PLTW - Medical Interventions Final Exam Study Guide 2025/2026

PLTW - Medical Interventions Final Exam Study Guide 2025/2026 What is a medical intervention? - answer-Any measure whose purpose is to improve health or alter the course of a disease What are the main categories of interventions that function to maintain human health? - answerTreatments, Diagnostics and Equipment How do scientists gather evidence during the potential outbreak of an infectious disease? - answer-1. Record patient's symptoms and find similarities with other patients 2. Isolate the bacteria in a lab 3. Go to affected areas and determine the origin of the disease 4. Identify the disease using DNA sequencing since pathogens alter certain DNA sequences What is bioinformatics? - answer-The collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers. (Especially applied in molecular genetics and genomics) How can DNA sequences be used to identify disease pathogens? - answer-You can observe mutations and abnormalities that disease pathogens have What is an antibody? - answer-A blood protein in the body produced by B-cells (B-Lymphocytes) that fight against a foreign substance by recognizing a specific part of it. How do antibodies identify and inactivate antigens? - answer-1. Shape recognition 2. Proteins of the antigens are configured to specific antibodies, so the foreign antigens bind to the specific antibodies that inactivate them How can the ELISA assay be used to detect disease? - answer-1. Primary antibodies attach to specific antigen2. Secondary antibody attaches to primary antibody 3. When enzyme substrate is added, color change occurs Why is it important for doctors to know the concentration of the disease antigen present in a patient's system? - answer-Higher concentration = closer to patient zero Patient Zero - answer-The first person to be infected with a particular disease