B6 - Preventing and Treating Disease Flashcards

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1
Q

How does vaccination work

A
  • Dead or inactive forms of a pathogen are injected into the body
  • White blood cells are then stimulated to produce antibodies against pathogens
  • White blood cells then are duplicated by mitosis to make memory cells
  • If the pathogen is reintroduced to the body, the memory cells can provide a rapid immune response + increase of antibodies to help kill it is quick and there are lots more antibodies
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2
Q

What is herd immunity and why is it important

A
  • Where a large proprotion of the population is immune to a disease
  • This reduces the spread of pathogens and protects those who may not have been vaccinated
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3
Q

First antibiotic discovered

A

Pencillin

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4
Q

What do antibiotics do

A

Kill BACTERIA inside the human body without harming human cells

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5
Q

What is antibiotic resistance and why was it caused

A
  • Where certain antibiotics are no longer effective against some bacteria
  • Caused by overuse of antibiotics
  • Bacteria had then evolved to be resistant
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6
Q

How is anitibiotic resistance prevented

A
  • Not used to treat viral infections - viruses are inside human cells so can’t be killed by antibiotics (only use when necessary)
  • USing specific antibiotics for specific bacteria (narrow spectrum)
  • High hygiene levels in hospitals
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7
Q

Role of painkillers and common examples

A
  • Treat the symptoms of a disease by relieving pain
  • They don’t kill pathogens
  • Examples - aspirin, paracetomol
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8
Q

Where do digitalis and digoxin originate from and what are they used for

A
  • Extracted from the foxglove plant
  • Used to treat heart conditions
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9
Q

Where does aspirin originate from and what is it used for

A
  • Extracted from the willow tree
  • Used as a painkiller
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10
Q

Where are drugs discovered from

A
  • Plants
  • Microorganisms e.g. Penicllium
  • Synthesised in chemists
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11
Q

Why is drug testing done

A
  1. Toxicity - is it safe for humans, side effects
  2. Efficacy - is it effective
  3. Dosage - how much is a safe amount to use
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12
Q

First stage of drug trials

A
  • Preclinical testing
  • Not carried out on humans as it could be very toxic
  • Carried out of cells, tissues or small animals
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13
Q

Second stage of drug trials

A
  • Clinical testing - done on humans
  • First step - low doses to check drug is safe in humans (healthy volunteers)
  • Then optimal dose is found (double blind trials) - best dose with fewest side effects
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14
Q

How to set up a double blind trial

A
  • Control gender, age and other factors
  • Split into two groups, one with new drug (test group) and one with placebo drug (control group)
  • Neither the patients or the doctors know which group has the new drug to avoid bias
  • Results are then collected and peer reviewed by other scientists to avoid false claims e.g. due to drug company wanting to make more money
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15
Q

What is an monoclonal antibody

A

An antibody specific to the shape of a single antigen protein
This means they can target specific cells

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16
Q

Uses of monoclonal antibodies

A
  • Pregnancy tests
  • Cancer treatments - stop cancer cells growing, deliver cancer drug or attack cancer cells
  • Measure the levels of chemicals or hormones in the blood
  • Bind them to a fluorescent dye
17
Q

How are monclonal antibodies produced

A
  • Mouse injected with antigen
  • Lymphocytes are stimulated to produce antibodies against the antigen
  • These cells are then harvested from the spleen and combined with myeloma (tumour) cells to create hybridoma cells
  • These hybridomas can both divide rapidly and produce the antibody
  • The desired hybridoma cell is then isolated and cloned to produce cells than can produce lots of the antibody
  • The antibody can then be harvested and purified
18
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies

A
  • Advantage - only affects target cells not healthy ones
  • Disadvantages - expensive to develop, antibodies from mice could cause side effects in humans, producing them is difficult
19
Q

How do pregnancy tests work (common 6 marker)

A
  • Urine passes up reaction zone
  • HCG hormone binds to the mobile HCG antibody
  • Once up the stick, HCG hormone binds to the immobilised HCG antibodies in the results zone
  • (the other) antibodies which do not attach to HCG
  • bind to antibodies in control zone
  • dye appears in both control and results zones (to show positive result)
20
Q

What was thalidomide used to treat many years ago

A
  • USed as a sleeping pill
  • Also used to treat morning sickness in women
  • Was banned in the 1960s as it cause limb deformalities in babies
21
Q

What is thalidomide used to treat now

A
  • Leprosy
  • Bone cancer