Definition

A type of medication that helps to treat HIV by blocking the virus's ability to replicate in the body.

Example

The doctor prescribed stavudine as part of the treatment plan for the patient with HIV.

Conversation

Have you heard about stavudine?

Yeah, it's used for treating HIV, right?

Exactly! It's a type of medication that helps a lot of people.

I read it can be really effective in managing the virus.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Stavudine is a synthetic nucleoside analogue, and its name is derived from the combination of 'stav' (from the chemical structure) and 'udine' (from 'uridine', a nucleoside). The term 'uridine' itself comes from 'uracil' (a component of RNA) and the suffix '-ine' (commonly used in chemistry to denote substances). Thus, stavudine refers to a compound related to uridine, specifically designed for antiviral use.

Memory Tip

Think of 'uridine' as a building block of RNA, and remember that 'stavudine' is a synthetic version designed to help fight viral infections.

Visually Confused Words