the prevention and treatment of diseases, their side-effects and likely toxicity. This work takes place in universities, hospitals and, in particular, the pharmaceutical industry. The latter has expanded tremendously during the 20th century and in Britain it is now one of the largest business sectors, not only providing the NHS with most of its pharmaceutical requirements but also exporting many medicines to other countries.

Pharmacologists not only research for new drugs, but also look for ways of synthesising them on a large scale. Most importantly, they organise with clinicians the thorough testing of drugs to ensure that these are safe to use, additionally helping to monitor the effects of drugs in regular use so as to identify unforeseen side-effects. Doctors and hospital pharmacists have a special reporting system (‘Yellow Cards’) under which they notify the government’s MEDICINES CONTROL AGENCY of any untoward consequences of drug treatments on their patients (see also MEDICINES).... pharmacology

A disorder in which a vascular tumour of the adrenal medulla (see ADRENAL GLANDS) develops. The tumour may also affect the structurally similar tissues associated with the chain of sympathetic nerves. There is uncontrolled and irregular secretion of ADRENALINE and NORADRENALINE with the result that the patient suffers from episodes of high blood pressure (HYPERTENSION), raised heart rate, and headache. Surgery to remove the tumour may be possible; if not, drug treatment may help.... phaeochromocytoma

Cells – including monocytes (a variety of LEUCOCYTES) in the blood and macrophages (see MACROPHAGE) in the tissues – that envelop and digest BACTERIA cells, cell debris and other small particles. Phagocytes are an essential part of the body’s defence mechanisms.... phagocyte

The act of absorbing and digesting fragments, detritus, or whole organisms, as an amoeba does. Granulocytes do this in the body.... phagocytosis

(Plural: phalanges.) The name given to any one of the small bones of the ?ngers and toes. The phalanges are 14 in number in each hand and foot – the thumb and great toe possessing only two each, whilst each of the other ?ngers and toes has three.... phalanx

An alternative name for the PENIS, this word may also be used to describe a penis-like object. In embryology the phallus is the rudimentary penis before the urethral duct has completely developed.... phallus

Following the AMPUTATION of a limb, it is usual for the patient to experience sensations as if the limb were still present. This condition is referred to as a phantom limb. In most patients the sensation passes o? in time.... phantom limb

The way in which the body deals with a drug. This includes the drug’s absorption, distribution in the tissues, METABOLISM, and excretion.... pharmacokinetics

Another name for the throat. The term throat is popularly applied to the region about the front of the neck generally, but in its strict sense it means the irregular cavity into which the nose and mouth open above, from which the larynx and gullet open below, and in which the channel for the air and that for the food cross one another. In its upper part, the EUSTACHIAN TUBES open one on either side, and between them on the back wall grows a mass of glandular tissue – adenoids (see NOSE, DISORDERS OF).... pharynx

Also called pharmacogenetics – the use of human genetic variations to optimise the discovery and development of drugs and the treatment of patients. The human race varies much more in its genetic make-up than has previously been realised; these variations in GENES and their PROTEIN products could be utilised to provide safer and more e?ective drugs. Genes affect drug absorption, distribution, METABOLISM and excretion. Drugs are designed and prescribed on the basis of a population’s needs, but patients comprise a diverse range of individuals. For example, nearly one-third of patients fail to respond to the cholesterol-reducing group of drugs, the STATINS. Around half do not respond to the tricyclic ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS. Over 80 per cent of patients’ responses to drugs depends on their genetics: this genetic variation needs to be identi?ed so as to make the prescription of drugs more e?ective, and technology for analysing genetic variants is progressing. Assessing drug e?ectiveness, however, is not simple because the health and diets of individuals are di?erent and this can affect the response to a drug. Even so, the genetic identi?cation of people who would or would not respond to a particular drug should bene?t patients by ensuring a more accurately targeted drug and by reducing the risks to a person of side-effects from taking a drug that would not work. There would also be substantial economic savings.... pharmacogenomics

The small bones that make up the fingers, thumb, and toes.

The thumb and big toe have 2 phalanges; all the other fingers and toes have 3.... phalanges

Any medicinal drug.

