Copy of `Dorland's Medical Dictionary`

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Dorland's Medical Dictionary Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Dictionary Date & country: 31/12/2010, USA Words: 39128

small granule cells
S cells (def. 2).

small lymphocytic lymphoma
a diffuse form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma involving multiplication of well-differentiated B lymphocytes, with focal lymph node enlargement or generalized lymphadenopathy and enlargement of the spleen.

small lymphocytic T-cell lymphoma
small lymphocytic lymphoma that has predominantly T lymphocytes.

small noncleaved cell
small noncleaved follicular center cellsmall uncleaved cell a follicular center cell considered to be intermediate between the large cleaved and the large noncleaved stages; it has a diameter of about 12 μm, a nucleus without folds or clefts that contains finely dispersed chromatin, and cytoplasm that is pyroninophili...

small noncleaved cell lymphoma
a highly malignant type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by small noncleaved follicular center cells, usually in a diffuse pattern. Burkitt lymphoma is of this type.

small nuclear RNA
(snRNA) any of a class of small RNA molecules found in the nucleus, usually as small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) and involved in RNA processing that occurs after transcription.

small saphenous vein
the vein that continues the lateral marginal vein from behind the malleolus and passes up the back of the leg to the knee joint, where it opens into the popliteal vein.

small-for-gestational-age infant
a preterm, term, or postterm infant who is below the 10th percentile for gestational age in head circumference, body weight, or length.

smallest cardiac veins
numerous small veins arising in the muscular walls of the heart and draining independently into the cavities of the heart, particularly the right atrium and ventricle.

smallest scalene muscle
a band occasionally found between the anterior and middle scalene muscles; origin transverse process of seventh cervical vertebra; insertion first rib, suprapleural membrane; innervation seventh cervical nerve; action raises first rib, flexes and rotates cervical vertebrae, supports suprapleural membrane.

smallpox
(smawl´poks) a highly contagious, often fatal disease caused by the variola virus, an orthopoxvirus; its most noticeable symptom is the appearance of blisters and pustules on the skin. It formerly occurred in epidemics that killed millions but has now been eradicated throughout the world as a result of a vaccination pro...

smallpox vaccine
a modified live virus vaccine against vaccinia virus, used for immunization against smallpox. It is now recommended only for laboratory workers exposed to smallpox virus; certain countries continue to vaccinate those in the military forces. Complications that occasionally result from smallpox vaccination include vaccinia, secon...

smallpox virus
variola virus.

smear test
Papanicolaou test.

smegma
(smeg´mә) a type of secretion of sebaceous glands, found chiefly beneath the prepuce; it consists principally of desquamated epithelial cells and sometimes has a cheesy consistency. adj., smegmat´ic., adj.

smell
(smel) the sense that enables one to perceive odors; it depends on the stimulation of sensory receptors in the nose by small particles carried in inhaled air. The organs (sensory receptors) of smell are olfactory cells, small patches on the mucous membrane that lines the nasal cavity. Smell is also important for the enjoyment...

smelling salts
aromatic ammonium carbonate, a stimulant and restorative.

Smith fracture
(smith) reverse Colles fracture.

Smith operation
extraction of an immature cataract with an intact capsule.

Smith sign
a murmur heard in cases of enlarged bronchial glands on auscultation over the manubrium with the patient's head thrown back.

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
(smith´ lem´le o´pits) a hereditary syndrome, transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait, characterized by microcephaly, mental retardation, hypotonia, incomplete development of male genitalia, short nose with anteverted nostrils, and syndactyly of the second and third toes.

Smith-Strang disease
(smith´ strang´) a methionine malabsorption syndrome that results in a characteristic smell of the urine; individuals with this condition have white hair and varying degrees of mental retardation.

smoking
(smōk´ing) the act of drawing into the mouth and then exhaling the smoke of something, most commonly tobacco that is contained in a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. A close relationship between smoking and lung cancer and heart disease has been established.

smooth muscle
smooth involuntary muscle a type of muscle that lacks transverse striations in its fibers. Such muscles are not under voluntary control.

SMP
Society of Medical Psychoanalysts.

smudge cell
a disrupted leukocyte appearing during preparation of a peripheral blood smear.

Sn
tin (L. stan´num).

snaggle tooth
a tooth out of proper line with the others.

snake
(snāk) any of many limbless reptiles; numerous species have venomous bites. See also snakebite. coral snake any of various venomous pit vipers of the genera Micrurus and Micruroides; called also harlequin snake. harlequin snake coral snake.

snake bite
see snakebite.

snakebite
(snāk´bīt) injury caused by the mouth parts of a snake, usually from venom. The greatest number in the world are reported in the Indian subcontinent. In North America most poisonous snakes are pit vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins). A few species of coral snakes are found from the southern and s...

snap
(snap) a short, sharp sound. opening snap a short, sharp, high-pitched click occurring in early diastole and caused by opening of the mitral cusps, a characteristic sound in mitral stenosis.

snapper
(snap´әr) any of various carnivorous marine fish of the family Lutjanidae found in tropical waters; they are often eaten by humans but sometimes contain ciguatoxin and can cause ciguatera.

snare
(snār) a wire loop for removing polyps and other pedunculated growths by cutting them off at the base.

snare catheter
one designed to remove intracardiac catheter fragments or pacing leads introduced iatrogenically.

