Dose (biochemistry)
The term is usually applied to the quantity of a drug or other agent administered for therapeutic purposes, but may be used to describe any case where a substance is introduced to the body.
In nutrition, the term is usually applied to how much of a specific nutrient is in a person's diet or in a particular food, meal, or dietary supplement.
For bacterial or viral agents, dose typically refers to the amount of the pathogen required to infect a host.
Some drugs or supplements have a slow-release feature in which portions of the medication are metabolized at different times, which changes the impacts the active ingredients have on the body.
Whether a drug is ingested orally, injected into a muscle or vein, absorbed through a mucous membrane, or any of the other types of administration routes, affects how quickly the substance will be metabolized by the body and thus effects the concentration of the active ingredient(s).
[7][8] Calculating drug doses for treatment for more serious diseases like cancer is commonly done through measuring the patient's body surface area.
[9] Studies show that selecting the best method for an individual patient is a difficult task; consequently, people may receive somewhat too much or too little medication due to their particular physical anomalies.
Research in this field was initiated with monitoring of small-molecule cocaine levels in undiluted blood serum with electrochemical aptamer-based sensing.
[11] This research was expanded upon and led to the creation of a product called MEDIC (microfluidic electrochemical detector for in vivo continuous monitoring) developed by faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In trials, early models of the device failed after about half an hour because the proteins in whole blood clung to the sensors and clogged the components.
There are 15 vaccines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend every person (in the United States and Canada) receive between birth and 18 years of age to protect against various infectious agents that may affect long-term health.
There are several typical routes of administration for vaccines:[15] For healthy humans, experts recommend daily intake quantities of certain vitamins and minerals.
The Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, and National Academy of Sciences sets a recommended Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in several forms:[16] DRIs are established for elements, vitamins, and macronutrients.
Individuals take vitamin and mineral supplements to promote healthier lifestyles and prevent development of chronic diseases.
For individuals with low or reduced stomach acid concentrations, in infectious dose for a pathogen will be lower than normal.
