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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. The release of water vapour by plants.






2. A condition characterised by inflammation of the walls of the airways and excess production of mucus. It results in a persistent (chronic) cough with production of sputum - obstruction of airflow and increased vulnerability to respiratory infections.






3. A group of primates - to which modern humans belong - characterised by upright posture and a very large brain in relation to body size.






4. A theory of pain that was first proposed by Patrick Wall and Ronald Melzack in 1965. It suggests that there is - metaphorically speaking - a 'gate' within the spinal cord such that - if the gate is closed - nociceptive messages can be blocked. If the






5. Immobilisation of a broken bone using something rigid.






6. A process at an interface of two media in which the direction of light is deviated within the new medium.






7. A tube conveying a body fluid - especially a glandular secretion - for example milk from the lobules of the mammary gland to the nipple.






8. One of the two main branches of the windpipe or trachea - leading to the lungs.






9. A subunit of the litre - the standard scientific (SI) unit for measuring volume; there are 100 of these in a litre.






10. Visual acuity worse than 6/60.






11. The proportion of young - middle-aged and older people in a population. In developing countries - tends to be 'younger' than that of developed countries.






12. Memory for events or issues related to oneself.






13. A condition that may develop following exposure to an extremely stressful situation - typically where a person witnesses the violent death of someone else - or believes their own life is in danger. Symptoms include disordered sleeping - a dread of si






14. A state of inadequate supply of oxygen to the brain and other vital organs - often as a result of severe blood loss.






15. The organelles found inside myofibres that run the length of the cell and cause contraction.






16. The cells that produce new bone.






17. The entire range or extent of some quantity - arranged in order; e.g. electromagnetic or visible light.






18. An outbreak of an infectious disease in a community - region or country - characterised by a sharp increase in the number of cases - followed after an interval by a decline to a normal level






19. 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.






20. The electrical forces holding two atoms together.






21. A response to a stimulus or substance (such as alcohol) which occurs rapidly and produces severe - possibly life-threatening - symptoms.






22. Degenerative disease of the retina that results in loss of vision in the centre of the visual field. It is caused by an impaired blood supply to the macula. This condition is usually associated with ageing.






23. The share of the total morbidity in a population Which is due to a particular cause; it is usually expressed as a percentage.






24. The distance between the principle focal point and the centre of a lens.






25. Disease - disorder or traumatic injury characterised by rapid onset - severe symptoms and short duration - From which the patient either recovers quickly or dies (CS 1 & 6). Some chronic (long-term) conditions can have acute episodes - e.g. exacerbat






26. Being shorter at a given age by a specified amount below the population average.






27. The areas of the medulla region in the brain that integrate sensory information from chemoreceptors monitoring the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. They send out appropriate signals to regulate the rate of contraction of the respirato






28. The standard scientific (SI) unit for measuring volume; it has the symbol l.






29. A process causing evolutionary change over time (from one generation to the next). Individuals that hold an advantage in terms of survival and reproduction - in competition with other individuals - will pass on characteristics that contribute to that






30. Inflammation with a rapid onset - severe symptoms and short duration.






31. Intoxication so extreme that it leads to unconsciousness that can result in death.






32. The unit of absorbed dose of ionising radiation; 1 Gy = 1 joule per kilogram of tissue.






33. A small unit of energy frequently used by physicists and denoted by the symbol eV.






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






35. A sudden change in potential difference (voltage) across the cell membrane of neurons - consisting of an increase in the resting potential and a sudden return to the resting value. Transmitted along axons and constitute the principal 'language' of co






36. An eye care professional who makes spectacles or contact lenses and advises on suitable frames or lens choices.






37. The need to drink much more than in the past to achieve the same effect.






38. A variety of conditions associated with eyesight - from total loss of sight (blindness) to partial sight loss.






39. A fracture that occurs because the bone has been weakened through osteoporosis.






40. A hormone Which is normally secreted by the brain in response to decreased water levels in the body. When alcohol is drunk - ethanol acts on the brain and inhibites the release of this - allowing the kidneys to make more urine.






41. Long chain-like molecules (polymers) made from smaller molecules called amino acids joined by chemical bonds. The chains fold up into complex shapes giving them a wide range of functions. Major constituent of all organisms.






42. Number of new cases of a condition diagnosed in a population in a given period - usually one year.






43. A proteinase (protein-degrading) enzyme that catalyses (facilitates) the breakdown of elastin and other related proteins.






44. A small group of atoms bonded together which carry an overall electrical charge; e.g. the bicarbonate ion and the nitrate ion.






45. The build-up of levels of a chemical contaminant in the bodies of animals at successive levels in a food chain.






46. An eye care professional qualified to perform eye tests and record the findings in a lens prescription.






47. A graphical method of showing whether two numerical variables are related to one another. They are called 'variables' because they can each have a range of possible values. Each data point represents a particular entity - such as a country - for whic






48. 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.






49. Photoreceptor cells that are responsible for night vision. These cells provide no information about colour.






50. A bean-shaped tissue packed with immune system cells found at intervals along the vessels of the lymphatic system. They filter potentially harmful substances and organisms (microbes) from body fluids that drain into the lymphatic system; the filtered