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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with S
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SA node
SA node: Sinoatrial node. The pacemaker of the heart, located in the right atrium (upper chamber of the heart). The electrical signals initiated in the SA node are transmitted throuhg the atria and the ventricles to stimulate heart muscle contractionsmore detail info...
Sabin vaccine
Sabin vaccine: The oral polio vaccine. The first vaccine against poliomyelitis was introduced by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, was given by injection and required 4 "shots." The oral form of the vaccine, subsequently developed by Dr. Albert Sabin, ismore detail info...
Saccular
Saccular: From the Latin ôsacculusö meaning a small pouch. As for example the alveolar saccules (little air pouches) within the lungs .more detail info...
Saccular aneurysm
Saccular aneurysm: An aneurysm that resembles a small sack. A berry aneurysm is typically saccular. An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and themore detail info...
Sacrum
Sacrum: The large heavy bone at the base of the spine. The Romans called this bone the "os sacrum" and the Greeks termed it the "hieron osteon," both meaning the "holy bone." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the anatomic "sacrum" enteredmore detail info...
SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
SAD (seasonal affective disorder): Depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fallmore detail info...
Sagittal
Sagittal: A vertical plane passing through the body which divides it into left and right sides.more detail info...
Salivary
Salivary: Glands in the mouth that produce saliva. The salivary glands can become inflamed in diseases, such as Sjogren's syndrome and mumps.more detail info...
Salk vaccine
Salk vaccine: Vaccine against poliomyelitis named for Dr. Jonas Salk who developed and introduced it in 1955. It was the first type of polio vaccine to become available, was given by injection and required 4 "shots." The oral form of the vaccine,more detail info...
Salmonella
Salmonella: A group of bacteria that cause typhoid fever and other illnesses including, food poisoning, gastroenteritis and enteric fever from contaminated food products. Named for the American pathologist Daniel Salmon (1850-1914).more detail info...
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis: Infection with bacteria belonging to the genus Salmonella to which people with immunodeficiency diseases and sickle cell disease are particularly predisposed. Named for the American pathologist Daniel Salmon (1850-1914).more detail info...
Salpingo-oophorectomy
Salpingo-oophorectomy: Removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries.more detail info...
Sample, random
Sample, random: A group selected randomly, solely by chance.more detail info...
Sapphism
Sapphism: Female homosexuality. Named after the poet Sappho who lived on the Greek island of Lesbos (circa 600 BC). She was a lesbian by geography and sexual orientation. Also called lesbianism.more detail info...
Sarcoma
Sarcoma: A type of cancer that starts in bone or connective tissue.more detail info...
Satellite DNA
Satellite DNA: DNA that contains many tandem (not inverted) repeats of a short basic repeating unit. Satellite DNA is located at very specific spots in the genome (on chromosomes 1, 9, 16 and the Y chromosome, the tiny short arms of chromosomes 13-15 amore detail info...
Scalded skin syndrome
Scalded skin syndrome: A potentially serious side effect of infection with the Staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria that produces a specific protein which loosens the &cement& holding the various layers of the skin together. This allows blister fomore detail info...
Scapula
Scapula: The shoulder blade (or "wingbone"), the familiar flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder. The word "scapula" (with the accent on the first syllable)is Latin. The Romans always employed the plural "scapulae", the shoulder blades. Becausmore detail info...
Schistosoma haematobium
Schistosoma haematobium: A species of trematode worm that parasitizes humans and causes urinary tract disease. See Schistosomiasis.more detail info...
Schistosoma japonicum
Schistosoma japonicum: A species of trematode worm that parasitizes humans and that (like S. mansoni) causes liver and gastrointestinal tract disease. See Schistosomiasis.more detail info...
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