PLTW MI Unit ONE

Medical Interventions

Measures taken to improve health or prevent the course of a disease

Outbreak

An increase in the number of cases of a disease

Pathogen

An organism that causes the disease (can be viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites)

Symptom

The sign of the disease or condition

Risk Factor

A condition that increases the likelihood of developing the disease

Bioinformatic

Field in biology that combines computer science with biology to analyze genetic data,

Genomes

Complete set of DNA in the body

Antibody

A protein that binds to an antigen

Antigen

Proteins found on the surface of viruses and bacteria

Concentration

The amount of something a product has.

Solute

The substance being dissolved

Solvent

The substances that will dissolve the solvent

Solution

Final product/mixture

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

a test that uses antibodies and enzymes to detect the presence of an antigen in a solution.

Enzyme

A protein that speeds up a reaction

Primary Antibody

The antibody that binds to the antigen

Secondary Antibody

Binds to primary antibody

Substrate

Binds to enzyme (linked with secondary antibody) to produce a color change in the solution

Serial Dilution

A step-by-step by which the concentration of a solution is diluted.

Dilution Factor

The ratio of the final volume of a diluted solution to the initial volume of the original solution.

Mechanism

Methods of transferring antibiotic resistance from one cell to another that include transformation, transduction, and conjugation.

Conjugation

A pilus forms between two cells allowing the plasmid copy to go from one cell to

another, transferring the antibiotic resistance

Transformation

Genes are transferred as naked DNA from one cell with the antibiotic resistant gene to another normal cell.

Transduction

DNA is transferred from one to another via a virus that infects the

bacteria cell and serves as a vector for the DNA.

Antibiotics

A protein that binds to specific antigens found on the surface of pathogens

Gram-positive bacteria

Thick cell membrane made up of lipids

Gram-negative bacteria

Thin cell membrane

Nucleoid

Where DNA is stored

Plasmid

Contains a singular strand of DNA

Ribosomes

Allow for protein synthesis

Cell wall

Provides structural support and shape

Endotoxins

A protein that's released after a cell dies

Plasma membrane

Regulates material coming inside and outside the cell

Capsule

Surrounds the cell wall

Flagella

Allows for bacterial movement

Pilli

Proteins attached to the outside of a bacteria

𝛽-Lactams

Inhibits protein synthesis

Tetracyclines

Inhibits cell wall synthesis

Fluoroquinolones

Inhibits DNA replication

Sulfa antibiotics

Inhibits folate synthesis

Sound

A form of energy traveled through waves

Frequency

Measured in vibrations per second (hz)

Amplitude

Amount of energy in the wave

Outer ear

Collects and directs sound waves toward the tympanic membrane (or the eardrum)

Middle ear

Made up of the tympanic membrane along with bones and tendons that help transmit sounds and help with hearing AND the Eustachian tube connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat, to help equalize pressure in the ear

Inner ear

Contains the cochlea which helps with hearing comprehension, the vestibular system that contains semicircular canals which helps keeping our balance by letting our brain know when we move our head or change positions

Pinna

Directs sound waves

External Auditory Canal

A passage that connects the outer ear to the tympanic membrane

Ossicles

Bones that amplify and transmit vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window

Malleus

Transmits the vibrations to the incus

Incus

Sends the vibrations to the stapes

Stapes

Sends the vibrations to the oval window

Tympanic membrane (eardrum)

Turns sound waves into vibrations sent to the ossicles

Tympanic cavity

The space that contains the ossicles

Oval Window

Connects middle ear to inner ear

Semicircular Canals

Fluid filled canals in the inner ear that maintains balance and detects head movement

Cochlea

A fluid filled organ that contains tiny hair cells

Sensory hair cells

Converts vibrations from oval window into electrical impulses

Cochlear/Auditory nerve

Transmits electrical impulses from cochlea to the brain for sound interpretation

Vestibular nerve

Transmits electrical impulses from the semi-circular canals to the brain to maintain balance, spatial orientation, and motion

Round window

Allows fluid to move within the cochlea

Vestibule

Connects to the cochlea (for hearing) and the semicircular canals (for balance), but primarily is used for detecting balance and motion.

Eustachian Tube

Connects the middle ear to the back of the throat to equalize pressure

Tinnitus

Condition where a person hears a ringing or buzzing sound despite no external sound is present, which relates to hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss

Type of hearing loss caused by an abnormal structure or function of the hair cells in the cochlea

Conductive hearing loss

When sound waves are unable to travel efficiently through the outer ear, the eardrum (tympanic membrane), or the ossicles.

Rinne test

A hearing test that compares air conduction to bone conduction in one ear using a tuning fork

Bone conduction

Transmission of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull

Air conduction

Transmission of sound through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear

Decibels

Unit used to measure the intensity or loudness of a sound

Speech-in-Noise Test

Hearing test that measures the ability to understand speech in a noisy background

Audiogram

Graph showing the relationship between vibration frequency and the minimum sound intensity

Pure Tone test

Hearing test that measures a person's ability to hear different frequencies and volumes

Audiology

Branch of science and medicine related to the sense of hearing, balance, and their disorders

Audiologist

Healthcare professional that specializes in identifying, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular system

Assistive Technology

Any device that helps a person with hearing loss or other hearing disorders to communicate more effectively

Hearing aids

An external device that amplifies sound for individuals with mild to severe hearing loss

Cochlear Implants

A surgically implanted device that uses electrical signals to stimulate the hearing nerve, bypassing damaged parts of the ear for those with profound hearing loss

Otolaryngologist

Physician (and surgeon) that specializes in the treatment of ear, nose, and throat conditions, including hearing loss and the implantation of cochlear devices

Vaccine

Injected piece of a pathogen that stimulates the immune system

Vaccination

The procedure that presents the immune system with a harmless variant of a pathogen

Inoculation

When the production of antibodies is stimulated once the pathogen is present

Inactivated Vaccine

Contains a killed pathogen

Live Attenuated Vaccine

Contains a live, weakened pathogen

Toxoid Vaccines

Contains a toxin produced by the bacteria itself

Subunit Vaccine

Contains a specific piece of the bacteria

Conjugate Vaccine

Type of subunit vaccine: that applies a sugar coat on top of the bacteria to be recognizable

Recombinant DNA Technology

The process of inserting a gene into a plasmid, transforming bacteria, and using the bacteria to synthesize proteins like vaccines.

Plasmids

Small ring of DNA that carries additional genes that are separate from

those in the chromosomes.

Genetically engineered microbes or microbial antigens

The antigens used to stimulate the immune response, created through recombinant DNA technology

Naked DNA vaccines

Involves injecting a plasmid directly into muscle tissue without any protective coating

Herd immunity

A theory that claims that if a large group of people are immune to a disease, resistance to said disease is greater.

mRNA vaccine

Contains the genetic code used to inform cells in the creation of the vaccine.

Restriction enzyme

An enzyme that cuts DNA at specific sequences and are essential tools for assembling recombinant DNA molecules

Ligase

An enzyme that helps to conjoin the ends of DNA strands

Blunt Ends

Restriction enzymes that leave no overhangs and are therefore less efficient

Sticky Ends

Restriction enzymes that leave overhanging nucleotides produce these ends, which help DNA fragments stick together more easily