Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.
🔑Concepts
Health is defined by the WHO as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Pathogens are disease-causing organisms. Examples include bacteria like (Typhoid) and (Pneumonia).
Viral diseases include the Common Cold (Rhino viruses) and AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
Protozoan diseases: Malaria is caused by species (, ). The infectious stage is the sporozoite.
Immunity is the ability of the host to fight the disease-causing organisms. It is divided into Innate (non-specific) and Acquired (pathogen-specific) immunity.
The acquired immune response involves (humoral) and (cell-mediated).
Antibodies are specialized proteins produced by B-cells. The basic structure is represented as , consisting of two heavy and two light chains.
Active Immunity involves the host's own body producing antibodies (e.g., during infection), while Passive Immunity involves the transfer of pre-formed antibodies (e.g., in colostrum).
Autoimmunity is a condition where the body attacks its own cells (e.g., Rheumatoid arthritis).
AIDS is caused by HIV, a retrovirus with an genome. It attacks helper -cells ( cells), significantly reducing the count.
Cancer involves uncontrolled cell division due to the loss of contact inhibition. Malignant tumors exhibit metastasis, spreading to distant sites via blood.
Drugs and alcohol abuse: Opioids (Heroin), Cannabinoids, and Alkaloids (Cocaine) interact with specific receptors in the Central Nervous System (CNS).
📐Formulae
💡Examples
Problem 1:
Calculate the probability of a child inheriting a genetic disease if both parents are carriers of an autosomal recessive trait like Thalassemia.
Solution:
Using a Punnett square, let be the normal allele and be the recessive disease allele. The cross is .
Explanation:
The offspring genotypes will be . Therefore, the probability of a diseased child () is , and the probability of being a carrier () is .
Problem 2:
Describe the diagnostic test used for Typhoid and the causative agent.
Solution:
Causative agent: . Diagnostic test: Widal Test.
Explanation:
The Widal test is a serological test that detects specific antibodies against the and antigens of in a patient's serum.
Problem 3:
Differentiate between Benign and Malignant tumors.
Solution:
Benign tumors remain localized; Malignant tumors invade surrounding tissues and show metastasis.
Explanation:
Malignant cells reach distant sites through circulatory systems and start a new tumor, a property known as metastasis, which is the most feared property of cancer.