B6 - Preventing and treating disease Flashcards
What non-specific systems does the body use to prevent pathogens from getting in?
- skin
- cilia and mucus in nose, trachea and bronchi
- stomach acid
What three functions to white blood cells have?
- phagocytosis
- producing antibodies
- producing antitoxins
What happens during phagocytosis?
phagocyte is attracted to area of infection, engulfs pathogen, releases enzyme to digest pathogen
What are antigens?
proteins on the surface of a pathogen
Why are antibodies a specific defence?
antibodies have to be the right shape for a pathogen’s unique antigens, so they target a specific pathogen
function of antitoxin
neutralise toxins produced by pathogens by binding to them
what is in a vaccine
small quantities of dead or inactive form of a pathogen
how does vaccination protect against pathogen
- stimulates body to produce antibodies against a specific pathogen
- if same pathogen reenters, white blood cells rapidly produce specific antibodies in larger quantities
what is herd immunity
when most of a population is vaccinated against a disease, meaning it is less likely to spread
what is an antibiotic
a drug that kills bacteria but not viruses
what do painkillers do
treat some symptoms of disease that relieves pain
what properties of new drugs are clinical trials designed to test
toxicity, efficacy, optimum dose
what happens in pre-clinical stage of drug trial
drug is tested om cells, tissues and live animals
what is a placebo
medicine with no effect that is given to patients instead of the real drug in a trial
what is a double blind trial
a trial where neither patients nor doctors know who receives the real drug, and who receives a placebo
