Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «S»:
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Saddle sore
Saddle sore: 1. Sore from riding on a saddle such as on a horse or bike.
2. A sore on a horse caused by an ill-fitting saddle. Also called saddle gall....
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Safe sex
Safe sex: 1. A sexual practice designed to reduce the risk of catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
2. A sexual practice that does not involve the
exchange of bodily fluids, including blood, sperm, vaginal
secretions, and saliva, to avoid AIDS and other sexually
transmitted infections...
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Safer sex
Safer sex: See: Safe sex....
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Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale
Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale: A 1-5 rating based on the hurricane's present intensity. This scale is used to give an estimate of the potential property damage and flooding expected along the coast from a hurricane landfall. Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale, as storm surge values a...
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Saffron
Saffron: An extremely costly yellow spice derived from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Saffron has long been used in cooking and was once a treatment for a long list of diseases. It was used in medicine at least 3,500 years ago, as evidenced by frescoes found on the Aegean ...
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Sagittal
Sagittal: A vertical plane passing through the standing body from front to back. The mid-sagital, or median, plane splits the body into left and right halves.
For a more complete listing of terms used in medicine for spatial orientation, please see the entry to "Anatomic Orientation Terms"....
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Sagittal sinus
Sagittal sinus: A crucial
large vein that goes over the top of the skull from front to back and then
splits to take blood from the brain back toward the heart....
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Salaam
Salaam: In a medical context, a seizure that looks like a sudden deep bow from the waist. Salaam seizures are characteristic of infantile spasms....
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Salaam seizure
Salaam seizure: See: Infantile spasms....
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Salabrasion
Salabrasion: A technique in which salt or a salt solution is used to abrade the skin, for example to remove the pigment from a tattoo or permanent makeup....
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Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid: A substance obtained from plants (white willow back and wintergreen leaves) and also synthesized which is versatile and possesses bacteriostatic, fungicidal, and keratolytic actions.
Salicylic acid is used as a food preservative and as an antiseptic in toothpaste. It is a peeling ag...
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Salient
Salient: Standing out. Projecting. When the true nature of a disease is poorly understood, it is often classified by its salient external features....
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Saline
Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a noun "saline" is a salt solution, often adjusted to the normal salinity of the human body.
Salt, in medicine, is referring to sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is common table salt and the salt concentrated in...
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Saliva
Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary
glands that aids in the digestion of food. Saliva also serves to moisten and
cleanse the mouth, including the tongue and teeth, and contains substances that
can play a role in the prevention of infection. Saliva aids digestion by
m...
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Salivary gland
Salivary gland: One of the glands in the mouth that produce saliva. There are 3 major salivary glands. They are the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Each of these glands is paired; there is one parotid gland on each side of the head, etc. The parotid glands are located in front of the...