The term is also used in relation to the manufacture and sale of drugs.... pharmaceutical

The study or knowledge of the pharmacologically active ingredients of plants.... pharmacognosy

See oesophageal diverticulum.... pharyngeal pouch

See PHARMACOPOEIA.... british pharmacopoeia

(Greek) A bright woman; in mythology, the wife of Theseus Phadra, Phaidra, Phedra, Phaydra, Phedre, Phaedre... phaedra

(Asian) One who shares with others... phan

The term applied to an imaginary appearance or daydream.... phantasy

Health professionals trained in the preparation and dispensing of medicines; in England, Scotland and Wales they are registered (after acquiring the relevant professional quali?cations) by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Northern Ireland has its own registration body. Registered pharmacists are a vital branch of health care. They dispense P (pharmacy-only) and POM (prescription-only medicines) products; those working in community (retail) pharmacies also sell over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, providing, where appropriate, advice on their use. (See also MEDICINES.)

Pharmacists work in hospitals (NHS and private) and in community pharmacies, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry where they conduct research and prepare and test pharmaceutical products. They have particular expertise on the use of drugs: for instance, the way in which one medicinal compound can affect another and their possible adverse effects; and they advise doctors and patients on these aspects. The NHS is also encouraging community pharmacists to o?er the public advice on the treatment of simple illnesses such as coughs, colds, headaches and stomach upsets. Hospital pharmacists are salaried employees of the NHS but community pharmacists enter into contract with the service, the terms of which are negotiated centrally between pharmacists’ representatives and the health departments. Hospital pharmacists are now invited by the COMMITTEE ON SAFETY OF MEDICINES (CSM) to report suspected adverse drug reactions under the ‘Yellow Card’ scheme in the same way as doctors.... pharmacists

See PHARMACOGENOMICS.... pharmacogenetics

Pain in the pharynx... pharyngodynia

Any disease of the pharynx... pharyngopathy

Jacq.

Synonym: Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India. Cultivated.

English: Aconite-Bean, Moth.

Ayurvedic: Makushtha, Moth.

Siddha/Tamil: Tulukkapayir.

Action: Seeds—used as a diet in fever; contains 24.4% protein. Root—narcotic.... phaseolus aconitifolius

G. F. W. Mey.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, in the plains.

Ayurvedic: Aranya-mudga. Mudga- parni (Kerala).

Siddha/Tamil: Kattupayaru.

Action: A decoction is used in bowel complaints and stricture. The roots are used to stop excessive salivation.... phaseolus adenanthus

Linn.

Synonym: P. inamoenus Linn.

Family: Fabaceae.

Habitat: Native to tropical America; cultivated throughout India.

English: Double Bean, Lima Bean, Burma Bean.

Ayurvedic: Shimbi.

Unani: Lobiyaa, Sem.

Action: Seeds—astringent. Used as a diet in fever. The shoots and pods from Manipur are reported to contain alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids.... phaseolus lunatus

(American) One who is decorated

Phashesthea, Phashesthia, Phashesthiya... phashestha

World-accepted work. New edition published: 1990, fully revised and updated. Over 80 monographs. Official publication of the British Herbal Medicine Association to set and maintain standards of herbal medicine. Does not contain Therapeutic Section and index that appear in the 1983 edition, but describes macroscopical and microscopical characteristics. Quantitative standards, methods of identification, commercial form and source and description of the powdered form. BHP 1990 vol 1 is available from BHMA Publications, PO Box 304, Bournemouth, Dorset, England BH7 6JZ (£35). Abbreviation: BHP. ... british herbal pharmacopoeia

Provides authoritative standards for the quality of many substances, preparations and articles used in medicine and pharmacy, and includes the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeias. A legally enforceable document throughout the UK, most of the Commonwealth and many other countries, and is an indispensable laboratory handbook for all concerned with the quality of medicines. Published on the recommendation of the Medicines Commission pursuant to the Medicines Act 1968. Published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. The most useful BPC for the herbal practitioner is the BPC 1934. ... british pharmacopoeia, the

Formerly Reader in Phytochemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham. Research interests: secondary metabolites of the Solanaceae and Erythroxylaceae. Principal author of Trease and Evans’ Pharmacognosy. Visiting lecturer, School of Phytotherapy (Herbal Medicine). ... evans, william c. (b.pharm., b.sc., ph.d., f.r. pharm. s)

The world’s most comprehensive source of drug information in a single volume. Provides an accurate and concise summary of the properties, actions, and uses of plant and other medicines in clinical use. All information evaluated by expert editorial staff of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. ... martindale, the extra pharmacopoeia

Linn. non-Roxb. & auct.

