B2. Health, disease and the development of medicines

What is health?

The state of a physical, mental and social well-being.

What is the difference between a communicable and non-communicable disease?

Communicable diseases are spread by direct contact (person to person) whereas non-communicable diseases cannot be spread through direct contact but can be caused by lifestyle factors like diet or genetics.

What is a risk factor?

Increases the likelihood of developing a disease.

How can we measure obesity?

Using the BMI scale.

Name two examples of a communicable disease and two examples of a non-communicable disease.

Communicable: Malaria and the flu, Non-communicable: Cancer and diabetes.

What is cancer?

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.

Cancer causes a lump which is called a what?

Tumour.

How can cardiovascular diseases be treated?

Lifestyle changes and medications.

Name three lifestyle choices that affect our health.

Diet, exercise, and alcohol intake and smoking.

Name the organ in the body which is badly affected if you drink too much alcohol.

Liver.

What is a pathogen?

A microorganism that causes a disease.

Name four pathogens.

Virus, fungi, protist, and parasites.

Give two examples of diseases caused by bacterial pathogens.

Tuberculosis and Cholera.

Why are viruses considered not alive?

Because they do not complete the 7 life processes.

Name a disease caused by a protist pathogen.

Malaria.

Describe the harm caused by a disease caused by a protist pathogen.

Damage to kidney or liver.

Describe two methods of transmission of disease.

Direct contact, air, vector, water, and unhygienic food preparation.

Describe the difference between a physical and a chemical barrier of defense.

Physical barriers such as skin and mucus prevent pathogens by blocking or trapping them. Chemical barriers involve substances that actively attack the pathogens.

Describe the role white blood cells play in fighting off infectious diseases.

White blood cells engulf and destroy pathogens, produce antibodies that target specific pathogens, and remember past infections for faster responses.

State what is meant by a vector of disease.

An organism that spreads pathogens from one host to another, helping transmit infectious diseases.

Describe three ways in which the spread of disease can be prevented.

Vaccination, good hygiene, and vector control.

What is an STD?

A communicable disease that is spread through sexual contact.

State how HIV can be spread from an infected person to others.

Through sexual contact.

Explain why an infected person may spread Chlamydia or HIV without realizing it.

Because of delayed symptoms.

State what is meant by screening for a disease.

The process of medical tests or procedures to check for a disease in people who currently have no symptoms.

What type of sample might be needed for a screening?

Blood sample.

Why are condoms called ‘barrier method’ contraception?

Because they physically block sperm from reaching the egg.

Describe how the body naturally heals a wound.

Red blood cells help create new tissue.

What is a memory cell?

A type of white blood cell that remembers specific pathogens, allowing for faster and more effective responses.

What medicine is used to treat bacterial infections?

Antibiotics.

How do antibiotics kill bacteria?

By inhibiting their cellular processes.

When a drug is being made, what three things need to be tested?

If it’s safe to use, how effective it is against a pathogen, and dosage.

What is a double-blind trial and why is this necessary?

Neither the participants nor the researchers are aware of which group has received the drug and which group has received the placebo to reduce bias.

What is the purpose of pre-clinical trials?

To ensure the drug is effective and safe before being tested on humans.

What is the purpose of a placebo?

A dummy treatment with no medical value used to compare against the actual drug.

What is the purpose of clinical trials?

Testing new drugs and treatments on participants to ensure they are safe and effective before public release.

On an agar plate with discs, how do you know an antibiotic has worked?

When there is a clear zone around the disk called the zone of inhibition where no bacteria have grown.