Sneddon syndrome
(sned´әn) a rare condition in which cerebral arteriopathy and ischemia are accompanied by diffuse noninflammatory livedo reticularis.

Sneddon-Wilkinson disease
(sned´әn wil´kin-sәn) subcorneal pustular dermatosis.

sneeze
(snēz) an involuntary, sudden, violent, and audible expulsion of air through the mouth and nose, usually caused by the irritation of sensitive nerve endings in the mucous membrane that lines the nasal cavity. to expel air in such a manner.

Snellen chart
a chart printed with block letters in gradually decreasing sizes, used in testing visual acuity.

Snellen reflex
unilateral congestion of the ear upon stimulation of the distal end of the divided great auricular nerve; called also auriculocervical nerve reflex.

Snellen sign
the bruit heard with a stethoscope over the closed eye in Graves disease; see also Graves orbitopathy.

Snellen test
(for pretended blindness in one eye) the patient is requested to look at alternate red and green letters; the admittedly sound eye is covered with a red glass and if the green letters are read, evidence of fraud is present. determination of visual acuity by means of Snellen test types.

SNF
skilled nursing facility.

sniff test
(for paralysis of one side of the diaphragm) the patient sniffs under radiographic examination; with paralysis of part of the diaphragm, the paralyzed half is seen to rise and the intact half to descend.

snoring
(snor´ing) a type of breathing during sleep that is accompanied by harsh sounds when inhaled air causes the soft palate to vibrate; this is common among persons who sleep with their mouths open. Called also stertor.

snow
(sno) a freezing or frozen mixture consisting of discrete particles or crystals. carbon dioxide snow solid carbon dioxide, formed by rapid evaporation of liquid carbon dioxide; it gives a temperature of about −79°C (−110°F). It has been used in cryotherapy to freeze the skin a...

snow blindness
snowblindness (sno´blīnd-nis) dimness of vision, usually temporary, due to the glare of the sun upon snow.

snowflake cataract
snowstorm cataract the most common type of diabetic cataract, having the appearance of gray to bluish-white flaky opacities.

SNP
(snip) single nucleotide polymorphism.

snRNA
small nuclear RNA.

snRNP
(snurp) small nuclear ribonucleoprotein.

snuffles
(snuf´әlz) catarrhal discharge from the nasal mucous membrane in congenital syphilis in infants.

SO syndrome
orbital apex syndrome.

soap
(sōp) any compound of one or more fatty acids, or their equivalents, with an alkali. Soap is detergent and used as a cleanser. green soap , medicinal soap , soft soap a soap made from vegetable oils other than coconut oil or palm kernel oil, potassiu...

Soave operation
treatment of congenital megacolon by an endorectal pull-through operation, with normal colon connected to the anus through a rectum denuded of mucosa. See illustration.

social
(so´shal) pertaining to societies or other groups of people.

social adaptation
adjustment and adaptation of humans to other individuals and community groups working together for a common purpose.

social anxiety disorder
social phobia.

social breakdown syndrome
deterioration of social and interpersonal skills, work habits, and behavior seen in chronically hospitalized psychiatric patients, due to the effects of long-term institutionalization rather than the primary illness. Symptoms include excessive passivity, assumption of the chronic sick role, withdrawal, and apathy. Such ef...

social psychiatry
that concerned with the cultural and social factors that engender, precipitate, intensify, or prolong maladaptive patterns of behavior and complicate treatment.

social psychology
psychology that focuses on social interaction, on the ways in which actions of others influence the behavior of an individual.

social worker
a professional trained in the treatment of social or psychological problems of persons or groups, formal training most often leads to a master's degree in social work (MSW).

socialization
(so″shәl-ĭ-za´shәn) the process by which society integrates the individual, and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways.

socialized medicine
a system of medical care regulated and controlled by the government; called also state medicine.

sociobiology
(so″se-o-bi-ol´ә-je) the branch of theoretical biology that proposes that animal (including human) behavior has a biological basis controlled by the genes. adj., sociobiolog´ical., adj.

sociologist
(so″se-ol´ah-jist) a specialist in sociology.

sociology
(so″se-ol´ah-je) the scientific study of social relationships and phenomena.

sociometry
(so″se-om´ә-tre) the branch of sociology concerned with the measurement of human behavior.

