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med anthro > final > Flashcards

final Flashcards

1
Q

What is an infectious disease?

A

Microorganisms that use a host’s resources to reproduce, resulting in an immune response or physiological disruption

Most microorganisms don’t cause disease; those that do are called pathogens.

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2
Q

What are the 6 major groups of pathogens that infect humans?

A
  • Viruses
  • Bacteria
  • Protozoa
  • Fungi
  • Helminths
  • Prions
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3
Q

Which age group is most affected by infectious diseases?

A

Neonatal and postneonatal

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4
Q

What is an epidemic?

A

Increase in the incidence of infection in a population at a specific time

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5
Q

Why do we still have infectious diseases?

A
  • Conflicts between pathogens and hosts
  • Novel environments
  • New diseases
  • Zoonotic diseases
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6
Q

What is virulence?

A

The severity of a disease brought on by a pathogen

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7
Q

Who developed the germ theory of disease?

A

Robert Koch

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8
Q

What are Koch’s postulates?

A
  • Pathogen must always be found in persons with the disease
  • Pathogen must be isolated and grown in pure culture
  • The culture should cause the disease when introduced into a healthy individual
  • Pathogen can be isolated from second individual and grown in culture
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9
Q

What are the characteristics of viruses?

A
  • DNA or RNA surrounded by protein
  • Obligate parasites
  • Mimic host cell proteins to bind with receptors on host cells
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10
Q

What defines bacteria?

A
  • Single-celled prokaryotic organisms
  • Reproduce by duplicating their DNA and dividing
  • Over 400 identified genera; 40 known to cause disease in humans
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11
Q

What are protozoa?

A
  • Single-celled eukaryotic organisms
  • Able to evade host’s immune defenses
  • Infections are difficult to treat and symptoms may be chronic
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12
Q

What is the role of fungi in infectious diseases?

A
  • Eukaryotic organisms
  • 70,000 species, few harmful to humans
  • Low virulence unless host is immunocompromised
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13
Q

What are helminths?

A
  • Multicellular organisms
  • 3 types cause disease in humans: roundworms, tapeworms, flukes
  • 50% of the world’s population is infected today
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14
Q

What are prions?

A
  • Infectious proteins
  • Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
  • Untreatable and fatal
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15
Q

What is direct transmission?

A

Exploitation of the most permeable parts of the host’s body (skin, reproductive tract, respiratory and digestive system)

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16
Q

What factors favor selection for higher virulence?

A
  • Intermediary disease vectors
  • Transmission does not require host to be mobile
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17
Q

What factors favor selection for lower virulence?

A
  • Casual human-human transmission
  • Transmission requires host to be mobile
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18
Q

What is global health?

A

A field that aims to improve wellbeing and reduce health disparities around the world

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19
Q

What are emerging infectious diseases?

A

Infectious diseases whose incidence in humans has increased over recent decades

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20
Q

What are resurgent infectious diseases?

A

Infectious diseases whose prevalence had declined but is now increasing again

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21
Q

What are some major symptoms of tuberculosis?

A
  • Coughing and shortness of breath
  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Chills, fever, night sweats
  • Loss of weight
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22
Q

How is tuberculosis spread?

A
  • Droplet transmission from coughs or sneezes
  • Survives on surfaces for months
23
Q

What is the difference between active and latent tuberculosis?

A
  • Active TB: symptomatic, contagious
  • Latent TB: asymptomatic, not contagious
24
Q

What challenges exist in ancient TB research?

A
  • Limited archaeological evidence
  • Older bones are harder to find and more degraded
25
Q

What are the health consequences of natural disasters worsened by climate change?

A
  • Destroyed homes, clinics, and infrastructure
  • Food shortages
  • Limited access to health information
26
Q

What is the first line of defense against pathogens?

A
  • Skin
  • Mucous membranes
27
Q

What were the health consequences of the pandemic lockdown?

A

Destruction of homes and healthcare centers, destroyed sanitation systems, disrupted tourism, destroyed crops, food shortages

Major sources of income and basic needs were severely impacted.

28
Q

What is the first line of defense against pathogens?

