Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «S»:
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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 are:
One or more signs or symptoms of respiratory illness including cough, shortne...
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Severe combined immunodeficiency disease
Severe combined immunodeficiency disease: A combined deficiency of the immune system's two major weapons -- antibodies and T cells -- are genetically missing or disabled. Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) is rare. The chances of a child being born with SCID are about one in 500,000 bir...
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Severe congenital neutropenia
Severe congenital 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 viral or fungal) infections They are also at increased risk for ...
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Severe cyclonic storm
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 the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E),
t...
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Severe tropical cyclone
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 North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of t...
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Sex before sports
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 Elder wrote to the contrary that: "Athletes when sluggish are re...
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Sex chromosome
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 chromosomes evolved from an ancient pair of autosomal chromosomes...
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Sex region Y
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 factor.
Mutations in SRY give rise to XY females with gonadal dysgenesi...
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Sex-determining region, Y
Sex-determining region, Y: See: Y sex-determining region....
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Sexagenarian
Sexagenarian: Someone in his or her sixties. See also: Age by decade....
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Sexploitation
Sexploitation: The exploitation of sex, often for commercial purposes. The term is a mid-20th century merger of sex and exploitation....
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Sexual child abuse
Sexual 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 of child abuse (6% of all cases). Experts believe that sexual abuse may ...
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Sexual jealousy
Sexual jealousy: See: Othello syndrome....
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Sexual masochism
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 excitement and climax. These acts may be limited to verbal humi...
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Sexual sadism
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
disorder is different from minor acts of aggression in normal sexual...
