Human health and medicine

Self-Testing

Self-testing: a person collects a specimen, performs a test, and interprets the result in private (MeSH 2021). Includes COVID-19, HIV, pregnancy, and glucose home tests; WHO-recommended for COVID-19 since 2022.

Selinexor

Selinexor (XPOVIO, Nexpovio) is an oral first-in-class XPO1 nuclear export inhibitor (SINE) approved since 2019 for multiple myeloma and relapsed/refractory DLBCL, with thrombocytopenia, nausea, and hyponatremia as key toxicities.

Sella turcica

Sella turcica, or Turkish saddle, is the saddle-shaped depression in the sphenoid bone housing the pituitary gland; named by Spigelius in 1627, with tuberculum sellae, hypophyseal fossa, and dorsum sellae.

Selonsertib

Selonsertib (GS-4997) is Gilead's oral ASK1 inhibitor tested for NASH fibrosis; promising phase 2 results were not confirmed in the phase III STELLAR-3 and STELLAR-4 trials, and development for NASH stopped.

Selpercatinib

Selpercatinib (Retevmo, LOXO-292) is an oral, highly selective RET kinase inhibitor by Eli Lilly, FDA-approved since May 2020 for RET fusion-positive NSCLC, thyroid cancers, and, since 2022, tissue-agnostic RET fusion-positive solid tumors.

Seltorexant

Seltorexant (JNJ-42847922, MIN-202) is an investigational selective orexin-2 receptor antagonist developed by Janssen and Minerva for major depressive disorder with insomnia and insomnia disorder; Phase 3 results are mixed and it remains unapproved.

Selumetinib

Selumetinib (Koselugo, AZD6244, ARRY-142886) is an oral MEK1/2 inhibitor approved for NF1-related symptomatic inoperable plexiform neurofibromas in children and, since 2025, adults; 68% pediatric response in SPRINT, 20% vs 5% placebo in KOMET.

Selvacovatein

Selvacovatein is the INN of the active substance of Bimervax (HIPRA), a recombinant protein RBD fusion heterodimer COVID-19 booster vaccine (Alpha/Beta strains, SQBA-adjuvanted) authorised in the EU in March 2023.

Selwyn O. Rogers Jr.

Selwyn O. Rogers Jr. is an American trauma surgeon and health equity leader at the University of Chicago Medicine, where he founded the first trauma center on Chicago's underserved South Side.

Semagacestat

Semagacestat (LY450139) is Eli Lilly's oral gamma-secretase inhibitor for Alzheimer's disease, the first to reach phase III (IDENTITY trials), halted in August 2010 for cognitive worsening and skin cancer risk from Notch inhibition.

Semaglutide

Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) is a Novo Nordisk GLP-1 receptor agonist approved since 2017 for type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular risk reduction, and chronic kidney disease, with oral and injectable forms.

Semantic dementia

Semantic dementia, or semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), is a frontotemporal dementia causing loss of word and object meaning from left-predominant anterior temporal lobe atrophy, with TDP-43 type C pathology and spared fluency.

Sep 29, 2026

Semantic feature analysis

Semantic feature analysis is a naming therapy for aphasia in which a person generates semantic features of a target word, improving retrieval of trained words.

Semantic memory

Semantic memory: Tulving's 1972 memory system for general world knowledge, facts, and word meanings, distinct from episodic memory; hub-and-spoke ATL brain basis, K.C. and semantic dementia evidence.

Semaphorin

Semaphorins are a family of secreted and membrane proteins with a conserved Sema domain, first described in 1993 as axon guidance repellents; they signal via plexins and neuropilins and act in immunity, angiogenesis, and cancer.

Semaxanib

Semaxanib (SU5416, semoxind) is a Sugen indolinone VEGFR2/c-kit tyrosine kinase inhibitor and angiogenesis inhibitor that failed phase III colorectal cancer testing and was discontinued in 2002, becoming the precursor of sunitinib.

Semen

Semen, or seminal fluid, is the whitish-gray ejaculate made of sperm from the testicles plus seminal vesicle and prostate secretions (65-75% vesicle fluid, 25-30% prostate, 1-5% sperm). WHO reference values and standardized semen analysis define its clinical use.

Semen analysis

Semen analysis, standardized by the WHO laboratory manual (6th edition, 2021), measures semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology; its 5th-centile reference limits from fertile men do not by themselves diagnose infertility.

Sep 29, 2026

Semen cryopreservation

Semen cryopreservation is a clinical andrology method that mixes sperm with cryoprotectants such as glycerol and stores them in liquid nitrogen, mainly to preserve fertility before cancer treatment.

Semen quality

Semen quality describes measurable ejaculate parameters (volume, sperm concentration, motility, morphology) assessed by WHO manual semen analysis; sixth-edition lower limits include 16 million/mL concentration and 4% normal forms, but results cannot alone distinguish fertile from infertile men.

Semicircular canals

Semicircular canals: three fluid-filled inner-ear loops (anterior, posterior, horizontal) sensing angular head acceleration via endolymph-cupula mechanics; basis of the VOR, Ewald's laws, BPPV, and vHIT/caloric testing.

Seminoma

Seminoma, also called pure seminoma or classical seminoma, is a slow-growing germ cell cancer of the testicle in young men; it does not produce AFP, may raise beta-hCG, and is highly curable with orchiectomy, surveillance, carboplatin, radiotherapy, or BEP chemotherapy.

Semuloparin sodium

Semuloparin sodium (AVE5026, Mulsevo) is Sanofi's ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin (2000-3000 Da, anti-Xa:anti-IIa >30:1) for VTE prevention; effective in SAVE-ONCO and hip replacement trials, but its EU application was withdrawn in 2012.

Semustine

Semustine (methyl-CCNU, MeCCNU), CAS 13909-09-6, is an investigational nitrosourea alkylating agent, the 4-methyl derivative of lomustine; never marketed, nephrotoxic, and an IARC group 1 human carcinogen.

Semzuvolimab

Semzuvolimab (UB-421, mAb dB4C7) is a humanized aglycosylated IgG1 anti-CD4 domain 1 monoclonal antibody from United BioPharma, a CD4 attachment inhibitor in Phase 3 for multidrug-resistant HIV-1, with phase 2 monotherapy data showing ART-free viral suppression without resistance.

Senaparib capsules

Senaparib capsules (Paishuning, 塞纳帕利胶囊), also IMP4297, are an oral PARP1/2 inhibitor by IMPACT Therapeutics approved in China January 2025 for first-line maintenance of advanced ovarian cancer, based on the FLAMES phase 3 trial.

Senicapoc

Senicapoc (ICA-17043), a Pfizer-developed Gardos channel (KCa3.1) blocker for sickle cell disease; raised hemoglobin and reduced hemolysis but failed its phase III pain-crisis endpoint; now repurposed for fibrotic lung disease, COVID-19, and Alzheimer's trials.