ROS
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Review of systems |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Medical, Science & Engineering, Business & Finance |
ROS has three meanings. The most common are Review of systems (medical documentation) and Reactive oxygen species (biology); it can also stand for Return on sales.
Meanings of ROS at a glance
| # | ROS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review of systems | Medical › Medical Documentation |
| 2 | Reactive oxygen species | Science & Engineering › Biology |
| 3 | Return on sales | Business & Finance › Finance |
1. Review of systems
Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations
Structured series of questions about symptoms in each body system, such as constitutional, cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal, to catch problems the patient did not mention. Positive and pertinent negative answers are documented.
Example: ROS: positive for fatigue and orthopnea; negative for fever, chest pain or syncope.
US billing rules recognize 14 systems. Templates that state "all other systems negative" are common but criticized when the questions were not actually asked. The ROS records symptoms reported by the patient, while the physical exam records signs found by the examiner.
2. Reactive oxygen species
Science & Engineering · Biology Abbreviations
Oxygen-containing molecules and radicals, such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and the hydroxyl radical, that react readily with DNA, proteins and lipids. Cells produce ROS as by-products of respiration and deliberately as signals and weapons; immune cells use them to kill microbes, while excess ROS causes oxidative stress.
Example: Mitochondria from the aged mice produced more ROS and showed more DNA damage.
Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase keep ROS in check. The free-radical theory of aging, proposed by Denham Harman in 1956, links accumulated oxidative damage to aging, though antioxidant supplements have generally failed to extend life in clinical trials.
3. Return on sales
Business & Finance · Finance Abbreviations
Operating profitability ratio equal to operating profit divided by revenue, showing how many cents of operating profit a company earns per dollar of sales. It is effectively the same as operating margin and serves to compare efficiency between periods and against competitors.
Example: Cutting freight costs lifted the division's ROS from 6 to 8 percent.
Some writers calculate ROS with net income instead of operating profit, which makes it equal to net profit margin, so the definition should be checked. ROS says nothing about how much capital is needed to produce the sales, which is why it is often paired with asset turnover in performance analysis.
Related abbreviations
More medical documentation abbreviations
- PTA – Prior to admission
- PWID – People who inject drugs
- Px – Prognosis
- R/O – Rule out
- RTC – Return to clinic
- SBAR – Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
- SH – Social history
- SOAP – Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
See all 79 medical documentation abbreviations →
More biology abbreviations
- PDB – Protein Data Bank
- PFU – Plaque-forming unit
- qPCR – Quantitative polymerase chain reaction
- RNA – Ribonucleic acid
- rRNA – Ribosomal RNA
- RT-PCR – Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
- RuBisCO – Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
- SDS-PAGE – Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
See all 75 biology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.