Glossary

The short sit position is position assumed when sitting in a chair or on a stool with hip and knee joints at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor.

Hydrocephalus is commonly treated with a shunt, a tube typically containing one or more valves to manage the amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) it removes from the ventricles or other fluid spaces in or about the central nervous system. The shunt is usually described by the space its inlet(s) drain (e.g., ventricular) and the space into which it deposits the CSF (e.g., peritoneal) to treat the hydrocephalus (e.g., ventricular-peritoneal, ventriculo-peritoneal shunt or VP shunt).

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (secretion) – a condition where the amount of circulating antiduretic hormone is too high (typically due to its over secretion by the posterior pituitary gland) leading to inappropriate retention of fluids as reflected by hyponatremia.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – Sudden death in an infant with no preceding risks factors for death and no explanation fo death at autopsy.

This refers to control over a chain of metabolic events within the body. A “signal” from outside or inside a cell is passed along step-by-step until it changes how certain genes are turned on or off, resulting in an alteration of a condition within the body.

From term sinciput – latin half head. Used to refer to upper half of cranium, commonly the anterior portion of including the forehead.

Small interfering RNA – AKA short interfering or silencing RNA. It is a double stranded RNA that participates in the RNAi pathway to regulate gene expression.

Slip ring technology. In a CT scanner the X ray detector is rotating rapidly, the technological challenge is to permit continuous transmission of this data to the static data recording software. This tranmission is achived through “slip rings”, sliding electrical contacts between the detector and the image processing unit.

Sterno-Occipital-Mandibular-Immobilizer.  A brace used to maintain the head, neck and trunk in a proscribed alignment.

SOMI Brace – Sternal-Occipital-Mandibular-Immobilizer, a brace for the cervical thoracic spine. It provides greatest immobilization for the mid and lower cervical spine. It immobilizes the upper cervical spine to a lesser degree.