Test your basic knowledge |

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. A chemical that has the effect of blocking the action of a natural substance such as a neurochemical. (






2. Each element has been assigned one of these - often the first letter - or two of the first letters of the name; for example - H stands for hydrogen - C for carbon - N for nitrogen - Ca for calcium and O for oxygen.






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






4. 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






5. The total process in an organism by which oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells - oxidation of nutrient molecules releases useable energy - and the oxidation products (carbon dioxide and water) are given off.






6. A type of cell that is found within the nervous system and Which is specialised to transmit and process information (colloquially referred to as 'nerve cell').






7. 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.






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






9. Colours on opposite sides of the colour circle.






10. 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.






11. Pain of relatively short duration and associated with actual damage to tissues.






12. A substance produced by an endocrine gland that is carried around the body in the blood - and affects the structure or functions of specifically receptive target organs or tissues.






13. The transparent gelatinous fluid within the eyeball (between the lens and the retina).






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






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






16. A muscular wall separating the chest (thoracic) cavity from the abdominal cavity in mammals.






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






18. The process of urban development - i.e. of towns and cities - and the movement of an increasing proportion of a country's population from rural to urban environments.






19. The pressure exerted by blood pressing on the walls of the arteries. This is frequently expressed as two numbers - systolic (higher pressure during heart contraction) and diastolic (lower pressure between heart contractions) - measured in mmHg.






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






21. The system of muscles and bones and their various joints and linkages that facilitates support and movement in the body.






22. A stimulus that has no intrinsic power to trigger a particular response but which acquires this power after being associated with another stimulus. For example - a bell does not normally trigger salivation but - after pairing with food - it acquires






23. The concentration of ethanol in blood given in mg per 100 ml.






24. Memory for events or issues related to oneself.






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






26. Much of the brain is divided down its midline into two halves - the left and right of this; also referred to as the 'left brain' and the 'right brain'.






27. The flat cells that line the cardiovascular system.






28. The visual condition of long-sightedness in which images of nearby objects cannot be focused sharply.






29. Any cell that ingests and destroys foreign particles - bacteria and cell debris.






30. A condition in which the optic nerve becomes damaged - usually because the pressure of fluid within the eye becomes too high - leading to a progressive loss of vision.






31. Often abbreviated to 'risk factors'; anything that is statistically associated with an increased chance of developing a particular disease - disorder or disability in a population; when the incidence of the disease is examined in different population






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






33. For a screening procedure such as mammography - this value is the number of true negative results expressed as a percentage of the total number of negative results (true or false). It tells (other things being equal) What the chance is that a person






34. 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.






35. 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






36. An approach to explanation which implies two closely related things: (i) both biological and psychological sciences have central roles in the explanation - and (ii) a given phenomenon to be studied within this perspective - such as pain - has both bi






37. The type of bone (sometimes called compact) that is more dense (compared with cancellous bone) and very strong. It is found in the parts of the bone that need to withstand the largest forces.






38. Substances that have the effect of reducing pain.






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






40. A class of substances arising from outside the body - but Which bear a close similarity to naturally occurring opioids in their structure and effect; they include heroin derived from the opium poppy and morphine.






41. Microscopic organisms (bacteria - fungi and protoctists) - together with viruses - whether pathogenic (disease-causing) or harmless; also known as microorganisms.






42. The total amount of air that can be taken in to the lungs during a maximum inspiration - or expelled during a maximal expiration. (Abbreviated to VC)






43. Recognisable assemblages of plants and animals - such as woodland - grassland - rivers - etc. - in which a distinct set of plants and animals live together and interact with one another.






44. The pivot point about which a lever rotates.






45. Rigid structures (such as bones) that can move about a fulcrum in response to forces in order to transfer force from one place to another. They can modify the size of the force and the distance of motion.






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






47. A beneficial effect deriving from a procedure with no intrinsic benefit. It relies upon the context in which the intervention is made; e.g. a sugar pill might serve as a placebo if the patient believes that it will bring some benefits. (






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






49. Brain region involved in processing memories and emotional reactions.






50. 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