Biomed Final Flash Cards

Focus on the heart, brain and DNA.

Biomedical Science

A broad field that incorporates biology to understand human and animal diseases.

Control Group

A baseline for comparison against an experimental group that is exposed to the variable being tested.

Dependent Variable

The factor that is measured and is affected by changes in the independent variable. Depending on another

Experiment

A procedure taken to make a discovery, hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

Forensic Science

the application of scientific principles to solve crimes and analyze evidence.

Hypothesis

a proposed explanation for a phenomenon, often tested through experimentation.

Independent Variable

A variable that is manipulated in an experiment to observe its effects on the dependent variable.

Negative Control

No change or effect is expected.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Clothing and equipment designed to protect users from health or safety risks at work. i.e. gloves, safety goggles.

Positive Control

A positive result.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a genetic autoimmune disorder which causes your body to attack insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is when the body becomes immune to or not producing enough insulin.

How do you deal with diabetes

Monitoring blood sugar levels, following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking insulin or other medications if prescribed.

What is Homeostasis

The body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite internal and external changes.

What does a feedback loop for diabetes look like?

Increased sugar consumption leads to elevated blood glucose, triggering insulin release, which helps lower blood sugar levels. This process may be impaired in diabetes.

How does the body regulate glucose

Through hormones, insulin and glucagon, and coordinated actions from the liver and other organs.

Hyperglycemia

When the body has too much glucose in the bloodstream.

Hypertonic

A solution that has a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Hypotonic

A solution that has a lower concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Isotonic

A solution that has an equal concentration of solutes compared to another solution.

Hypoglycemia

A condition when blood-glucose levels drop low.

Osmosis

When water molecules move through a membrane from an area of lower to an area of higher solute concentration.

Livor Mortis

The pooling of blood in the lower parts of the body after death, causing skin discoloration.

Rigor Mortis

A postmortem condition characterized by the muscles stiffening because of the chemical changes in the muscle fibers.

Postmortem

Events that occur after death.

Autopsy

An examination used to determine the cause of death.

Mechanism of death

The specific physiological disruption or change in the body that ultimately leads to death. Cause, mechanism, manner.

Carbohydrates

Function: Main source of energy, providing the body fuel.

Structure: A chain of carbon atoms

Building block: monosaccharides

Proteins

Function: Required structure for tissues, hormones, enzymes and organs.

Structure: Linear sequence of amino acids to complex 3D shapes

Building Block: Amino Acids

Lipids

Function: Energy storage, structural components of cell membranes, hormone production, and aiding in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins

Structure: Glycerol and fatty acids. 

Building Block: Glycerol and fatty acids.

Plasma

The liquid part of your blood. Carries red and white blood cells and platelets through the body.

Erythrocytes

Red blood cells, responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to tissues, carrying carbon dioxide back to the lungs.

Leukocytes

White blood cells, defends the body against infections, foreign invaders, and diseases.

Thrombocytes

Platelets, form clots to prevent and stop bleeding.

Hematocrit

The percentage of red blood cells in your blood, measured as a percentage of the total blood volume

Amino Acid

Molecules that combine to form proteins

Codon

a sequence of 3 consecutive nucleotide bases in DNA or RNA that specifies a particular amino acid or indicates the start or stop of translation during protein synthesis.

Anticodon

A sequence of 3 nucleotide bases in DNA or RNA that specifies a particular amino acid or indicates the start/stop of translation during protein synthesis.

mRNA

A type of single stranded RNA involved in protein synthesis.

Neucleotide

The building block of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.

Protein Synthesis

The process by which cells create proteins, essential for various bodily functions

RNA

A molecule found in all living organisms and some viruses. A nucleic acid.

Ribosome

Essential cellular structures responsible for synthesizing proteins.

Transcription

the process by which a cell makes an RNA copy of a piece of DNA.

Translation

The process by which a cell makes proteins using the genetic information carried in messenger RNA (mRNA).

Autosome

any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome.

