Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Small intestine
The part of the digestive tract that extends from the stomach to the large intestine.
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Small for gestational age (SGA)
SGA infants weigh 2500 g or less at birth and are considered to have intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), given their gestational age. By contrast, an infant may weighs 2500 g or less simply because of prematurity.
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Small eye
Also called microphthalmia, an abnormally small eye, a congenital malformation (birth defect) of the globe. The related term “anophthalmia” means no eye and refers to absence of the globe and ocular tissue from the orbit. Microphthalmia may involve one or both eyes. It may occur in isolation with no associated malformations or it may be part of a multiple congenital malformation syndrome as, for…
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Calorie
A unit of food energy. The word calorie is ordinarily used instead of the more precise, scientific term kilocalorie. A kilocalorie represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water 1′ centigrade at sea level. Technically, a kilocalorie represents 1,000 true calories of energy.
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SLV
Sapporo-like virus.
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SLS (Sjogren-Larsson syndrome)
The Sjogren-Larsson syndrome is a genetic (inherited) disease usually characterized by a triad of clinical findings consisting of ichthyosis (thickened fish-like skin), spastic paraplegia (spasticity of the legs) and mental retardation. The skin changes in the SLS are similar to those in congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma, a genetic disease that results in fish-like, reddened skin. Hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin) is a regular feature. Ecchymoses (bruises)…
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Sliding hiatal hernia
Hiatal hernias are categorized as being either sliding or para-esophageal. Sliding hiatal hernias are those in which the junction of the esophagus and stomach, referred to as the gastro- esophageal junction, and part of the stomach protrude into the chest. The junction may reside permanently in the chest, but often it juts into the chest only during a swallow.…
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Sleep paralysis
A frightening form of paralysis that occurs when a person suddenly finds himself or herself unable to move for a few minutes, most often upon falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis is due to an irregularity in passing between the stages of sleep and wakefulness. The symptoms of sleep paralysis include sensations of noises, smells, levitation, paralysis, terror,…
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Sleep drug
Any drug used to help sleep. Most prescription sleep drugs are sedative hypnotic agents. They include Valium, Xanax, Restoril, Ambien, and Sonata.
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Sleep apnea
The temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime sleepiness. Apnea is a Greek word that means “want of breath.” The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. In obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles of the soft palate around the base of the tongue and the uvula relax, obstructing the airway. The airway obstruction causes the…
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