Health & Medicine Flashcards
1
Q
how many people die of epilepsy each year?
A
250,000
2
Q
what causes seizures/epilepsy?
A
intermittent paroxysms (outbursts) of disordered electrical activity in the brain causing loss/alteration of consciousness and usually convulsions.
3
Q
ways to test epilepsy
A
- blood test - could your seizures be due to low blood sugar?
- ECG - an EEG but for your heart - could your seizures be from abnormal electrical activity of your heart?
- MRI - does something structural in your brain indicate epilepsy? 
- EEG - do you have epilptiform discharges that suggest epilepsy?
4
Q
status epilepticus
A
seizure longer than 5 mins, or two or more seizures occurring during 5 minutes when the person does not recover between seizures. Can be convulsive or non-convulsiv e. Can be life-threatening so requires emergency treatment.
5
Q
details about putting on an EEG
A
1.5 - 2 hours to put on do test and take off
- mark head with marker so know where to put electrodes
- clean each mark with soap so recording will be clear and collect the information desired
- use sticky salt-based paste to stick on the electrodes.
6
Q
epilepsy affects 1 in every x people
A
200. it is one of the most common neurological diseases
7
Q
what type of electrodes have lower fidelity?
A
dry or semi-dry. 
gel electrodes have higher fidelity but take longer to put on
8
Q
what is used to stick electrodes onto head? Why?
A
sticky salt-based paste
1. conductive (electrical charge can pass through it) so helps record signals from your brain
2. makes sure electrodes stay in place during recording
9
Q
Tonic clonic
A
Tonic where body becomes rigid
Clonic uncontrollable jerking
10
Q
where should not EEG be stored?
A
away from 
- large electronic machines as the electrical current may add unwanted noise to your data
- loud noises - can distract patient and interfere with data collection
11
Q
refractory seizures
A
seizures that don’t respond to medication
drug-resistant seizures
12
Q
which electrode types are quicker at collecting data?
A
dry or semi-dry electrodes as they take less time to set up compared to gel electrodes
13
Q
unknown onset
A
when doctors are not sure where in the brain the seizure starts - due to the person being asleep or no one being around to witness it. 
If it is not generalised or focal it is xx xx.
14
Q
what other disorders can EEG diagnose?
A
insomnia
15
Q
causes of death in epilepsy
A
- falls
- drowning
- status elipticus 
- SUDEP
16
Q
What to do if someone is having a seizure
A
- only move them if they’re in danger i.e. near a busy road
- make sure they can breathe, remove neck ties etc.
- turn them on their side in the recovery position
- note the time the seizure starts and finishes
17
Q
SDI is correlated with
A
health outcomes
18
Q
ecoanxiety
A
anxiety caused by dread of environmental issues e.g. climate change
19
Q
what is the purpose of the placenta
A
provides oxygen and nutrients to the baby and removes waste from the baby’s blood
20
Q
The endocrine system is made up of
A
Glands and organs
21
Q
How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?
A
23
22
Q
Valium is used to treat
A
anxiety, alcohol withdrawals
sometimes seizures and muscle spasms
23
Q
Type 2 diabetes
A
Your immune system does not produce enough, or cells do not react enough to insulin
24
Q
Polygenic disease
A
genetic disease caused by more than one gene
Often multiple genes are affected and all of these genes combined leads to a risk of the disease. e.g. diabetes.
25
what do the cranial nerves do
pass information to your brain regarding your senses (sight, taste, etc)
26
What 3 things are measured to produce a country's SDI?
Economy - income per capita
Education - average education attainment
Fertiflity rates
27
Why are polygenic diseases called 'complex' diseases?
Because they are determined by the interaction between several different genes as well as environmental factors.
Their causes are not always clear, unlike monogenic which are clearly caused by a single gene.
E.g. Many people will have Type 2 diabetes, a common polygenic disease, but we do not know the exact causes of this yet as there are many genes involved that must be affected, as well as lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise that may or may not lead to the disease.
28
What is GABA
A neurotransmitter
29
Type 1 diabetes
Immune system attacks or destroys cells that produce insulin so glucose can't get into your blood stream
30
what do coronary arteries do?
supply blood to the heart
31
Which are rarer? Monogenic or polygenic diseases?
Monogenic
32
how does phenibut work?
it inhibits overly stimulated neurons because it raises GABA levels in your brain
33
What is the main function of the prostrate?
Produce fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
34
4 functions of estrogen
#NAME?
35
What are the main glands in the endocrine system?
#NAME?
