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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 total number of people who have the condition (disease - disorder or disability) at a particular point in time - regardless of how long they have been affected.






2. A protein produced by a living organism that functions as a catalyst. It facilitates other molecules entering into chemical reactions with one another - but is itself unaffected by these reactions.






3. A protein that is abundant in the extracellular matrix and can form long thin fibres to provide structure to many tissues.






4. Immobilisation of a broken bone using something rigid.






5. The visual condition of short-sightedness in which images of distant objects cannot be focused sharply.






6. 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.






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






9. 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






10. The binding that occurs between a signalling molecule and its specific receptor. The specificity of the binding is analogous to that of a particular key in a particular lock; e.g. the binding between a neurotransmitter and its receptor - or a hormone






11. Qualified to employ a range of equipment such as X-rays - MRI scanners - etc. to produce images to diagnose an injury or disease. They will then have undergone further specialist training in mammography. (Two types - diagnostic and therapeutic; the l






12. The cells that produce new bone.






13. The distance between atoms in a molecule.






14. A measure of the real impact of a particular disease - disorder or disability on people's lives (DALY) - combining an estimate of the number of years lived with a reduced quality of life - taking into account the severity of the condition (every cond






15. 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






16. 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.






17. A gradual change in about 10% of chronic heavy drinkers whereby liver cells are replaced by scar tissue.






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






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






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






21. This condition occurs when the arteries supplying oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle become blocked by fatty deposits known as plaques - and areas of muscle die as a result.






22. A technique where people learn to change their thought patterns and behaviour to create feelings of coping and self-efficacy; e.g. people in chronic pain might be taught to place a less catastrophic interpretation on their pain.






23. 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.






24. An eye-surgery technique where the epithelial layer of the eye is removed and laser treatment applied to the tissues exposed beneath (abbreviated to PRK).






25. Pain that is triggered by a stimulus that causes actual or potential damage to the tissues of the body.






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






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






28. In screening - a person whose screening test result is positive (indicating disease) - and who actually has the disease.






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






30. Most common type of age-related macular degeneration - in which the blood supply to the retina is reduced - resulting in gradual loss of vision.






31. An electrically charged atom or molecule. May be positively or negatively charged; e.g. Na+ (the positively charged sodium ion) and Cl- (the negatively charged chloride ion).






32. Blood that contains very little oxygen.






33. 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.






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






35. Haemoglobin bound to oxygen molecules. Transports oxygen from blood vessels in the lungs to the cells in the rest of the body.






36. The yellow central area of the retina containing the fovea.






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






38. An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience traditionally associated with actual or potential tissue damage and which normally is felt to arise in a particular location in the body. The term can also be used to refer to experiences triggered by so






39. 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.






40. The volume of air remaining in the lungs after a maximum expiration (abbreviated to RV).






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






42. Abnormally high acidity (excess hydrogen ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues.






43. A molecule that facilitates a reaction but Which is left unchanged at the end; catalysis refers to the action of this.






44. Microbes that cause disease.






45. A term that refers to the fact that the connections between neurons are not static. Rather - they are subject to change as result of activity within the neurons concerned. It can mean - over a period of time - increased sensitivity of connections bet






46. 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






47. 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)






48. Diseases or disorders that develop as a result of the interaction over time of a combination of different risk factors - none of which on its own would be likely to cause the disease. These may include the inheritance of certain gene mutations from a






49. 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






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