Synonym: Vigna mungo (Linn.) Hepper.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

English: Kidney Bean, Black Gram.

Ayurvedic: Maasha. (P. sublobatus Roxb. and Teramnus labialis Spreng. are equated with Maashaparni; dried aerial parts are used.) Phaseolus dalzellii Cooke and P. sublobatus Roxb. are known as Maashaparni in Kerala.

Unani: Urd-Siyaah.

Siddha/Tamil: Ulunthu.

Action: Used as a pulse. In the form of a confection, used for leucorrhoea and seminal debility. Oil extracts of the pulse is used externally in rheumatism, contracted knee, stiff shoulder. Root—used as a poultice for inflammations and abscesses. Narcotic.

Teramnus labialis Spreng. (grows wild): The whole plant is used in rheumatism, paralysis, nervous diseases, haemoptysis and catarrh of respiratory tract.... phaseolus mungo

Linn. non-Roxb. & auct.

Vigna radiata (Linn.)

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Extensively cultivated all over India.

English: Greengram, Golden Gram.

Ayurvedic: Mudga, Mungalya.

Unani: Moong.

Siddha/Tamil: Pattishai-payaru.

Action: Used as a pulse. Soup is given as a diet to patients of enlarged liver and spleen, and after recovery from acute illness. A poultice of it is used for checking secretion of milk and reducing distention of the mammary glands.... phaseolus radiatus

sensu Ait. & auct.

Synonym: Vigna trilobata (Linn.) Verdcourt.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, up to an elevation of 2,100 m in the northeast.

English: Wild Gram.

Ayurvedic: Mudgaparni, Kaaka- parni, Suuryaparni, Alpikaa, Sahaa, Kaakamudraa, Maarjaargandhikaa. (P. adenanthus G. F. W., and Vigna pilosa Baker are used as Mudgaparni in the South. Dried aerial parts, root and seed are used.)

Siddha/Tamil: Kaatupayaru.

Folk: Jangali Moong, Mugavan.

Action: Whole plant—febrifuge. Leaves—sedative, cooling, an- tibilious. A decoction is used in intermittent fever. The plant contains friedelin, epifriedelin, stigmasterol and tannins. The bean contains methionine, tryptophan and tyrosine; also strepogenin, uridine, diphosphate-galacturonic acid. The seed protein contained lysine, valine, leucine and phenyl- alanine.

Dosage: Seed—50-100 ml. decoction (CCRAS.); whole plant— 3-5 g. (API, Vol. IV.)... phaseolus trilobus

Linn.

Synonym: P. nanus Linn.

Family: Fabaceae.

English: Kidney Bean, French Bean, Haricot Bean.

Unani: Raajmah (seed), Lobia, Frashbean.

Action: Bean—diuretic, hypotensive, resolvent, regulates blood sugar. Used for water retention; albuminuria, especially of pregnancy; premenstrual tension.

Key application: Seed-free pods—in supportive treatment for inability to urinate. (German Commission E.)

The seeds of French Bean contain triterpenoid glucosides and soyasaponin V.

Raajmah consumption by diabetic patients is reported to produce highly significant reduction in their blood glucose level and glycaemic index, as compared to wheat and rice consumption.

Raw bean contains lectins which are destroyed when cooked. Its hypogly- caemic activity is most likely due to its chromium, trigonelline and fiber content. (Sharon M. Herr.)... phaseolus vulgaris

An alternative term for a pharyngeal pouch.... pharyngeal diverticulum

a common condition characterized by a sensation of a lump in the throat, in the midline just above the sternum; swallowing is not affected. The condition, formerly called globus hystericus, is sometimes related to *gastro-oesophageal reflux and tends to be worse during periods of stress.... globus pharyngeus

(phako-) combining form denoting the lens of the eye.... phaco

n. tremulousness of the lens seen when the eye moves from side to side as a result of partial dislocation of the lens, as can occur after trauma or in *Marfan’s syndrome.... phacodonesis

Legal status of. Under the 1964 Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia the standards of the European Pharmacopoeia are required to take precedence over the standards of the national pharmacopoeias of the contracting parties, thus ensuring a common standard. In the United Kingdom this has been achieved by means of section 65(7) of the Medicines Act 1968. In addition to the United Kingdom the countries party to the Convention are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, German Federal Republic, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal. (Mail 54, June 1988) ... european pharmacopoeia

A cancerous tumour of the pharynx. Pharyngeal cancer usually develops in the mucous membrane lining. In the West, almost all cases of pharyngeal cancer are related to smoking and to drinking alcohol. The incidence rises with age, and the disorder is more common in men.

