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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. High blood pressure in the blood vessels supplying the lungs - a sign that blood flow is restricted in some way.






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. Pain that arises from tissue damage in one part of the body - but Which is felt to be arising in a different part of the body. It is said to be 'referred to' a part that is not damaged.






4. A drug that widens the airways of the lungs and eases breathing by relaxing smooth muscle in the walls of bronchioles.






5. A property of the body in which a number of its important parameters are held near to constant and any deviation from their normal value triggers action that tends to restore normality. It is exemplified by the maintenance of body temperature - or of






6. 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.






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






8. A class of neurons that convey information from the central nervous system (CNS) to the muscles.






9. 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)






10. The distance between atoms in a molecule.






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






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






13. Pain that arises from damage to neurons either within the central nervous system or in the periphery of the body.






14. The pressure exerted by a gas. It is the sum of the partial pressures of each individual gas in a mixture of gases - e.g. oxygen - carbon dioxide - nitrogen and other gases that make up the air in the lungs.






15. A small - thin-walled - air sac in the lungs surrounded by a network of blood capillaries where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place between the lungs and the blood.






16. Pain that lasts for months or years and which typically persists beyond the time of tissue healing.






17. 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.






18. A two-dimensional map or projection of an object.






19. A chronic - irreversible disease of the lungs characterised by loss of elastic recoil and enlarged air spaces in the lungs due to destruction of the walls of the alveoli and small airways.






20. An aspect of a characteristic that represents an adaptive compromise between two opposing evolutionary pressures; e.g. the human pelvis represents a compromise between being narrow - Which is necessary for running at speed - and being wide - Which is






21. An event that follows a particular behaviour and which strengthens the tendency to repeat that behaviour. For example - if relaxation follows drinking alcohol it would be said to reinforce the tendency to drink alcohol.






22. Often abbreviated to 'compound': a substance made up of two or more elements; it may be composed of molecules or ions.






23. 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.






24. A narrow beam of light used to show the direction of travel of light from a source.






25. A study in which the participants do not know into which group they have been allocated - e.g. whether they have received a drug or a placebo.






26. The study of toxins and their effects on living organisms.






27. A measure of the amount of energy from ionising radiation absorbed per kilogram of tissue. It is measured in units of grays where 1 Gy = 1 joule per kilogram.






28. Deliberately deciding never to drink alcohol.






29. Substances that have the effect of reducing pain.






30. The body system consisting of the heart - blood vessels and blood. It circulates blood throughout the body and is also known as the circulatory system.






31. 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






32. A visual impairment in which the lens of the eye loses transparency and exhibits reduced light transmission.






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






34. A process whereby a parameter is maintained at a nearly constant value because deviations from its normal value tend to trigger actions that 'negate' the deviation and return it to normality; e.g. a fall in body temperature is fed back via the nervou






35. A collection of neurons and other cells that is located within the protection of the backbone.






36. Tells you which type of atoms are bonded together to make up a compound or molecule - using symbols for its constituent elements. It also shows How many of each type of atom there are (e.g. the formula for carbon dioxide - CO2 - shows it has one carb






37. Any physical injury or severe psychological shock.






38. The process of breaking down foods in the body into the molecules needed to maintain life.






39. A value which can be used to calculate the degree to which X-rays (or other radiation) are reduced in intensity when passing through a material (e.g. human tissue).






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






41. Any one of numerous proteins in a mammalian cell that are part of the machinery that detects and repairs mistakes in DNA caused by errors during DNA copying - or by the effects of mutagens. They help to minimise the number of mutations - and when the






42. A group of steroid hormones produced mainly by the ovaries (some are also produced by fat deposits in the body) - which are responsible for promoting the development and maintenance of female sexual characteristics.






43. 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






44. An insoluble fibrous protein that forms clots following tissue damage.






45. Vital to many chemical reactions in the body. Crystals containing these form an important part of the structure of bones.






46. The use of a spirometer to measure the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs.






47. A form of energy that can be described as either a wave or as a flow of 'packets' of energy. It includes gamma rays - X-rays - ultraviolet - visible light - infrared - microwaves and radio waves. The different types of radiation are distinguished by






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






49. A screening programme (sometimes called 'mass screening') that aims to screen everyone in a particular population group (rarely every citizen) - e.g. everyone over the age of 50 years - or all newborn babies. Attempts are made to screen everyone in t






50. Complex structures in the body formed from a number of different tissues - which form a distinct structure and serve a particular function - e.g. the heart - the brain - the lungs. (CS 2 & 4)