Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – the US FDA is the government organisation that is responsible for approving and regulating human and animal medicines in the US. It is also responsible for the safety of other products including foods, cosmetics and tobacco.
See: www.fda.gov
IQR (inter-quartile range) – when using (median) average, the IQR gives an indication of the spread or range of results. Each quartile (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th) represents 25% of the results. The IQR represents the middle 50% of the results. See also range.
cervical smear – test to look for abnormal cells in the cervix and uterus.
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
amino acids – amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. DNA codes for amino acids. Three nucleotides (segments of the genetic code) make one amino acid. Amino acids are critical to life, and have many functions in the way your body works.