Medications

NINR: The National Institute of Nursing Research, one of the National Institutes of Health. Last Editorial Review: 10/19/2004 National Institutes of Health (NIH): The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an important U.S. health agency. It is ...

Nine-day measles - Medical

Nine-day measles: An acute highly contagious viral disease with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash. the measles, also known as rubeola, is a potentially disastrous disease. It can be complicated by ear infection...

NINDS - Medical

NINDS: Stands for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., whose mission is to "support and conduct research and research training on the normal structure and functio...

NIMH - Medical

NIMH: Stands for the National Institute of Mental Health, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., whose mission is to "provide national leadership dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing mental illnesses through b...

Nil disease - Medical

Nil disease: A form of kidney disease preferably called minimal change disease. See: Minimal change disease. Last Editorial Review: 8/24/2003 Minimal change disease: The most common form of the nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder that affects t...

NIH - Medical

NIH: The National Institutes of Health. The NIH is an important U.S. health agency. It is devoted to medical research. Administratively under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH consists of 20-some separate Institutes and...

NIGMS - Medical

NIGMS: Stands for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., whose mission is to "support basic biomedical research that is not targeted to specific diseases or disorders. Among...

Night sweats - Medical

Night sweats: Severe hot flashes which occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. Night sweats can have many different causes including medications, infections, and cancers. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Night blindness - Medical

Night blindness: Impaired vision in dim light and in the dark, due to impaired function of specific vision cells (namely, the rods) in the retina. The ability of our eyes to quickly view objects as they shift from light to dark areas and th...

Niemann-Pick disease type C - Medical

Niemann-Pick disease type C: Abbreviated NPC. A type of Niemann-Pick disease inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, resulting in lipid storage in the brain and body. At the cellular level, the disorder is characterized by the accumulation of cho...

NIEHS - Medical

NIEHS: Stands for National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., whose mission is to "reduce the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental causes by defining how e...

Nidus - Medical

Nidus: The Latin word for "nest", nidus is used in medicine to refer to any structure that resembles a nest in appearance or function. Just as a nest is a repository for the eggs of birds, insects and other animals, a nidus is a breeding place where...

NIDDK (Nat'l Institute of Diabetes and Kidney) - Medical

NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases): One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NIDDK has a multisystem name and a comparably broad mission, namely, to "conduct and support basic and appli...

NIDCR (National Institute of Dental Research) - Medical

NIDCR (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research): One of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S., the NIDCR is for dental and other craniofacial diseases. NIDCR's mission is, in formal terms, to "provide leadership ...

NIDCD - Medical

NIDCD: Stands for National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one of the US National Institutes of Health (the NIH). The mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders is to "conduct and su...

NIDA - Medical

NIDA: Stands for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., whose mission is to "lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction through support and condu...

NICU - Medical

NICU: Newborn, or Neonatal, Intensive Care Unit, an intensive care unit designed for premature and ill newborn babies. Less often, NICU may refer to a Neurologic Intensive Care Unit.Last Editorial Review: 5/17/2003...

Nictitating spasm - Medical

Nictitating spasm: Spasm of the eyelid with continuous winking. To nictitiate is to wink. "Nictitate" and the older verb "nictate" both come from the Latin word for winking, "nictare." Last Editorial Review: 8/14/1999 9:16:00 PM...

Nictitate - Medical

Nictitate: To wink. Nictitating spasm is spasm of the eyelid with continuous winking. "Nictitate" and the older verb "nictate" both come from the Latin word for winking, "nictare." Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Nicotinic acid - Medical

Nicotinic acid: Deficiency of nicotinic acid (also known as niacin), one of the B-complex vitamins, causes pellagra. Pellagra was known as the "disease of the four D's" -- dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia and death. The disease is specifically ch...

Nicotine - Medical

Nicotine: An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produced synthetically. In the plant kingdom, nicotine is not restricted to tobacco but is widespread. The tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum, belongs to the nightshade...

Nicotiana tabacum - Medical

Nicotiana tabacum: A South American herb whose leaves contain 2-8% nicotine and serve as the source of smoking and smokeless tobacco and the basis of huge health problems. Nicotiana tabacum belongs to the nightshade family, which also includes potat...

Nickel - Medical

Nickel: A silver-white metallic element. Long-term exposure to nickel, such as from jewelry, can cause a form of contact dermatitis called nickel dermatitis. Exposure to nickel fumes can cause nasal cancer and lung cancer. Last Editorial Review: 4...

NICHD - Medical

NICHD: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the US National Institutes of Health. NICHD is in a sense the NIH for kids in that it is concerned with child health. The mission of the NICHD is, in formal terms, to ...

NIAMS - Medical

NIAMS: Stands for National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. NIAMS's mission is "conduct and support a broad spectrum of research on normal structure and functi...

NIAID (Nat'l Inst of Allergy and Infectious Dis.) - Medical

NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases): One of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the mission of the NIAID is "to support and conduct research and research training (that) strives to understand, treat, and ul...

Niacin for high cholesterol - Medical

Niacin for high cholesterol: Niacin or nicotinic acid, one of the water-soluble B vitamins, given to lower cholesterol. Nicotinic acid lowers the total cholesterol, "bad" LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while raising the "good" HDL-...

Niacin deficiency - Medical

Niacin deficiency: See: Pellagra. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PMPellagra: A disease due to deficiency of niacin, a B-complex vitamin. Pellagra is the "disease of the four D's" -- Diarrhea; Dermatitis: A scaly rash on skin exposed ...

Niacin - Medical

Niacin: Nicotinic acid, one of the B-complex B vitamins. Deficiency of niacin in the diet results in the disease pellagra. See: Pellagra.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PMNicotinic acid: Deficiency of nicotinic acid (also known as niacin),...

NIAAA (Nat'l Inst. on Alcoh. Abuse and Alcoholism) - Medical

NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism): The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. The mission of NIAAA is to "conduct research focused on improvin...