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Streptococcus
Streptococcus A type of bacterium that may infect tonsils. Infection with this bacterium, if not treated with penicillin or other appropriate antibiotic, can lead to rheumatic fever.
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Bacterium
The singular of bacteria.
Tonsils
Organs at the back of the throat that help the body fight off viral and bacterial infections; part of the immune system. No longer routinely removed when they become infected.
Infection
Anything that invades the body and reproduces. Infections can be bacteria, protozoa, fungi, or viruses. Bacteria and fungi are one celled creatures that cause many infections including strep throat, bladder infections, and some lung infections. Fungi cause “athlete’s foot” and thrush, an infection in the mouth. Protozoa are small organisms with many cells that can cause infections in the guts or in the lungs. Most healthy people do not get protozoal infections, but people with suppressed immune systems can. Viruses are not really organisms; they are tiny particles that can live only inside another cell. They reproduce by taking over a cell and causing that cell to make more virus particles, rather than doing what the cell is supposed to do. Viruses cause most colds and flu cases.
Penicillin
Penicillin is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) approved in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): penicillin g potassium.
Antibiotic
A drug that stops or slows the growth of bacteria
Fever
When body temperature rises above its normal level - defined as 98.6 degrees F, though it varies by individual and time of day. A fever is the sign of an immune system at work and usually indicates an infection.
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Strep throat
A bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils, treated with antibiotics. Rare in children under 3.
Streptase
Streptase is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) approved in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): streptokinase.
Streptokinase
A clot-dissolving medication.
Streptomycin sulfate
Streptomycin sulfate is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) approved in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): streptomycin sulfate.
Stress
Mental or physical tension that results from physical, emotional, or chemical causes.
Stress fractures
A bone injury caused by overuse.
Stress incontinence
Involuntary leaking of urine during activities that increase pressure inside the abdomen, such as coughing, sneezing, or jogging.
Stress Test
See exercise stress test
Stress ulcer
An upper GI ulcer from physical injury such as surgery, major burns, or critical head injury.
Stressor
Any life event or life change that may be associated temporally (and perhaps causally) with the onset, occurrence, or exacerbation of a mental disorder.
Stretch marks
About half of pregnant women will develop these pink or reddish streaks on their breasts, hips, or abdomen sometime during pregnancy as elastic fibers stretch and rupture in their skin. While stretch marks can't be prevented, they will fade slowly after delivery.
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Synapsis
The point of interaction between adjacent neurons or between a neuron and a muscle or gland, involving a chemical neurotransmitter. Plural: synapses.
Spindle apparatus
A microtubule assembly appearing during cell division. Microtubules are part of the cytoskeleton of biological cells, the quasi-rigid matrix that among other things determines cell shape. The microtubules are 25 nanometers in diameter, and composed of the protein tubulin. They occur in regular arrays in cilia, flagella, the mitotic spindle, and in the cytoplasm in general, and they contribute not only to cell shape, but also to cell motility.
Suprarenal glands
Another name for the adrenal glands.
Sebaceous glands
Fatty glands found in hair follicles throughout the body that secrete oil into the hair and surrounding skin.
Staphylococcus
Spherical gram-positive parasitic bacteria that tend to form irregular colonies; some cause boils or septicemia or infections.
Streptococcus
Sertral
Sertral comes from sertraline and is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with well established antidepressant and anxiolytic activity. Sertral is used effectively to treat major depressive disorder in elderly patients over 60 years of age.
Sexually transmitted disease
Also called venereal disease or VD (an older public health term). Sexually transmitted diseases are infections spread by the transfer of organisms from person to person during sexual contact. In addition to the "traditional" STDs (syphilis and gonorrhea), the spectrum of STDs now includes HIV infection, which causes AIDS; Chlamydia trachomatis infections; human papilloma virus (HPV) infection; genital herpes; chancroid; genital mycoplasmas; hepatitis B; trichomoniasis; enteric infections; and ectoparasitic diseases (ie, diseases caused by organisms that live on the outside of the host's body).
Syndrome X
A combination of health conditions that place a person at high risk for heart disease. These conditions are type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood), and obesity. According to theory, all of these conditions are associated with high blood insulin levels, and it is claimed that the underlying problem in patients with Syndrome X is faulty insulin release from the beta cells of the pancreas. Also called Metabolic Syndrome (MS).
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS)
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe and potentially life-threatening (15% of cases) disease, it is a hypersensitivity complex affecting the skin and the mucous membranes, a severe expression of erythema multiforme (EM) (and so SJS is also called erythema multiforme major).
Sjogrens Syndrome
Chronic inflammatory disease, or syndrome accompanying other diseases, and characterized by dryness of the mouth and eyes.
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