- nadir
Lowest
out of a series of measurements.
- named patient basis prescribing
A
means of access to an unlicensed drug, in which a doctor requests supplies from
its manufacturer for a specific individual.
- National Cholesterol Education Programme
US
programme aimed at reducing high blood cholesterol.
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncep/index.htm
- natural killer cells
Cells
in the immune system which attack and destroy infected cells or tumour cells.
- nausea
Feeling
sick.
- negative predictive value
When using a diagnostic test, the percentage of those testing negative who really don’t have the medical condition. This will vary according the prevalence in the local population.
- neoplasm
An
abnormal and uncontrolled growth of tissue; a tumour.
- nephrotoxic
Damaging
to the kidneys.
- neuralgia
A
sharp pain along the path of a nerve.
- neurological
Relating
to the brain or nervous system.
- neuropathy
Damage
to the nerves.
- neutropenia
A shortage of neutrophils, a type of white blood
cell that fights bacterial infections.
- neutrophils
Immune
cells in the blood which can attack bacteria and fungal infections.
- nocte
Latin
term meaning night.
- non response
See ‘partial response’.
- non-inferiority trial
A clinical
trial which aims to demonstrate that a new treatment is not worse than another.
While the two drugs may have comparable results in terms of virological
response, the new drug may have fewer side-effects, be cheaper or have other
advantages. See also ‘equivalence trial’ and ‘superiority trial’.
- non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor
A type of direct-acting antiviral drug. Inhibits NS5B polymerase, which is an essential enzyme for replication of hepatitis C virus.
- NS5A inhibitor
A drug which inhibits NS5A, a protein that is
part of hepatitis C.
- nucleoside
One
of the building blocks from which DNA and RNA are made.
- nucleoside polymerase inhibitor
A type of direct-acting antiviral drug. Inhibits NS5B polymerase, which is an essential enzyme for replication of hepatitis C virus.
- nucleotide polymerase inhibitor
A type of direct-acting antiviral drug. Inhibits NS5B polymerase, which is an essential enzyme for replication of hepatitis C virus.
- null hypothesis
Our
starting point for any hypothesis test, which assumes no effect.
- null response (NR)
After starting treatment, little or no decline
in viral load (less than a 2 log10 drop) by week 12. Hepatitis C RNA
remains detectable.
- number needed to treat
The
average number of patients who need to be given a treatment in order to prevent
one patient from having a bad outcome (e.g. AIDS or death).