Fundamental Biological Processes
Metabolic Phases
Phase Degraded (Catabolism)
A set of reactions aimed at obtaining energy and precursor molecules. The degradative and catabolic processes are energy-producing chemical reactions and are exergonic. The major catabolic pathways:
- Glycolysis: The pathway that degrades glucose to produce pyruvate.
- β-Oxidation: A set of reactions that occur in the oxidation of fatty acids to give rise to acetyl coenzyme A.
- Transamination and Deamination: The set of processes that take place in amino acid
Key Concepts in Health and Disease
Types of Diseases
Diseases can be categorized in various ways:
- Infectious and Parasitic Diseases: cholera, influenza.
- Tumors: benign tumors, cancer.
- Hemic and Immune System Diseases: anemia, coagulopathy.
- Mental and Behavioral Disorders: depression, intellectual disability.
- Nervous System Diseases: meningitis, neuropathies.
- Diseases of the Sense Organs: blindness, otitis.
- Respiratory System Diseases: bronchitis, asthma.
- Digestive System Diseases: caries, appendicitis.
- Skin Diseases: dermatitis, alopecia.
- Congenital
Understanding Disease and Evolutionary Biology
Disease Concepts and Control
Re-emerging and Emerging Diseases
Re-emerging diseases: Caused by germs in an unknown state that may have been hidden for a long time and then appear suddenly, like Ebola or tuberculosis.
Emerging diseases: Mutations may occur. Includes past illnesses that remain with us, such as cholera, tuberculosis, dengue, malaria.
Infectious Agents
Infectious agents: Pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases. They are those that invade our body, called the host, and reproduce within
Read MoreKey Genetic Principles: Heredity, Variation, and Technology
Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance
Gregor Mendel established fundamental principles of heredity, known as Mendel’s Laws:
- Law of Uniformity: When crossing two pure breeds (homozygous individuals with different alleles for a trait), all first filial (F1) generation descendants are genetically uniform and phenotypically identical, expressing the dominant trait if one exists.
- Law of Segregation: The two hereditary factors (alleles) for each character do not fuse but remain differentiated throughout an individual’
Essential Microbiology & Immunology Terms
Sterilization:
Destroying all microorganisms existing in any substrate.
Chemotherapeutic Agents:
Antimicrobial agents used effectively to combat infectious microbes.
Pasteurization:
Used to eliminate most microorganisms from foods.
Disinfectants:
Kill microorganisms that cause disease but do not necessarily destroy all forms (like spores).
Antiseptics:
Substances used to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes present on skin or wounds.
Selective Toxicity:
Ability to kill or inhibit disease-causing microbes
Read MoreUnderstanding Human Reproductive Processes and Health
FUNCTION.REPRO – GAMETOGENESIS: Gametes are formed in gonads.