Medical terms - Letter S (page 8) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Seroconversion

Seroconversion: The development of detectable antibodies in the blood directed against an infectious agent. It normally takes some time for antibodies to develop after the initial exposure to the agent. Following…
Serositis

Inflammation of the serous tissues of the body. The serous tissues line the lungs (pleura), heart (pericardium), and the inner lining of the abdomen (peritoneum) and organs within.
Serotonin

A hormone, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine, in the pineal gland, blood platelets, the digestive tract, and the brain. Serotonin acts both as a chemical messenger that transmits nerve signals between nerve cells and that…
Serotonin reuptake inhibitor, selective

A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is one of the commonly prescribed drugs for treating depression. SSRIs affect the chemicals that nerves in the brain use to send messages to one another. These chemical…
Serotype

The kind of microorganism as characterized by serologic typing (testing for recognizable antigens on the surface of the microorganism)
Serrated

Finely notched like the cutting edge of a saw. The serratus muscles take their name from their serrated appearance. See: Serratus anterior; Serratus magnus; Serratus posterior inferior; Serratus posterior superior
Serration

A finely notching like that along the cutting edge of a saw. The serratus muscles take their name from their serrated appearance. See: Serratus anterior; Serratus magnus; Serratus posterior inferior; Serratus posterior…
Serratus

One of several muscles of the back and thorax. that have interdigitating slips that ressemble the notches on the cutting edge of a saw. (Serrated refers to a finely notched edge.) See also: Serratus anterior; Serratus…
Serratus anterior

One of the serratus muscles of the back and thorax. The serrautus anterior originates from the lateral aspect (the side) of first eight to nine ribs and inserts into the medial margin of the scapula (wing bone). The…
Serratus magnus

One of the serratus muscles of the back and thorax. The serratus magnus originates from the lateral aspect (the side) of the first eight to nine ribs and inserts into the medial margin of the scapula (wing bone). The…
Serratus posterior inferior

One of the serratus muscles of the back and thorax. The serratus posterior inferior muscle originates, together with latissimus dorsi, from the spinous processes of two lower thoracic vertebrae and the two upper lumbar…
Serratus posterior superior

One of the serratus muscles of the back and thorax. The serratus posterior superior originates from the spinous processes of two lower cervical and two upper thoracic vertebrae and it inserts into the lateral side of…
Serum

The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plasma, the liquid portion of normal unclotted blood containing the red and white cells and platelets. It is the clot that makes the…
Serum amyloid A

A superfamily of acute-phase proteins. The level of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the blood increases dramatically in response to tissue injury and inflammation. SAA also acts as a cytokine, influencing cell adhesion…
Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT)

An enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGOT is released into blood when the liver or heart is damaged. The blood SGOT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis)…
Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT)

An enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart is damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis)…
Serum hepatitis

Hepatitis B.
Serving size

1. The portion of food used as a reference on the nutrition label of that food.2. The recommended portion of food to be eaten. The National Cancer Institute defines a serving as: > >One medium-sized fruit (such as…
Sesamoid bone

A little bone embedded in a joint capsule or tendon. The kneecap (patella) is a sesamoid bone
Sesamoiditis

Inflammation of a sesamoid bone. Since the patella (kneecap) is a sesamoid bone, inflammation of the patella is a form of sesamoiditis. The term is applied to inflammation of the sesamoid bones in a horse's foot
Sesquipedalian

A long polysyllabic word that means having many syllables or using long words, as is all too often the case with medical terms. From the Latin sesqui- meaning one and a half times + ped, pes meaning foot. In Ars…
Seven day diet

The Seven day diet is any weight loss plan designed to be followed for seven days at a time. There are many versions of the 7-day diet available, and all promise very rapid weight loss. None of the 7-day diet plans has…
Seven-day measles

An acute highly contagious viral disease with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash, the measles, (also known as rubeola) is a potentially disastrous disease. It can be complicated by ear…
Seventh cranial nerve

The seventh cranial nerve is the facial nerve, a mixed nerve that has fibers both going out and coming in (both efferent and afferent fibers). It supplies the muscles of facial expression. Paralysis of the facial nerve…
Seventh cranial nerve paralysis