Dominant Trait

Only one copy of the relevant allele is needed to express the trait

Recessive Trait

A characteristic that is only expressed when an individual has two copies of the recessive allele for that trait, one from each parent

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup, specifically the combination of alleles (different forms of a gene) for a particular trait

Phenotype

The observable characteristics or traits of an individual, determined by their genetic makeup and potentially influenced by environmental factors

Mitosis

A cell division process in eukaryotic cells where one cell divides into two genetically identical daughter cells

Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase (PMAT)

Meiosis

A type of cell division that occurs in sexually reproducing organisms to produce gametes (sperm and egg cells)

Pedigree Chart

A diagram that visually represents the family history of individuals, particularly to understand the inheritance of genetic traits or conditions

Punnett Square

A diagram used in genetics to predict the possible genotypes of offspring in a cross between two parents

Allele

One of two or more alternative versions of a gene that occur at the same place on a chromosome

Aorta

The main blood vessel through which oxygen and nutrients travel from the heart to organs throughout your body.

Artery

Blood vessels that distribute oxygen-rich blood to your entire body.

Atrium

The two upper chambers of the heart, responsible for receiving blood from the body and lungs

Inferior Vena Cava

The largest vein in the human body, carrying deoxygenated blood from the lower body back to the heart

Mitral Valve

Opens up enough so that blood can flow from the upper chamber of your heart (left atrium) to the lower chamber (left ventricle). It then closes, keeping blood from flowing backwards.

Superior Vena Cava

A large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper body back to the heart

Tricuspid Valve

One of four heart valves, located between the right atrium and the right ventricle

Ventricle

One of two large chambers located toward the bottom of the heart

Vein

Any of the tubes forming part of the blood circulation system of the body, carrying in most cases oxygen-depleted blood toward the heart.

Blood Pressure

The force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries

Diastole

The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood.

Sytole

The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood.

EKG or ECG

EKG and ECG are interchangeable terms for the same medical test: an electrocardiogram

Hypertension

A condition where the force of blood against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high

Sphygmomanometer

An instrument for measuring blood pressure

Cardiology

The branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the heart and blood vessels

DNA

A molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development and functioning of all living organisms

How do scientists isolate DNA to study it and how does it differ from person to person?

Scientists isolate DNA by extracting it from cells and then purifying it. It is different due to variations in base pair sequences, specifically in areas called alleles, which create individual DNA profiles

How can tools of molecular biology be used to compare DNA of two individuals?

Molecular biology tools like restriction enzymes, gel electrophoresis, and PCR can be used to compare DNA from two individuals.

Restriction Enzymes

Proteins produced by bacteria that cut DNA at specific sites

Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs)

A technique that analyzes variations in DNA fragment sizes produced by restriction enzymes

Gel Electrophoresis

A laboratory technique used to separate DNA, RNA, or protein fragments based on their size and charge

Purines & Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases that are the building blocks of nucleic acids

Sugars & Phosphates

Augars and phosphates work together to form the structural backbone of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA

Adenine

One of the four nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA

Chromosome

Structures within cells that contain genetic information in the form of DNA

Cystosine

One of the four main nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA

Guanine

One of the four main nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA

Gene

The basic unit of heredity, carrying instructions for building specific proteins or other functional RNA molecules

Helix

Refers to a spiral or coiled structure

Nucleotide

The fundamental building block of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA

Thymine

One of the four main nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA

Model

Various representations used to understand complex biological systems, often by simplifying them into more manageable forms

Human Body Systems

Integumentary System, Skeletal System, Muscular System, Nervous System, Endocrine System, Cardiovascular System, Lymphatic System, Respiratory System, Digestive System, Urinary System, and Reproductive System

LDL & HDL

Two types of lipoproteins (fat and protein combinations) that carry cholesterol in the blood.

LDL: Low density lipoprotein

HDL: High density lipoprotein

Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A genetic condition that causes high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often referred to as "bad" cholesterol

Heart Disease

A broad term encompassing various conditions that affect the heart's structure and function, impacting its ability to pump blood efficiently

What happens inside the heart during a heart attack?

Blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked, usually due to a clot in a coronary artery

How do doctors treat a blocked blood vessel

Angioplasty and stenting, atherectomy, bypass surgery, and medication

Risk factors for developing heart disease

Lifestyle choices like smoking, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption

How can you decrease your risk for heart disease?

Prioritize a heart-healthy lifestyle

Angioplasty

A medical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked arteries, improving blood flow

Stent

A small mesh tube, often made of metal, used to keep a passageway in the body open, particularly in blood vessels

Bypass Surgery

A procedure to improve blood flow to the heart muscle when the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked

Stroke

Occurs when something disrupts blood flow to the brain, leading to brain cell damage or death