A

Skin, mucous membranes, evolved defenses (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, iron sequestering)

These defenses help to recognize and respond to pathogens effectively.

29
Q

What is the role of phagocytes in the immune system?

A

Recognize and destroy pathogens

Phagocytes are key components of the innate immune system.

30
Q

How does the adaptive immune system differ from the innate immune system?

A

Responds slowly, high specificity, memory capability

The adaptive system includes lymphocytes and provides long-term immunity.

31
Q

What are epitopes?

A

Sections of pathogen proteins identifiable as non-self

Epitopes are crucial for the immune system to recognize pathogens.

32
Q

What is herd immunity?

A

Indirect protection from infectious disease when a large percentage of a population becomes immune

Protects individuals who cannot receive vaccinations.

33
Q

What physiological processes are involved in the autonomic nervous system’s immediate stress response?

A

Mobilizes energy, increases heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and mental acuity

This response is critical for survival during acute stress.

34
Q

What is allostasis?

A

Maintaining stability through change

It’s the physiological process that allows organisms to adapt to stressors.

35
Q

What can chronic stress lead to?

A

Damage to cardiovascular system, immunosuppression

Chronic stress affects health negatively and can lead to various diseases.

36
Q

What are the effects of chronic cortisol release?

A

Increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

Chronic cortisol can lead to negative metabolic effects.

37
Q

What is socioeconomic status (SES)?

A

A composite measure including income, occupation, education, and housing conditions

SES influences health outcomes significantly.

38
Q

What does the ‘SES gradient’ refer to?

A

Every step downward in SES correlates with poorer health

A stark difference in health outcomes exists between different SES levels.

39
Q

What is scientific racism?

A

Use of scientific evidence to justify racial superiority or inferiority

It is based on flawed biological assumptions about races.

40
Q

What is a cline?

A

A character gradient over geographic space

It illustrates the continuous nature of biological variation among human populations.

41
Q

True or False: Race explains the majority of human genetic variation.

A

False

Most genetic variation occurs within populations, not between them.

42
Q

What is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis?

A

A hormonal stress response system involving CRH, ACTH, and cortisol

It plays a key role in stress response and metabolic regulation.

43
Q

What are the primary cells involved in the adaptive immune response?

A

Lymphocytes (T cells and B cells)

These cells provide high specificity and memory against pathogens.

44
Q

Fill in the blank: The __________ is responsible for the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response.

A

Sympathetic nervous system

This system prepares the body to respond to immediate threats.

45
Q

What is passive immunity?

A

Uses pre-formed antibodies from other individuals

This type of immunity provides immediate protection but is temporary.

46
Q

What are some common symptoms of measles?

A

High fever, runny nose, cough, watery eyes, rash, Koplik spots

Symptoms can lead to serious health complications if not treated.

47
Q

What is the primary B-cell response to vaccination?

A

B cells detect antigen, multiply, and produce antibodies

This response can take several days to develop.

48
Q

What is the role of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)?

A

Presents pieces of pathogenic proteins for T cell recognition

MHC is crucial for the immune system’s ability to target intracellular pathogens.

49
Q

Is race synonymous with biology?

A

No, race is not biology, but race BECOMES biology

This concept is discussed by Gravlee (2009) in the context of systemic racism and its effects on health.

50
Q

What are the factors that shape the social construct of race?

A
  • Historical factors
  • Contemporary socioeconomic circumstances
  • Educational circumstances
  • Variation in historical classification systems

These factors contribute to the social understanding and implications of race.

51
Q

What must individuals of mixed heritage do regarding race?

A

Must ‘choose’

This highlights the complexities of racial identity in mixed-heritage individuals.

52
Q

Why can we see racial differences in health?

A
  • Genetics
  • Social causation
  • Unequal access to healthcare
  • Unequal treatment of illness
  • Racism
  • Embodied social inequality → Altered biological pathways

These factors illustrate the multifaceted reasons behind health disparities among racialized groups.

53
Q

True or False: Systemic racism has no effect on biology.

A

False

Systemic racism becomes embodied in the biology of racialized groups, reinforcing inequalities.

med anthro (6 decks)

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