Category: S
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Severe conduct disturbance
Symptoms may include running away from home overnight at least twice, breaking into another’s property, being physically cruel to people, stealing with confrontation, repeatedly using a dangerous weapon, and forcing someone into sexual activity.
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Stuttering
Characterized by disturbance of the fluency and time patterning of speech symptoms may include repetitions of sounds or syllables, sound prolongations, interjections, or circumlocutions to avoid difficult words. Stammering. Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder characterized by disruption of the normal flow of speech with frequent repetitions or prolongations of speech sounds, syllables, or words,…
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Synapse
The small gap that separates neurons across which information flows from one cell to another. The gap between the membrane of one nerve cell and the membrane of another. The synapse is the space through which the nerve impulse is passed, chemically or electrically, from one nerve to another. The gap, or junction, between terminal…
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Systole (systolic pressure)
The blood pressure when the heart is contracting; specifically, the maximum arterial pressure during contraction of the left ventricle. The time at which ventricular contraction occurs is called systole.
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Synovial joint
A fully movable joint in which a synovial cavity is present between the two articulating bones. A joint where the two bones are separated by a space filled with synovial fluid which nourishes and lubricates the surfaces of the bones. Freely movable joint; types of synovial joints are ball-and-socket joint, gliding joint, hinge joint, and…
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Synergist
Muscles that aid or assist in the action of the agonists but are not primarily responsible for the action; also referred to as guiding muscles. Muscle that combines with another and aids in its action. A drug that, when combined with another drug, produces effects greater than those when the drugs are taken separately, additive…
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Swimmer’s ear
Caused by a bacterial infection resulting from failure to dry the ear adequately following swimming. Symptoms of this condition include itching, a greenish-colored discharge, pain when chewing, and a blocked feeling of the ear. A nonemergency condition that results from inflammation in the external ear canal created by the growth of infecting organisms, usually contracted…
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Supine
Refers to the body lying in a face-up position. Lying on the back. With the palm of the hand facing upwards. Positioning of a patient lying on the back with the palms facing up. Lying on the back or with the face upward. Lying on the back, face upwards; or the position of the forearm…
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Supination
Rotating the palm outward so it faces forward in anatomical position. Shift the body weight to the outside of the foot. The act of turning the hand so that the palm faces upwards. The position of lying on the back (face up) or the outward rotation of the arm (palm upward). The act of turning…
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Superior vena cava
Large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body into the right atrium. The body’s largest vein. Vein that returns deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the t atrium of the heart; it is the second longest vein in the body. Large vessel that returns blood from…