Glossary

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Tt

Tai chi

A Chinese martial art and form of stylized, meditative exercise. Tai chi is characterized by methodically slow circular and stretching movements and positions of bodily balance.

Tenderness

Pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched. Can describe a joint that is sensitive to touch or palpation.

Tendon

A tough cord or band of dense white fibrous connective tissue that unites a muscle with some other part in the body, and transmits the force that the muscle exerts.

Therapeutic response (achieve)

The goal of medical treatment is to achieve a therapeutic response in the patient as a consequence. This can be an effect of any kind, judged to be desirable and beneficial - whether the result was expected, unexpected, or even an unintended consequence of the treatment.

Time perspective

The relationship between the observation period and the time of patient enrollment. Time perspective can be prospective: looking forward using periodic observations usually collected following patient enrollment, or retrospective: looking back using observations usually collected prior to patient selection and enrollment.

Tissue

A group of cells that work together to carry out a specific function.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The infection can cause damage to the brain, eyes, and other organs.

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the belief that disease is caused by problems with the flow of energy in the body. Herbal remedies as well as other procedures such as acupuncture and massage are used to restore the flow of energy in the body.

Transfusion

The act of transfusing donated blood, blood products or other fluid into the circulatory system of a person or animal.

Treatment (related to primary purpose)

When the primary purpose of a clinical trial is treatment, it means that the protocol is designed to evaluate one or more interventions for treating a disease, syndrome or condition.

Triple-blind trial

See DOUBLE-BLIND TRIAL

Triple negative breast cancer

This type of breast cancer test negative for the estrogen and progesterone hormone receptors and HER2

Tropicamide

A drug that causes the muscles in the eye to become relaxed. This medication dilates (widens) the pupil.

Tuberculosis

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs. It may spread to other organs.

Tumour

Can also be called a neoplasm. A tumour is an abnormal mass of tissue that occurs when cells divide more than healthy cells or do not die when they are supposed to. Tumors can be benign (that is, not cancer), or malignant (cancerous).

Tumour lysis syndrome

A condition that can occur following treatment of a fast-growing cancer, especially certain leukemias and lymphomas (cancers of the blood). As the tumour cells die, they break apart and release their contents into the blood.

Type 2 diabetes

Diabetes means your blood sugar (glucose) level is too high. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, means your body does not make or use the hormone insulin properly. Insulin helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood and over time this can lead to serious problems of the heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)

A drug that blocks the action of enzymes called tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine kinases affect many cell functions, including cell signaling, growth, and division. These enzymes may be overactive or found at high levels in some types of cancer cells, and blocking them may help keep cancer cells from growing. TKIs are a type of targeted therapy.