Glossary

BioScience.com.pk try the best to avoid the use of medical terms that could make it more difficult to understand the information on this website. Still, there are a number of terms that can’t be avoided and that are useful to know because they are so often used by the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals with whom you might speak. The list below includes the terms used on BioScience.com.pk for which we have provided definitions.

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Term Definition
Shock

A condition in which blood flow is inadequate to keep critical organs performing properly; it is often recognized by markedly low blood pressure with evidence of poor function of the brain, kidneys, heart, and/or liver. It is a medical emergency that can lead to serious damage and/or death.
Serum Sickness

An allergic reaction to proteins in a foreign serum, usually in response to an injection; it is characterized by symptoms such as fever, skin rash, pain and swelling in one or more joints, and kidney damage
Serum

The liquid portion of blood remaining after a clot forms
Serotype

A group of related microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, that possess different antigens that are distinguished as unique by the immune system
Sequela

Abnormality resulting as a consequence of a disease, injury or treatment
Septicemia

Serious infection in which disease-causing organisms are present in the blood, usually resulting from spread of an infection from a specific site
Sensitivity

In the clinical laboratory:
1. a test's ability to correctly identify individuals who have a given disease or disorder;
2. ability of a test to detect small amounts of a substance or to measure a reaction
Senile plaque

Areas of dead nerve cells and protein deposits in the brain
SDS

Also known as: Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome

A rare congenital disorder characterized by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow dysfunction, and skeletal abnormalities; it is the second most common cause of inherited pancreatic insufficiency after cystic fibrosis.
RNA modification
RNA modifications are changes to the chemical composition of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules post-synthesis that have the potential to alter function or stability. An example of RNA modification is the addition of a methylated guanine nucleotide “cap” to the 5’-end of messenger RNAs (mRNAs).
RNA

Also known as: Ribonucleic Acid


In a cell, a molecule that contains some of the genetic information of the cell involved in cellular processes and activities
Rickets

A condition that occurs in childhood in which a severe lack of vitamin D causes weak, soft bones, delayed growth and skeletal development; when this condition occurs in adulthood, it is called osteomalacia.
Rheumatic fever

Condition resulting from an inadequately treated or untreated infection with Group A streptococcus bacteria. It is a delayed immune response in which the body produces antibodies directed against itself (autoimmune). This can cause serious damage to heart valves and lead to symptoms such as swelling and pain in several joints, heart inflammation (carditis), skin nodules, rapid, jerky movements (Sydenham's chorea), and skin rash.
Reye syndrome

A rare condition that causes degeneration of the brain and is characterized by vomiting, fever, accumulation of fat in the liver, swelling of kidneys and brain, disorientation and coma; often occurs in children and following another illness, such as the flu or chickenpox.
Retina

sensing part of the eye that collects images from the lens and translates them to chemical signals that can be interpreted by the brain