Aids Glossary: M-P
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Aids Glossary: M-P
Macrophage: A large immune system cell that devours invading pathogens and other intruders. Stimulates other immune cells by presenting them with small pieces of the invaders.
Mean: The arithmetic average, or the sum of all the values divided by the number of values.
Median: The value or number that divides a populations into two equal halves.
Memory cells: T cells that have been exposed to specific antigens and can then proliferate on subsequent immune system encounters with the same antigens.
Microencapsulated: Surrounded by a thin layer of protection. A means of protecting a drug or vaccine from rapid breakdown.
MN: An HIV-1 isolate belonging to clade B, the clade to which most HIV-1 found in North America and Europe belong. MN is used in vaccine development.
Monoclonal antibody: A custom-made protein specific for one epitope.
Monocyte: A large white blood cell that ingests microbes or other cells and foreign particles. When a monocyte enters tissues, it develops into a macrophage.
Monovalent vaccine: A vaccine that is specific for only one antigen.
Mucosal immunity: Resistance to infection across the mucous membranes. Dependent on immune cells and antibodies present in the linings of urogenital tract, gastrointestinal tract and other parts of the body exposed to the outside world.
Nef: A gene of SIV and HIV. Vaccines made of nef-deleted SIV virions have shown promise in animal tests.
Neutralizing antibody: An antibody that keeps a virus from infecting a cell.
Neutralizing domain: A section of the HIV envelope protein gp120 that elicits antibodies with neutralizing activity.
Open-label trial: A clinical trial in which doctors and participants know which drug or vaccine is being administered.
Opportunistic infection: An illness caused by an organism that usually does not cause disease in a person with a normal immune system. People with advanced HIV infection suffer opportunistic infections of the lungs, brain, eyes and other organs.
p24: A protein in HIV's inner core. The p24 antigen test looks for the presence of this protein in a patient's blood.
Parenteral: Administered by infusion or injection.
Pathogenesis: The origin and development of a disease.
PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell): Cells in the bloodstream with one nucleus.
Peptide: A short compound formed by the linkage of two or more amino acids. Proteins are made of multiple peptides.
PHA (phytohemagglutinin): A plant chemical used to stimulate the multiplication of white blood cells.
Pharmacokinetics: The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of a drug or vaccine.
Placebo: An inactive substance administered to some study participants while others receive the agent under evaluation, to provide a basis for comparison of effects.
Polymerase: An enzyme that promotes synthesis of segments of genetic material, either RNA or DNA.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A sensitive technique that can detect and quantify HIV in a person's blood or lymph nodes.
Polyvalent vaccine: A vaccine that is protective against multiple viral strains.
Prevalence: The number of people in a population affected with a particular disease at a given time.
Prophylaxis: Prevention of disease.
Protocol: The detailed plan for a clinical trial that states the trial's rationale, purpose, drug or vaccine dosages, length of study, routes of administration, who may participate and other aspects of trial design.
Pseudovirion: A virus-like particle.
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