Cancerous tumours of the oropharynx (the middle section of the pharynx) usually cause difficulty swallowing, often with a sore throat and earache. Bloodstained sputum may be coughed up. Sometimes there is only the feeling of a lump in the throat or a visible enlarged lymph node in the neck. Cancer of the laryngopharynx (the lowermost part of the pharynx) initially causes a sensation of incomplete swallowing, then a muffled voice, hoarseness, and increased difficulty in swallowing. Tumours of the nasopharynx have different causes.Diagnosis of cancer of the pharynx is made by biopsy, often in conjunction with laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, or oesophagoscopy.

The growth may be removed surgically or treated with radiotherapy.

Anticancer drugs may also be given.... pharynx, cancer of

(phakoemulsification) n. the use of a high-frequency *ultrasound probe to break up a cataract so that it can be removed through a very small incision. This is now the most popular method of performing cataract surgery in the developed world.... phacoemulsification

(phago-) combining form denoting 1. eating. 2. phagocytes.... phag

n. see bacteriophage.... phage

combining form denoting a condition involving eating.... phagia

adj. denoting an eye with the natural crystalline lens still in place, as contrasted with aphakic (see aphakia) or pseudophakic (see pseudophakia).... phakic

combining form. see phaco-.... phako

rows of supporting cells between the sensory hair cells of the organ of Corti (see cochlea).... phalangeal cells

n. surgical removal of one or more of the small bones (phalanges) in the fingers or toes.... phalangectomy

n. inflammation of a finger or toe, causing swelling and pain. The condition may be caused by infection of the soft tissues, tendon sheaths, bone, or joints or by some rheumatic diseases, such as *psoriatic arthritis. See also dactylitis.... phalangitis

a diagnostic sign for *carpal tunnel syndrome. The patient is asked to hold his or her wrists in full flexion with the dorsal surfaces of both hands pushing against each other with fingers pointing downwards for 30–60 seconds. This manoeuvre increases pressure on the median nerve: tingling and numbness or pain in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers suggests carpal tunnel syndrome. See also Tinel’s sign. [G. S. Phalen (1911–98), US orthopaedist]... phalen’s sign

n. surgical reconstruction or repair of the penis. It is required for congenital deformity of the penis, as in *hypospadias or *epispadias, and sometimes also following injury to the penis with loss of skin.... phalloplasty

combining form denoting visible; apparent.... phanero

see pseudocyesis.... phantom pregnancy

1. an accumulation of fluid (pleural effusion) in the lung in patients with heart failure, which resembles a lung tumour on radiological examination. 2. a swelling in the abdomen or elsewhere, caused by local muscular contraction or the accumulation of gases, that mimics a swelling caused by a tumour.... phantom tumour

n. a person who is qualified by examination and registered and authorized to dispense medicines or to keep open a shop for the sale and dispensing of medicines.... pharmacist

combining form denoting drugs. Example: pharmacophobia (morbid fear of).... pharmaco

n. the interaction of drugs with cells. It includes such factors as the binding of drugs to cells, their uptake, and intracellular metabolism.... pharmacodynamics

(pharyngo-) combining form denoting the pharynx. Example: pharyngopathy (disease of).... pharyng

(branchial arch, visceral arch) any of the paired segmented ridges of tissue in each side of the throat of the early embryo that correspond to the gill arches of fish. Each arch contains a cartilage, a cranial nerve, and a blood vessel. Between each arch there is a *pharyngeal pouch.... pharyngeal arch

(branchial cleft, visceral cleft) any of the paired segmented clefts in each side of the throat of the early embryo that correspond to the gills of fish. Soon after they have formed they close to form the *pharyngeal pouches, except for the first cleft, which persists as the external auditory meatus.... pharyngeal cleft

see gag reflex.... pharyngeal reflex

n. surgical removal of part of the pharynx.... pharyngectomy

n. a pouch or cyst opening off the pharynx (see branchial cyst).... pharyngocele

n. an *endoscope for the examination of the pharynx.... pharyngoscope

the recovery phase that follows immediately after an epileptic seizure (see epilepsy). It may last anything from a few minutes to several hours and is typically characterized by drowsiness, confusion, loss of memory, and feelings of sadness or anxiety. See ictus.... postictal phase

see aura.... preictal phase