Known as Bell's palsy, this is paralysis of the facial nerve, the nerve that supplies the facial muscles on one side of the face. The cause of Bell's palsy is not known, but it is thought to be related to a virus (or to…
Sever condition

Sever condition: Inflammation of the growth plate of the calcaneus, the bone at the back of the heel. The inflammation is at the point where the Achilles tendon attaches. Sever condition occurs mainly in adolescent or…
Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome: A severe form of pneumonia. Abbreviated SARS. A term applied to outbreaks of a mysterious illness in Asia beginning February 1, 2003. The clinical criteria for the diagnosis of SARS…
Severe combined immunodeficiency disease

>X-linked SCID, the most common type, a genetic flaw damages molecules that allow T cells and B cells to receive signals from crucial growth factors. >ADA deficiency results from the lack of an enzyme called adenosine…
Severe congenital neutropenia

Neutropenia: A genetic disorder of the bone marrow characterized by a lack of neutrophils, white blood cells important in fighting infection, evident at birth. Children with SCN suffer from frequent bacterial (but not…
Severe cyclonic storm

A regionally specific name for a strong tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean. Other terms for precisely the same type of storm include hurricane (in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of…
Severe tropical cyclone

A regionally specific name for a strong tropical cyclone in the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E. Other terms for precisely the same type of storm include hurricane (in the…
Sex before sports

Sexual intercourse before an athletic event. A commonly held belief in sports is that athletes should not have intercourse before performing, lest it weaken them. This belief was not always held. In 77 AD, Pliny the…
Sex chromosome

The X chromosome or the Y chromosome, in humans. The sex chromosomes determine the sex of an individual. As a general rule, normal females have two X chromosomes while normal males have an X and a Y chromosome. The sex…
Sex region Y

A region on the Y chromosome that determines the sex of the individual. This region which goes by the symbol SRY (sex region Y) is necessary and sufficient for male sex determination. It is the testis-determining…
Sex-determining region, Y

See: Y sex-determining region
Sexagenarian

Someone in his or her sixties. See also: Age by decade
Sexploitation

The exploitation of sex, often for commercial purposes. The term is a mid-20th century merger of sex and exploitation
Sexual child abuse

Child abuse: Child abuse comprises four basic types of mistreatment: child neglect, physical abuse of a child, emotional abuse of a child, and sexual abuse of a child. Sexual abuse is the least frequently reported form…
Sexual jealousy

See: Othello syndrome
Sexual masochism

Sexual masochism is a disorder in which individuals use sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors involving the act (real, not simulated) of being humiliated, beaten or otherwise made to suffer in order to achieve sexual…
Sexual sadism

Individuals with sexual sadism disorder have persistent fantasies in which sexual excitement results from inflicting psychological or physical suffering (including humiliation and terror) on a sexual partner. This…
Sexually transmitted disease

Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microorganisms that survive on the skin or mucus membranes of the genital area; or transmitted via semen, vaginal secretions, or blood during intercourse. Because the…
Sexually transmitted disease in men

880'>Sexually transmitted diseases in men: Men can contract all of the venereal diseases, but may have no symptoms, or have different symptoms than women do. For example, most men who have chlamydia have no symptoms at…
Sexually transmitted diseases in women

Women can contract all of the venereal diseases, but may have no symptoms, or have different symptoms than men do. For example, women infected with gonorrhea may not have any symptoms, but may have a severe pelvic…
Sexually transmitted infection

An infection that can be transferred from one person to another through sexual contact. In this context, sexual contact is more than just sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal) and also includes kissing, oral-genital…
SGA

Small for gestational age. SGA infants weigh 2500 g or less at birth and are considered to have intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), given their gestational age. By contrast, an infant may weighs 2500 g or less…
SGOT

Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGOT is released into blood when the liver or heart is damaged. The blood SGOT levels are thus elevated with liver…
SGPT

Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart are damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver…
Shaken baby syndrome

Syndrome: Ines, particularly to the head, caused by violently shaking an infant. The syndrome is the commonest cause of infant death from head injuries and one of the most serious kinds of child abuse. The syndrome also…
Shank

1. In anatomy, the tibia, the larger bone in the lower leg. The term is rarely used in this sense today.2. In a culinary sense, the foreleg of a four-legged animal as, for example, a lamb shank. The shank is flavorful…