A

Absorb: Take up fluids, take in.

Acute: Of sudden onset or short duration.

Adenopathy: Swollen lymph nodes.

Adjuvant: Helpful, assisting, aiding. A substance that, when added to a medicine, speeds or improves its action -or- A substance added to a vaccine to improve the immune response.

Adverse Effect: Side effect.

AFRRI: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

AIDS: An infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1, HIV-2), a retrovirus that causes immune system failure and debilitation. HIV is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

Ambulatory: Able to walk

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gerhig's Disease): A serious, progressive, neurologic disease in which loss of nerve cells produces muscle paralysis.

Anthrax: A bacterial disease transmitted to humans usually by contact with infected animals or their discharges (agricultural anthrax) or with contaminated animal products (industrial anthrax).

Anthrax vaccine: A series of six shots given over 18 months and followed by annual booster shots to protect against the disease anthrax.

Anxiety disorders: Disorders in which anxiety (persistent feelings of apprehension, tension, or uneasiness) is the predominant disturbance.

Antibiotic: Drug that kills bacteria and other germs.

Antibody: A type of protein made by the immune system, usually in response to a foreign substance. Antibodies are an important natural defense against infection.

Anticonvulsant: Drug used to prevent seizures

Asthma: A lung disease in which tightening of the air passages can provoke wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Asymptomatic: Without symptoms.

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