MEDICINE Flashcards
epidemiology
the branch of medical science that deals with the study of the distribution, pattens, determinants, and control of diseases and health related events within a population
correlation
- describes a statistical relationship between twoo variables, indicating how they change together but does not imply a causation
- changes in one variable are associated with changes in another variable
- established through statistical analysis, often using methods such as correlation coefficients
causation
- implies a cause and effect relationship where the event (cause) directly leads to another event (effect)
- changes in one variable directly cause changes in another variable
- typically established through controlled experiments or carefully designed observational studies
homeopathy
system of alternative medicine
placebo
- when treatment substances that aren’t supposed to have an effect on people make people feel better
- when used in clinical trials half of the participants are given the real and the other half the placebo, if the real one showed significantly benefits compared to the placebo, it was proved effective
zoonotion
diseases caused by pathogens carried by animals
vector borne
contact with a living organism that carries the disease pathogen
direct contact
coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected animal
indirect contact
coming into contact with areas where animals live, or surfaces contaminated with pathogens
food borne
consuming infected foods
water borne
coming into contact with contaminated water
antibiotics
work by targeting the bacteria, killing, or inhibiting their growth
vaccines
- vaccines introduce weakened or inactive parts of a pathogen in the body
- the immune system recognizes these parts as a foreign and mounts a defense by producing antibodies
- if the body encounters the real pathogen in the future, the immune system can quickly neutralize it
MMN vaccines
made form the weakened forms of the virus and bacteria, and they mimic natural infection
subunit vaccines
contain only specific parts of the virus (proteins and sugars), making them safer than live vaccines
clinical studies
aimed at evaluating a medical or behavioral intervention
double blind
neither the participant nor the researcher know who is the control or experimental group, reducing bias and increasing reliability
cohort
a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic which is then followed and observed
case control
researchers identify individuals with a specific condition, and compare it to individuals without the condition
computer modeling
helps visualize molecules and substances, and then a software is used to design molecules as potential drugs, since the effectiveness is closely related to the chemicals presented in the three dimensional shape of the molecules
nuclear medicine
- medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and treat
- radiopharmaceuticals are injected or ingested and they accumulate in specific organs
- the readiopharmaceutucal emits gamma rays that are detected by cameras and show the functioning and structure of organs
- it is also used in therapy, where higher doses of radioactive materials are delivered to specific targets to treat conditions
