Human health and medicine

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (AAC) is a monthly ASM journal, ISSN 0066-4804, founded January 1972 by Gladys Hobby from the 1961–1970 ICAAC proceedings volumes, covering antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic agents; online only since 2014.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, also called photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy or aPDT, uses a light-activated dye to generate reactive oxygen species that kill antibiotic-resistant microbes, mainly in topical skin applications.

Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or drug resistance in bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, accelerated by antimicrobial misuse; caused 1.27 million attributable deaths in 2019, with one in six infections resistant in 2023.

Antimicrobial Stewardship

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), also called antibiotic stewardship, coordinates strategies to optimize antimicrobial use, reduce resistance, and cut costs; term coined 1996, CDC Core Elements since 2014, over 80% of use is outpatient.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a laboratory method that measures how antimicrobial drugs inhibit a bacterial isolate, classifying it as susceptible or resistant to guide therapy.

Antineoplastic

Antineoplastic agents are drugs that block or kill cancer cells, spanning cytotoxic chemotherapy classes (alkylating agents, antimetabolites, plant alkaloids, antitumor antibiotics), immunotherapy, and targeted therapy; many are hazardous occupational drugs and some treat non-cancer diseases.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (MeSH D000971), also called combination chemotherapy regimens or anticancer drug combinations, are multi-drug cancer treatment protocols designed to raise tumor cell killing and delay drug resistance at the cost of added toxicity.

Antineoplastic Protocols

Antineoplastic Protocols (Cancer Treatment Protocols) are clinical protocols to inhibit growth or spread of neoplasms; a MeSH descriptor D024221 introduced in 2002, covering combination cancer treatment plans and guideline adherence.

Antiphospholipid syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome, also called Hughes syndrome or antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, is an autoimmune disorder that causes blood clots in veins and arteries and pregnancy complications, often with lupus.

Antiphospholipid syndrome in pregnancy

Antiphospholipid syndrome in pregnancy, or obstetric APS, is a treatable autoimmune cause of recurrent pregnancy loss, fetal death, and severe preeclampsia in women with antiphospholipid antibodies.

Antiphospholipid syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus

Antiphospholipid syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus is a prothrombotic autoimmune state where antibodies cause blood clots and pregnancy complications, affecting roughly 30 to 40% of lupus patients.

Antiplatelet drug

Antiplatelet drugs (aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitors clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor; GPIIb/IIIa agents) reduce platelet aggregation to prevent MI, ischemic stroke, and vascular death; DAPT pairs aspirin with a P2Y12 inhibitor after ACS and PCI.

Antipsychotic

Antipsychotic is a class of psychiatric medications used for psychosis, severe agitation, and schizophrenia. These drugs are classified as typical or atypical based on their generation.](https://example.com)

Antipyretic

Antipyretic: drug class that lowers fever by inhibiting hypothalamic prostaglandin E2 synthesis; main agents are acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, and aspirin; ibuprofen slightly more effective, aspirin restricted in children due to Reye syndrome.

Oct 15, 2026

Antipyrine

Antipyrine, also known as phenazone, is a synthetic pyrazolone drug introduced in 1883 as the first fully synthetic drug, now used mainly in ear drops for ear pain.

Antireflux surgery

Antireflux surgery is a group of operations, chiefly fundoplication, that reinforce the gastroesophageal barrier to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease when proton pump inhibitor therapy fails.

Antisense therapy

Antisense therapy treats disease with short synthetic nucleic acid strands that bind disease-causing RNA to degrade it, alter splicing, or block translation; the first approval came in 1998.

Antisepsis

Antisepsis: chemical destruction or inhibition of microorganisms on living tissue using antiseptics such as chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine; originated with Joseph Lister's 1867 carbolic-acid surgery.

Antiseptic

Antiseptics are antimicrobial agents applied to living tissue to prevent infection; key agents include chlorhexidine, alcohols, and povidone-iodine, pioneered by Lister's 1867 carbolic-acid antisepsis.

Antiserum

Antiserum (plural antisera): antibody-containing blood serum conferring passive immunity, discovered by von Behring and Kitasato in 1890; now mainly animal-derived immunoglobulins for antivenoms, rabies, botulism, and diphtheria treatment.

Antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour (ICD-11 MB23.1, 反社会的行動) is conduct violating others' basic rights or major age-appropriate norms, rules, or laws; classified as a clinical sign, mapped to dissociality, disinhibition, and low negative affectivity, and used in policing for non-criminal public misconduct.

Antisocial personality disorder

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD, ICD-10 dissocial personality disorder) is a DSM-5 diagnosis of pervasive disregard for others' rights since age 15 with conduct disorder before 15; prevalence 2-3%, male-dominated, treatment evidence limited.

Antispasmodic

An antispasmodic, or spasmolytic agent, is a drug that relieves smooth muscle spasm, especially abdominal cramping in irritable bowel syndrome; common examples include dicyclomine and hyoscine.

Antitachycardia pacing

Antitachycardia pacing (ATP) is a painless ICD therapy that terminates ventricular tachycardia with short trains of paced beats, usually about 8 pulses, instead of a high-voltage shock.

Antithrombin alfa

Antithrombin alfa (ATryn) is a recombinant human anticoagulant produced in transgenic goat milk, approved 2006 (EU) and 2009 (US) to prevent thromboembolism in hereditary antithrombin deficiency; EU authorization withdrawn 2018.

Antithrombin gamma

Antithrombin gamma, sold in Japan as ACOALAN, is a recombinant human antithrombin drug developed by Kyowa Kirin and approved in 2015 for congenital antithrombin deficiency and DIC.

Antithrombin iii human

Antithrombin III (human), also called AT III or antithrombin concentrate, is an intravenous plasma-derived serpin drug (Thrombate III, Atenativ) that treats and prevents thromboembolism in hereditary antithrombin deficiency; heparin boosts its activity about 1000-fold.

Antitumor Drug Screening Assays

Antitumor drug screening assays are laboratory methods for testing how well anticancer drugs and biologic inhibitors work, ranking candidate compounds before toxicology studies or clinical trials.

Antivenom

Antivenom (antivenin, antivenene): antibody medicine from venom-immunized horses or sheep, the only specific treatment for snakebite envenoming; first made by Calmette in 1894–1895, refined by Vital Brazil's specificity discovery, now produced in 46 laboratories across 30+ countries.