Category: S

Contact with the nematocysts or stinging cells of certain species of the flower-like marine coelenterates causing severe dermatitis with chronic ulceration. In some cases, signs and symptoms of a systemic reaction develop, including headache, nausea, vomiting, sneezing, chills, fever, paralysis, delirium, seizures, anaphylaxis, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, pulmonary edema, and collapse. In rare cases, it…

Injury resulting from scorpion venom. The stings of most species in the U.S. seldom produce severe toxic reactions, but because of the difficulty of distinguishing one species of scorpion from another, each scorpion sting should be treated as if it had been inflicted by a species capable of delivering a very toxic dose of venom.…

A stimulus that is weaker than a threshold stimulus.  

A benign, functional mid-systolic murmur heard in children. The maximum sound is heard over the left lower sternal border.  

A condition marked by possession of stigmata. The state of possessing stigmata. The quality of a lens system where light rays from one point focus on a single focal point.  

A rare central nervous system disease characterized by progressive muscular rigidity and spasms. The diagnosis is strongly supported by continuous motor unit activity during electromyography and by the presence of autoantibodies (antiglutamic acid antibody, for example). Treatments include benzodiazepines, for comfort, and immunological therapies such as high-dose corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, or plasma exchange.  

An inherited disorder marked by muscular rigidity that appears in the first days of life. It may be associated with an excessive startle response, apnea, gait disturbance, or regurgitation of foods.  

A genus of shrubs native to South America. A noncaloric sugar substitute is made from plants of this genus.  

A systemic skin disease, probably identical to toxic epidermal necrolysis, that produces fevers and lesions of the oral, conjunctival, and vaginal mucous membranes. It is marked by a cutaneous rash that is often widespread and severe. Skin loss may lead to dehydration, infection, or death. A pronounced inflammatory skin outbreak that manifests due to an…

A spasm of the pectoral or chest muscles.