Category: S

A quick-acting volatile liquid anaesthetic. Emergence and recovery from anaesthetic are rapid, and early post-operative measures to control pain are advised.  

Infection in a joint which becomes warm, swollen and sore, with restricted movement. The infectious agent may enter the joint as a result of a penetrating wound or via the bloodstream. The condition is treated by arthrotomy or arthroscopy, joint irrigation and antibiotics. Unless treated, the articular cartilage of the joint is destroyed, resulting in…

This is used as a shampoo in the treatment of dandruff and seborrhoeic dermatitis of the scalp. In view of its potential toxicity it should only be used under medical supervision. It must never be applied to inflamed areas of the scalp, and it must not be allowed to get into the eyes as it…

SADS is a disorder in which an affected individual’s mood changes with the seasons. He or she is commonly depressed in winter, picking up again in the spring. The diagnosis is controversial and its prevalence is not known. The mood-change is probably related to light, with melatonin playing a key role.  

This occurs from eating poorly preserved tuna, mackerel and related ‘scombroid’ fish. A toxic histamine-like substance is produced by the action of bacteria or histidine, a normal component of fish flesh. This toxin produces nausea, vomiting, headache, upper abdominal pain, difficulty in swallowing, thirst, itching and sometimes urticaria. The condition settles as a rule in…

A drug used to treat schistosomiasis. Praziquantel is the drug of choice, with a combination of effectiveness, broad-activity spectrum and few side-effects.  

Ways of producing images of body organs that record, process and analyse sound waves, radio waves or x-rays passing through or generated by the body’s tissues. Ultrasound scanning using high-frequency, inaudible sound waves directed at the area of the body being studied is the most generally used scanning procedure. Sound waves are reflected more powerfully…

In infants, certain staphylococcal bacteria can cause an acute toxic illness in which the subject develops sheets of bright erythema, accompanied by shedding of outer layers of skin. The result looks similar to a hot-water scald. The condition responds promptly to appropriate antibiotic therapy. Drug reactions, especially from sulphonamides, may cause a similar syndrome in…

The commission on human medicines has the function of scrutinizing the efficacy, quality and safety of new drugs before clinical trials and before marketing, as well as the surveillance of each drug after marketing so that adverse reactions are monitored and documented, and warnings issued as required. Early clinical trials of a drug can only…

There are some minor signs, such as: relaxation of the facial muscles (which produces the staring eye and gaping mouth of the ‘Hippocratic countenance’), as well as a loss of the curves of the back, which becomes flat by contact with the bed or table; discoloration of the skin, which takes on a wax-yellow hue…