25,729 articles
Lonoctocog alfa
Lonoctocog alfa (rVIII-SingleChain, brand name Afstyla) is a single-chain recombinant factor VIII medicine made by CSL Behring, approved in the United States and Europe from 2016 for treating bleeding in haemophilia A.
LookAHEAD trial
Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes), NIDDK-funded randomized trial of intensive lifestyle intervention versus diabetes support and education in 5,145 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes; stopped 2012 for futility with no cardiovascular benefit despite weight loss.
Looking
Looking is pointing the eyes toward a location via fixation or smooth pursuit, distinct from covert attention. Covers saccades (20–30 ms), fixations (200–500 ms), gaze following, and eye-tracking methods.
Loop diuretic
Loop diuretics (furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide, ethacrynic acid) inhibit the NKCC2 cotransporter in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, producing powerful natriuresis for fluid overload in heart, kidney, and liver disease.
Loop electrosurgical excision procedure
The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), also called LLETZ, is a gynecological operation using an electrified wire loop to remove abnormal cervical tissue, most often to treat high-grade cervical precancer.
Loop of Henle
Loop of Henle (Henle's loop), the U-shaped nephron segment described by Jacob Henle in 1862; a countercurrent multiplier whose water-permeable descending limb and salt-transporting thick ascending limb build the renal medullary osmotic gradient for urine concentration.
LOOP trial
LOOP trial: Danish randomized controlled trial (NCT02036450) testing implantable loop recorder screening for atrial fibrillation in 6,004 people aged 70-90 with stroke risk factors; AF detection tripled but stroke reduction was not significant (HR 0.80).
Loose anagen syndrome
Loose anagen syndrome (loose anagen hair syndrome, LAHS) is a rare benign self-limiting hair disorder in which anagen hairs are poorly anchored and pull out painlessly, mainly affecting young blond girls, with misshapen bulbs and ruffled cuticles on microscopy.
Loose body in joint
Loose body in joint (joint mouse, intra-articular loose body, ICD-10 M24.0, ICD-11 FA34.0): a free fragment of cartilage or bone in a joint, caused by osteochondritis dissecans, synovial chondromatosis, osteophytes, fractures, or meniscal damage; treated by arthroscopic removal.
Loose body in knee
Loose body in knee (ICD-11 FA33.3): a free-floating cartilage or bone fragment in the knee joint causing catching, locking, and pain. Causes include osteochondritis dissecans, osteoarthritis, trauma, and synovial chondromatosis; treated by arthroscopic removal plus management of the underlying disease.
Loperamide
Loperamide (Imodium) is a synthetic peripheral mu-opioid agonist antidiarrheal, OTC for acute diarrhea and prescription for chronic diarrhea and ileostomy; safe at ≤16 mg/day but cardiotoxic in overdose.
Loracarbef anhydrous
Loracarbef anhydrous (Lorabid) is an oral carbacephem beta-lactam antibiotic, structurally cefaclor with carbon replacing sulfur at position 1; first approved 1991, used for respiratory, skin, and urinary infections, now discontinued in the US.
Loratadine
Loratadine (Claritin) is a second-generation, non-sedating oral H1 antihistamine for allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria; developed by Schering-Plough, FDA-approved 1993, switched to OTC 10 mg in November 2002.
Lorazepam
Lorazepam, sold as Ativan and as Temesta in Europe, is a benzodiazepine medication first marketed by Wyeth in 1977 to treat anxiety disorders, status epilepticus, and severe agitation, and to sedate patients before surgery.
Lordosis
Lordosis (swayback) is the natural forward curvature of the cervical and lumbar spine, or its abnormal exaggeration; normal curves are 30-40 degrees cervical and 40-60 degrees lumbar, usually idiopathic and rarely treated.
Lorecivivint
Lorecivivint is a small-molecule drug injected directly into the knee joint that inhibits the kinases CLK2 and DYRK1A, developed by Samumed and later Biosplice Therapeutics as a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug.
Lorenzo's Oil
Lorenzo's oil is a 4:1 oleic-erucic acid dietary mixture developed by the Odone family for adrenoleukodystrophy; it normalizes VLCFA levels, may help asymptomatic boys, and inspired the 1992 film.
Lormetazepam
Lormetazepam is a benzodiazepine hypnotic with a half-life of 8 to 12 hours used for short-term treatment of insomnia, first approved in Germany in 1980.
Lornoxicam
Lornoxicam (chlorotenoxicam; Xefo, Acabel) is a short half-life oxicam NSAID inhibiting COX-1/COX-2, dosed 8–16 mg daily for moderate to severe pain, osteoarthritis, and postoperative pain.
Lorundrostat
Lorundrostat, also known by its development codes MLS-101 and MT-4129, is an investigational aldosterone synthase inhibitor developed by Mineralys Therapeutics for uncontrolled and treatment-resistant hypertension, with an FDA application submitted in December 2025.
Losartan
Losartan (Cozaar, DuP 753) is the first angiotensin II receptor blocker, an orally active AT1-selective antihypertensive approved by the FDA in 1995, with active metabolite E3174, indicated for hypertension, LVH stroke risk, and diabetic nephropathy.
Losmapimod
Losmapimod (GW856553) is an oral p38 alpha/beta MAPK inhibitor tested for acute coronary syndrome, COPD, and FSHD; it showed target engagement and good tolerability but failed efficacy endpoints, and its FSHD program was discontinued in 2024.
Loss of heterozygosity analysis
Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis is a genomics method detecting chromosomal regions where one allele is lost in tumors, used to locate inactivated tumor suppressor genes.
Loteprednol
Loteprednol (loteprednol etabonate; Lotemax, Alrex, Inveltys, Eysuvis, Zylet) is a soft, ester-based topical ophthalmic corticosteroid approved in 1998, rapidly metabolized to inactive metabolites, with lower intraocular pressure risk than prednisolone or dexamethasone.
Lotion
Lotion: a low-viscosity liquid or emulsion applied to skin, lighter than cream, gel, or ointment; IUPAC and USP definitions, site-specific uses, and BEE trial evidence on eczema emollients.
Lotte Bjerre Knudsen
Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Danish medicinal chemist and co-inventor of liraglutide at Novo Nordisk (1989-2026), Chief Scientific Advisor for R&D; pioneered fatty acid acylation of GLP-1, led liraglutide and semaglutide biology, won the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey and 2025 Breakthrough Prize.
Lotus birth
Lotus birth, or umbilical nonseverance, is leaving the umbilical cord uncut so the baby stays attached to the placenta until natural detachment in 3 to 10 days; no proven benefit, documented infection and sepsis risks.
Loucy
Loucy (LOUCY, CVCL_1380) is a human T-ALL cell line established in 1990 from a 38-year-old woman, the standard ETP-ALL model, BCL-2 dependent and venetoclax-sensitive, carrying SET-NUP214 and t(16;20).
Louise Brown
Louise Joy Brown, born 1978 at Oldham General Hospital, England, is the world's first IVF or "test-tube" baby, conceived by Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe, and Jean Purdy; Edwards won the 2010 Nobel Prize, and about 6 million IVF babies followed.
Louse-borne relapsing fever
Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF), also called epidemic relapsing fever, is a Borrelia recurrentis infection spread by the human body louse, endemic in the Horn of Africa and historically epidemic in war and famine.