sociotherapy
(so″se-o-ther´ә-pe) any treatment emphasizing socioenvironmental and interpersonal rather than intrapsychic factors.

socket
(sok´әt) a hollow into which a corresponding part fits. dry socket a condition sometimes occurring after tooth extraction, particularly after traumatic extraction, resulting in a dry appearance of the exposed bone in the socket, due to disintegration or loss of the blood cl...

soda
(so´dә) a term loosely applied to sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, or sodium carbonate. baking soda sodium bicarbonate.

sodium
(Na) (so´de-әm) a chemical element, atomic number 11, atomic weight 22.990. Sodium is the major cation of the extracellular fluid, constituting 90 to 95 per cent of all cations in the blood plasma and interstitial fluid; it thus determines the osmolality of the extracellular fluid. The serum sodiu...

sodium acetate
a source of sodium ions for hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, as well as a systemic and urinary alkalizer.

sodium ascorbate
an antiscorbutic vitamin and nutritional supplement for parenteral administration. It is also used as an aid to deferoxamine therapy in the treatment of chronic iron toxicity.

sodium benzoate
an antifungal agent also used in a test of liver function.

sodium bicarbonate
NaHCO3, a white powder commonly found in households. It has a wide variety of uses in chemistry, in pharmaceuticals, and in consumer products. It is sometimes taken in water as a remedy for acid indigestion but should not be used regularly since it can cause alkalosis. It can be mixed with water and applied as a paste for...

sodium biphosphate
monobasic sodium phosphate.

sodium carbonate
a compound now used primarily as an alkalizing agent in pharmaceuticals; it has been used as a lotion or bath in the treatment of scaly skin, and as a detergent.

sodium channel
a type of fast channel selective for the passage of sodium ions. Voltage-gated sodium channels are the main causes of depolarization and repolarization of nerve membranes during the action potential. In cardiac cells they produce phase 0 of the action potential.

sodium channel blocking agent
any of a class of ANTIARRHYTHMIC agents that prevent ectopic beats by acting on partially inactivated sodium CHANNELS to inhibit abnormal depolarizations. Called also sodium channel blocker.

sodium chloride
NaCl, common table salt, a necessary constituent of the body and therefore of the diet, involved in maintaining osmotic tension of blood and tissues; uses include replenishment of electrolytes in the body, irrigation of wounds and body cavities, enema, inhaled mucolytic, topical osmotic ophthalmic agent, and preparation o...

sodium citrate
a sodium salt of citric acid, used as an anticoagulant for blood or plasma that is to be fractionated or for blood that is to be stored. It is also administered orally as a urinary alkalizer.

sodium ferric gluconate
a hematinic used especially in treatment of hemodialysis patients with iron deficiency anemia who are also receiving erythropoietin therapy. Administered by intravenous injection.

sodium fluoride
a compound used for prevention of dental caries in fluoridation of drinking water or topical application to the teeth. Topical preparations include both gels and liquid solutions.

sodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate.

sodium hydroxide
NaOH, a strongly alkaline and caustic compound; used as an alkalizing agent in pharmaceuticals.

sodium hypochlorite
a compound having germicidal, deodorizing, and bleaching properties; used in solution to disinfect utensils, and in diluted form (Dakin solution) as a local antibacterial.

sodium iodide
a compound used as a source of iodine.

sodium lactate
a compound used in solution to replenish body fluids and electrolytes.

sodium monofluorophosphate
a compound used for prevention of dental caries, applied topically to the teeth.

sodium nitrite
an antidote for cyanide poisoning; also used as a preservative in cured meats and other foods.

sodium nitroprusside
an antihypertensive agent used in the treatment of acute congestive heart failure and of hypertensive crisis and to produce controlled hypotension during surgery; also used as a reagent.

sodium phenylbutyrate
an agent used as adjunctive treatment to control the hyperammonemia of pediatric urea cycle enzyme disorders.

sodium phosphate
any of various compounds of sodium and phosphoric acid; usually specifically dibasic sodium phosphate.

sodium polystyrene sulfonate
an ion-exchange resin used for removal of potassium ions in hyperkalemia, administered orally or rectally.

sodium propionate
a salt used as an antifungal preservative in foods and pharmaceuticals and as a topical antifungal agent.

sodium pump
sodium-potassium pump the mechanism of active transport driven by the energy generated by Na+,K+-ATPase, by which sodium (Na+) is forced out of a cell and potassium (K+) is brought in, so as to maintain the low concentration of sodium and the high concentration of potassium inside the cell in comparison to the surrounding medium...

sodium salicylate
see salicylate.

sodium sulfate
a cathartic and laxative.

sodium thiosulfate
a compound used intravenously as an antidote for cyanide poisoning, in foot baths for prophylaxis of ringworm, and as a topical antifungal agent for tinea versicolor. Also used in measuring the volume of extracellular body fluid and the renal glomerular filtration rate.