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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 share of all deaths in a population Which is due to a particular cause; it is usually expressed as a percentage.






2. Optimal corrected visual acuity worse than 6/18 - i.e. wearing optimal correcting lenses - the individual can distinguish letters on a test chart at 6 metres that a person with normal vision could read at 18 metres






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






4. Drinking to get drunk rather than just for pleasure.






5. 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.






6. The pressure that one component of a mixture of gases would exert if it were alone in a container.






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






8. The release of water vapour by plants.






9. Blood that contains a high level of oxygen and in which most of the haemoglobin has been converted into oxyhaemoglobin by bonding to oxygen.






10. A condition in which the conjunctiva is inflamed.






11. A technique in which a person is placed in a particular psychological state and - in response to suggestions made by the hypnotist - can experience alterations in perception - memory and voluntary action.






12. The mechanisms in the nervous system underlying an automatic and unconscious reaction to a particular stimulus - i.e. a reaction that cannot be controlled by will-power.






13. A non-invasive method of measuring the level of oxygenation of the blood by using light absorption to calculate the relative levels of haemoglobin and oxyhaemoglobin.






14. 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






15. An estimate of the probability of developing a particular disease or disorder in a population that has been exposed to a particular risk factor - relative to the probability of developing the condition if the risk factor was not present.






16. A graft where the donor tissue comes from the same person (as opposed to an allograft where it comes from another person).






17. A class of natural neurotransmitters that have a similar structure and action to morphine and heroin.






18. An excessive engagement in an activity despite negative consequences and a dependence upon the activity such that when access is denied - craving and withdrawal symptoms are seen. Most usually refers to dependency on a chemical substance but need not






19. A measure of the dose of ionising radiation to an organism which takes into account the sensitivity to radiation of different organs in the body. Multiplied by a tissue weighting factor for that organ. Then the amounts for all the affected organs are






20. A graph recording breathing - Which is made with a spirometer.






21. Tiny particles of calcium that appear as small specks on a mammogram. When clustered in one area of the breast - they may indicate the presence of cancer cells.






22. A cancer that has the ability to spread or metastasise into healthy tissue. (Also called 'invasive' cancer)






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






24. A scale from 0 to 14 describing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution - where 7 is neutral - greater than 7 is more basic (alkaline) and less than 7 is more acidic.






25. A subdivision of a rounded mass of tissue. For example - in the breast - this is used to describe an individual branched subsection of the mammary gland.






26. The light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eyeball that contains the visual receptor cells (rods and cones).






27. A chemical that is stored within the axon terminal of a neuron and is released in response to electrical activity within that neuron. It passes the short distance to a neighbouring cell (neuron or muscle cell) where it binds to a neurotransmitter rec






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






29. 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.






30. Microbes that cause disease.






31. A representation using chemical symbols that shows the order in which the atoms are joined together; e.g. the structural formula of water is shown as HOH.






32. A process in which light passes through a medium unaffected - e.g. light passing through clear glass.






33. A constantly repeating variation of some quantity that transfers energy from one position in a medium to another.






34. Any unintended and undesirable consequences of medical treatment; also known in medicine as an adverse effect or reaction.






35. 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






36. 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






37. A volume in which there are no atoms or molecules.






38. The size and direction of a push or pull.






39. Literally meaning 'alien to nature' - the term is commonly used to refer to chemicals in the natural environment that are of human origin.






40. 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.






41. A slimy - viscous substance secreted as a protective lubricant by the cells in the lining of the nose - throat and airways. Traps microbes and particles and is swept out of the respiratory system into the throat - to be coughed out or swallowed. Also






42. 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.






43. The part of a neuron that consists of a long wire-like projection - ending in a terminal which participates in a synapse with another cell. Action potentials are transmitted along these.






44. 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.






45. Condition in which the full range of colours cannot be clearly distinguished.






46. 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)






47. A group of specialised cells that work together to fulfil a specific function in the body - e.g. muscle.






48. In screening - a person whose screening test result is negative (indicating no disease) - and who actually does not have the disease.






49. The time between one peak of a wave and the next .






50. This term indicates alcohol's effect in inducing 'psychological short-sightedness'. Alcohol lowers the range of attention - so that immediate events take on more importance than their future consequences.