Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «S»:
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Serratus posterior superior
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 angles of the second to fifth ribs. It raises the ribs...
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Serum
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 difference between serum
and plasma.
Terms in this dictionary with the word &q...
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Serum amyloid A
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, migration, proliferation and aggregation.
The members of the SAA s...
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Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT)
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) or with an insult to the ...
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Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT)
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) or with an insult to the hear...
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Serum hepatitis
Serum hepatitis: Hepatitis B. ...
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Serving size
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 apples, oranges, bananas, pears)
1/2 cup of raw, cooked, canned or ...
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Sesamoid bone
Sesamoid bone: A little bone embedded in a joint capsule or
tendon. The kneecap (patella) is a sesamoid bone....
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Sesamoiditis
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....
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Sesquipedalian
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 Poetica, the Roman poet Horace cautioned young poets against using "sesq...
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Seven day diet
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 been recommended by medical professionals as safe a weight los...
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Seven-day measles
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 infections,
pneumonia, encephalitis (that can cause convul...
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Seventh cranial nerve
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 causes a characteristic
picture with drooping of one sid...
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Seventh cranial nerve paralysis
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
various viruses). Bell's palsy typically st...
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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 older children,
particularly active boys. It can be very painful. It is one of...
