Browse

Some drugs have commonly used abbreviations, such as INH for isoniazid and TMP for trimethoprim. However, abbreviations may be used inconsistently or confused with other terms or be unfamiliar to some readers. Because of the potential for harm from erroneous interpretation of abbreviated drug names, abbreviations should not be used except in rare instances (eg, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole may not fit in a table heading and may need to be abbreviated, eg, TMP-SMX; in that case the expansion should be provided in a table footnote). ...Less

This brief summary of the drug development process is provided to help define the origins of different names used to identify drugs.Drugs intended for clinical use undergo several phases of development before they can be considered for human use. Animal studies are performed initially to assess pharmacologic and toxicologic effects. While clinical studies are being conducted, animal studies may continue to assess effects on reproduction, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity.(p63)To perform clinical studies in the United States, the developer or manufacturer must obtain an investigational new drug (IND) approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).(p59) Once an IND application has ...Less

Some drug names, such as those used in topical preparations, include the percentage of active drug contained in the preparation. In these cases the percentage should be listed after the drug name.The patient was treated with adalapalene gel, 1%. Metronidazole lotion, 0.75%, was applied twice a day. ...Less

Physicians and other health care professionals, patients, researchers, manufacturers, and the public may refer to drugs by several names, including the nonproprietary name (often referred to as the generic name) and at least 1 proprietary (brand) or trademark name selected by the manufacturer of the drug. Other drug identifiers include chemical names, trivial (unofficial) names, and code designations.(pp12-15) However, only 1 drug name, the nonproprietary name, is regulated internationally to ensure consistent usage and no duplication with other drugs. Once a drug has been assigned a nonproprietary name, the nonproprietary name should always be used to refer to the drug. ...Less

Drugs often contain a pharmacologically inactive component, eg, a base, salt, or ester, that is not responsible for the drug’s mechanism of action but lends stability or other properties to the drug. Drugs with both an active and inactive component generally require a 2-part name that provides the active and inactive portion of the drug. Inorganic salts and simple organic acids are named in the order cation-anion (eg, sodium chloride, magnesium citrate). For more complex organic compounds, the active component is named first (eg, oxacillin sodium).(p1224)Pharmacologically inactive components are generally salts, esters, and complexes. Sodium, potassium, chloride, hydrochloride, sulfate, mesylate, ...Less

The names of major echocardiographic methods are listed below. Expand any abbreviations at first mention, unless otherwise indicated.The following commonly used echocardiographic indexes should also be expanded at first mention but are included here for reference:Terms are combined as in the following examples: IVSd IVSs LVIDd LVIDed LVIDes LVIDs LVPWd LVPWs RVIDdEjection fraction is expressed as a percentage, eg, 60% (see also , Numbers and Percentages). ...Less

International standardization of electrocardiographic nomenclature dates back to the mid-20th century.The preferred abbreviation for electrocardiogram and electrocardiographic in JAMA and the Archives Journals is ECG, not EKG. In the following examples of ECG terms note the use of capitals, lowercase letters, subscripts, and hyphens.Leads (recording electrodes) are designated as follows: Example: The abnormality appeared in leads V3 through V6 [not V3-V6 or V3-6].The main deflections of the ECG (see Figure ) are named in alphabetical sequence (P, Q, R, S, T, U), a usage that dates back to the inventor, Willem Einthoven. Other deflections use initial letters of the entity ...Less

Guidelines for electroencephalography (EEG) are available through the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (formerly the American Electroencephalographic Society; http://www.acns.org) and at the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology website (IFCN; http://www.ifcn.info; formerly the International Federation of Societies for Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology).The International 10 20 System specifies placement of electrodes used in electroencephalography. The 10 20 System, which originated in the 1950s,, is so named because electrodes are spaced 10% or 20% apart along the head (Figure ).The terms used in the 10 20 System are widely used and recognized. They are systematically derived, as follows: ▪ Letters refer to anatomic areas ...Less

Electrogram (EGM) terms pertain to invasive electrophysiologic recording of cardiac impulse conduction. Expand them at first mention. ...

An isotope referred to as an element rather than as part of the name of a chemical compound may be described at first mention by providing the name of the element spelled out followed by the isotope number in the same typeface and type size (no hyphen, subscript, or superscript is used). The element abbreviation may be listed in parentheses at first mention and used thereafter in the article, with the isotope number preceding the element symbol as a superscript.Of the 13 known isotopes of iodine, only iodine 128 (128I) is not radioactive. The investigators used 128I to avoid the ...Less