Opium
An addictive narcotic drug that is derived from the unripe seedpods of the opium poppy. Preparations of opium were called laudanum. Derivatives of opium include paregoric (a drug used to treat diarrhea), morphine, and heroin. For centuries, opium was used as a painkiller in the Middle East and Asia. It gained great popularity in Europe and the European colonies in the 18th century and became a main ingredient in patent medicines that patients could easily obtain without prescriptions. Many people became addicted to opium. Wounded Civil War soldiers who were in pain often received morphine. By 1900, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people in the US were addicted to opium and its derivatives. In 1909, the US Congress passed a law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of opium.
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A condition that occurs especially or exclusively in persons with a weak immune system due, for example, to AIDS, cancer or immunosuppressive drugs, such as corticosteroids or chemotherapy. An opportunistic condition may be an infection, such as toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus (CMV), or a tumor, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS. See also opportunistic infection, opportunistic […]
- Opportunistic infection
An infection that occurs because of a weakened immune system. Opportunistic infections are a particular danger for people with AIDS. The HIV virus itself does not cause death, but the opportunistic infections that occur because of its effect on the immune system can. See also opportunistic condition, opportunistic microorganism.
- Opportunistic microorganism
Opportunistic condition, Opportunistic infection.
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The white, cup-like area in the center of the optic disc. The optic disk is the circular area at the back of the inside of the eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina.
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A rare, most commonly benign tumor on the optic nerve or the optic chiasm (the crossing of the two optic nerves). Optic gliomas cause pressure and destruction of normal optic nerve tissue. They are most common in children and teens. Optic gliomas are strongly associated with neurofibromatosis (NF1).