36
what are a few examples of types of cardiovascular disease
coronary heart diease (e.g. heart attacks and heart failure)
strokes
37
What do ovaries do?
They produce, store and release eggs through the fallopian tubes during ovulation.
38
The hypothalamus maintains your body's balanced state called
homeostasis
39
Benzodiazepines are used for
anxiety, seizures and insomnia
40
Valium is also known as
Diazepam
41
What do tau proteins do?
Help stabilise the internal skeleton of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain
42
Venae cavae
The two large veins that return deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart
43
why is it called a retrovirus?
retro meaning reverse
a retrovirus turns its RNA into DNA through a process called reverse transcriptase 
Normal transcription is when DNA turns into RNA - hence this process being reversed
44
List 6 things the hypothalamus helps regulate
#NAME?
45
What two hormones do ovaries produce?
Estrogen and progesterone
46
Where is your pancreas located?
In your abdomen, beside your stomach
47
What two proteins cause Alzheimer's?
Amyloid and Tau proteins
48
What do benzodiazapine drugs do neurochemically?
They increase the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA
49
TMS
Transcranial magnetic stimulation 
way to treat depression by stimulating nerves in the brain through a magnetic pulse
50
3 Examples of monogenic diseases
Sickle cell anemia
Cystic Fibrosis
Huntington's Disease
51
why did lobotomies stop
they didn't appear to work, patients could still function but most became very apathetic and 'slow'
also, medicines were invented in the 1950s that proved to cure mental disorders and became very popular
52
What are the two functions of the pancreas?
1. Digestion - produces a watery, alkaline substance which breaks down food into small molecules
2. Controls blood sugar levels
53
When is melatonin released at its peak?
During the middle of the night.
It will then drop significantly once it is morning.
54
Name the 4 humours
Blood (sanguine)
yellow bile (choleric)
black bile (melancholic)
phlegm (phlegmatic)
55
Way to remember the main glands in the endocrine system
PPPOT/THA - Sounds like Professor Quirrel saying "Harry P-p-potter"
3 Ps, 2 Ts, OHA
Pineal
Pituitary
Pancreas
Ovaries/Testes
Thyroid
Hypothalamus
Andrenal
56
Monogenic diseases
Diseases caused by one gene
57
symptoms of diabetes
you become very tired, pee a lot, lose weight, heal slowly - can lead to damaged kidneys, heart, eyes and feet
58
What is the function of the uterus?
Where a fetus grows
Uterus = womb
59
What does GABA do?
Sends calming messages to the body; reduces neural excitability
60
What does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex do?
controls cognitive tasks such as:
- decision making
- novelty detection
- working memory
- mood regulation
- theory of mind processing
- controlling impulses
- abstract reasoning
- timing
61
Diazepam (Valium) and Xanax are types of
benzodiazepines
62
What does the hormone melatonin do?
Helps control your sleep cycle by regulating circandian rhythms
63
the Medicine's Act was developed because of
the thalidomide tragedy, where many people were taking the drug to prevent neausea but it caused deformities in foetuses.
64
The hypothalamus links the
endocrine and nervous systems via the pituitary gland
65
5 examples of polygenic diseases
Coronary artery disease
Type 2 diabetes
Alzheimer's Disease
Cancer
Schizophrenia
66
EEG artifacts
recorded activity that is not from the brain e.g. eye movement, pulse, sweat, etc.
Artifacts can be mistaken as cerebral signals, making it difficult to diagnose epilepsy
67
How many genes do humans have?
20,000 - 25,000
68
How does the hypothalamus ensure homeostasis?
Either by directly influcing the nervous system or by excreting hormones via the pituitary gland
69
where is DNA stored?
in chromosomes 
70
What did the Flexner Report say had to change in medical training?
\- higher admission standards to medical school 
\- higher standards for gradation
\- based on science 
lots of black medical schools were closed as a result
71
What causes Alzheimer's?
The build up of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain over the course of decades.
72
What does the endocrine system do?
the body's chemical communication system
It is made up of a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream, thereby regulating metabolism, growth, stress, mood, etc.
