Dictionary

SGOT Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase. See aspartate aminotransferase.

SGPT Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase. See alanine aminotransferase.

shaken baby syndrome Characteristic injuries caused by violently shaking an infant. Shaken baby syndrome has distinctive features, including hemorrhage (bleeding) into the retina, hemorrhage and swelling of the brain, and patterned bruising and fractures (breaks) of the child’s ribs or bones where they have been twisted from the shaking. Shaken baby syndrome is the most…

shaking palsy See Parkinson’s disease.

sharp Medical slang for a needle or a similar pointed object.

shell shock See post-traumatic stress disorder.

shigella A group of bacteria that can cause infantile gastroenteritis, summer diarrhea of childhood (a common cause of death for children in the mid19th century), and various forms of dysentery, including epidemic and opportunistic bacillary dysentery.

shigellosis Epidemic and opportunistic (causes disease when the immune system is suppressed) dysentery that is due to infection with shigella bacteria. Shigellosis causes intestinal pain and diarrhea, with mucus and blood in the stool. It is especially common in tropical countries but frequently occurs elsewhere. It is a particular hazard for people with AIDS or…

shin splint An inflammatory condition of the front part of the tibia (the big bone in the lower leg) that results from overuse, as, for example, from running too much on hard roads or sidewalks. Shin splints are due to injury to the posterior peroneal tendon, ligaments, and adjacent tissues in the front (anterior) of…

septum A dividing wall or enclosure. For example, the septum of the nose is the thin cartilage that divides the left and right chambers of the nose from each other.

septum, atrial The wall between the right and left atria (the upper chambers) of the heart. Also known as interatrial septum.

septum, cardiac The dividing wall between the right and left sides of the heart. The portion of the septum that separates the right and left atria of the heart is termed the atrial (or interatrial) septum. The portion of the septum that lies between the right and left ventricles of the heart is called the…