adjuvant
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ə| the depression in the center of the surface of the abdomen indicating the point of attachment of the umbilical cord to the embryo; navel. |
| a bone in the human leg extending from the pelvis to the knee, that is the longest, largest, and strongest in the body; thighbone. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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adjuvant (ˈædʒəvənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | aiding or assisting |
| —n | |
| 2. | something that aids or assists; auxiliary |
| 3. | med a drug or other substance that enhances the activity of another |
| 4. | immunol a substance that enhances the immune response stimulated by an antigen when injected with the antigen |
| [C17: from Latin adjuvāns, present participle of adjuvāre, from juvāre to help] | |
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adjuvant ad·ju·vant (āj'ə-vənt)
n.
A pharmacological agent added to a drug, predictably affecting the action of the drug's active ingredient.
An immunological vehicle for enhancing antigenicity, such as a water-in-oil emulsion in which antigen solution is emulsified in mineral oil. Also called immunoadjuvant.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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adjuvant
substance that enhances the effect of a particular medical treatment. Administration of one drug may enhance the effect of another. In anesthesia, for example, sedative drugs are customarily given before an operation to reduce the quantity of anesthetic drug needed. In immunology an adjuvant is a substance that increases the body's reaction to a foreign substance. The reaction to diphtheria toxoid-modified form of the toxin, or poisonous substance, produced by the organism that causes diphtheria-is increased, for example, if the toxoid is adsorbed (attached) to particles of aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate.
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