73
signs of a cardic arrest
Sudden loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, heart stops beating, death within a few minutes
74
what are the main diseases CAD can lead to
heart attack
heart failure
arrhythmias
75
what type of cholesterol is considered bad and why
LDL - low-density lipoprotein
it accumulates cholesterol/plauqe in your arteries
76
which type of cholesterol is considered good and why
HDL - high-density lipoprotein
it removes excess cholesterol from your arteries
77
what are the two main types of cholesterol that build up to cause CAD
LDL - low-density lipoprotien
HDL - hgih-density liproprotein
78
what is the main thing that makes up plaques that cause CAD
cholesterol
79
what is CAD
coronary artery disease
when blood vessels that sypply oxygen and nutrients to the heart become narrowed or blocked due to a build up of plaques
80
can CAD be cured
no, but it can be slowed or halted
81
name the 6 most common types of cardiovascular disease
1. coronary artery disease (CAD)
2. heart attack (myocardial infarction)
3. heart failure
4. arrhythmias
5. hypertension (high blood pressure)
6. stroke
82
what is high blood pressure known as
hypertension
83
what is a heart attack medically called
Myocardial Infarction
84
what type of diseases are the leading causes of death?
cardiovascular diseases
85
cardiovascular diseases affect
heart and blood vessels
86
How do people get neurocysticercosis?
By ingesting tapeworm eggs, usually from uncooked pork.
When these eggs are in human bloodstream, the larvae can travel to the human brain and form cysts, causing neurocysticercosis.
87
What example does Victor Patterson use to show how apps have fewer misdiagnoses for epilepsy than paper-based methods?
He compares his app (Epilepsy Diagnostic Aid) to a paper by Krishnan Anand (2005).
His app only has 8% misdognoses compared to Anand's 25%.
88
What did Kunal Bahrani's 2017 publication show?
In-person consultations and telephone consulations had the same level of seizure control and medication adherence.
89
What part of diagnosis does Victor Patterson's EDA app aim to solve?
Is the episode epileptic or not?
The first question answered when disgnosing epilepsy.
90
What are 7 questions that need to be answered for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment?
Is the episode epileptic or not?
If so, is it provoked or symptomatic?
What seizure types are present?
What is the epilepsy type?
What investigations have been done?
What treatment is being taken?
What is the besttreatment?
91
ictal phase
the middle phase of a seizure - when the actual seizure happens and most of the the electrical activity is occurring
92
Roughly how many people die every year from epilepsy?
~250,000
93
Epilepsy affects 1 in ___ people. affedt.
200
94
What is a parastic disease of the central nervous system that frequently causes seizures and epilepsy?
neurocysticersosis
95
Give an example of a study where in-person epilepsy consultations vs telephone consultations showed same levels of seizure control and adherence.
Give first author, date and country
Kunal Bahrani - First Author
2017
India
96
What was the sensitivity and specificity of Victor Patterson's Epilepsy Diagnostic Aid app in 2015?
Sensitivity 88%
Specificity 100%
97
Who invented the four humours
Greek physician Hippocrates
98
precision medicine
personalised medicine, taking into account genetics, environment and lifestyle to provide someone with the best treatment for them
99
Rx
prescription
so focus on prescribed rather than over-the counter medicines
100
RWD
real world data
data collected during routine clinical care, mobile applications, wearables, etc. that are from real-world pateint experiences
101
RWE
real world evidence (not RCTs which are under controlled settings)
102
what are genes?
sections of DNA that contain instructions for how to make molecules (usually proteins) 
103
excitation-transfer theory
if you feel a strong emotions from one stimuli (anger, excitement, fear, etc.) this feeling will carry over when you encounter a following stimuli and can result in you feeling unnecessarily heightened emotions
104
encephalo- (Greek meaning)
brain
105
GABA stands for
Gamma-Aminobutyric acid
106
Suture
Closing a wound with stitching.
The doctor xxd a wound
107
Vasectomy
Surgical procedure to cut or seal tubes that carry men's sperm. Male infertility.
108
encephalopathy
damage or disease of the brain
109
haemophilia
genetic disorder that reduces the abaility to make blood clots, so you bleed for longer and are at greater risk of bleeding internally
110
syncope (sin - ko - pee)
fainting
111
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Brain condition caused by repeated blows to the head and repeated concussion.
Usually experienced by sport athletes.
112
CTE stands for
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
113
GABA is an abbreviation of
gamma-aminobutyric acid
114
Thrush
Yeast infection
115
4 styles of disease infections
Fungal
Bacterial
Viral
Parasitic
116
sensitivity
how many people who test positive actually have the disease
117
specificity
how many people who test negative actually don't have the disease
118
PPV
if you test positive, what is the probability you actually have the disease
119
NPV
if you test negative, what is the probability that you actually don't have the disease
120
which comparitor, sensitivyti/specificity or PPV/NPV, needs to be handled more carefully? why?
PPV and NPV, because these are affected by the prevalence of the disease in the community
