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Introduction To Health Sciences Vocab

Subject : health-sciences
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A form of plasticity within the connections between the neurons that underlie nociception and pain - such that - over time - increasing levels of pain are experienced even though the stimulus remains unchanged.






2. Positively charged particles found in the nucleus of atoms. In a neutral atom the number of these balances the number of negatively charged electrons surrounding the nucleus.






3. The number of cases of a disease - disorder or disability in a population - relative to the total number of people at risk of developing it; usually expressed as the number of cases per 1000 (or per 10 000 - or per 100 000 or per million) population.






4. Pain that appears to arise in a part of the body that no longer exists - e.g. in a limb that has been amputated.






5. A muscular structure at the junction of the stomach and small intestine that constricts and closes when food is present in the stomach - preventing it from passing into the small intestine.






6. A synapse at which the release of neurotransmitter from a presynaptic neuron has an excitatory effect on a postsynaptic cell - e.g. it excites further action potentials in a second cell.






7. A brain region with an essential role in the storage and retrieval of memories.






8. Diseases that cannot be transmitted from person to person (also known as 'non-infectious diseases' or 'chronic conditions' or 'long-term conditions'); they mainly develop slowly over time and persist for a long period - or are irreversible; e.g. canc






9. A thick ring of muscle that controls pupil size - thereby regulating the amount of light that enters the eye. It forms the coloured portion of the eye.






10. This refers to a random effect of ionising radiation. There is no radiation threshold at which the effect inevitably occurs - but the probability of an effect occurring increases with the amount of radiation received.






11. A technique for monitoring the activity of the different regions of the brain. One method involves injecting a radioactive tracer substance and measuring its later appearance in different brain regions; high concentrations correspond to regions of hi






12. An infection of the lower respiratory tract (the bronchi and lungs) - e.g. pneumonia.






13. The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.






14. A device that produces light of a single wavelength Which is transmitted in a narrow and powerful beam.






15. A hormone secreted by the suprarenal gland (formerly the adrenal gland) upon stimulation by the central nervous system in response to stress - anger - fear or exertion. It has many effects on the body - e.g. increasing heart rate and output. Also kno






16. A condition in which a person exceeds a certain threshold for the proportion of body weight that consists of fat. In most assessments based on body mass index - a BMI of greater than 30 is defined as clinically obese.






17. A measure of body weight - taking height into account. Calculated by dividing person's weight (mass) in kilograms (kg) by their height in metres squared (m2). In most assessments - 20.0-24.9 is considered to be a normal healthy weight - 20.0 is categ






18. The tissues that attach muscles to bones.






19. Molecules or proteins released by immune system cells in the region of an injury - infection or other damage to the tissues. They have several effects including dilation (widening) of blood vessels to increase blood supply to the region. They also at






20. The outer layer of the brain - also known as the 'cerebral cortex'. (






21. A symptom of trachoma in which eyelashes grow inwards and scratch the conjunctiva - causing pain - scarring and eventually blindness.






22. The end of an axon which participates in a synapse with another cell.(






23. A screening programme (sometimes called 'individual screening' or 'targeted screening') that identifies individuals who are likely to be at substantially greater risk of developing a certain condition than others in their population group. These indi






24. A substance produced by an endocrine gland that is carried around the body in the blood - and affects the structure or functions of specifically receptive target organs or tissues.






25. A chemical that has the effect of mimicking the action of a natural substance such as a neurotransmitter. (






26. A protein produced in the liver that circulates around the body and blocks the destructive effects of certain proteinase enzymes such as elastase.






27. Insufficient levels of oxygen in the blood or tissue.






28. A collection of different brain regions that is activated in response to painful stimuli and is associated with the experience of pain.






29. A type of cell that is responsible for contraction in skeletal muscle tissue. They are long and thin and have many nuclei. (Also known as muscle fibre)






30. Distance between one peak of a wave and the next peak - measured in metres (m).






31. In screening - a person whose screening test result is positive (indicating disease) - but who actually does not have the disease.






32. A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions. It consists only of the atoms characteristic - e.g. hydrogen (H) - oxygen (O) - nitrogen (N) - sodium (Na) - chlorine (Cl) - mercury (Hg). There are 92 naturally oc






33. Fine particles of a solid suspended in the air.






34. A substance composed of positively and negatively charged ions - held together by the electrical attraction between opposite charges. Salts such as sodium chloride (NaCl) - in which the ions are organised in a regular crystal lattice - are this.






35. The electrical forces holding two atoms together.






36. Screening that takes place haphazardly when an opportunity arises - for example - when a patient consults a doctor about something unrelated and is referred for a screening test.






37. The process whereby oxygen is taken up by cells and used in chemical reactions involving the oxidation of nutrient molecules (e.g. glucose) derived from food; these reactions release usable chemical energy for cellular processes. (CS 5 & 7)






38. The tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs; also known as the windpipe.






39. A very long macromolecule found in the cell nucleus - abbreviated to DNA. It is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics through the generations in all organisms. The genetic information is carried






40. A cell that is part of a malignant tumour; not subject to the body signals that tell normal cells when to divide or stop dividing - so they multiply in an uncontrolled way.






41. The total volume of gas contained in the lungs after a full inspiration (it is equal to vital capacity plus residual volume). (Abbreviated to TLC)






42. Abbreviation of a eye-surgery technique where a flap is cut in the cornea and laser treatment applied beneath.






43. A form of notation (also known as 'scientific notation') used for expressing very large or very small numbers.






44. The cells that resorb (disassemble) bone.






45. The level of intensity of stimulation of a neuron at which it first shows activity. The term is used particularly in the context of sensory neurons.






46. A global strategy to combat trachoma - involving eyelid surgery - antibiotic treatment - attention to facial cleanliness and environmental changes.






47. Cells that cover all surfaces of the body. (CS 3 - 4 - 6 & 7)






48. The skin layer that lies beneath the epidermis and provides the strength and elasticity of the skin.






49. A stimulus that has no intrinsic power to trigger a particular response but which acquires this power after being associated with another stimulus. For example - a bell does not normally trigger salivation but - after pairing with food - it acquires






50. That part of the nervous system that exerts control over the skeletal muscles and thereby over behaviour.