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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. Diseases in which the pathogen causing the disease lives part of its life cycle in water; e.g. cholera - cryptosporidiosis.






2. A form of conditioning in which a stimulus with no intrinsic capacity to trigger a particular response acquires such a capacity by being paired with a stimulus that does trigger the response; e.g. a bell can come to trigger salivation in a dog if it






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






4. A molecule that has both negatively and positively charged regions.






5. The removal of one or more electrons from an atom or molecule.






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






7. A therapeutic technique where low-level stimulation is given to the skin and which has the effect of reducing pain (abbreviated to TENS).






8. A measure of the refracting power of a lens. Calculated as: 1 / focal length of the lens (in metres). The unit used is dioptres (symbol D). The power of a convex lens is positive; for a concave lens it is negative.






9. Characteristic signs that follow the termination of taking a drug - most usually associated with a negative mood. There can also be characteristic physiological signs associated with particular drugs - e.g. sweating and shivering.






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






11. The cells associated with peripheral neurons that wrap themselves around the axons.






12. 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






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






14. A condition in which the conjunctiva is inflamed.






15. A sensory nerve cell or group of cells that responds to a chemical stimulus.






16. A type of chemical bond formed between a partial positive charge on a hydrogen atom and a partial negative charge on another atom. In more detail - the bond is formed by the electrical attraction occurring between the partial positive charge remainin






17. The basic structural unit of all organisms; there are many different kinds in multicellular organisms. In mammals - including humans - they are usually composed of a nucleus containing genetic material - surrounded by the watery cytosol containing va






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






19. The thinnest blood vessels.






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






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. An internationally recognised health indicator - defined as the number of babies in every 1000 live births who die in their first year of life.






23. A cancer that has the ability to spread or metastasise into healthy tissue. (also known as 'malignant' cancer)






24. A cancerous tumour arising in epithelial tissue that has the ability to metastasise (spread) to other parts of the body.






25. A complex specialised molecule embedded in the outer membrane of a cell - or in its internal structure - which has a unique three-dimensional shape and patterns of electrical charge that enable it to bind specifically to a particular signalling molec






26. Colours on opposite sides of the colour circle.






27. Large blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart.






28. A process whereby a stimulus that owes its power to conditioning loses this power by being repeatedly presented on its own; e.g. the ceasing of the capacity of a bell to trigger salivation occurs if the bell is repeatedly sounded - but without food b






29. An inflammation of the liver which can vary in severity.






30. Refers to an infectious disease that can be transmitted by physical contact.






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






32. Industrial chemicals - commonly found as environmental pollutants - that disrupt the hormonal systems of animals - including humans.






33. 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






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






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






36. Radiation which can cause ionisation. From the electromagnetic spectrum this includes gamma rays - X-rays and some high-energy ultraviolet radiation.






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






38. The process of inspiring or inhaling; the drawing in of air into the lungs.






39. The eye chart used to determine how well a person can see at various distances. Named after a 19th-century Dutch ophthalmologist Hermann Snellen (1834-1908) who devised a test for visual acuity.






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






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






42. Death.






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






44. The problem of trying to explain how the subjective feelings of consciousness arise from the physical matter of the brain.






45. Two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds - e.g. hydrogen (H2) - water (H2O) - carbon dioxide (CO2).






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






47. A drug that acts to reduce the signs of inflammation - e.g. swelling - redness - heat and pain.






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






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






50. A change in the sequences of bases in the DNA of an organism - resulting in an alteration in the manufacture or function of a body protein. Also refers to the process by which such a change in DNA sequence occurs due to the action of a mutagen - e.g.